BIRD BATH “ SOG-A” 
     
    
   
   
    
     by Evelyn Meader 
     
     Through the years we have discovered 
     
     that a feeder creates ' 
     
     bird-watching-nade—easy. Only this 
     
     summer have we experienced the fun of 
     
     spying on the bird bathers as well as 
     
     the bird nunchers. On May 27 while 
     
     walking through Towers, during a 
     
     grocery run, what did I see, on the 
     
     highest shelf, but a bird bath for 
     
     only $7? In with the apples, oranges 
     
     and French bread went the avian 
     
     plumbing fixture. That evening it 
     
     was parked in our family room till 
     
     morning when I could see to fill up 
     
     the hollow base with stones and earth 
     
     for stability. By the time I arose, 
     
     later than the birds, there perched 
     
     in the bath were a snall brass owl, a 
     
     wooden penguin and a wooly rooster - 
     
     a gaggle of dry humour! 
     
    
   
   
    
     I soon had the new purchase filled 
     
     and placed near the feeder. We 
     
     watched like perpetual peeping Toms. 
     
     Not a feather was dipped. Birds were 
     
     under, around, and above it but not 
     
     in it. We concluded that we were 
     
     surrounded by dirty birds! Geoff 
     
     Hogan suggested adding a rock. My 
     
     daughter nailed a diving board to run 
     
     from a nearby feeding stamp right up 
     
     to the waters edge. My husband 
     
     suggested soap and towel. With a 
     
     June like we had what bird needed a 
     
     bath? Mother Nature provided free 
     
     showers daily. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Seeds were lined up along the board, 
     
     on the rock and on the edge of the 
     
     bath. Birds came close, took the 
     
     seeds and flew away, unwashed. A cry 
     
     of "There's a bird on the birdbath!" 
     
     brought everyone in the house to the 
     
     window. The first big breakthrough 
     
     came when the guzzling grackle took a 
     
     drink. Finally, the sluming 
     
     sparrow's favorite puddle by the car 
     
     dried up. In late July, 2 months 
     
     after bath installation, a sparrow 
     
     hopped in and had a great time, 
     
     pipping, spraying, shaking and 
     
     drinking. We enjoyed the big splash 
     
     as much as she did (ladies first). 
     
    
   
   
    
     -104 
     
    
   
   
    
     Sometimes on sunny days we notice a 
     
     line up -‘one in the tub, one on the 
     
     sump and one on the grass. The bath 
     
     is at last a popular spot - could be 
     
     the "seedside" landscaping. A 
     
     well-filled sunflower and fringed 
     
     barley were planted from feeder 
     
    

    
     fallout and watered with bath 
     
     splashdown. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Just as I pulled the plug on this 
     
     "sog-a" I looked out toward our 
     
     ornithological tableau and beheld a 
     
     song sparrow, feathers all fluffed 
     
     out and wings spread, immersed in an 
     
     invigorating dip at 10 degrees C. 
     
     Another came after, stood on the rock 
     
     and took a couple of feather 
     
     flavoured swigs - no polar bear 
     
     plunge for him! 
     
    
   
   
    
     Finally, the same day, as if to throw 
     
     cold water on my bird bath 
     
     braggadoccio there in the puddles by 
     
     our side door were 2 frivolously 
     
     splashing sparrows — a and puddle 
     
     "fuddle duddle" to our $7 splendor. 
     
    
   
   
    
     I'llIllllllllllll 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘@ 
     
    
   
   
    
     COLOUR MARKED 
     
     SNOW BUNTINGS 
     
    
   
   
    
     (from Nature Alert, September, 1985) 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Canadian Wildlife Service would 
     
     like to be notified if anyone sees 
     
     colour marked snow buntings (dye 
     
     markings of red, blue, green, yellow, 
     
     orange or purple, marking outer wing 
     
     and tail feathers) . Take note of 
     
     date, location, colour of dye and 
     
     send the information to the Bird 
     
     Banding Office, Canadian Wildlife 
     
     Service, Ottawa KlA 087.