Woodpigeon wash

Several Garden BirdWatchers have recently reported to us Woodpigeons washing themselves in the rain. It is certainly quite a spectacle, with these portly birds lifting their wings to the sky in order to get a good soaking (as the Grandson of one Garden BirdWatcher put it 'washing under their arms'). In West Yorkshire, Garden BirdWatcher Joyce Sweet saw a Woodpigeon lifting its wing to expose its under-parts to hailstones - a real power shower! Rain-bathing can also be accompanied by bathing using water from beneath, as seen by Clarissa Stevens in Southampton (see photos).



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