Dusty Bath

Little Wee is happily reading under the dining table when he hears cheerful chirping outside. What could it be? Stepping into the sunshine, he discovers his sparrow friends having a dust bath, fluffing, flapping, and cooling off in the dusty ground.

Not one to miss out on the fun, Little Wee jumps right in! But with no feathers to shake, his dust bath quickly turns into a full-on dust storm!  And when Mama sneezes her way straight into the dusty chaos, the giggles are endless!

After a good laugh, Mama decides that some baths are best left to the birds, so the family heads inside for a slightly less dusty clean-up. But one thing’s for sure, it was a bath time to remember!

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Transcript

Welcome to the everyday adventures of the wheelie hogs Join little wee and his family, especially Nana, as they live their lives alongside friends and neighbours in hogglington, dusty bath, it was a hot afternoon, and little wheelie had found himself a cool spot underneath the dining table. 

In fact, underneath the dining table was his very best and very favourite place to read his very favourite books. Little wee was just studying the pictures of the plant Saturn and its many rings when he became aware of what sounded like very excited chattering and in chirping sounds coming from the front of the house. Little wee was curious. He stopped reading his book and kept very still and quiet for a moment so that he could hear what was going on. The sounds were so cheerful and exciting that little wee slowly made his way out from underneath the table and gently rolled over to the window to see who or what was having such a wonderful time. 

Little wee looked out of the window and he smiled a very big and wide smile, his friends, the sparrows that lived in the hedgerows at the front of the house were having a dust bath. They made little dips in the dusty ground and were literally flapping their wings and rolling and diving and flicking dust all over themselves and each other. Little we couldn't help himself. It looks such good fun that he went outside to ask if he could join in. Hello. Sparrows said, Little we Hello, little we said, the sparrows in unison as he rolled towards them. 

That looks like good fun. What are you doing? Asked, little we, can I join in? Please. 

We are dusting ourselves to keep cool and clean our feathers. Explain the sparrows, the dust helps our feathers to stay supple and healthy for flying, and we love it. Of course, you can join in chirp the sparrows, but you don't have feathers like we do, that doesn't matter. Shouted little we as he found himself a good place in the dust and began turning and twisting and twisting and turning on the spot to make himself a dent in which to have his very own dust bath. Little wee was turning and spinning and turning and spinning his wheels making a deeper and deeper dent in the dust, and he began to laugh as the sparrow started flicking dust on him too. Little Wee laid on his side and then on the other side, wheel spinning, rolling around and churning up so much dust that when Mama looked out of the window to see what all the commotion was about, she couldn't see a thing, except for a great big dust cloud. 

Oh my goodness, exclaimed Mama, what on earth is going on out there? By the time Mama got outside and made her way into the dust cloud, little wee was on his back wheels in the air, rubbing his spines and body into the dust and having a jolly good dust bar. He was loving it. The sparrows had joined little wee in his dust bar, and they were all laughing and whooping and chirping and having the best time little wee's wheels were spinning and the sparrow's wings were flapping and the dust was flying. It was chirpy, happy chaos. Mama was about to ask them to stop, but as she opened her mouth to speak, a big plume of dust went straight up her nose, and she let out the biggest sneeze she had ever done in her whole life. 

In fact, it was such a big and powerful sneeze that she shot backwards and ended upside down in the dust as well, wheels in the air and covered in dust too. The sound of the very loud sneeze stopped little wee and the sparrows in their tracks. They looked at each other, then looked over to see mama laid in the dust on her back with her wheels in the air. 

Oh dear. Chirp the sparrows in unison. Oh no, cried little wee as they all rushed over to see if mama was all right, mama, mama, are you all right? Asked little wee with concern. 

At first, there was no response from Mama. She was laid very still with her eyes closed and a look of shock on her face at the force of her own sneeze, to be honest, the sparrows were still. Little wee was still. Mama was still. Then suddenly, Mama opened her eyes and saw the sparrows and little wee looking down at her with such concern on their faces. Mama blinked. The sparrows blinked in unison, little we blinked. Mama blinked again, and then mama let out the biggest belly laugh. She found it so funny. Not only was she covered from head to wheels in dust, upside down, wheels in the air, but she had sneezed the biggest sneeze ever in her whole life. Mama jumped back up onto her wheels, still laughing. 

They were all laughing. The laugh was contagious. They all enjoyed their dust baths for a while longer. Well, that's a first for me. Said, Mama, I've never had a dust bath before. I think I liked it. We're glad you liked it. Chirp the sparrows in unison again. Actually, it was quite refreshing on this hot and sticky day, said, Mama. But to be honest, I think I stick to having a bath in water from now on. In fact, I think both myself and little we ought to go and do just that right now before dinner. And as the dust settled little, we said goodbye to the sparrows and thanked them for letting him join in the fun any time the sparrows chirped back in unison, any time and Mama and little wee shook themselves off and went inside still laughing.

Dust baths are so much fun.

Hello, wheelie hog, friends. Can you see sparrows? Where you live, there are different kinds of Sparrows. Perhaps you can look out for sparrows in your area and find out what food they like to eat. You might even be lucky enough to see them having a dust bath on a hot Day, until next time roll with the weedy hogs.