Birdfeeders

Bird have two basic needs for water during the winter as well as other times. They need drinking water and water for feather maintenance, but during freezing weather, open water can be difficult to find. If they cannot find water, they will resort to eating snow. Eating snow really uses up their energy, for it can take 12 times as much energy to warm water from snow as it does to warm water from the freezing point to the bird’s body temperature. Therefore, especially in very cold areas, bird baths can be very important to a bird’s survival. It is also important for birds to be able to bathe in the winter for maintaining their feathers in peak condition is necessary to keep warm. If birds cannot find water, their insulation will be impaired and this is a huge energy waste. Bird baths are only useful if they are not frozen, so the practical solution in very cold areas is to use de-icer. They are easy to hook up and use very little electricity. They have a themostat and only turn on automatically when necessary. Some bird baths come with them, but if you have a bird bath and need a de-icer, they certainly can be purchased separately. Please don’t use antifreeze or salt in or near your bird bath, for these are harmful to birds.