The easiest way to increase bird activity in your yard is to offer a fresh, clean consistent source of water. As the weather warms and some sources of fresh water dry up your birds will have to travel farther from your yard in to find a drink or bath. There are several species that wouldn’t come to feeders, but would be attracted to water. Most of our common warblers have stopped by over the years and waxwings and robins are regulars.
You don’t have to spend a fortune, any container that’s about 2 inches deep with a gradual slope for the birds to walk into the water (not many species do the cannon ball) makes a good bath. The large plastic “terra cotta” trays made to go under plant pots make great starter bird baths. Find a flat rock that’s tapered to provide the gradual slope and to keep it from blowing away if the water gets low.
The most important thing to consider is ease of cleaning/refilling, so you’ll want it close to the hose. If you don’t have a hose or can’t locate it nearby, stick to a small light saucer that can be dumped and taken to the water for cleaning. The heavy concrete or stone baths will likely have to be washed in place. I have a cheap splitter on our house and a short piece of hose that I leave laying beside the bath, (pick it up to cut the grass, they’re hard to get untangled from the blades but you do end up with a great sprinkler). The splitter allows us to leave the regular length of hose attached and ready when we need it for other things.
You’ll hear that you shouldn’t have a bird bath because of mosquitoes, but it takes 10 days in “favorable temperatures” (so I guess that’s 20 days here?) to go from egg to adult. Once you’ve had an active bird bath you’ll see that you have to clean them much more than once every 10 days, as most birds tend to take a drink, bath and poop, in that order. I sometimes flush mine out and refill it a couple times a day, especially if the Mourning Doves have been around, they have big poop. I doubt a mosquito larvae could live in the poop stew that would be created after a few days with the doves.
I’d avoid the tips and costly products available to keep your birdbath mosquito free and just make sure it’s clean. As for the algae, I find a little elbow grease works fine, bleach kills the grass. There are great bird bath brushes that are cheap, they are also the same ones available at farm supply store for cleaning dairy equipment. The fewer chemicals the better.
You can install a pond or fountain but they are costly and much harder to maintain. Moving water is irresistible though, when I bought my first fountain pump I was eager to try it out, I filled a large tube with water and let the pump run, shooting water a couple inches above the surface. Birds went nuts, they tried to figure a way to get in the tub, but had to settle for perching on the edge and drinking.
Making an in ground concrete bird bath is a surprisingly easy project, make a hole in the ground about 2 feet across and 6 inched deep. It’s easy to get creative with the shape. Mostly fill it with premix cement that you can mix in a bucket or wheel barrow. Using something for a trowel, I use a putty knife but a wooden shingle works fine, make a depression in the middle by pulling the concrete to the outside making a nice edge with a slope. Put a straight edge across it in various places to check the depth (about 2 inches is best). I add interesting rocks, shells and beach glass that I’ve gathered, make sure they are covered over the “equator” and they won’t come loose.
The secret is to use just the right amount of water, just enough to hold it together, and to not let it dry out too fast. If it’s in the sun cover it with leaves and keep it damp for a few days.
Mine has been in the same place for 12 years, summer and winter, and looks better now than when it was new. It was about $5 to make but a similar bath would cost much more than that to buy and likely wouldn’t last as long.
Since it’s on the ground, make sure it isn’t too close to a bush that cats could hide in, but close enough to a tree so the bird can retreat to preen and dry off.
A dripper is a nice addition to a bird bath, it provides a little noise and movement while keeping the bath full on hot days. If you have it on a tap, you can turn the dripper up to fill the bath after cleaning then dial it back to a drip every few seconds.
I haven’t tried a mister yet, (except the time I hit the hose with the mower), but I did just order one and I’m eager to see if they are the hummingbird magnate the makers claim them to be. I’ll keep you posted.
I’ve had several enquiries about the abandoned eagles nest off the Crowley Farm Road, the pair has been relocated just a short distance away with a new nest and 3 eaglets. The area is about to be developed, I’m hoping the construction can wait until the eagles have fledged, it shouldn’t be much longer as they are quite feathered already. It would be nice if the developers could take the same approach as was taken with the Salisbury Road eagles nest. A buffer was left and the eagles have been nesting within the Forest Brook subdivision for years, a real source of pride for the home owners.
No comments:
Post a Comment