Look closely. There’s a blue jay in the middle of that flying water! And he hogged the bath for a full 15 minutes.
The mockingbord (below) had already had her turn. A red-headed woodpecker landed above the bath on the edge of the deck shade roof, but the jay just kept splashing mightily. The woodpecker gave up and left.
I am learning from the birds! They are finally getting me properly trained. If I faithfully clean and refill the “birdbath” every other day or so, they reward me with exuberant displays. You just can’t watch them without grinning at the very least. Restores my soul.
BTW, the “birdbath” is just a big plastic tray that once sat under a long-gone deck pot. I did not realize what a perfect birdbath it made. An eastern bluebird taught me that one warm sunny day last November.
The tray had been sitting uselessly on the deck all through the long hot, dry summer. How the birds would have appreciated it had I been smarter! But when it finally filled with rain water, little Mr. Blue showed me how its done.
I’ll do better this year, yard birds! I promise.
Peace, y’all! #PeaceintheTimeofPandemic #PTOP
Edge & Essence 
Good afternoon, Bette Jo, hope it is a good one for you! I loved this posting about the birds, and have enjoyed your others as well. I”m not able to text as much these days as the pinched nerve in my neck makes it more difficult. Hope to try another nerve block when (if?!) the danger of the Virus abates. But I do enjoy my Nature Trail, and especially the many birds that come to my feeder that I can easily watch from my ‘meditation’ chair. I have lots of cardinals, but also wrens, and 3 different types of woodpeckers etc. Last week I had a daily visitation of 3-4 Indigo Buntings! So bright and cheerful! Out front I have hummingbird feeders and am always surprised shown one comes right up to the glass door to watch me watching! If we had to have a pandemic, I’m glad it’s in Springtime with all the gifts of nature that I love. I’m truly isolating, tho’ a good neighbor/friend and I talk at a distance over our back fence. And I occasionally have a close friend come sit 10’ away on my back patio in a designated chair, with the understanding that under no circumstances will she come into the house or touch anything except the chair she is sitting in and whatever she has brought! Strict, but we both agree to the importance. So glad for Face Time that my younger (11 yo) granddaughter and I enjoy. The 16 yo is not so inclined at this point. So let me know if you’d like to try Face Time or to come sit on my patio! Either wd have to be after 12 noon as it often takes that long for my neck and arm to start feeling better. Please pray for a successful Nerve Block soon! And do let me know your prayer requests too! I’m new to FaceBook so am not quite as sure that I will see your posts; I’m still trying to get the hang of it! I got it so I cd watch all the online worship services and videos and it has been wonderful.
Blessings to you and yours!
Sent from my iPhone
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Rowena: So glad you enjoyed this. I have used my time at home to get better acquainted with my yard menagerie and do a better job of making my yard an inviting place for them. I just hung a new grape jelly feeder on the back deck. The birds haven’t found it yet, but I’m sure they will. The birdbath was an unexpected lesson! Had no idea how many birds would come to fresh, clean water to bathe. The blue jays and bluebirds were taking turns again yesterday afternoon. So sorry to hear that pinched nerve is giving you such grief. Many prayers for a successful nerve block soon. My left wrist is also still giving me some grief. It has gotten bettter, but it still hurts and I must wear a brace. I’m being treated for “pseudo-gout” but will have an MRI later this week to make sure there’s no soft tissue damage. I too am being very careful in this time of pandemic! My 75th birthday is in 10 days, so avoiding exposure is a high priority. I am going to Grace to participate in streaming the services. That involves a total of 6 people, and although we maintain space, we can’t always stay a full 6 feet away from each other. It’s just not possible given the space and what we’re doing. Other than that, I put on my mask and pick up my groceries curbside, and I go out to Black Bayou for a walk once a week. I have also found zoom to be a helpful technology. Yesterday I conducted a meeting of my Master Naturalist group on zoom. We shared photos and had a good time. So for now, I’m doing fine. In fact, zoom would work well for us to “get together” as well! Hope to see you on this Wednesday’s zoom clergy meeting. Blessings, bjk.
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