Birdbaths-Cheap Entertainment

http://nwbackyardbirder.blogspot.com/2011/03/attract-birds-to-your-backyard-part-4.html

I love feeding the birds.  Yes, it costs something. Yes, it is sometimes messy. Yes, it may make you face your prejudices.  “Not more white winged doves, house sparrows, cowbirds!” But, I find the rewards outweigh the costs.  However, if for some reason you are not the type to want to lay out a spread for everything with wings, an easier and often equally rewarding activity, is to get a birdbath.

Birds who are seedeaters in particular, need water.  When is the last time you ate a “juicy” sunflower seed or had some “millet juice”? Never, right?  And so it makes sense that birds that are strictly seedeaters are the ones visiting your feeders and the ones who, even if not offered seed, will be in need of water.  Birds who primarily feed on insects or fruit won’t be coming to drink perhaps, for juicy is the caterpillar they just ate.  However, the need to bathe eventually draws them in.  And that is what makes a bird bath a marvelous venue to see even more species of birds than you would at a feeder. 

Feather maintenance is key for birds.  Let your feathers go unpreened and you are in deep trouble as a flight-oriented animal.  Of course, you don’t see slovenly birds, for bathing, be it in water or dust is instinctual. Along with the subsequent preening; running each feather through their bills to “re-zip” the interlocking parts of the feather making it sturdy again. These things are programmed into all birds for their survival. 

flicker photo

You don’t have to buy expensive or artistic birdbaths either, at least not from the bird’s perspective.  Mine is a simple plastic affair held up by a not quite complete, bird stand and a rope lashing it to the deck.  When I lived on the Cape the one thing I did spring for, and was so very worth it, was a submersible water heater that kept the water from freezing in winter.

 It delivered more birds to my deck than I ever saw in summer.  Not only to bathe, for they do that year round but also to drink when the world was frozen and snow had yet to fall.

http://weeklypaper.blogspot.com/2007/02/winter-scenes.html

Birds will eat chunks of snow for water, and I bet a lot of us have seen blue jays and the like catching the melting drops from icicles.

Another thing I love is that bird behavior is on display at the birdbath. You can witness pecking order as the dominant bird hogs the water and others must wait. You can be entertained by house sparrows that LOVE to do everything together with 10 or more splashing around together looking like one great beach party.

 For that matter, if you are disgruntled about house sparrows and their incessant cheeping, this gives you a window into what gregarious little guys they are. Perhaps it will soften you heart toward them just a tad.  After all, it was our European ancestors who brought them here for they couldn’t imagine life without the ever-cheerful house sparrow who loved to make your casa its casa.

I have delighted in watching the young fledglings figure out their first bath. And I have been stumped by the behavior of white wing doves that dip their tail in the bath and flick it over them: their idea of a shower perhaps. 

http://www.pinterest.com/jomlong/drip-irrigation/

You can easily Google information on the different kinds of birdbaths that are available.  I covet the ones that have a drip system over them for the sound of dripping water gets the attention of passing birds, plus the water is always moving so mosquitoes aren’t drawn to it as a nursery.  Mosquitoes have not proven to be a problem in mine for the water does need to be refreshed every couple of days. I use a big car brush to just swish out algae that grows on the bottom, only a minute’s work. 

So how about it Gunga Din, are you ready to bring the water?  They will thank you for it in their own splashy way.  And you will have done a little something to increase their chances of survival making the world a lovelier place.  And who can resist that!