We had the fun yesterday watching a robin 'anting' in a in an ant hill that has developed in our heathers just outside the window, and made a video clip of it. Fascinating! The bird loooked like he was being bitten as he would jump around, then quickly do some preening, sit back down and then hop up quickly, and preen some more. This continued for 3 or 4 minutes. Has anyone on the list observed this behavior? Are the ants actually biting them?? I've read that the ants may be removing parasites, or creating toxins beneficial for grooming--maybe no one knows for sure, but it was quite amazing to observe. I've often seen flickers eating ants from the hill, but this was the first time watching a bird taking 'the ant cure'.

Linda Bartlett
Kent, WA