Bathing is really important for birds, but the problem is where. From the blog command center, we see birds bathing in roof puddles and what are obviously backed-up gutters. A pond seems like a good possibility, but this one is walled in: the drop off is deep. This Red-tailed Hawk was long considering strategy here.
At the other end of this same pond, and on rather a smaller scale, this Black-capped Chickadee used the stick seen on the left to get some of itself in the water, but not all.
Back to our Red-tailed Hawk, a fine example of the transition to adult tail fathers. Only two had come in as of April 1st. The bird was probably born last June or July. By this summer, the bird should have a full set (12) of tell-tale red tail feathers (rectrices).
Backyard and Beyond 
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