Birds a bathing…

Ruth, my youngest daughter, stood in my kitchen this past March, admired Spring’s arrival in my backyard, and said “Look how green everything is! It’s beautiful!”

“My favorite color this time of year,” I replied.

Then something caught her eye in the lower flower garden. “Mom! There’s a robin in your birdbath down in that garden! Is it okay?”

I smiled, for I understood her concern. “Well, it’s a bird taking a very enthusiastic bath. Quite amusing, isn’t it?”

“I’ve never seen anything so odd,” she replied. “One way Nature entertains us.”

Years prior, from my study window, for the first time in my life, I observed a robin bathe in a shallow pool of water in our gravel driveway.

The bird chirped and flailed her wings as if injured and couldn’t fly. She dipped her head into the water, lifted her beak and swallowed.

Within seconds the little creature flew away.

Sometime later, I found precious, blue robin eggs amongst the growing plants in my perennial island.

Therefore, I visited my favorite, local greenhouse/garden center and bought a birdbath, centered it in the perennial island amidst the circle driveway.

I hoped the birdbath elevated amongst the flowers increased my opportunities to observe birds.

Three summers ago (yes, it took me that long) I purchased a shallower birdbath and secured it in the lower, backyard garden where Ruth viewed the robin bathing.

Not long afterward, from my kitchen window, I observed a robin bathe in this birdbath amongst lily flags, wild, blue geraniums, and spurs of orange columbine.

A preposterous vision of birds bathing in twenty-some birdbaths in my backyard broke a smile on my face.

“Entirely unrealistic,” I rebuked myself.

For I don’t want to encourage the opportunity for my two beloved cats to catch and kill birds.

Therefore, I do not feed my feathered visitors. However, I welcome them to fly in, bathe, and go. Thus far, Mitty and Cuddles haven’t caught one of my feathered bathers.

Later this spring, my middle daughter flew in from California for a family wedding. One morning while in the kitchen preparing breakfast, I noticed the birdbath in the lower garden was dry.

“Be right back. Have to refill the birdbaths,” I said to Kelly

By then, I’d repurposed the birdbath I’d used for my honeybees in the back acre, moved it up the hill to another backyard garden.

I refreshed that birdbath, too, and returned to the kitchen for breakfast with my middle daughter.

“Look Mom!” Kelly exclaimed and pointed to the birdbath in the lower garden. “A robin’s taking a bath!”

Dear Reader, perfect timing for her to witness this natural spectacle in the backyard of her familial home!

However, what both Kelly and Ruth missed was a few raucous birdbath fights.

A spark of joy in this present, green season.

Contact Iris at irisfarmletters@gmail.com