The bird bath - Little ringed Plover bathing its feathers

To get rid of parasites and small insects that tend to live in between the feathers of a bird, birds clean themselves with bird baths in clear water. It is a funny procedure when watching the birds bathing in shallow water and pouring water all over their body. This spring I could take several pictures of a little ringed plover bathing in the shallow water of Lake Neusiedler in eastern Austria. Some birds are more consistent about bathing their feathers but I have already seen a lot of birds bathing. My grandmother always had a bird bath outside in the garden and I liked watching the birds bathing there and drinking water in the hot summer. She also really liked birds and every time the neighbors cat visited her garden and she saw it she scared away the birds so they don't get cought by the cat.

Little ringed plover bathing in the shallow water. Picture: Florian Glechner.

When you watch birds that hang around in the shallow parts of rivers or lakes you can often watch them bathing their feathers in the fresh water. But often only takes seconds and then they are doing something else again, so you have to be quick if you want to photograph this behaviour.

Little ringed plover bathing in the shallow water. Picture: Florian Glechner.

Little ringed plover bathing in the shallow water. Picture: Florian Glechner.

Little ringed plover bathing in the shallow water. Picture: Florian Glechner.

Little ringed plover bathing in the shallow water. Picture: Florian Glechner.

Little ringed plover bathing in the shallow water. Picture: Florian Glechner.

Little ringed plover bathing in the shallow water. Picture: Florian Glechner.

Little ringed plover bathing in the shallow water. Picture: Florian Glechner.