My arms feel like rubber bands but the wood is split and stacked.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.  The sun was shining.  The sky was blue with only a few wispy clouds. 

The birds kept me entertained all day.  They didn't seem to mind the noise of the log splitter.  White-breasted nuthatches and chickadees flew back and forth from tree branches to feeders.  Blue jays squawked and dived down to the seed feeders.

Whenever the splitter was off, I could hear cranes overhead.  At least 8 flocks of cranes came into view.  They circled and appeared to join together into one big flock.  They were on the move today.

A large pileated woodpecker came for a visit.  I heard it first and tried to determine where it was.  It flew into the yard from

the forest behind my yard and landed on an old poplar snag.  From the snag, it landed on a log on the ground.  There must have been some tasty bugs in that one.  It kept the woodpecker busy for a few minutes before it flew up to a stump just a few feet away from me.

I watched the woodpecker and it watched me.  Once it determined that I was no threat, it flew up to the suet feeder.  It amazes me that such a big bird can hold onto that cage and still be able to peck at the suet.

As I split the large logs, I found grubs inside of them.  I'm sure the woodpecker would have loved those juicy morsels.

I didn't get out to the trails but nature came to me and I enjoyed the show.