I have a water tree in my backyard.
A what?
Yes, a water tree. Near the top of one of my 60-year old silver maples is a large, broken-off limb, one that has a scooped-out bowl built in. It collects water like a wooden salad bowl and the birds love it.
I first noticed the unique limb last summer. I was watching a blue jay and noticed he flew to that spot and was dipping his bill like he was drinking water. I didn’t think much about it until a few days later when I saw a crow pick up a crust of bread I had tossed out and fly to that exact spot. The crow dunked his bread in the water bowl and gobbled it up. Crows, blue jays too. often wet their food before they eat. It helps to digest, I suppose.
Since then, I have seen doves and robins and a number of other birds fly to that spot for a drink of water.
The bottom of this make-shift bowl must be fairly firm and smooth because it seemingly holds water even during relatively dry weather.
Birds, and nature in general, are quite versatile and adapt to many conditions. I never thought I’d see a bird drink from a tree, but indeed they do.
I’d love to shimmy up that tree for a closer look at the bowl. I’ll bet it’s pretty, but it’s 50 feet off the ground. For now, I think I’ll just take the birds’ word for it – that this is a Water Tree.