Blackbirds and starlings just love the birdbath in my neighbour’s garden. They don’t like mine as it used to have a model bird in the middle and even though that’s been sawn off it still leaves an uncomfortable stump. So I pointed my FBL (flippin’ big lens) out the top window and aimed it down to the neighbour’s garden for these shots of a starling using water to loosen off dust and make its feathers easier to preen. It was a bit embarrassing having the paparazzi camera pointing down just as my neighbour turned into its line of sight!!
On a recent walk I passed a field with a couple of old bath tubs in it and the jackdaws were queuing up for turns to bathe.
I couldn’t actually get a shot of them in the bath but you can see how much spray was coming up when one had taken the plunge.
Of course a good puddle is just the thing for birds to enjoy bathing in. However some birds, especially sparrows, like to bathe in dust. My dad has given up trying to stop them crushing the seeds at the top of his garden and has left an area for a “sparrow spa”. Sometimes he has a dozen or more sparrows all rolling about in the dirt at one time and the earth is now dimpled with hollowed out dust bowls. How many sparrows can you spot below?
Regular dust baths are important for keeping feathers in tip top condition. The sparrows create a hollow bowl shape then they spread dust all over their bodies, fluffing out their feathers and spreading their tails. The dust absorbs excess oil and keeps the feathers from getting too greasy and matted.
The sparrows look quite comical bathing in their hollows. Sometimes there’s a bit of a tussle over the best hollows and a bird will sometimes kick another out of its favoured spot.
Another thing I noticed when watching the sparrows is how beautiful their plumage can be. Fifty shades of grey and brown. This one has done a great job bathing and preening to look its best, quite a beauty!
Sarah's Wildlife Watch 