The advantage of the small pond in front of many of those bird photography hides is that birds do not only come for a drink, but also to bath. And from the hide you sit front row… The only question is what kind of birds will show up. This is depending on the habitat of course. In this case we has several tits showing up and several times some Hawfinches, even though they were really shy. The most special bird however, was this Common Starling. Not special at all in most parts of the Netherlands, but not in the forest of the Veluwe. This bird showed up and had a nice bath. Normally one doesn’t look too long at one of the most common bird species in the Netherlands, but actually they’re really nice birds.

It’s quite difficult to get a good bathing shot, as the birds move quickly and a lot are too blurred. This one is my favourite, with the head in focus and the drops of water splashing around…