Birdfeeders

If a bird were to avoid bathing for even a few weeks, it may not survive. Personal hygiene in birds, although quite different than in humans, is truly a matter of life or death. Feathers that are not clean do not function efficiently either in flight or in protecting the body from weather conditions. The most common means of bathing include bathing in water, in dust and sunbathing. Water bathing is the most common and the easiest for us to watch. All that is required is a shallow source of water that a bird can wade into and splash water onto its body until thoroughly soaked. They use puddles, ponds, shallow streams, sprinklers and of course our bird baths. After getting wet enough, a bird will fly to a safe perch to preen. This preening smoothes down feathers, removes dirt and parasites as well as distributes natural oil to condition the feathers. Having bird baths in the yard will draw even birds who don’t visit our bird feeders. Some species such as quail, pheasants and grouse, prefer a dust bath to keep their feathers clean. We often find indentations in the dirt in our garden where the quail have been busy with their bathing. If you see a bird sitting all fluffed up and appears to be in a daze on a sunny day, it is most likely just sunbathing.

If you have any large trees nearby such as oaks or maples, the shade they offer under their branches is a real draw for many birds such as finches, towhees, and thrushes. In the desert areas, quail and other species will seek the shade provided by large rocks or sagebrush. Water sources such as streams and bird baths offer a cool place on hot days. The bird baths will be especially busy on very hot days and will probably have to be filled more than once. When the temperature goes above 90 degrees, our bird baths are in almost constant use by finches, jays, orioles and even woodpeckers get into the act. On the few days that the temperature goes above 100, we sometimes even set up a small sprinkler on the grass. The grass can certainly use the extra water and the birds just love to visit the spray. A full bird bath will draw birds out throughout the day which makes for a very busy yard.

So you want to start feeding birds in your yard, but what is the best way to start to insure success? This is actually pretty simple. To start with, there are some basic things to consider. Birds will be most comfortable in an area that offers protection, food and water. If you have shrubs and trees nearby to offer protection from predators, shelter and places to raise their young, birds will be comfortable in your yard. There are many types of bird feeders that are all designed to attract different species of birds, but to begin, it is best to invest in a good tube bird feeder which is then filled with sunflower seeds. A tube bird feeder can be hung from a tree branch, mounted on a pole, or hung on a hook attached to a deck railing or fence. These are easy to fill, have multiple perches and are familiar to most birds. Fill it with sunflower seeds, for the greatest  variety of birds love sunflower seeds. There are three types of sunflower seeds: the gray striped seed is the largest, next is the medium sized black striped seed and the smallest is the black oil sunflower seed with solid black hulls. Birds like them all, but the small black oil seed is preferred by most seed eating birds. Its thin shell makes it the easiest to eat and it has a higher oil content than the other two. Hang your new tube bird feeder in plain view and not too close to the house and you will be thrilled with the bird activity which begins in your yard. Be sure to have a source of water nearby as well. An attractive bird bath is a nice addition, but not necessary. Any shallow container filled with clean, fresh water and placed near places to perch and preen will be enjoyed.

In nature, puddles are the bird’s natural bird bath, so it stands to reason that the best bird baths imitate the dimensions of a puddle. Therefore, the best bird baths are round, have a flat bottom and gently sloping edges to a depth of no more than 3 inches. There are many options, including terra cotta flower pot saucers or glass pie plates, but there are many attractive options on the market. Although the natural location of a puddle is on the ground, birds will certainly find an elevated bird bath. There are a couple of advantages to having your bird baths up off the ground. First, it is safer for the birds to avoid stalking cats. Since wet birds don’t fly as well, be sure to locate the bird baths near the cover of trees or shrubs. Also, it is much easier to watch the birds in an elevated bird bath. Be sure to always keep these bird baths filled with clean fresh water.

