Walking in Washington D.C. along the National Mall, I couldn’t help but notice that humans were not the only ones taking advantage of the water fountains along the periphery. Several different kinds of birds were bathing and drinking in the water of backed-up fountains.
In the first shot, a bird, which may be a Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), seemed to be testing the water in the fountain—a few seconds later, it was happily splashing about.
I love the defiant stance of the larger bird in the second shot, looking like he is the leader of an urban gang, prepared to defend his turf against outsiders like me.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great shots. As soon as I read “urban gang” I thought of the movie ‘The Warriors’ and how each species of bird would be a different costumed gang.
Sorry. That was a bit random, wasn’t it?
At least you know better than to drink from those drinking fountains, Mike! Can you say “bird flu?”
Those are wonderful photos. Happy to see the birds getting good use out of the water fountains.
Maybe they should install some bird baths.
Sounds like a great idea, though I am not sure the National Park Service would go for it.