For the birds

There's some big time thunderstorms dancing around my little town. If I disappear today it means I've lost power or the cable again. Meanwhile, the birds outside my window have been endlessly entertaining. I've got a little yellow warbler that's been visiting regularly to serenade me with this sweet little songs but the other yellow guy who I can't quite identify has been a riot. He's been diligently cleaning out the spider webs for me, one supposes in an attempt to rob the spider of its insect stash. He attacks the webs very systematically, grabbing a piece and then flying violently away to break it. By the third try his little beak is covered in a cloud of web but he persists until he reaches his intended target and then returns to the bush to crow about his victory. He's only quit once when a huge hornet intimidated him into leaving the sill.

The cardinals have been regular visitors as well. I decided the one I thought was a female is actually a youngster since I saw the male feeding it the other day. And there's been some big preening going on in the bush these couple of days. Various birds have sat there for extended periods of time fluffing out their feathers and perhaps swallowing invisible mites. At least it looks like they're eating something. There was one I couldn't identify yesterday. A brownish bird with a cream colored chest. He was so fluffed out he looked like a baseball with a head on it, just sitting there for about a half hour.

I'm so easily amused....