Busy bird bath

White crowned sparrow and female house finch at the backyard birdbath

The two birdbaths in the backyard seem to be busier than ever, especially in heavy use by the white crowned sparrows. Several times a day the sparrows happily splash in the baths, then preen themselves on branches of the cape honeysuckle which grows right behind one of the baths (the one shown above).

It's so interesting that all summer long there were mainly house finches using the birdbaths, but no sparrows in sight. The house finches are still regulars, descending upon the baths in groups of threes and fours. Now, both house sparrows and white crowned sparrows are back.

What I find very unusual is that sometimes the white crowned sparrows and female house finches drink water from the birdbath at the same time, as in the photo above. They don't seem to mind sharing.