Fun in the "Pool"!

  I have finally taken the time to fetch the wicker chairs from the greenhouse where they were stored for the winter months.  After arranging them in the front yard to take full advantage of the Back Bay breezes, I plopped down to "test" them.  After all, we sure do not want "non-working" chairs!  From this point on, these chairs will be my resting spot after doing the daily chores.  It is too hot to stay inside and the breezes are too inviting.  It is also from this spot that I can view a multitude of wildlife that comes to the yard to feed or get fresh water from the birdbath.  The camera will always be by my side to take advantage of the steady flow of photo opportunities that cross the yard.

  During my first sitting, I was fully entertained by a male cardinal that came to enjoy the cool waters of the birdbath.  I keep an old jug filled with water propped in the bath so that the bowl is not emptied too soon.  With the spout of the jug under water, it does not drain quickly.   Only as the water is emptied from the bowl of the bath does the water slowly feed from the spout to refill.  It is sort of a "fill on demand" method that seems to work well at keeping a two day supply of fresh water for the critters.  Today, the male cardinal took full advantage of that bath.  At first, he splashed happily about in the water but, then, I noticed an unusual behavior.  The cardinal would fluff out its belly feathers, soak them and then take off to where Mama Cardinal was setting on the nest.  After a moment or two, Papa Cardinal would come back to the birdbath to repeat the process.  Both to and from, he was careful to not let on where the nest was located just in case a crow or hawk was watching.  The male cardinal followed this routine 6 times.  

  It seems that birds can indeed carry water in their feathers.  They do this so their mate or offspring can get life-giving water during the heat of the day.  In areas where water is scarce, a bird can carry the water great distances to provide for his family.  My little cardinal friend only had about a hundred feet to fly before he was home.  Mama Cardinal could sip the water from his feathers and he could shake his feathers to sprinkle the nest.  He is such a good daddy! Later, he will teach his little ones that fresh water can be found at the birdbath and my entertainment will continue.