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| This Photoshop offends the pickle-faced Pietists, so I use it every so often to improve their perspective. |
Cardinals are shy birds, and the males are less likely to be seen than the females, who normally feed first. I drop food onto the two garbage barrels several times a day, to encourage feeding. Cynical readers probably wonder aloud who is being trained. I am anticipating emails on this topic.
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| Cardinals, by Norma A. Boeckler |
Yesterday I put plenty of sunflower seeds on the barrels lids, a good place to see the birds and keep the food relatively dry. I saw a male cardinal fly in and perch high on the mature Chaste tree. I slipped back through the kitchen door, hoping he would feed rather than flee. Standing inside, I watched through the storm door as he posed majestically and dropped down to feed.
Before the storm and during the storm, birds and squirrels stopped by to eat some food. They do not pig out but leave plenty for the next shift. I like having the seed spread out on the two lids, because various combinations of diners are fun to watch. Sometimes a bird and a squirrel are inches apart. If one is hogging the yellow lid, the other crosses to the nearby black lid.
The crew dug in 50 more bulbs - Calladiums and Stars of Gold. The long, steady rain plumped them up and gave them a good start for blooming later. Birds always patrol the rose garden for bugs and worms. I would put food there, but Sassy patrols and finds bread products to be gourmet delights. She also looks at me suspiciously, as if I took away her food and gave it to ingrate birds.
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| In Moline we had a cat who pretended to read the back of the cereal box. If we looked away, she began drinking the milk in the cereal bowl. This book is a bio of Ma and Pa Kettle. |
