Splashing in Rain Puddles
When my sons were little boys, they loved to go out right after a rain and play in the puddles along our dirt and gravel driveway. This afternoon I saw a small flock of about 40 Rusty Blackbirds that reminded me of them. The air felt warm and still damp, and the ground everywhere was soggy. In one large, low-lying grassy area, soaked and flowing with rainwater in streams and puddles, the Blackbirds chattered and pecked at the ground and tossed up wet dark leaves. They’re usually very skittish and fly up as soon as I approach, but today, I was able to get closer to them than ever, they were so absorbed in puddle-splashing and leaf-tossing and generally having a good time – or so it seemed.