Soaking wet MacGillivray’s Warbler – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Bird behavior can be fascinating to observe. Yesterday I was allowed a peek into the leaf-bathing behavior of this MacGillivray’s Warbler I photographed high in the Wasatch Mountains.
I was sitting in a mobile blind hoping for birds to show up when I noticed a dew-covered snowberry bush below me quivering. The quivering would stop briefly and then start back up again. I couldn’t make out what was causing the low bush to move but I kept watching for a bird or animal to appear.
At one point I thought it might have been a chipmunk causing the movement because I have photographed them eating snowberry blossoms. I couldn’t see feathers or fur though. Basically I could see the snowberry bush trembling slightly while everything else around it was still and that piqued my curiosity.
It took about five minutes of observation before I could finally see what had been causing the snowberry bush to quiver. I saw some yellow feathers, a dark eye and a pointy little bill in between leaves. Then I saw the bird shake its feathers before it popped into my view. By then I knew it was a MacGillivray’s Warbler and that it was soaking wet.
Since I knew there weren’t any puddles under the snowberry bush I thought that the warbler may have gotten wet from the dew that I could see on the bush.
When I came home I did some research and found out that some smaller birds deliberately push and flutter against leaves or flowers of plants that contain dew or raindrops until their plumage becomes drenched and that this behavior is called leaf-bathing.
This MacGillivray’s Warbler flew from the snowberry bush to another spot where I could see it shaking the dew off of its feathers but I couldn’t get unobstructed views or photos of it.
I’m always learning more about the birds I am so passionate about.
Life is good. Stay safe.
Mia
Click here to see more of my MacGillivray’s Warbler photos plus facts and information about this species.
It is fun to watch hummingbirds leaf bath. they rub the sides of their body and head on wet leaves then shake their wings and tail just like birds do in puddles.
Leaf bathing — so cool! I love learning something new. 🙂
What a clever bird – as they so often are.
I love the idea of leaf-bathing (but as a confirmed forest bather) I would.
Thank you.
Birds, okay all wildlife, are remarkable and have lives we know so little about. It is humbling to learn all they do and how they survive. Thanks for your photos and posts.
That is so cool
That’s one of the perks of bird photography.
You spend so much time with the birds you get to see different behaviours.
Thanks so much for sharing this one with us.
Nice observations! Your bedraggled warbler reminds me of the identical “discovery” I made just recently of this same behavior, of a Magnolia Warbler followed by a Northern Parula in the same shrub after a brief rain shower. Your MacGillivray’s somewhat resembles the sodden Magnolia when viewed wet and head-on.
Outstanding photo MiA.
Never too old to learn new stuff! Thanks. The photo is priceless.
Interesting behavior! I learned something new.