Rainy Day

The birds on my back deck really hate the rain, especially the smaller ones. They find it hard to fly when it is raining. I was standing with my morning tea watching the traffic on the feeders. I heard several birds sit on the feeder and launch into a fussy chatter as if to raise their voice to get mad at the rain. Most of the smallest birds still have to eat a great deal every day just because of the amount of energy they expend.

I marvel at the flashes of color that I see coming to visit our little bird sanctuary. There are cardinals that are such a brilliant red that they can be seen long before they land on the railing of the deck. There are bright little goldfinches whose yellow color rivals the spring daffodil blooms. There are raucous blue jays that are a shade of blue that defies description. If is a truly deep blue that rivals a royal robe.

This year I didn't take offence at the squirrels visiting the feeders. We have a mix of feed that has some seeds that are hard for our smaller birds to eat. I noticed the rather large furry squirrel that was raking out what he could get from the feeder. The birds that like to feed off the ground appreciate the small stuff that rains down. I noticed his coat was thick and shiny. It was obvious that the squirrel had been eating large quantities of high protein foods and was in great physical health. The oak trees that surround our townhouse covered the ground with huge quantities of acorns this last fall and I am sure this very fat squirrel had taken advantage of the bounty.

As I was standing there watching the birds in the constant activity on my feeders all these thoughts were roaming around in my head. I too wished I could launch into a fussy chatter to raise a verbal fist at the rain. In some ways the patter of the rain can be soothing, even soporific, but today it makes me restless. It seems like it has been raining for the longest time. I could do with a good dose of sunshine. The sun is making a weak effort at trying to shine, but it can't compete with the clouds and the rain. I hope the birds take advantage of the brief break in the rain to eat their fill. I might take advantage of this break to get out and get my fill of the weak sunshine; maybe take pictures of some of my feathered friends.