Cleaning Up!

This morning I watched this Robin at his ablutions. For several long minutes, he bathed, cleaned, and preened. The water droplets reflected in the early morning sun and flew in all directions as he shook the water from his feathers. I captured a series of photos of this ritual on this cold morning that saw a sprinkling of snow. 

The Robin is a bird I have watched all my life. Although common, they still fill me with delight with their jaunty reddish-orange breast and white eyering.

Cardinal Sins

They come in flocks
To wine and dine!

Where worms
are plump
and crickets jump
the robins find
them tastin fine

where holly berries
grow like cherries
we’ll watch  again
as cardinal sins
find them
drunk on wine!


~ Joy A. Burki-Watson