The little girl who taught me to slow down at the bird bath

Last Saturday I was refilling my bird bath with fresh water and a neighbor's granddaughter, maybe 6 years old, wandered over to the fence. She asked what I was doing and I said I was just topping it up for the cardinals and sparrows. She looked at me very seriously and said, "You know they need it warm, right? Cold water hurts their feet." I laughed at first, but then I realized she actually had a point. That morning the hose water was icy and sure enough, the birds were hovering at the edge without stepping in. I switched to a bucket of sun-warmed water and within 10 minutes a blue jay was splashing around like it was a spa day. It made me think how often I rush through the simple stuff in my own yard. Has anyone else had a kid point out something obvious you'd been missing for years? I feel like they see things we just glance right past.

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christopher9434d ago

Wow, I totally thought birds didn't care, but that kid's onto something!