How do robins communicate that it's communal bath day?
Does one bird decide, these feathers need washing...let's go to our favorite watering hole.
OR
Does one robin land, begin splashing around, and one by one the rest of the flock follows?
The above splish splash session includes a stand off between Thrasher and Robin and ends with a young bird (I'm not sure what the little cutie is) totally hogging the bowl :) Who knew bathing could be so competitive! And I have three tubs in the yard, then one for my smaller birds and a drinking cup on the deck.
Robins aren't daily visitors but are very territorial of the tubs, chasing other birds away and even squabbling with each other. They run, hop from one bowl to another, and stand glaring at any intruder that interrupts their bath time. It's really funny when they're outside the tub fluttering up and down in the grass while another bird is bathing.
Sometimes adorable moments don't wait for me to get outside and into position. In this case I was in the den catching this through the patio door. If I had tried to open it or go all the way out the side door they'd have been spooked and the flock would have scattered. So always have a camera handy because you never know when your feathered friends are going to strike a pose :)
So what kind of Kodak moments are you capturing with your backyard birds? Babies being fed, turf wars, battles over the chow. Please share in the comments below! I love hearing from other wildlife lovers :)
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