Catbird Takes A Bath

 On a sultry midday visit to My Little Garden Zoo, Catbird avails herself of the freshly topped off water of the American Alligator habitat to take a bath.  What joy!

The dirth of songbirds is evident.  The ravages of GMO pesticide impervious crops decimating the essential insect bounty, the hardships of climate change (heat & drought), the persistence of the Avian Flu pathogen and it's plague tole.  The birds are disappearing.  Since moving here in 1994, I would say that there are probably 30 to 40% fewer birds.  I haven't seen or heard one of those ubiquitous little invaders the English House Sparrow all year.  They used to be EVERYWHERE.  Likewise, no Blue Jays, no Gold Finch, and not a titmouse or chickadee since April.  I do have Catbird, and Carolina Wrens are always complaining about something.  Robins, mostly in the morning.  I surprised a lone Mourning Dove the other day when I pulled into my driveway, and there is still a pair of Cardinals nesting somewhere in the neighborhood.  A small murder of Crows swoop through once a week or so.  I used to hear Palliated Woodpeckers down by the creek playing the dead sycamores like bongo drums, but not in recent memory.

So catbird bathes in the Alligator habitat of My (silly) Little Garden Zoo and Caroline Wren bitches about life at me from the Kwanzan Cherry tree, and what else can I do but be grateful?  Celebrate and revel in their presence?  What joy