This year, we have experienced one of the hottest and driest summers since the weather has been officially recorded in The Netherlands. Considering that we are used to rain and cold, this is quite a turn around. For us people, it’s a challenge to keep our bodies cooled. Perspiration is one of the main ways we cool down. However, for animals and birds, this is a different story. They don’t have the ability to sweat. Instead, they lose some of the warmth by puffing. Another effective way is taking a bath. Using water to cool down is apparently 25 times more efficient than using air. I encountered a family of coots in a pond nearby my home that applied this method quite effectively.
In the middle of this pond is a fountain. Instead of submerging themselves in the water, they decided to cleverly build their nest next to the nozzle of the fountain. The water spray did the rest. After taking some photos in the burning sun and sweating profusely, I could not help but envy those birds. Unfortunately, the pond was off limits for me as the sign said ‘No swimming water’. This sign did not apply for the coots, apparently, as they squealed of joy. They were livin’ the coot life!
