Wet Bird Parade

It’s been a disgusting, humid, wet, rainy, clammy day, and I’m tired, so I’ll get straight to the pictures, shall I?

Wet House Sparrow

Poor, drenched fellow!

Poor, drenched fellow!

Nice feathers, mate.

Nice feathers, mate.

Wet Crows

This poor crow is my most miserable visitor, of the day.  He shakes like a mad thing, but the raindrops keep falling on his head.

This poor crow is my most miserable visitor, of the day. He shakes like a mad thing, but the raindrops keep falling on his head.

A pack of crows -- five or six of them, all told -- spend twenty minutes flying from one side of the courtyard to the other, bawking furiously all the while.  I look on, mystified.  What strange ritual is this?  Do they like flying in the rain?

A pack of crows — five or six of them, all told — spend twenty minutes flying from one side of the courtyard to the other, bawking furiously all the while. I look on, mystified. What strange ritual is this? Do they like flying in the rain?

Wet Gullie Bastards

This gull has given up on dry land.  The puddles -- they're everywhere!   (In fact, he's having a drink.  The gulls seem far less perturbed by the rain than the other birds.  Probably because they spend so much time in the water.)

This gull has given up on dry land. The puddles — they’re everywhere!
(In fact, he’s having a drink. The gulls seem far less perturbed by the rain than the other birds. Probably because they spend so much time in the water.)

Little drops of water adorn the top of this gull's head.  The rest of him looks surprisingly dry:  his feathers haven't bunched up, like the other birds'.  Must be some kind of waterbird adaptation, like webbed feet.

Little drops of water adorn the top of this gull’s head. The rest of him looks surprisingly dry: his feathers haven’t bunched up, like the other birds’. Must be some kind of waterbird adaptation, like webbed feet.

Several sparrows are queued up, waiting to use the feeder.  This greedy bugger doesn't care.

Several sparrows are queued up, waiting to use the feeder. This greedy bugger doesn’t care.

Wet Finches

Mrs. Finch is soaked to the skin.

Mrs. Finch is soaked to the skin.

The afternoon wears on; the rain's tapered off.  Boooo, slightly-damp finch.  Come back dripping!

The afternoon wears on; the rain’s tapered off. Boooo, slightly-damp finch. Come back dripping!

I’d hoped to intercept some wet chickadees, and maybe a wet hummingbird, to round out the parade, but those had the sense to avoid the downpour.

Horrible Zombird

A sudden cloudburst, this morning, sent all the birds scuttling for cover. This unfortunate crow ended up on my balcony, disrupting a family of equally bedraggled sparrows. When the crow arrived, rather than braving the weather, the sparrows bunched together in the ivy, and waited for it to go away. Very unusual, for them: ordinarily, when a large bird arrives, they’re off like rockets. Unless said large bird’s a pigeon, of course. They don’t mind pigeons. Probably because pigeons’ beaks don’t open wide enough to admit a struggling sparrow. Gulls and crows, on the other hand — well, they seem more interested in seed, but you never can tell.

Aagh!  It's the zombie crowpocalypse!

Aagh! It’s the zombie crowpocalypse!

If this crow pecks you, you turn into…ehh, a flying zombie? Yes. A flying zombie. Imagine the possibilities!