Tips for a
Healthy Bird Bath.
Why a bird bath.
You can attract more species of birds to your
yard with a birdbath then you can with food. Putting out food for
birds will attract only those birds who eat that particular food or
seed, but putting out a bird bath will attract birds no matter what
they eat. All birds need to wash and drink, and water is often much
more difficult to find then food in summer. Take a look around your
neighbourhood after a few sunny days and you will be surprised how
few puddles or pools of water you will find.
When you have a birdbath you can be certain of an increase in the
amount of birds in your backyard, and the amount of time you get to
see them up close and personal. The birds will take their time
bathing, splashing, and playing, and then fluttering up to a nearby
branch to preen and re-arrange their feathers, giving you more time
to enjoy them.
Keep it Shallow.
Birds don't bathe in deep water. Keep
the level in your birdbath to about two inches or less. This is
perfect for most New Zealand birds to wade into and splash around.
If your bird bath is deep, place a layer of gravel or some large,
flat stones in the bottom to offer birds a choice of water levels.
This will also also give bathing birds better footing while using
the bath which is important if you want the birds to feel less
vulnerable while they bathe
Where to place the bird bath.
You'll
want to put the bird bath where you can view it. You need to be able
to see it from wherever you will be spending much of your time: the
living room, kitchen window, or the deck. And it needs to have easy
access for cleaning and refilling, so near a garden tap is also
another must.
Cover Nearby.
Just as you need the bath to be where
you can see it, the birds need to have some protective cover nearby
(but not too close). This will give the birds a place from which
they can approach the bath, and a place to flee to should danger
approach. If this is not possible place a wooden perch close to your
birdbath (but not over it!) to give the birds an easy landing place
when flying to and from the bath. This will make the bath more
"approachable" for the more nervous birds who will use the perch as
a place to scan for danger and a place to preen their feathers after
bathing.
Shady.
One reason that the birds use your
birdbath is to cool off. You can keep your water temperature cooler
by placing the bath in a shady spot in your backyard. A bath placed
out in the open in direct sunlight will have heated water, which
will also cause the bath water to evaporate more quickly. The warmer
water will also encourage algae growth.
When searching for a shady spot you may have to compromise, avoid
placing it too near shrubbery or heavy overgrowth where the
neighbourhood cats can hide.
Keep It Clean.
Wild birds prefer clean water
and it is amazing how many more birds will come to use a clean
birdbath. Left alone, leaves, feathers, sticks, insects, and other
things will accumulate in the water of your birdbath. To clean your
bath scrub it out with a stiff-bristled brush and use an abrasive
cleaner on hard-to-remove algae. With extremely dirty baths you may
have to resort to using bleach-water (a capful of bleach or Janola
in a bucket of water will do the job). Rinse well and refill with
clean water.
Algae can be a real problem with most birdbaths and one old time
remedy that many people have success with is putting a piece of
copper (usually old water pipe) into the bath. On person described
it as "nothing short of miraculous! Not only did the algae stop
growing, but every day a little bit more of it scrubs off the bottom
of the birdbaths. It's even coming up out of the little indentations
where the scrubbing brush doesn't reach."
Add Motion.
Nothing makes a birdbath more
attractive to wild birds than moving water. Moving water sparkles in
the sunlight and catches the attention of birds.
You can invest in a garden fountain which are available at most DIY
shops like Bunnings or Mitre 10, or an inexpensive option is to use
a mister or dripper nozzle which are designed to be part of a home
irrigation system. When attached to your hose (with the tap turned
on low) either of these will add motion to your bath. Moving water has the additional benefit of
preventing successful reproduction of mosquitoes in it. Mosquitoes
need still water for successful reproduction.
How to Make a
Homemade Birdbath Dripper for Your Yard
A dripper is a great addition
to the birdbath in your garden. The sound and the moving or rippling
water are very attractive to the wild birds.
This site shows you how you can make your own simple birdbath
dripper out of recycled materials that will save on water usage
while still providing the birds with the moving water they enjoy.
click here to visit site
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