~ Bird Song of Spring in the Air ~

As of late~ we have had more of our share of rain in Southern California. I have worried about my sweet daffodils being battered around by the harsh wind and torrential, constant downfall of rain as storm after storm hits our coast and garden. Rain and Mother nature do have their benefits though~ as the water gives birth to the flower and ground cover with beautiful budding blooms and new ladybugs hatching.~ As Spring approaches, another creation of God's is the beautiful mating song of the bird in the garden at Beverly Cottage. As I listen to my garden song every morning, I can recognise the different songs and identify some as I have come to know them, and to whom they belong. Every year there seems to be a new visitor in the garden here at Beverly Cottage. I look to catch a quick glimpse of my elusive Oriole, trying to coax him to stop and visit my hummingbird feeders, but only see him fly by infrequently. We noticed the Bluebird family choose our neighborhood as eating grounds and nesting spot 10 years ago, and love to see them join the other native birds in the birdbath splashing~ A flock of Cedar waxwings like to frequent the empty branches across the street from the Cottage and they have a lovely smooth appearance. Last year the early chortling of as new visitor had us in a quandary trying to spot him and identify what type he was. It was a Cassin's Kingbird. This week, after a strong rain, I heard the singing of a new friend and looked out into our screened patio to find a bird had found its way in. I hastened to open the door to help it exit and share it's adventure of being "locked up" in a humans outside room and freed by the larger than life, up close person and lived to tell about it. When I turned around to see where it had flitted to, it had disappeared upon it's own. hummm.... I am a collector of abandoned bird nests~ As I looked around, I noticed that things seemed askew and that the wind from the storm couldn't have possibly blown a bird nest carefully placed in a container on to the ground. I went about tidying up and thought no more of it until the next day when my little friend was singing his beautiful song, broadcasting that there was free nesting material on my screened patio! After discussing the "new song" of the unidentifiable bird, we set out to find and identify him. Each time we heard the song we searched and looked. We also looked in the bird book and thought that it might be a wren.~ Well yesterday while my husband was gardening, he spotted the bird singing on our Plumeria bush near the trash bin area on the side of the house. Watching, he saw that he and the missus were setting up home in the terracotta sun face placed on the side of the house! There in the open mouth of the sun was evidence of a nest being built. I set the camera up on the tripod and waited in the arbor to see them working diligently before it was time to lay their eggs.~ They are House wrens.~ Enjoy the pictures~ ~May I suggest you sit outside or take a walk and listen to the bird song. ~It is lovely~