Add a Bird Bath to Attract More Birds to Your Yard

Wild birds will love to come to your garden to drink and bathe, especially when fresh, clean water is hard to find. Parent birds will bring their fledglings for their first bath which you can watch from the comfort of your home. Many birds will not visit a bird feeder, for instance insect loving birds, but will visit a garden bird bath instead, so you can increase the varieties of wild birds that you attract to your garden. When choosing a bath it is important that you make sure that it is suitable for the birds. We’ve gathered together some guidelines below:

Buying Considerations

It should be shallow: it should be 3 inches or less in the center and shallower at the edges. if it is deeper than this build up the height with some rocks or stones.

Baths should be rough at the bottom: some are shiny and slippery on the bottom which is unsuitable as the birds will lose their footing. Fiber glass or resin baths are light and have a rough surface. Cement baths are also good but can be quite heavy to handle.

Advantages of Heated Birdbaths

Heated bird baths are a good idea especially if you live in an area that has cold winters. Continually freezing and thawing water in the bird bath can be very damaging, especially to cement birdbaths which will crack and leak. Heated birdbaths keep the temperature suitable for the birds at about 55 Fahrenheit and will prevent it from freezing in winter. Heated baths can be powered either by solar panels or by plugging into the mains electricity. Solar powered birdbaths are more convenient as they can be placed anywhere that they can collect sunlight and should keep the bird bath ice free in even the coldest weather. Unheated bird baths can be easily converted by attaching an electric heater.

Attract Birds With the Sounds of Running Water

Wild birds will be attracted to the sounds of running water so it is a good idea to set up a system to keep the water in the bath agitated or flowing. You can achieve this by either installing a birdbath fountain or a water drippper. Water dripppers are very easy to set up and many are very attractive. Some designs that are available for water drippers include climbing ivy and butterflies. Water is recirculated through the bird bath which also has the advantage of keeping it agitated to prevent it freezing and, if you are in an area where mosquitoes are prevalent, will prevent them from laying their eggs. Another alternative to agitate water is to use a battery operated water wiggler.

For those birds that do not wade in water, such as hummingbirds, a water dripper will attract them as they love to fly through the drips which simulate the feel of raindrops on their feathers. You could also set up a water sprinkler in your garden, but this has the disadvantage of using up much more water.

Location

You want to set up your bird bath away from any concealing shrubbery or other feature where cats or other predators can hide and jump out to attack the birds. It is also a good idea to set up the bird bath under overhanging branches so that, if predators do attack, the birds have an easy escape route. You should also set up the birdbath somewhere away from any bird feeders as birds prefer quiet when they are bathing. Also make sure that you place it somewhere where you can see it from inside your house if you want to watch the birds bathing. If you have a solar bird bath with incorporated panels you will, of course need to place it somewhere where it can receive sunlight. Some solar birdbaths have detachable panels that can be placed some way away from the bath perhaps on a post, tree branch or nearby wall, which will allow you to place it in a shady area.

Conclusion

A bird bath is a great way to attract wild birds to your garden and it is delightful and relaxing to watch the birds bathing from your window. There are many types for you to choose from so there’s sure to be one that will be perfect for your garden. They are easy to set up and will make an attractive feature to your garden.