Portland Japanese Garden - Fall Colors

The Portland Japanese Garden is a favorite of mine, especially in the Fall when the colors are spectacular. According to Wikipedia, The Portland Japanese Garden is a traditional Japanese garden occupying 12 acres, located within Washington Park in the West Hills of Portland, Oregon. In 1958, Portland became a sister city of Sapporo, Japan.

This inspired Portland business leaders and public officials to create a Japanese garden in Portland. The Japanese Garden is built into a forested hillside in Washington Park on land that was previously the site of Portland's zoo until 1959. The garden was opened to the public in 1967. 

 In a study conducted in 2013 by the Journal of Japanese Gardening, it was deemed the finest public Japanese garden in North America out of more than 300 such gardens surveyed by Japanese garden experts. 

The former Japanese ambassador to the U.S., Nobuo Matsunaga, said in 1988 that the garden was “the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside Japan. 

The 12-acre (4.9 ha) Portland Japanese Garden is composed of the following eight garden spaces plus a Cultural Village -
• The Strolling Pond Garden.

• The Natural Garden.

• The Sand and Stone Garden.

• The Flat Garden.

• The Tea Garden.

• The Entry Garden.

• The Ellie M. Hill Bonsai Terrace.

• The Tsubo-Niwa.

Birds - Golden Crown Kinglets

Spotted these Golden-Crowned Kinglets (Regulus satrapa) at my favorite birding place, Vancouver Lake Regional Park, Washington. 
According to Wikipedia, they are one of the smallest passerines found throughout much of North America. Photographed with a Sony RX10IV on October 28, 2019.