WET BIRDS!

Some were, almost to the point of being unrecognizable! Once, both a cardinal and a mockingbird were on my feeder the same time earlier today, with the cardinal on the covered, cheap plastic octagon feeder, and the mocker hanging almost upside down on the suet cage. I wish I could take a good picture, but even with zoom, it would not have looked like much through the front porch screen. With the rain, they have flown between the down-pours for the free food, even sitting and feeding some when the rain wasn't hard! Once there was a mockingbird on the suet cage, and a cardinal and 2 sparrows on the feeder at the same time! Lovely!

There have been a lot of sparrows on the feeder, and nuthatches on both the feeder and the suet. A few black birds of some kind and mourning doves have been on the ground, though I can't see them from the porch swing. I see them when they walk from the grass under the feeder to the driveway. Mother bought the double-arm shepherd's crook and the feeder and my sister and nephew put it up for me about a month ago. It is about 15' from where I sit on the porch. I can't see details, even at that distance, but can tell what the larger birds are with only my glasses. I keep a pair of binoculars on the swing.

I missed 2 days of work this week because of the "gold" I wrote about earlier. Most of the week has been sunny and warm but I haven't dared to be outside other than walking to and from the bus. Today has been thunderstorms, including hail the size of marbles this morning. Yes, I was on the porch at the time; it's lighter there than in the house.

Even with the storms, Talladega's NASCAR was to go on today, but a favorite of mine, the big art show (with music and storytelling) in the park downtown between City Hall and the Courthouse, was canceled. Also, the handbell choir, "Embellishments" free spring concert is today in the Birmingham Museum of Arts, also next to the park.

In between the storm cells, the cardinals, mockingbirds, and sparrows have really been feasting on the bird seed and the suet. I've been mostly on the porch, sometimes eating, sometimes tootling on my pennywhistle or wooden flute, or re-reading an old favorite by Gilbert Morris. "Root Out of Dry Ground: Biblical Characterizations in Verse" was copyrighted in 1981. I've given several as gifts.