We thought we'd consider everything when we installed the new waterfall; lining it with two layers of rubber; reinforcing the concrete with poultry wire and sealing it with the same stuff they use on birthbaths. The only thing we failed to consider was the path it would take around the paver block at the output.

I didn't discover this, of course until after a little over eight hours of steady operation. By this time, the water level had dropped just enough to be perceptible. Checking around the waterfall, I found a damp spot in the soil behind the waterfall where a jet of water, fanning around the rock at the output, had run over one of the rocks at the rim, spilling a little over a gallon an hour.

I bought some special waterproofed cement from the hardware store and originally tried to patch around the edges of the paver, but that only caused the water to jet, with extra force, causing a lot of it to splash over the edge, losing water ev en more rapidly. Finally settled on removing the patch, and cementing in some more stones along the edge.

We're still losing some water, probably around a cup an hour due to splattering, but I plan to fix this by adding a dimmer to the outlet controlling the pump. Less water, less splatter, more efficiency.

Found some interesting items while cleaning out one of our bluebird houses. A nest, likely that of a Tree Swallow (had what appeared to be Tree Swallow feathers) contained lint apparently taken from our dryer vent, and a plastic wrapper of some sort.

Wildlife Spotted this Week:

• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Cedar Waxwing
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Eastern Bluebird
• Eastern Chipmunk
• Goldfinch
• Green Frog
• Grey Catbird
• Grey Squirrel
• Lightning Bug
• Monarch Butterfly
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Robin
• Swamp Sparrow

Native Plants in Bloom this Week:

• Blue flag Iris
• Canadian Anemone
• Daisy Fleabane
• Harebell
• Spiderwort
• Swamp Buttercup
• Swamp Milkweed