Water the Birds-

No snow at the ranch, this was across the river. It was almost warm where we were! 

In Mary Poppins there is a favorite song called 'Feed the Birds'. It costs a tuppence. Well, I've always fed birds, but this weekend I learned about water for the birds, giant flower pot like things with covers, much more than a tuppence! Not bird baths, bigger. 

Steve and Jon hauled up the gear last weekend, but didn't get to finish the project til after Thanksgiving. The containers for these troughs were manufactured nearby, they didn't come with roofs. Or at least, the ones Steve and Jon put in didn't. Jon had helped put a few of these things in for a fellow scout's Eagle project, but those were for larger creatures. This is specifically for birds. They are called guzzlers. 

We loaded up the rigs and headed for the hills. (Jon, after locking the tires. It had rained a bit, so the road was a tad sloppy) I was able to go up with them on Saturday afternoon. Someone had to take pictures!!!!!!! Jon did make about 20 minutes of video of Bob their first Saturday, but.....well, I prefer lots of still shots! 

Unloading Bob. 

Mowing parts of the field so they could get to the soil. (this is the second one they put in)

After the mowing, they had to dig up the ground before letting Bob go to work. Jon said Bob had no teeth, and had to 'gum' the soil!

While Jon was digging, Steve took me up to the first place to retrieve half of the hard materials and the roofing he'd recycled.

Jon liked the hole he needed was the exact size of Bob's scoop. After all the pieces were in the hole, the outer container and the inner sloped one the birds are supposed to walk on to reach the water, they unloaded the roofing. Steve made it from material his dad had used ages ago up on this ground. It had also been used as a roof for the basement stairs at Grandma's.

Carefully placing the roof inside the stakes prior to screwing it into place.

All done, except for gutters. Those go on the short end. Jon said it resembles a blind. We are not sure how many birds will visit, but it was one of the things they needed to put in. (Something to do with the CRP stuff) These water things are not terribly far from the ponds and it will be interesting to see if we can tell who is visiting it. 

No mountains, but a nice sunset ended the day.