This is a dark, rainy morning. Tornado warnings are out for parts of Oklahoma. Yesterday, parts of Texas experienced some pretty wicked storms.
Usually, I wake up to the sound of doves calling, robins chirping, and the neighborhood woodpecker drumming out his breakfast of bugs. But not this morning. This morning I woke to the sound of hard rain and an occasional clap of thunder. Where do the birds go when it rains? I’ve never really known because I don’t see nor hear them anywhere.
Yesterday, I sat on the deck and watched four purple finches pecking at sunflower seeds in the feeder. The males are a really bright color during warm months. I hope they raise a passle of babies in their hidden nests, wherever they are. Blackbirds fly onto the feeder too but they are actually too big for it. They have to sit sideways on the perch to peck up one seed at a time. The squirrels would like to take over, but it’s hard to shinny up the shepherd’s hook from whence hangs the feeder, when there’s Crisco covering the pole.
Anyway, we certainly can use the rain and I hope those storms that are threatening parts of northeast Oklahoma don’t do any damage. Weather is interesting but it can be dangerous. As the animals and birds know, it bears watching.
I’ve always wondered about where birds go too! So your post inspired me to look it up and here’s what most sources say: Birds often seek shelter under shrubs, bushes, or trees to stay dry and warm. They may also huddle together to conserve heat and minimize exposure to the rain, but they need to venture out to find food eventually. Others, such as ducks and geese, do fly in the rain though. I tuck in when it rains hard too! Glad this storm is over.
Aren’t birds interesting? All of nature is fascinating. Thanks for writing, Kimberly.
Our birds probably go on our patio, since they’ve built nests in the three light fixtures there. Years ago, we found a way to turn off the electricity for those lights since we had enough lights already. Anyway, rain is welcome, but storms are not! your bird feeder looks very nice.