Here's my thoughts: <I have found this happen very often, i.e. using public baths... while there are plenty of pools or even the whole stream..>
"Social facilitation" the same kind of thing like when humans see a crowd around an ice-cream van and think "Oooooh ice-cream...let's go and get some" Safety in numbers at a group bath, more eyes to notice danger, whereas a single bird bathing might get nailed by a predator. <I think such behaviors are ways of transferring feather mites and ticks from one bird to another.> Given how tightly mites, ticks, lice, and hippoboscid flies cling to birds' feathers, I think this is pretty unlikely. Birds can preen them off, sure, but only if they know where they are (one reason birds sunbathe may be to get those parasites to move and reveal their position) Finally, one benefit of molting feathers is the bird finally gets rid of feather parasites! Just my two pence worth. Marie Marie Read Wildlife Photography 452 Ringwood Road Freeville NY 13068 USA Phone 607-539-6608 e-mail m...@cornell.edu http://www.marieread.com ***NEW*** Music of the Birds Vol 1 ebook for Apple iPad now available from iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/music-of-the-birds-v1/id529347014?mt=11 ________________________________________ From: bounce-104579854-5851...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-104579854-5851...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Meena Madhav Haribal [m...@cornell.edu] Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 8:51 AM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: RE: [cayugabirds-l] Public bird bath! I have found this happen very often, i.e. using public baths. I have watched starlings wait in queue for other starlings to finish their baths to visit ‘the bath’, while there are plenty of pools or even the whole stream as in case of Cascadilla Gorge nearby. In spring, I watched a similar event where Yellow-rumped warblers, Yellow warbler, two cardinals and two starlings take bath in a pool in Hawthorn orchard. It is quite an interesting behavior as to why do they do this. But I think such behaviors are ways of transferring feather mites and ticks from one bird to another. Cheers Meena From: bounce-104414905-3493...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-104414905-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of job121...@verizon.net Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 11:16 PM To: W Larry Hymes; CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] Public bird bath! I can't find the LIKE button!! Wonderful reporting of a wonderful experience. Thanks for sharing. Fritzie On 07/30/13, W. Larry Hymes<w...@cornell.edu<mailto:w...@cornell.edu>> wrote: Today Sara Jane and I went to Knox-Marsellus and successfully found the WHITE PELICAN, as well as 2 SANDHILL CRANE, 50+ GREAT EGRET, 100+ GREAT BLUE HERON, and many CASPIAN TERNS. After doing Van Dyne Spoor, we decided to drive out Wright Road for the first time. This is a dead end road that parallels Railroad Road, but on the opposite side of the tracks. It is bordered by corn fields, except for a small section that runs through the woods. On our return trip we stopped to check out some birds flitting about in the bushes in the wooded area (REDSTART & CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER). Where we stopped was a short distance before a mud puddle, which was about 5' in width. Little did we suspect that this puddle was actually a "public bath"!! The first birds to bathe were a couple of ROBINS, followed soon by a COWBIRD. A few minutes later two YELLOW WARBLERS decided to jump in (they stayed close to "shore"). Then to our great surprise an OVENBIRD walked out of the shrubs and began pacing around the edge of the "bath waters". It finally got up enough courage to join in the fun and began splashing about. Then a male BALTIMORE ORIOLE, not wanting to be left out, took a brief dip. Had we not stopped at that moment in time to try and identify some birds in the bush, we probably would have missed this once in a lifetime spectacle!! Larry -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> BirdingOnThe.Net<http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> Rules and Information<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave<http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Archives: The Mail Archive<http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> Surfbirds<http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> BirdingOnThe.Net<http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> Please submit your observations to eBird<http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
