It rained in the morning, and later on after it stopped, Robby popped in for a bath.
In here you will see a Cape Robin-Chat (Cossypha caffra) bathing, and also a Pied Crow (Corvus albus) taking off from the top of a tree.
Amazing that the birds will always bath if they get wet in the rain, as one would assume that the rainwater would wash them clean. But not so, as whenever it rains, then afterwards we can expect Robby and his wife to come in at first to eat, and then to take a bath. In the photo above he looked at me, and I respectfully retreated to a space far enough for him to feel it's safe enough for him to enjoy his bath.
We have grown so used to them bathing every day, that I don't post them enough in action, but let me tell you that it is a sight to see as they are very active when they bath, with quick twists and turns. It seems like they really relish their bath times. My wife refreshes the two doggie water bowls every morning and evening, as we have found that he will not bath in the same water. Believe me that he can check the level in the bath, and if it is low he will not bath in it.
Amazing how intelligent they are.
He flipped down, flashed his wings, and the popped up to see if I had advanced closer towards him, but I kept my distance.
Then he started to settle back down, and to continue with his bath.
Did I tell you that they flip around instantly when they bath?
And finally, he was done, as he took off right out of the water.
Here is another issue. Robby and his wife do not bath in the same bowl. Robby baths in the bowl at the top right, and his wife baths in the bowl at the left. We also have a third bowl where the other birds can drink from, and we have never seen any other birds, including the robins, bathing in it. For the little birds, like sunbirds and white-eyes we have a bottle hanging in a tree, and that's where they drink from. But Robins are Robins and they also pop up to the bottle to drink as they don't drink from their bath water. Lol.
And now let me show you a crow taking off later in the day.
Look at the crow sitting on the top of the tree, at the right-hand side.
I got the idea for it to get it on camera when it takes off, and so I had to wait.
The two shots below will show you how the crow took off from the tree.
The one thing about Robby, is that I have never seen him shaking the water off his head after the bath like the other birds do, and I can just not fathom it. These two are nesting in a bush at the front of our gate as I have trimmed down the tree inside our garden because it was growing too big. They used to nest in here and it is the same tree where the water bottle hangs on. We try our best to make all the wildlife feel at ease in our garden and we even keep the plants the same as in the surrounding nature. I am sure that the birds appreciate that.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Until next time, cheers!
