Honey Bees in the birdbath

Yesterday around 5 pm I checked the birdbath to see if the water needed to be changed or replenished.

This is the scene I came upon, honey bees congregating on the rock in the bath and sipping water from it.

This is the first time I've ever seen a group of bees on the rock.

In the past, occasionally I've seen a honey bee on the rock, but nothing like this.

Flowering branches from a tall blackberry hedge are hanging above and around the bath, and the bees are visiting the blossoms all day, sipping nectar and collecting pollen.

The bees are probably sipping water from this particular bird bath because of its location, instead of a bee bath close by that is full of small, smooth pebbles and stones.

I noticed today that the bees are still visiting this bath.

Interesting that they never seemed very interested in it until now.

The temperature hasn't been particularly high, so that can't be the reason.

The birds don't seem to be deterred by the bees, because I've observed house finches, California towhees and crows in the bath today.