My Neighbors

This morning as I went out to sing, I noticed that the Swiss chard that I grow in flower boxes was looking wilted, so I grabbed a watering can and filled it. It wasn't until I started sprinkling that I saw this little fellow:

But the little green guy was not my only surprise -- a male cardinal in all his crimson glory was perched on the wire enjoying the fresh morning breeze. Cardinals are a rare but very welcome sight in our part of the world:

I have been hearing this fellow for several weeks now, but this is the first look I've had:

I'm hoping to get a bit faster on the draw with this camera -- the pictures that got away were the best of all: the red-headed woodpecker in flight with his black and white striped wings stretched wide, the cardinal perched in the oak tree -- the red of his feathers vibrant against the green of the new leaves -- and the osprey that swooped just overhead. Sigh.