Rain!
It has been raining here since Saturday and it is so welcome! Especially by anyone here who is a gardener. I am not sure what farmers are thinking as this is in the middle of harvesting corn. But for the rest of us, we are in day 4 of an off and on gentle rain and this is the best thing that could be happening. All perennials, shrubs, and many trees were showing signs of stress. All soil (mulched or not) was completely dry and cracked and digging in it was difficult – for me, I might as well have tried digging a hole in the sidewalk.
But all this rain this also means very little action at the birdfeeders and even less in the bird baths. Although there is a small House Finch family who takes a bath together every afternoon. As I explained in my blog of August 31st, we are in a transition period which happens every year at this time. Our spring and summer only residents are gone – except for one Ruby-throated Hummingbird who is still in the garden and perching in the trees. Our fall and winter residents have not arrived: Juncos, White-crowned Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, many more Eurasian Tree Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, Eastern Towhees, Fox Sparrows, Purple Finches, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and more. Most of these birds will not start arriving until late October and November. So it will remain slow on our live-stream cameras until then. But check the Public Forum. Posts and replies are slowly being added – I have enjoyed reading every one!