I went to the Fountain Hills Botanical Garden on a late cloudy morning and saw quite a few birds and other critters.

Here’s a list of what I saw: a chuckwalla, another lizard I couldn’t identify, cottontail rabbit, roadrunner trying to swallow a lizard -- just the hind feet were hanging out of its mouth -- Gambel's quail with babies, phainopepla, verdin, mourning dove, cactus wren, black-tailed gnatcatcher, flicker and a curve-billed thrasher.

I was surprised to see so many, but the cooler temperatures had them more active than usual for that time of day.

Please help us make the entrance to the garden look more inviting by voting your points for the $10,000 Grant Republic Services is offering our town. We are the fourth organization listed, so you have to scroll down to find us. Go to Republicgivesback.com to vote. If you are not registered you can do so.

If you have difficulty with the site you can call Sally at 877-323-7688 and leave a message. If she doesn’t get back to you the day you call she will the following day. Thanks for your help!