I was doing dishes and noticed a flash of dark grey wing in a shrub beside the deck. I immediately felt alarm. The wing color looked like a junco, and those are only around here in the winter. Surely they were not already descending on my summer! I stopped doing dishes and watched intently.

Turns out this is what I saw:

I saw catbirds when Katie and I were camping a few weeks ago. I know they are also in our yard, but they stay out by the road in the jungle of grapevine covered bushes. I’ve only seen them, even there, a couple of times in the twenty plus years we’ve lived here. I was surprised to see two catbirds in the honeysuckle bush, chasing each other around. And I was stunned to see one hop up on the birdbath.

Turns out there was more fun coming.

She (I’m deciding it’s a she) jumped in the bird bath and began to enjoy herself. But then she had an unwanted visitor.

Then her mate showed up to guard her while she continued to bath.

She enjoyed her bath for a long time.

But once the mate flew back into the shrub she got even more visitors!

Eventually it was all just too much for her.

And the visitors were left on their own.

Always an adventure. And to think if I was working I’d have missed it all.