There must have been something in the water.
I had an early, early morning errand to run and I didn’t get home until 5:45 AM so if my narration sounds rushed, it’s because it was. Hopefully these photos of interesting grooming behaviors help to make up for it.
Four days ago in a remote area of Box Elder County I was watching the area around a seep (a place where water oozes slowly out of the ground) I’m quite familiar with for any bird activity when a male Yellow-rumped Warbler popped up where I could see him. He wasn’t very close but he was obviously wet from a bath he’d just taken in the seep so I had hopes for some interesting post-bath preening photos. He didn’t disappoint.
The photos below mostly speak for themselves so I’ll keep my narration to a minimum. All photos are presented in the order they were taken.
This is the very first shot I got out of almost 700 photos I took of him while he was grooming and carrying on after his bath.
Scratching his face. If you look carefully you’ll see that the faint catchlight in his eye is an unusual linear, diagonal line. I don’t know what caused it to be that shape at that angle.
Here he’s looking down at something near his nether region that apparently needed his attention.
So he responded appropriately.
He pulled his top two flight feathers through his bill multiple times in order to ‘re-zip’ the hooks holding the barbules together. He did this so fast I was barely aware he was doing it until I looked at my photos at home.
The speed of his furious grooming activities was impressive, as evidenced by the distorted shape of his usually straight and stiff tail feathers.
Grooming his armpit (wingpit?).
Another go at those top primary wing feathers.
Don’t ask me to explain this weirdo pose (yes, his head is upside down). Perhaps he’d been smoking something during his bath…
Then he moved to a different spot on the branch to do some more shimmy-shaking.
Soon he turned again and took off. I thought he was gone for good but…
he only flew a short distance to another perch. But at this point most of his grooming was over. He just sat in the sun for a short time before eventually flying off to who knows where.
It was fun while it lasted.
Ron
Note: Image techs for these photos are in the range of 1/2000 – 1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 800 – 1250, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc
Adorbs!! The backward stretched neckshot looks like a yoga pose.
this series is really fun. warblers are beautiful. thank you!
Thanks, Marie.
Beautiful wet Warbler collection. I like them all, but especially the acting nuts. Good job getting this very amusing set.
Thank you, Everett. “Acting nuts” can have its appeal.
This would be Episode 12 in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, I think. (Don’t really know, have never watched. 😂)
What a delightful sequence of activities demonstrated by this handsome warbler! They’re in my fountain quite often during their winter/spring visitation, but I’ve never seen all this carrying-on — or perhaps my brain is just too slow to register it all. Thanks for the live-action captures!
“or perhaps my brain is just too slow to register it all”
Chris, I think everyone’s brain is too slow for it to register, at least much of it. That’s where still photography becomes kind of like magic.
Thank you so much for going through that mountain of photos and for sharing the fun.
They really put everything in to their ablutions don’t they?
Thanks for appreciating my efforts, EC. And yes, they sure do.
He sure had a lot to put right! Was this all over a couple of minutes, or less? I’m guessing it wasn’t the long, leisurely bath the cat gives himself, although a lot of the poses are similar! A wonderful selection from those 700 photos!
Carolyn, according to the time stamps on my photos it took him somewhere between 3 and 4 minutes.
Without having seen the rest of the 700 photos (good at ya’ for getting through that), I have no doubt these are the best selections from the preening session. Oscars for best acting, script writing, and photography.
Lyle, whether they’re the “best selections” or not might depend on the viewer. I left a lot of interesting poses out because I didn’t get a catch light in the eye. I really hate not getting light in the eye but then you already knew that.
Great series and a wonderful opportunity to see actions usually too quick for the unaided eye. I’ll give you thought about that head upside down pose. The preen gland is at the base of the tail. Secretions from that gland are collected using the top of the head, which means momentarily turning the head upside down. The collected secretions are then worked through the feathers more thouroughly with the beak. Sometimes only a single quick swipe across the gland is all they need to do. That may not be what is happening here but it’s my best guess.
“it’s my best guess.”
And it’s a good guess, Dan. Thanks.
A rumpled butter-butt (say that 5 times fast! 😂)! What a fun way to spend a few minutes! I’m guessing he was a fast and furious blur to the unaided eye, so I’m thrilled to see these shots capturing so many of his grooming activities.
Fast and furious indeed, Marty. Some of my shots were a little soft because i didn’t have enough shutter speed to freeze the action.
We only get butter butts during the winter here. They’re so flashy in their breeding plumage. Lovely sequence.
And I only see them in summer. Thanks, Catherine.
Ah! NICE bath to freshen things up……. 😉 Fun series, Ron….. 🙂
Thanks, Judy.
Wish my grandmother was still around to see these. Back then they were called Myrtle Warblers, but she shortened them to Mert. She and my grandfather are responsible for my love of birds and the outdoors.
Jo, I always wondered who “Myrtle” was… 🙂
Ron, when his head was turned upside-down like that, I think he was singing, “Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh, what a beautiful day…“ He looks pretty happy. Great photos! Thank you.
Ellen, he only held that pose for a microsecond so it had to be a helluva short song!
Interesting. Once again I am left to wonder if bathing and preening is learned or if it is instinctual.
One of the bathing behaviors that still makes me chuckle when I see it, is that undulating body dip action that hawks do when in a bath. Again, learned, or does it just come natural?
Michael, my bet is that it’s instinctive. But I’m a loser when it comes to gambling so don’t bet the farm on it.
Fast and furious ! His bath must have energized him…….after all this drought
it’s good to know that an active seep is around and that the birds know where
to find them .
Kris, there was at least some water in this seep even during the worst parts of the drought when it was driest. And yes, birds seem to be very good at finding them.