Cold, wet, dreary…it was not the kind of day to stand outside on the deck and take pictures.  It was, however, the perfect day to take advantage of the bathroom bird blind!

Early this afternoon, I put on gloves and a jacket (one that I routinely steal from my son) and opened the half bath window, which happens to overlook the deck.  I did feel a wee bit foolish standing next to the toilet with my camera in hand (and I didn’t even intend “wee bit” to be a pun), but it beat getting pelted by raindrops.

Despite the drizzle, a steady stream of birds stopped by.  This female Cardinal and Yellow-rumped Warbler were both sporting the damp feather look…

…while this male Cardinal looked as dapper as ever.

A Brown Thrasher made an appearance with a more than usual muddy beak…

…and this sweet female Downy Woodpecker perched on the end of the branch and pecked at some Bark Butter.

My favorite visitor of the day was a female Red-bellied Woodpecker.  She has been hanging around the backyard a good bit this week.  You can tell she is a female because the strip of brilliant red feathers on the back of her neck does not cover the top of her head.

Isn’t she lovely?  There are several male Red-bellied Woodpeckers that visit the feeders, so she should have no shortage of suitors in the very near future.  Perhaps this fellow will be one of them.  I took his picture awhile back, but I’ll include it so you can see the difference between the two.

I always love being able to go outside and take pictures, but on a rainy day in Georgia, having a bathroom bird blind turned out to be quite a blessing.