There’s a particular light rain that for some reaons seems to bring the birds out in force.

In my front yard, on a flower bed that’s frankly tiny, in under ten minutes, I saw Carolina wrens, goldfinches, brown thrashers, cardinals, towhees, mourning doves and house finches. All common yard birds, bu generally not all at the same time! Meanwhile, the backyard suet feeder is calling up brown-headed and white breasted nuthatches and several varieties of woodpecker.

I am not too fond of the boxwood hedge at the top of my yard–it blocks the street, which is a good thing, but ugh, boxwood, how generic–but at the moment it’s alive with birds. Every bush is am umbrella for cardinals and towhees, usually in pairs. So I guess it gets points for cover, even if I could wish it was a more useful plant in general.

Goldfinches will eat basil flowers/seeds/whatever. I did not know that.