Saturday, February 26, 2022

A Winter Bath


While I was taking yesterday's shot of the stream at James Gardens I heard some rustling in the bushes to my right and looked over to see two Blue Jays having a bath in the shallow narrower  part of the stream. They were up grooming in the bush while this male Cardinal then moved down and was ready to dive in for a bath too. It was around +8˚C and so I guess the birds were taking advantage of the weather to groom their feathers a bit. I stayed very still and watched them all for a while.

Taking part in Saturday's Critters. Click HERE to see more creatures from around the world.

20 comments:

William Kendall said...

Too cold for that today in these parts.

Andy said...

Cardinals... my favourite.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
Oh my, a bath in the icy cold water gives me chills. I guess the birds can survive the cold water, if maybe only for a drink. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend.

Lea said...

Glad there are small streams that are not frozen over for birds and other animals to drink and/or bathe

21 Wits said...

Yes, nature is there right in the center of winter! It's lovely and I can feel the beauty of it without the cold!

Sharon said...

How fun to see blue jays and cardinals together. That's a real treat.

Taken For Granted said...

That Cardinal took a really cold bath. Hope he could warm up afterward.

Bill said...

The birds are tougher than me, it's way too cold. :)

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

That's exactly why the fad of wild swimming has passed me by. Brrrr!

Revrunner said...

Still, a cold bath. Brr!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

What a COLD bath! They need to fly down here to bathe and then back up there to eat! Love seeing your photos!

Laura. M said...

Bien visto ese precioso cardenal
Buen fin de semana Pat.
Un abrazo.

Phil Slade said...

+8 seems pretty high for Toronto. Were they taking a sauna?

Susan Kane said...

What lovely photos. Cardinals are my favorite birds.

Cloudia said...

How great!

Shiju Sugunan said...

Lovely sighting! Nice to see these thriving in the tough conditions.

Breathtaking said...

Hello, :=) Birds are tough cookies, they survive the icy cold conditions that we can't.

Iris Flavia said...

Brave bird, I would rather... not.

s.c said...

Nice catch.

Debbie said...

such a beautiful, vivid red...even though it is partly obscure!!