Birdbaths

Kindness is a birdbath

Sometimes fresh, clean water is the scarcest necessity for a bird to obtain. You can make a robin's day better by the simple act of offering a drink and a bath. Your little circle of clean, cool water is a kindness to the birds.

It's a kindness to yourself and your family, too. A birdbath is one of the easiest ways to bring birds up close, where everyone can get a really good look at them. (Click the photo of the bathing American robin, above, to enlarge it.)

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 a birdbath entices all kinds of birds. Like bluebirds and cedar waxwings. Like robins and catbirds. Like warblers and thrushes.

Your birdbath can be the centerpiece of the summer garden. The photo at left, of bluebirds and cedar waxwings, was taken within 15 minutes after we first filled our homemade birdbath. We used a chain saw to hollow out a shallow basin in a 3' diameter section of a pine log.

Rough as it was (you can see the chain saw cuts along the rim), it was a hit with the birds.

And with us. Watching birds at the birdbath brings great happiness to a home.

What kind of birdbath is best?

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 way too deep. If you already own a deep birdbath, you can put rocks in it to raise the bottom, though you'll have to make a little more effort to keep the water clean.

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.

Drippy or gurgly.
The plink or splash of moving 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 I have watched hummers zipping back and forth through the drips, 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.

If you prefer a ready-made birdbath, you can purchase one that has a dripper built in. For example, the Rocky Mountain Spring bath calls birds to it with the music of its dripping.

Adult robins enjoy a good dousing in that bath several times a day. I love it when they bring their babies in for their first bath. (Click the image of the baby robin, above, to enlarge it.)

Nowadays there are also baths available with solar-powered sprays, to keep the water moving all day long. Our favorite is the Solar Spa, shown in the right column. Now this is something technology is really good for!

Where should a birdbath be located?

Not where cats can hide.
Cats 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.

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.

On a pedestal.
It's easy to see from the house, easy to clean, and somewhat safer from predators. If you locate your bath on the ground, it's important for the birds to have overhanging branches.

Within reach of a hose.
Make your birdbath easy to clean and refill. But 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. I keep a scrub brush outside with my gardening tools, so that I can brush out any algae that begins to form.

In 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.

Coming attractions in your back yard

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.

© 2004-2007 by Diane Porter
Photos of birds and cat © Michael and Diane Porter

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