Great tits and robin visit the bird bath.

Cold icy weather means that standing water often remains frozen and birds struggle to find water. 

Keeping your bird bath free of ice is not just a vital lifeline for garden birds but also an opportunity  to see some garden birds up close.

Water to bathe in is just as important for birds, especially in winter. It is essential that they keep their feathers in good condition, and bathing is an important part of feather maintenance. The great tits have become daily visitors to the small bird bath in my front garden.

After a bath, the great tits fly up to the nearby buddleia bush When preening, birds carefully rearranges their feathers and spreads oil from the preen gland so the feathers remain waterproof and trap an insulating layer of air underneath to keep them warm.

Keeping warm is of course especially important in the winter.

One or more robins (there is a pair that visits from across the road), also come to the bird bath for a drink and the occasional bath.