If You Like Birds, Then Put a Bird Bath in Your Backyard

The picture to the left shows the three level fountain that mom and dad installed in our yard. Each level from the top down is deeper than the one above. This allows small birds to use the top shallow level and larger birds to use the bottom deeper level. The netting in the foreground covers the front windows to break up the reflection and to protect the birds from hitting the window. They tried using UV reflective images that were supposed to keep the birds from hitting the windows, but they didn’t work. So, they put berry netting over the windows and that has helped a lot. As well as acting as a warning to birds, it also acts as a cushion if a bird accidentally crashes into the window. With hundreds of birds flaring in every direction at the first sign of danger, there is a lot of activity in our yard. Locally our home is known as the “bird house”.

A bird bath is one of the easiest ways to attract birds to your yard or garden. Not only will you attract a greater number of birds if you install a bird bath, you'll also attract a greater variety of species. A bird feeder in your garden will attract species based on the kind of foods you provide, while a bird bath will attract just about every species.

You can buy commercial bird baths at most gardening and home improvement stores but they are not that difficult to make and can be made from a large variety of materials readily found in the average home. The only essential is that your bird bath is a receptacle that can contain clean water. The best type of bird baths are shallow ones, maximum depth no greater than three inches. Mom and dad have a large plastic drip tray from a large plant pot as one of their bird baths. They placed some stones in it because the lip of the tray is quite narrow. Not only do the birds love it for getting a drink, but they also bathe in it regularly. There is constant activity around it with some birds getting a refreshing drink and others splashing merrily as they have their daily bath. Some birds are very sedate when bathing, just squatting down and getting a little water on their back and wings, while others splash joyfully sending water spraying in every direction. Needless to say, dad has to clean and refill this “bird bath” frequently. He doesn’t mind because it is fun watching all the birds enjoying themselves.

A lot of commercially available bird baths are too deep. If you already have a commercial bird bath and you find that it's too deep, you can make it shallower by putting some stones in it. Mom and dad did this with one they bought when they found that it was too deep and that small birds kept slipping into the water. By placing stones of various sizes in the bird bath, they not only provided extra places for the birds to stand when they were drinking, but they made it easier for them to get close to the water whether the bird bath was full or only had a little water in it. After putting the stones in the birdbath, mom and dad did not have any birds drown by falling into the water and not being able to get back out.

If you really want to go the extra mile in attracting birds into your garden with your bird bath you should consider adding a fountain. The sound of falling or dripping water is an attraction for birds. You should make sure that your bird bath has a non-slip bottom so that the birds that use it aren't in danger of losing their footing. Cement, rough surfaced plastic, or a rough surfaced rubber mat are all ideal surfaces for the bottom of a bird bath. It's a good idea to place your bird bath on some kind of stand or hang it from a tree to make it difficult for predators to reach it or the birds using it. If birds don't feel safe, they are unlikely to use the bird bath.

It's important that you change the water in the bird bath frequently, every few days or even every day in hot weather. If you're an ardent bird watcher, it won't just be for the bird's comfort that you install a bird bath in your garden, you'll also be doing it for your own pleasure. With that end in mind, you should ensure that you place the bird bath somewhere that allows you to view it from a place of comfort through your window or from your deck. Putting a bird bath in your garden following the guidelines above will ensure that you get hours of enjoyment watching all the many and varied species of birds that will be attracted to your garden.

Until next time,

Teia

Attracting Birds to Your Garden

The type of birds that will be attracted to your garden will be determined by the geographic location of your garden. For example, if you live in northern Canada, you are unlikely to attract Hummingbirds to your garden. Similarly if you live in the southern United States, you are unlikely to attract Ptarmigan to your garden.

To find out which birds are in your geographic area, you should consult bird books written by specialists from your area. You can also talk to avid bird watchers who live in your area. They should be able to tell you what you can expect to see in the way of birds coming to your garden, Libraries and book stores should have books that will identify which migrating birds may pass through your area.

Once you know what type of birds you can expect to find in your geographic area you can then get books to see what type of food and habitat that these birds require. You have to create an environment in your garden that will attract the type of birds you wish to have there.

Birds need water. If you supply this vital necessity in the form of a bird bath or a pond, you will have many types of birds come to your garden. Installation of bird feeders will provide food for visiting birds. It is also advisable to plant flowers, shrubs or trees that attract birds or provide berries or fruit that birds eat. Bird houses of the size and construction specific to certain birds resident in your area during breeding season will also attract birds to your yard. For example if purple martins reside in your area during the breeding season, installation of purple martin apartment style bird houses will probably result in these birds nesting in your bird houses. Not only will you get a chance to see these birds on a daily basis, but they will greatly reduce the number of mosquitoes in your area.

My mom and dad provide bird feeders on a year around basis in our yard and as a result we have many birds coming to visit. I often sit or lay on the arm of the love seat near the front windows and watch all these birds flying into and out of the yard. In winter we have Redpolls, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Grosbeaks, Gray Jays, Ravens, Magpies, Sparrows, Pigeons, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Bohemian Waxwings and Chickadees in our yard. In the summer, we have Crows, Gray Jays, Magpies, Sparrows, Pigeons, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Evening Grosbeaks, Bohemian Waxwings, Cedar Waxwings, American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, Red-wing Blackbirds, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Cowbirds, Brewers Blackbirds, Common Grackles, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Dark-eyed Junks, Robins, Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows in the yard or flying above it. We occasionally have Merlins and American Kestrels swooping through the yard in the warmer weather looking for an unwary song bird to catch for a fresh meal. Other occasional visitors are Blue Jays, Kinglets, Nuthatches, Ptarmigan, Mourning Doves, Wrens, Swainson's Thrush, Warblers, Lark Bunting, Lapland Longspurs, and Snow Buntings.

We have a number of Manitoba Maple trees separating the front of our yard from the street and this encourages birds to come into our yard as does the Mountain Ash tree which produces juicy berries in the fall.

By providing food, water and quiet hiding places for birds, you will have these winged visitors in your yard in no time.

Until next time,

Teia