Oasis

Acorn woodpeckers playing in the misters (six are in the picture)

We're into the third (and, hopefully, last) heatwave of the summer.  Today's forecast is for 112 degrees and this is set to continue for the next several days.  This year, we strung a mister hose through the tupelo trees behind the house.  We originally installed it during the first heat wave in hopes of making the potted lilies more comfortable (it definitely made the voles more comfortable as they chomped down most of the lilies).  However, we now turn it on when the weather is hot because it cools the west side of the house and is an oasis for heat-stressed birds.  All through the long afternoons when the sun is beating down on everything, birds arrive to refresh themselves in the fine spray.  Assorted oak titmice, scrub jays, finches and sparrows come to sip from the nozzles and preen the water that sparkles from their feathers.  A family of seven rowdy acorn woodpeckers doesn't even bother to leave -- they set up a noisy camp in the trees and spend the hours blustering, playing and cooling off. I stand at the kitchen sink and watch through the window -- washing dishes has never been so entertaining.