How to Identify Birds: The Basics of Providing Water

Water is an essential resource for all living things. Providing water in your yard will attract many bird species all year. Here are some suggestions to make the most of this feature.

 
 

Placement of Bird Bath

Although any spot in your backyard would be good for a bird bath, there are some things to consider.

First, in the summer time, the sun can beat down on open areas. This will cause the water to evaporate in the bath much quicker. One way to solve this is to find a location that is in the shade most or all of the day. This will reduce evaporation and refilling of the bird bath will not need to be as frequent.

Second, having your bird bath in the center of your yard may look very appealing to you, but may not be the best for birds. There are two things to consider here. Cats are predators of wild birds and if a bird bath is too close to shrubs and thickets, then cats are able to hide in those plantings. Given such a close range to the birds, the likelihood of some birds perishing will increase. Bird baths placed directly on the ground are the most risky for birds when cats are present. Birds will have reduced viewing from such a low angle and have a greater chance of being caught. On the other hand, having the bath in a wide-open space is the perfect situation for hawks. Any visiting hawk to your yard will be able to spot the birds in the bath. There is nothing we can do about that, they will always be on the watch for food. But placing the bird bath closer to trees or shrubs will provide an area for cover when a hawk attacks. So, the situation here is to place it close enough to shrubs to run for cover but not so close that cats can attack.

 

Construction of Bird Baths

Bird baths, like feeders or bird houses, can be very simple or elaborate. I prefer to keep things simpler and functional versus overly decorative. When I was young at just beginning to get into bird-watching, I set up a tray feeder and a bird bath in my parents’ backyard. My first bird bath was an inverted metal garbage can lid. This was placed on the ground and some stones placed strategically underneath to keep it level and secure. Water was poured inside the cover and a few stones put into the water. This bird bath was out there for years.

That is the simple side of things. You can get very complicated here if you’d like to. There are many types of bird baths to put in your back yard, it mostly depends on your budget and personal tastes. I have seen bird baths on the ground, on pedestals and hanging in trees. They will all function well but I prefer the pedestal style. It gets the birds off the ground and provides a better vantage point for protecting themselves. The hanging style will probably need more refilling due to moving in the wind.

 

Making it More Interesting

Now that you have your bird bath out in the yard, there are a few options you can add to make it more inviting to birds. Instead of a passive bath, you can add some action to it. Water dripping into a bath will make it appear more natural, like water dripping off of rocks into a stream. This can be done with a hose (very cheap) and just a have a very small trickle flowing from it, with the hose suspended above the bath. There are sprinkler attachments to add to hoses if you want to get a little fancier. If you would rather just have the water moving without the use of a hose, there are many styles of solar-powered devices that go into the bird bath and make a pump shoot a stream of water upward. Some styles will make the water move within the bath. Another cheap method that I have seen done is to have a container (your choice based on availability and fashion) and experiment with having a small hole place in the container. The container is hung above the bath on a tree or shepherd’s hook. Gravity pulls on the water and drops of water will fall into the bird bath. Again, this will take some experimenting to get a small flow of water going into the bird bath. I have included some links to Amazon below for some devices you might like to try.

 

Maintaining Bird Baths

Maintaining a bird bath is not that difficult and doesn’t take a lot of time or effort. Since birds will be bathing and drinking in it, the water will get a little dirty and messy. Monitor your bird bath and determine when it needs changing. Leaves may fall in it and algae is most likely going to start growing on the surface of the bath. To clean the algae out, you will need a scrubbing brush, and a 10:1 water to bleach solution. Empty out the bird bath and scrub the surface of the bird bath. Rinse out with fresh water to remove the majority of the waste. Next, place the bleach solution in the bath and scrub again to remove any remaining algae and to kill any other microbes that may have taken up residence. Finally, rinse out the bird bath well now with plenty of fresh water so that all of the bleach solution has been removed. Refill with fresh water and the birds will be happy with a clean bird bath.

 

Bird Baths in Winter

Depending on the climate in your area, your temperatures in the winter season may reach the freezing point. That does not mean the birds do not need water, nor does it mean you have to stop providing water at your bird bath.

After you’ve decided to provide winter time water for the birds that visit your yard, you’ll need to acquire two things: a water heater and some extension cords. There are several small electrical heaters that can be immersed in the water of your bird bath. Most will only go on when needed (when temperatures are below freezing) and are inexpensive to run. They do a fair job of keeping fresh water available for the birds. It will not melt snow more than few inches away, but will keep the water in the bird bath in liquid form.

You will need to check on the heaters and see if they will be a good fit for your bird bath. Depending on the depth and design, certain ones may or may not work. When using mine in winter, I have to prop up the electrical cord a bit to keep the heater at the right angle in my bird bath. You will want to buy exterior-rated extension cord(s) long enough to get to your bird bath from the outlet that you want to use from your house. I also use guards to keep the connections free from snow and water as a precaution, too. See the links at the end of this post for links to products on Amazon that I would recommend using.

 

Suggested Products from Amazon for Bird Baths

NOTE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.