The sun is in and out, in and out, but for the last half hour thunder has rumbled in the distance like cannon. I ran out to refill the bird feeder and the suet cake hanger before the rain started and found us surrounded in a horseshoe of thunderclouds, rumbling enough to drive Willow under my desk. The moment the feeder was full a small (three) flotilla of sparrows and the female downy woodpecker immediately availed themselves. We haven't seen the goldfinch since his one memorable appearance. He had flown to a tree next door, but we do not know if it was just a stopover or something more permanent. Goldfinches are supposed to be a winter bird here.

The male cardinal has just shown up. I don't know if it's been a bad summer or what, but his crest is gone—the entire top and back of his head is featherless. Not sure if he's not healthy, if he got into some type of territorial fight and came out the loser, or if "the missus" used some of his feathers to line the nest. He looks distinctly seedy. [No pun intended.]

Labels: birds, weather

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 4:54:00 PM

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