Bathing Bluebirds

Late yesterday afternoon, in near 100-degree heat, a Bluebird family visited one of our birdbaths. I first saw two juveniles sitting together on the rim, as I happened to pass a window, and stopped to watch. One of the two sipped a drink. The other, after a moment, jumped in all the way and splashed around vigorously. A few minutes later, I looked again, and both parents were in the water, splashing around, with one juvenile sitting on the rim.

When Clate got these pictures, I couldn’t help thinking the male parent was trying to show the reluctant youngster how it’s done – but it’s more likely they were all hopping in and out, and we just happened to see them at these times. Anyway, I’m sure it felt good in this relentless, steamy heat.