Tonight, I watched a single hummer fly in to refuel among the salvias in the yard. I had been hand-watering elsewhere, but thought to raise the stream to the leaves of the tree next to me, and sure enough, the female RT hummingbird flew in for a bath. Within 8 feet of her, she was "dosed" lightly with a varied and meandering overhead sprinkle at first, until I realized she loved the relatively steady stream from overhead. This was a five minute bath. When I stopped, she flew off to a nearby tree to shake and preen. Bathing in the trees to a sprinkler has been, as well, a constant treat with my lil pack o chickadees who often come in to my pseudo-chickadee call. But the other tree bathers are woodpeckers and jays. The birdbath fountain is a source of some concern; it requires twice daily cleaning and refills given the new generation of starlings as well as the regular robins and grackles. A thirty inch diameter by 6 inch deep basin with overhead fountain and pump, it develops into a pretty disgusting soup within three hours of refill, in fact. But they love to bathe and dip, so I clean and refill as needed. The evening sprinkler is, as well, a true magnet. Prayin' for rain in South Milwaukee, Betsy Abert #################### You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding Network (Wisbirdn). To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn