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| The neighborhood skies were almost this lit up. Fireworks are sold on every corner in July. |
I kept all my solar lights from Phoenix, and some of them still work. The old principle was - leave them in sunlight, get four hours of bright light from them at night. The four remaining are embedded in the rose garden. They are quite spectacular at dusk. Last night we walked to the front of the house to watch the fireworks in our neighborhood - the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air. Sassy was not pleased with all the noise, from three sides of us, so she barked back. That seemed to satisfy her.
My newer solar lights turn on at night at low level and brighten up when they detect movement nearby. The lights are inexpensive and easy to install on wooden posts or trees. I have them on the porch posts, plus two in the maple tree in front.
This began when I wanted to keep the porch light on at night, when going to evening college events. That leads to collecting annoying night insects around the light and higher electric bills. I tried one solar light and then another to light up the front. Sassy has her own solar light over the back door. Since our neighbor on the corner has his solar light collection, we are starting to brighten up the night.
The backyard was suffering from an abundance of low-hanging branches. First our helper participated in reducing the ones that hampered mowing and threatened eyeballs. Then, we pruned more for Sassy's ball-throwing and additional sunlight. Finally, when I saw how the chain-link fence could double as a trellis, I went after the maples along the fence. The shade departed and we lost the Miss Havisham look.
The birds are delighted with the soaker hose attached near the top of the fence. They have abot 50 feet where they can perch, drink, take a bath, and preen their feathers. They love safe places for preening, essential for flying. When I was digging - they were watching. They chortled and twitttered like synodical officials at a Thrivent funding event.
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| Add some rocks for that bird beach experience. I use a shallower dish than this one. |
I went out to check the water and found three birds enjoying their baths near the faucet. I will soon buy some ceramic dishes, the ones put under large flower pots, and use them as baths that fill when I water in various places. People buy one big, expensive bird bath and find themselves doing maid work for the birds. I use many cheap ones and keep them clean by dumping them out after some swirling around. Birds like shallow dishes for bathing, not Hollywood swimming pools.
God's Creation adjusts to the baseline, so we can adjust those details and see the results. One birdbath attracts birds in time because they are shy about anything new. They are good about sharing, so a few more birds will hang around. Add five birdbaths and far more birds will be in the yard. The same is true with natural bird-feeders and shelter. The more food and shelter they have, the more birds will make the yard their home. Each species has its own specialty, its own favorite shelter, its own preferred food and place for food (ground, bushes, trees). Variety in food and shelter means a variety of birds will make their abode in their yard. They earn their keep with beautiful songs, insect and weed seed eating.
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| Some grow the birdhouse gourd and create shelters for the birds with the dried gourds. |
