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| Ruddy Turnstone - photo courtesy Sharon Milligan For more articles, click on blue title For information on this Saturday's field trip (9/24/2016) see end of article |
Just how long a bird may survive in this world of hazards is very often dependent upon how well the bird has looked after its feathers --- flight feathers to escape from danger in an instant, and body feathers to insulate against the extremes of heat and cold.
Knowing this, we are not surprised that a bird will spend part of its day in an assortment of activities which are called, collectively, feather maintenance. Preening, bathing, dust-bathing, and anting all come under this behavior.
So let's talk about birds at the bath. Most birds bathe, although some birds take to water more than others, and we can readily see that some species combine business with pleasure. Blue Jays, Mockingbirds and House Sparrows for example, can get right into the spirit of a Roman orgy in the backyard bird bath.
The cardinal, on the other hand, has no great affinity for bathing, and when prompted by necessity, will give itself a lick and a promise in the dew-wet leaves of some old oak tree.
The standard approach to the bird-bath seems to be a cautious toe-testing affair, and it is not until Morton Mockingbird is well immersed that the obvious enjoyment is noticed, with fluffing of feathers, flinging of water everywhere, and a complete abandonment to the pleasures of the moment.
Most birds will scorn the ornamental bird bath with its Victorian trappings and miniature fountains of Trevi if somewhere nearby there is a shallow pool in a natural setting. Or they may even add insult to injury by bathing in an upturned garbage can lid not three wingbeats from your splendid bronze affair. This perversity is well known.
Rain water which collects near the curbing can suddenly become a melting pot of all kinds of birds doing all kinds of watery acrobatics. These games are generally officiated by an important looking Blue Jay ready to give the alarm if the neighborhood cat becomes too curious!
Various techniques of bathing are typical of certain families of birds. Swallows, swifts, and terns plunge into the water from the air; kingfishers from an overhanging branch. Although terns may spend their day in dive after dive into the water in pursuit of food, it is not unusual to find a group of terns bathing in shallow tide-pools in much the same manner as the birds in your yard. There seems little doubt that bathing offers a little physical gratification along with its necessary care of the feathers.
I once came upon a Ruby-crowned Kinglet going through its ablutions, and though you may consider this avian voyeurism at its lowest level, I studiously took notes on the entire ritual, and it remains to this day, a most revealing portrait.
The time was December... not too cold for a hearty little northern sprite like the kinglet, and i had seated myself above a little gully where past experience had show many a bird to carry out the necessities of its day, completely unaware of my presence. Then came the kinglet to a branch overhanging a pebble-lined natural shallow pool, and without so much as testing the water, it had plunged down from a height of three feet.
For several minutes the kinglet doused its body with water, taking real care to keep its head dry. It then pulled its water-logged body out of the pool, stood close to the edge, and commenced to dunk its head into the water, whooshing it around and around until drenched to the skin, literally. Encumbered as it was by the soaking, the bird staggered up the bank and out to the end of a limb, shook itself so violently that it fluttered off the perch, and dropped down again to the pool where it repeated without variation, this entire ritual.
It strikes me that said kinglet was getting a genuine kick out of bathing .. and that's kind of nice to believe. It couldn't happen to a nicer, more charming bird!
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| Bird Bathing - drawing by Desmond Toups |
September 24, 2016: Ship Island, Harrison County
Migrant shorebirds, and often some surprises! The cost is $29 round trip ($27 for Seniors 62 and older). The boat leaves at 9 so be there early to get your ticket. Information on Ship Island Excursions is available online at http://www.msshipisland.com/. If weather is a question, contact Ship Island Excursions at 228-864-1014 and then select option 2. In the event of rain, we will try again on Sunday. Once we arrive at the island, we will meet at the pavilion between the Fort and bathrooms. After a bathroom break and birding around the Fort, we will walk to one end of the island (east or west depending on ebird reports and scouting trips) so expect to walk 3 to 4 miles in sand in hot conditions. We plan on being back to the pavilion and ferry for the 2:30 return home. Those interested may wish to bird more and come back on the 5:00 ferry. Be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and snacks/lunch. There is a snack bar but we will not be near it it until about 2:00 when we return to the pavilion. Watch for updated information about what to expect, or contact Dave.
Place and Time: Gulfport Harbor Boat Dock before 9:00 AM (see above).
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