Visitors to the Birdbath

At the recommendation of the BB-store owner (there's a phrase I never thought I'd write), I moved the birdbath over to the south part of the yard, under the tree where the stupid squirrels live. You can see their nest (which we've knocked down repeatedly) in the photo below.

I liked the birdbath near the veranda where it was, but it didn't seem to be attracting any birds (bees, yes; wasps, yes), so I didn't mind moving it. I didn't t think I'd see any birds using it in its new location, but surprise! Within the first few days, we saw a couple of birds playing in the water and then resting on the nearby trellis.


These are black-capped chickadees, one of my favorite birds. I just adore their friendly little "fee-bee" call, which you can hear at the end of this recording. But they're not the only birds who've come visiting lately.

Towards the end of last summer, we noticed a new pair of birds hanging around the neighborhood. It was difficult to get a good look, but we knew from the shape of their profiles -- particularly their hooked beaks -- that they were some type of small raptor. We've come to think they're peregrine falcons. Here's one on the telephone wire behind the house.


It's been a real treat to have them around. We hear their cries in the mornings and evenings while we're on the patio, and occasionally they swoop through the backyard. (I keep hoping they'll eat the squirrels, but no such luck so far.)

Yesterday, I was in the kitchen when Mason called out to come to the TV room. Looking out the window, we saw one of the falcons standing the birdbath. He stood motionless in the water for quite a while, occasionally bending his head to drink. Then he did a funny little bobbing dance, washing his back feathers in the water. We watched for about five minutes, and then the second falcon swooped down and landed on the trellis nearest to the birdbath. I managed to find the camera and take a few shots through the window. I wish the photos had come out better, but if you click on them to see the enlarged images, you might be able to get a better look.

P.S. Oh, and that mess you see in the backyard next to ours is our new neighbor settling in. He's completely ripping up the backyard, but that's a lot more attention than it's had for years, so I'm thinking anything he does to it will be a good thing.