- Bird Accessories, Bird Bath, Bird Baths, Birdbaths, Ceramic Bird Baths, Misters and Birdbath Drippers, Uncategorized, Water Wiggler
Add moving water to bird baths
The absolute best way to entice feathered friends is with water. Fresh water will attract birds who may never use a birdhouse or even visit your feeders. Bird baths have got to be the single most effective way to get more species visiting your yard.And if water does the trick so well, think about moving water in your bird baths. It’s an absolute visual magnet for wild birds! If you’re lucky enough to have a pond with fountain or waterfall, or live on a creek, you already know the difference water makes in terms of wildlife-friendly habitat. But if your landscape is dry (like most of us) there are lots of ways to create this moving water. Drippers and water wigglers are wildly popular additions for bird baths, simply because of the all the action they bring. Leaf misters are another great way to create moving water – hummingbirds and especially butterflies love the gentle spray.
Here’s a net trick to make bird baths much more enticing, without spending any money at all! This works best with pedestal bird baths, but may also be adapted for hanging or ground bird baths as well. The bath needs to sit under a tree, as the source of slowly dripping water will come from above. Take a gallon milk jug and poke a pin hole in the lower corner, or bottom. Fill the jug with fresh water and tie it to a sturdy branch that’s at least 3 to 5 feet above the bath. Step away and watch the slow dripping create a visual magnet for your feathered friends! One gallon leaking through a pin hole should last at least 10 days before a refill is needed. The moving water really does attract more birds, plus mosquitoes can not lay eggs in moving water. A great project to try out for spring and summer… Happy Birding!
-
heated bird baths…well worth the effort!
Frigid winters can be a tough time for wildlife…survival of the fittest is nature’s rule.Not only do natural food sources dwindle, but shallow pools and ponds tend to freeze, leaving birds and other wildlife without a consistent water source. Some folks believe birds can just east snow to get water, and in part that’s true. But it takes them a tremendous amount of energy to actually convert the snow to water. Energy that could be better spent on staying warm. Birds, like other beings, obtain energy from calories, so this process ends up being a terrible waste of precious calories for wild birds’ metabolisms.
Offering heated bird baths will encourage some species to over-winter in your yard and immediate area. Bluebirds especially, will stick around if heated bath water is readily available. Ground baths are also a great idea, because birds’ naturally bathe at ground level. These heated bird baths can also be quite enticing for other wildlife too.
Innovative birdbath heaters will allow you to convert your favorite bath into a heated one. New materials that are safe for all types of birdbaths make it simple to do so. Even resin, or plastic baths can utilize these heaters, there are heated mats, resin-cased heaters and the very cool Heated Rock.
This winter, consider adding heated bird baths to your landscape, or purchasing a bath heater for your existing birdbath. You’ll help feathered friends thrive and flourish during frigid temperatures, plus catch some quality bird-watching time!
- Bird Accessories, Bird Bath, Bird Baths, Birdbaths, Heated Bird Bath, Pedestal Bird Bath, Uncategorized
Quick Preparations are like a face lift for bird baths
Georgia weather can be so finicky, we usually get cheated out of any decent spring and fall weather. With the last few days in the 70’s and nights around 50 degrees, a cold snap is headed our way. Predicted low temperatures are below freezing starting tomorrow night, until of course, we are back in the 70’s again next week.There are several bird baths in the yard, (no – make that too many bird baths in the yard) that won’t fare well in freezing temperatures. The concrete pedestal bath for one, along with the ceramic pedestal bath will definitely crack. The plastic ground bath with the dripper will do the same.
I never really understood how folks could just dump the water and turn their bird baths over for winter? Fresh water is a critical element for birds’ winter survival. When temperatures drop below freezing, most shallow pools and ponds tend to freeze, leaving many wild birds no immediate water source.
In lieu of the nearing cold snap, tomorrow’s chores include winter preparations for feathered friends, almost a bird bath face lift if you will. Removing summer bath
accessories like water wigglers (shown above) and drippers like this one, and adding heaters to the baths will keep birds flocking and happy! The deck-mounted bath conceals its heater inside, so it just needs to be plugged in…yay!Adding heaters to your existing bird baths is one of the best ways to keep birds around. Last year our Eastern Bluebirds over-wintered, staying around through one of the nastiest winters on record.
Help feathered friends to thrive and flourish during frigid winter weather by creating a wildlife-friendly habitat with a consistent fresh water source, food and shelter.
Birding Tips, Information & News
