Birdbaths

Kindness is a birdbath

Sometimes fresh, clean water is hard for a bird to find. You can make a robin's day simply by offering a drink and a bath. It's pure kindness to the birds.

Parent birds will often bring their babies to the bath after they fledge and show them where it is. Like the baby robin getting its first bath in the photo above (splashing in a Rocky Mountain Spring birdbath).

A birdbath is a kindness to people, too. A birdbath is one of the easiest ways to bring birds up close, where the whole family can get a really good look and enjoy their beauty.

Water will actually attract more species of birds than feeders will. Birds such as wrens, catbirds, and waxwings, who eat insects or fruit instead of seeds, don't find much at the feeder to interest them.

But a birdbath entices all kinds of birds. Bluebirds and cedar waxwings. Robins and catbirds. Warblers and thrushes. We've even watched screech owls at a birdbath at dawn drinking from a birdbath right in town.

Your birdbath can be the centerpiece of the summer garden, and the birds will find it very quickly. We took the photo at left, of bluebirds and cedar waxwings, just 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. It was so heavy that two of us couldn't lift it — we had to roll it into place. And it was rough, too, with chain saw cuts along the rim. But it was a major hit with the birds.

It was a hit with us, too. 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, but it's heavy and hard to handle. Some of the new fiber-and-resin baths are amazingly lightweight, and they have a good texture that makes birds feel secure.

Drippy or sprinkly
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 the way a robin does, because hummingbirds 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 also baths available now with solar-powered spray features, such as the Solar Spa bath shown at right.

We have one of these at the Birdwatching Dot Com garden, and we love to watch the birds come visit it.

To upgrade a regular birdbath to a moving-water feature, arrange a garden hose so that its water trickles or drips into the bath.

You can turn a still-water birdbath into a live-water bath by putting an inexpensive Water Wiggler in it. Then watch the jiggling water attract birds!

Some people make a 1/2-inch hole in the bottom of a bucket and plug it with a bit of cloth, and suspend the bucket over the birdbath. The dripping water makes plinking sounds that birds can't resist. You can also install a small spray fountain designed for birdbaths. And we've seen a solar spray pump kit that you can add to an existing bath.

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.

©2008 by Diane Porter
Photos of birds and cat © Michael and Diane Porter

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