Male Cardinal in the Birdbath

We have a very tiny patio garden and one of the features is a solar powered bird bath. It attracts a variety of birds - mostly sparrows and doves - but every once in awhile robins and my all time favorite cardinals stop by. The squirrels and bees also enjoy sipping from the gurgling water. Cardinals are so pretty and handsome. I know their chirp and always look for the mate because they always come in pairs. With out of town guests here this week, we spent more time on the patio side of the house when a lot of bird activity goes on in the late afternoon. I’m not sure how they see me through the glass patio door, but I oftentimes sneak up to catch photos or movies before they fly off. A male cardinal showed up and actually was splashing around in the birdbath - a very rare sight. I posted the video on my Facebook page and it got almost 500 hits. The next day, his partner came by and I took a video of her doing the same thing. She got not even sixty hits. Granted, the bright red plumage does make a big difference. Nevertheless it is an interesting observation. I caught a crow rummaging around a garbage bin yesterday. I have a feeling he would have a better response than the female cardinal. 

Smart Solar Bird Bath Battery Replacement

On our little patio garden is a birdbath nestled in among the hydrangea that are about to bloom, and assorted annuals that are in full bloom - and a digitalis that surprisingly returned this year. We've had the birdbath for quite some time and have replaced the battery pack once for the fountain to work from the solar panel. Since it only bubbles in the sunlight, we decided to get a battery saver option the last go round in case we wanted to hear the gurgling in the later part of the day. We never used it, so when the battery died just a week ago, it seemed much too quiet to go without some kind of replacement. So we ordered up another solar panel and battery pack. It arrived this week and we were eager to test it out. As soon as it hit the sunlight the battery was in motion and waiting to get in to the water. The biggest decision was to figure out which spout we wanted to use - the one stream up or the spray all around. The one stream up looked nice so we'll give it a go. Now this afternoon I need to get out there and whack down all the overgrowth that has taken over the space - the very hot days we've experienced this spring were also unexpected. Everything is so overgrown it's looking a but messy. But it is a lot easier to take care of compared to the one acre, several gardens, and multiple bird baths, houses, and feeders we had in Milwaukee. Things on a smaller scale are looking better and better all the time. Replacing the battery is worth every penny.