Water trumps food for birds

Despite the last few days being unseasonably warm, I've spent this spring  enjoying the front porch during the early morning hours.

Even before my eyes are fully ready to view the world, I amble to the kitchen, grab what I hope is a clean, empty, cup, and aim the coffee carafe toward it. My aim is pretty good, so I usually don't pour too much coffee onto the counter. Before heading out, I add a little cream and sugar because that's how I like it. Still in my pajamas, I position myself onto my favorite chair--a wicker rocking chair. Only then do I take that first sip. 

From then on, it is just pure enjoyment as I watch all my feathered friends going about their busy routines. It is so nice to move vicariously through them as I sit perfectly content and relaxed watching their frenzied behavior.


This little tufted titmouse had a great time enjoying the bird bath. 

There have been many more birds this spring. There are more than normal woodpeckers, blue jays, which never came into the yard, let alone to the feeders. Then there are the regulars; chickadees, cardinals, doves, nuthatches, indigo buntings, etc. This year, even the crows are eating at the feeders. What a site; they are just huge.

With the warm weather, the birds have been particularly fond of the three bird baths we have strategically placed in the front yard. In fact, I think the water was almost more of a draw for them than the bird feeders we painstakingly fill nearly every day.

For me, this is not just a study of avian behavior, but also one of human contentment.