iN VIDEO: Robin babies squabble, bath in Kamloops garden

Kamloops gardener Sherry Bennett designed her yard to support and nurture bugs and wildlife, and this spring a pair of robins moved in to raise their young.

Last week, she captured footage of two of the juveniles touching beaks before taking a long, playful splash in one of her birdbaths.

“The mom and dad birds have their own bath, but the two fledglings bath together and squabble sometimes,” she said. “If there isn’t water in their bath, they come up to the window.”

Bennett encourages biodiversity in her yard. She plants native plants and doesn’t use pesticides or herbicides. She grows vegetables between the native plants to share with the wildlife.

“I keep it natural for wildlife and let the bugs and animals take care of the pests,” she said. “I let everything go, I don’t cut anything back in the winter and the birds stay all winter long.”

Recently, a great basin gopher snake slithered across her property.

“The only think I don’t want is rats and the snake takes care of that,” she said.

She said the robins are in her yard all the time and will walk up to her without fear.  

“I sit outside with a coffee and just watch, and I’m always out there with my camera,” she said. “I get so much enjoyment watching these little guys.”

Birds need to keep their plumage clean of dirt particles for better insulation, smoother flying ability, and to prevent parasites, according to Birdfact.

They will dip in puddles, take dirt baths or bathe in rain showers with fluffed up feathers and shake vigorously before preening.

Robins gradually submerge themselves and roll their breast beneath the surface to ensure water gets through the densest feathers. They then fluff their feathers and give themselves a hearty shake.