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Unexpected Bird Attraction

by Dana Hanley

When we were planning our feeding station, a patch of dead lawn never entered into consideration. We have a patch of dead lawn, to be sure, but all we have ever thought about in terms of using it for birds was what to plant there. Our birds, on the other hand, seem to like it just as it is. Just look at these two sparrows enjoying their dust bath!
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Dust bathing and “anting,” however, are very important to the overall health of birds. It helps to rid them of parasites, realign feathers and soothe skin irritations. Anting, where birds place ants in their feathers or spread their wings out for ants to crawl on them, has been documented in over 200 species of birds.

The Post Gazette offers directions for building your own dust bath. And for the record, our birds frequently engage in this behavior on hot days, even though the bird bath is nearby and waiting with fresh water.

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Posted in Setting up on June 25th, 2007

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One Response to “Unexpected Bird Attraction”

  1. freemusicdownloads Says:
    December 22nd, 2007 at 1:59 am

    Hi boys!ad03942d6684b5b93032c05ed91b729f

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