To keep birds coming back to your yard or deck again and again, it is important to provide a source of fresh, clean water. While food is a bird’s first requirement, water is just as important for drinking and for bathing. In the average city or suburban area there are not enough sources of natural water, so it is important to provide an ample source. Adding bird baths to your habitat is the easiest and most practical solution, but other solutions from a fancy waterfall water feature to a simple saucer or pie plate are also effective. No matter what style is used, the most important thing is to keep it clean. It should be cleaned out and refilled every day to prevent the formation of algae. We keep a wire brush handy to give our bird baths a quick regular cleaning. Since wet birds have trouble flying, it is important to have the protection of a tree or shrub nearby for preening.

As the weather warms, local plants bloom and traffic at the bird feeders slows down, it is a good time to clean existing bird feeders and consider additions to your yard. Clean all tube bird feeders with a weak solution of one part bleach to ten parts water. Let them thoroughly dry in the sun before refilling them. As the traffic decreases at the tube feeders, consider cutting down on the amount of seed that is put out in order to always have fresh seed. As it gets warmer, keep a close check on stored seed supplies and throw out any bug invested seed. In warm weather, hummingbird feeders and oriole feeders need to be thoroughly cleaned every time they are filled. You may want to add a platform feeder for the ground feeders or bird baths as an added attraction. During the summer months, bird baths may actually draw more birds than the feeders. Always keep them full of fresh water and scrub as necessary.

It is definitely time to get ready for spring. This is the time to put up more bird houses so there is plenty of room ready and waiting when nesting birds arrive. In order to build these nests, they need supplies so why not further intice them to your yard by draping short lengths of white string over shrubs or fill a suet feeder with these pieces of string as well as feathers, hair from the family dog, lint from the dryer or whatever other soft materials you have available. This is a good time to add a garden bench or chair near the tube feeders, hopper feeders, platform feeders, oriole feeders or  hummingbird feeders so the birds are use to it. Then when you sit there, it won’t take long for them to get use to your presence. This is also a good time to add bird baths or be sure the one you have is clean and filled with fresh water. Another good idea for spring is to add a sloppy mud puddle! Robins, swallows and other birds use this for nest building.

During the hot weather, watch for many different birds visiting your birdbaths trying to get a drink and splash around in the refreshing water. Be sure to check water levels often, for a few birds the size of jays and robins splashing in the birdbath can empty out much of the water. The most common visitors to our backyard birdbaths are the resident songbirds such as robins, orioles, catbirds and tanagers. Gold finches and house finches spend lots of time visiting birdbaths. Be sure to also add a shallow birdbath or even dish of water near the ground for birds like towhees and thrushes. It’s quite exciting to see family groups visit the birdbaths as the fledglings begin to leave their nearby nests. As the young birds visit for the first few times, they just line up along the rim as if waiting their turn. If summer brings an extended dry period, you may see even more species visit your birdbaths as water becomes more difficult to find. Keeping the bird feeders filled will further attract these visitors even though natural food is plentiful.

During the spring months, your birdbaths will be visited by both resident birds and many of the migratory birds that are just passing through. Many birds who exclusively eat insects won’t stop at your bird feeders, but they just might stop at the birdbaths. During the height of spring migration, birds can move in and out of any area very rapidly so be sure to keep an eye on the visitors to the yard. You could have some delightful surprises. During this time it is especially important to have a variety of birdbaths just as it is important to have bird feeders at different levels. If possible, have a pedestal birdbath near trees and saucer type birdbaths on the ground just as we enjoy hanging feeders, low platform feeders and large hopper bird feeders.

During the winter, especially in cold areas, drinking water is at a premium because natural water is usually frozen. The easiest way to keep your birdbath free of ice is to use a specially made de-icer. To use this, you will need a nearby outdoor outlet. Of course, there is always the low-tech method of carrying out a jug of warm water regularly to keep the ice away. In cold regions, drinking is the main winter activity at birdbaths, not bathing. However, expect to see some splashing around for birds don’t mind bathing in cold water. The layer of down feathers next to their skin stays dry while they clean their outer feathers. If you have especially long and cold winters, an automatic de-icer is a great idea.