A shared doggy water bowl.

Things that we make with one use intent, nature turns to multi uses.

Mother nature had many other intentions for the use of the doggy bowl.

It was a very hot day, and we tried our best to stay out of the sun. So, I sat on a chair in the shade underneath our flipped-up garage door. The water bowl was in clear sight, but I had no intention of watching it, as I wanted to get two firefighting helicopters that crossed over in the sky above the roofs of the houses across the street. I was waiting for them to return, so that I could get them on camera.

Ah, we thought that Robbie was going to have a drink.

But no, Robbie had other intentions.

Like I said, it was a very hot day and Robbie decided to cool off.

How's that, robbie said as he looked at me for applause.

Then he was done, and up and away.

So, my wife refreshed the bowl with clean water.

We have a small three-member family of Laughing Doves that come to eat on the floor of the garage. They get bullied by the jealous much bigger Ringneck doves, so we let them eat close to where we are as then they are protected against the bullies.

This little one had finished the food and went to have a drink from the same bowl.

Gave us a thank you look, and then it was also up and away.

I have shown you in previous posts how the gecko lizards come in to pick off bugs drifting on the water of the bowl that landed overnight. So yes, we have also other birds that drink from the bowl. In the case of the smaller birds, like the White-eyes, Sparrows, and the Sunbirds, we have a bottle filled with water hanging from a branch below our medium size Strawberry-Guava tree. Oh, and of course Mr Robbie also drinks from the bottle.

Mr Robbie, real name Cape Robin-chat (Cossypha caffra), is a very clever guy. He drinks from the bottle, and he baths in the doggie bowl:) Btw the Strawberry-Guava tree fruits are starting to ripen at the top of the tree, and as soon as the fruits ripen in the lower parts of the tree, I will show you how the Mousebirds and the Cape Bull-bull birds come in to eat them. At the moment, the squirrels are now eating from the top of the tree's ripe fruits. It's an old case of sharing again, as we also want to make jam with the fruits, so I will have to pluck as many as I can before the birds clear the tree out.
Such is life.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.

Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.

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