Waiting for the heat to end

Sometime later today the “August” heatwave that showed up in June will end. It will end in a thunderstorm, perhaps even severe storms, but after days of temperatures in the mid-90’s, I figure the storm probably won’t be any worse than the heat.

My photo today was taken at my dad’s farm, looking across to the neighboring farm’s windmill. That windmill has been there ever since I can remember, and I suspect it’s about a 70-80 year old windmill. It’s a bit worse for the wear of the years, but still functioning well enough to pump water up from the well. On a humid morning, already hot before the sun is well up, it looks like something from a time long past.

Like the animals both at the cabin and at the farm, I try not to do too much during the heat of the day. The temperature begins to moderate around 6 p.m. or so, and that’s when I begin to stir again. And that’s also when I start to see the rabbits, deer with fawn, groundhogs, squirrels, chipmunks and the birds. The birds rush to the feeders, scuffling a bit as bigger or more aggressive species take first crack at the goodies within.

Seeing larger birds balancing at a tube feeder is pretty entertaining. The red-bellied woodpecker uses its tail for balance, almost bending in two with its tail bent under and against the bottom of the tube. The towhee is also a tube feeder visitor, holding on to one side and feeding from the opposite side. The blue jay is too tall to feed from the lowest hole, so it stands on its tippy-toes (or tippy-claws) to reach the middle hole.

The feeders are soon emptied, though they stood idle all afternoon. The birds are in a rush to fill their bellies before nightfall. I suspect they were just sitting around, not doing much of anything, either, waiting for the heat to dissipate as the sun heads toward the horizon.