Song Sparrow Bath Time

There's a small pile of junk tucked away in the corner of the yard near my garden, mostly bits of old metal that look like they might've been there since before our landlord bought this place. (Or maybe they're technically in the neighbor's yard, it's hard to tell.) Anyway, in this junk pile is some sort of rusty basin -- half of a tank or barrel or something -- and several times over the past couple of weeks, I've been out in my garden and a little Song Sparrow has come down to bathe in the water that collects here. I'm sure this can't be the cleanest place to take a bath, and hopefully it's not too unhealthy, because the Song Sparrow keeps coming back, and it looks like it's having fun! Yesterday morning, I brought my camera out into the yard with me, and the Song Sparrow obliged with a bath time visit:
 

Yay, water!
 

I love Song Sparrows, and it's so nice to have company while I'm working in the garden. This little fellow kept going in and out of the water, and shaking tiny droplets everywhere:
 

You're not very sleek when you're dripping wet, little bird, but I still think you're extremely cute!
 

Hello in there!
 

Ready for another dip?
 

(Yes.)
 

Sometimes the sparrow would disappear entirely, but all that water dancing out of the basin means that someone's in there doing some very thorough cleaning:
 

Little Sparrow, you're making it rain:
 

Someday, I'll have full control over a yard of my own, and then I'll make sure our bird neighbors have a clean place to bathe. For now, though, I'll just admire this Song Sparrow's resourcefulness on these hot days.