Joann Merritt's Essays

Water Sports Unlimited
March, 2006

Over the years the birds in our backyard have entertained us with water antics. Some birds simply fly through the spray and never stop to bathe, just taking a shower I suppose, others barely hit the water in Jesse’s Pond as they fly from one side to the other, some dip their heads in the fountain, some will scoot across the wet grass sorta like a Slip’n-Slide while others cling to the edge of the flat rock that has water trickling over the edge. Perhaps the most unusual sport is the hummingbird who swam - NO exaggeration here! - in an old skillet full of water. I don’t know if he swam in a circle because the skillet was round or because he had observed me swimming in circles in our round pool.

Recently the White-winged Doves have developed their own version of water sports. Two Styrofoam circles float in our pond to provide shade for the fish when the weather gets hot. The doves will land on them but when they bend over to get a drink the foam circles tip over and they must beat their wings furiously to keep their balance. They do this until they finally give up and drink while standing on the real rocks. I have also seen them land on the foam circles with such force that they “jet ski” across the pond - at least the ones who keep their balance! Birds are an endless source of pleasure.