I don’t know why the pine siskins all got thirsty at once, but they seemed happy, to judge by their twittering, to find this makeshift birdbath. Siskins are tiny birds of the finch family. These days they are swarming around in large flocks, feeding as much as possible, probably building up their strength for flying farther south for the winter.
Several of them are hiding in the overgrown, neglected garden. I think I see six of them hiding.

An Oregon Junco decided that he needed a bath. Being a bit bigger (not much) he took over the whole bath. One brave siskin was left at the edge, wondering if he could get a sip.

He decided to go for it and managed to get a good slurp of water.

But that sneaky junco flexed his muscles to show who was boss. Siskin didn’t like it. Hear him shrieking, “HEY! You’re splashing me!”

“Oh you think that was a splash? Just watch this,” the junco says.
If you click on the video, you can see how brazen the junco is about having his bath. The siskin reacts just the way I would, backing up from being splashed.
Please visit my other blog, Anneli’s Place, for writing tips posted in small doses so as not to be overwhelming.
October 14, 2020 at 9:50 pm
What a lovely flock of little visitors, including the junco. I love watching birds, so thanks for including the video. π
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October 15, 2020 at 7:37 am
I’m glad you love birds. I really enjoy watching them and listening to them.
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October 15, 2020 at 12:27 am
Bird baths. So great.
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October 15, 2020 at 7:39 am
Yes, we like our birds to be clean. π
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October 15, 2020 at 1:38 am
Those little siskins remind me of our sparrows, so cute and daring!
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October 15, 2020 at 7:35 am
The do have sparrow colours (although they belong to the finches) and, yes, their behaviour is sparrow-like.
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October 15, 2020 at 3:04 am
I miss seeing Dark-eyed Juncos showing up in the fall in Missouri. Now that we live in Florida I haven’t seen one. Pretty sure they don’t migrate this far south. Never know what you will see at the bird bath. Pine Siskins sipping is a sweet picture.
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October 15, 2020 at 8:05 am
I think the juncos are a northern bird. They don’t seem to mind our winters. Tough little guys. Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you liked these birds.
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October 15, 2020 at 6:20 am
This is a busy place. I love this lovely video clip a lot!
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October 15, 2020 at 7:47 am
It was even busier the day before this. It was like a wave of birds that moved in and then moved out again.
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October 15, 2020 at 7:17 am
I just love your photography!
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October 15, 2020 at 7:53 am
Thanks so much, Carol. The zoom capability on this Nikon is good and that helps a lot.
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October 15, 2020 at 7:33 am
The Siskin is so cute! And bold too, so sweet! π₯°
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October 15, 2020 at 7:54 am
They are sweet little birds. All those finch types are real characters.
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October 15, 2020 at 9:06 am
Wow – birds meeting ‘at the watering trough’ really great shot!
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October 15, 2020 at 9:25 am
Thanks, Laura. I had to smile because I hadn’t thought of it that way, but isn’t that the way it has been with small communities over the eons? The village people meet at the town’s water well?
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October 15, 2020 at 1:56 pm
Nice set of photos. The junco is a bit of a bully though.
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October 15, 2020 at 2:36 pm
He’s bigger. But his turn to cower will come when a bigger bird arrives.
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October 15, 2020 at 2:32 pm
Great shots, Anneli: well done!
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October 15, 2020 at 2:38 pm
Thank you, Pit.
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October 16, 2020 at 9:14 am
That was fun.
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October 16, 2020 at 9:16 am
I love watching their antics. Only wish I knew how to add their voices to the video clip (I mean what they would be saying in English).
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October 16, 2020 at 10:29 am
Very cute, Anneli. Wonderful photos!
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October 16, 2020 at 11:06 am
Thanks, Diana.
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October 16, 2020 at 11:44 am
This was a great post, Anneli. I loved seeing all the pine siskins. Sometimes they come through our backyard, but only once every few years. They’re so little they make a junco look big. I love that photo of them all lined around the bird bath. I enjoyed the video too, with that cheeky junco getting a good bath in, and the pine siskins sneaking sips.
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October 16, 2020 at 12:19 pm
I wish I could speak their language and listen in.
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October 16, 2020 at 5:30 pm
Appreciate that you take a βmomentβ to watch the birds enjoying your birdbath. The βmomentsβ build into beautiful memories that we delight in. Thank YOU for the entertainment and giving us a moment to pause.
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October 16, 2020 at 6:29 pm
Nice to see you here, Marsha. I love seeing the birds. The only not-so-good thing is that I worry about them hitting the windows when there are so many birds flying around like crazy in their fall staging exercises.
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October 17, 2020 at 1:37 am
How cute! Not easy trying to have an orderly drink when something much bigger than you jumps in and splashes like a kid.
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October 17, 2020 at 9:20 am
They have their “pecking order.”
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October 19, 2020 at 5:01 am
Delightful!
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October 19, 2020 at 5:05 am
Thanks, Jennie.
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October 19, 2020 at 3:36 pm
Youβre welcome, Anneli.
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