From The House of Edward

Early Morning Visitors

Outside my office window hangs a cerulean blue glass birdfeeder with a metal umbrella top. In the early morning, before it gets too hot, I like to open the window so I can hear the windchimes in the trees and watch the birds as they flutter on and off the blue feeder eating their breakfast. For the past couple of weeks I’ve had the delight of receiving frequent visits from a family of bluebirds. Usually rather elusive around here, we’ve had more than our fair share of these lovely little fellows this past winter and spring, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen the youngsters. They have the same bright blue wings as the adults, but with spotted backs, very pretty. The most striking thing about them however, is not their appearance but their sound. They are really quite noisy, like kids on a playground. There are three of them and they flop on the feeder next to a much more docile parent, and proceed to chatter and banter away. Then they rather awkwardly fly down to the birdbath and have a splashing good time. They stayed there yesterday for the longest while, with Mum and Dad watching from a nearby branch almost as though they were sitiing on a lounge chair with a beach book and iced tea, peeking over their sunglasses at the kids in the pool. It’s such a treat to share my everyday life with the wild creatures that are, thankfully, still around outside from time to time. And of course, to share it also with the tamer ones asleep at my feet.