Kindness is a birdbath. Your little circle of clean, cool water under a leafy branch is a kindness to the birds, because fresh clean water can sometimes be the hardest necessity for birds to come by. And it's a kindness to yourself and your family, too, because watching the birds at the birdbath will bring you great happiness.
In fact, a birdbath is one of the easiest ways to bring birds up close, where you can get a really good look at them. You can attract even more species of birds with water than with a feeder.
Bird feeders usually cater to seed-eaters, such as cardinals, blue jays, and sparrows. Birds that eat insects or fruit, such as wrens, catbirds, and waxwings, usually don't find anything at the feeder to interest them. But the birdbath entices all kinds of birds, from robins to screech owls. It will expand your awareness of the variety of life.
Commercial bird baths are available at many discount stores and gardening or home improvement store, but you can make a birdbath out of almost anything. Just make sure it provides what the birds need most cool, clean water!
What kind of birdbath is best? It needs to be shallow - no deeper than three inches at the center. It should be even shallower at the edge, so that a bird can ease its way in. Many commercial birdbaths are too deep. If you already own a deep birdbath, you can put rocks in it to raise the bottom, though this will make it a little harder to keep clean.
Consider adding a fountain or something to provide a bit of a drip. The plinking sound of falling water is pure invitation to birds. It dramatically increases the number of species that visit a birdbath. For example, hummingbirds would never wade into the bath like other birds, because they bathe only in flight. But many have watched hummers zipping back and forth through the drips of a bird bath, timing their flights so that they catch a water drop on their backs on each pass.
There are many ways to arrange for a drip. You can run a hose so that it trickles into the water; or install a small spray fountain designed for birdbaths; or suspend above the bath a bucket that has a 1/2-inch hole in the bottom with a bit of cloth stuffed through the hole as a wick.
In fact, a birdbath is one of the easiest ways to bring birds up close, where you can get a really good look at them. You can attract even more species of birds with water than with a feeder.
Bird feeders usually cater to seed-eaters, such as cardinals, blue jays, and sparrows. Birds that eat insects or fruit, such as wrens, catbirds, and waxwings, usually don't find anything at the feeder to interest them. But the birdbath entices all kinds of birds, from robins to screech owls. It will expand your awareness of the variety of life.
Commercial bird baths are available at many discount stores and gardening or home improvement store, but you can make a birdbath out of almost anything. Just make sure it provides what the birds need most cool, clean water!
What kind of birdbath is best? It needs to be shallow - no deeper than three inches at the center. It should be even shallower at the edge, so that a bird can ease its way in. Many commercial birdbaths are too deep. If you already own a deep birdbath, you can put rocks in it to raise the bottom, though this will make it a little harder to keep clean.
Consider adding a fountain or something to provide a bit of a drip. The plinking sound of falling water is pure invitation to birds. It dramatically increases the number of species that visit a birdbath. For example, hummingbirds would never wade into the bath like other birds, because they bathe only in flight. But many have watched hummers zipping back and forth through the drips of a bird bath, timing their flights so that they catch a water drop on their backs on each pass.
There are many ways to arrange for a drip. You can run a hose so that it trickles into the water; or install a small spray fountain designed for birdbaths; or suspend above the bath a bucket that has a 1/2-inch hole in the bottom with a bit of cloth stuffed through the hole as a wick.
Also make sure your bird bath is rough bottomed. Birds don't want to lose their footing, and they will hesitate to use a bath with a glazed, slippery bottom. Cement is good. If you already possess a slick birdbath, you can apply the non-skid stickers that are sold for people-baths.
Place your bird bath within view from a window. Don't forget to put yourself in this picture. Place the birdbath where you can see it from indoors, from your desk, dining room, or kitchen sink. Put the basin on a pedestal. It's easy to see from the house, easy to clean, and safer from predators. Alternatively, you can buy a birdbath designed to hang from a tree.
Make your birdbath easy to clean and refill by placing it close enough to reach with a hose. However, locate your birdbath away from your feeding station, because seeds and droppings would soil the water quickly. Change the water every few days, or even every day in hot weather. Dump it out or squirt it out with the hose. It's a good idea to keep a scrub brush outside with gardening tools, so that you can brush out any algae that might begin to form.
Place the bird bath where predators cannot get to your visitors. Cats, for example, like to lie in wait beneath shrubbery or behind a concealing object and then pounce on the birds when they're wet and can't fly well. So put your birdbath at least five to ten feet from such hiding places. Give the birds a chance to see the cat coming. Also provide the birds with an escape route. The ideal location is under some branches that hang down within two or three feet of the bath. A wet bird can flutter a few feet up to the safety of the leaves. If you follow these instructions, soon a robin will land on the rim of your birdbath. He'll dip his bill into the water and then raise his head to let the water run down inside his throat. Then he'll hop in and splash exuberantly. He'll dunk his head and let the water rush over his back. He'll sit and soak.
When he's finished bathing, he'll fly onto the nearest branch, where he'll shake off and begin to preen his feathers, drawing them one by one through his bill.
A bird in the bath is the soul of enjoyment. The sight of it, even a chance glimpse through the window, will provide you too with a splash of happiness.
Place your bird bath within view from a window. Don't forget to put yourself in this picture. Place the birdbath where you can see it from indoors, from your desk, dining room, or kitchen sink. Put the basin on a pedestal. It's easy to see from the house, easy to clean, and safer from predators. Alternatively, you can buy a birdbath designed to hang from a tree.
Make your birdbath easy to clean and refill by placing it close enough to reach with a hose. However, locate your birdbath away from your feeding station, because seeds and droppings would soil the water quickly. Change the water every few days, or even every day in hot weather. Dump it out or squirt it out with the hose. It's a good idea to keep a scrub brush outside with gardening tools, so that you can brush out any algae that might begin to form.
Place the bird bath where predators cannot get to your visitors. Cats, for example, like to lie in wait beneath shrubbery or behind a concealing object and then pounce on the birds when they're wet and can't fly well. So put your birdbath at least five to ten feet from such hiding places. Give the birds a chance to see the cat coming. Also provide the birds with an escape route. The ideal location is under some branches that hang down within two or three feet of the bath. A wet bird can flutter a few feet up to the safety of the leaves. If you follow these instructions, soon a robin will land on the rim of your birdbath. He'll dip his bill into the water and then raise his head to let the water run down inside his throat. Then he'll hop in and splash exuberantly. He'll dunk his head and let the water rush over his back. He'll sit and soak.
When he's finished bathing, he'll fly onto the nearest branch, where he'll shake off and begin to preen his feathers, drawing them one by one through his bill.
A bird in the bath is the soul of enjoyment. The sight of it, even a chance glimpse through the window, will provide you too with a splash of happiness.
Photo credit: www.sxc.hu/profile/Joanie49
