If you are thirsty where do you go? Finding safe, clean
water is often difficult for birds. By offering a bird bath you can make a bird’s
life a little easier.
Baths not only provide clean water to quench thirst, baths also help birds maintain their feathers. A good part of a bird's day is spent just cleaning and grooming their feathers by bathing, scratching, and preening. It’s so important that it is often the first place parent birds bring their newly fledged babies.
Baths not only provide clean water to quench thirst, baths also help birds maintain their feathers. A good part of a bird's day is spent just cleaning and grooming their feathers by bathing, scratching, and preening. It’s so important that it is often the first place parent birds bring their newly fledged babies.
Right now there are also lots of birds traveling thousands
of miles between wintering grounds and nesting grounds that just need a place
to stop.
As forests have been cleared for development, birds have to find
sanctuary in whatever forest, woodlot, or yard that is available when they
become too tired or encounter bad weather on their journey. And if they choose
your yard to stop over, hopefully you’ll have fresh water, food, and shelter to
make their journey a little easier.
Come in to the
Wild Birds Unlimited store in East
Lansing
and Dolly can
help you choose the best bath
|
I know in the next couple months I’ll be seeing warblers,
tanagers, buntings, and variety of other birds stopping at my water bath as
well as visits from my regular cardinals, chickadees, and finches. Water will attract
all species of birds. It's one of the easiest ways to bring birds up close, so the whole family can get a really good look and enjoy their beauty.
Tips for choosing a bird
bath
Depth – I like a bath with a gradual dip to the middle no
deeper than 2”. If your bath is any deeper, it’s nice to place a stone in the
middle for the birds to make an easy escape.
Size – Baths can be any size. I have a very shallow tiny
bath staked near the ground that the cardinal and goldfinches frequent and a
large bath a little father away that the robins and doves prefer.

Location – In nature water is usually found on the ground or
perhaps pooled in the leaves of a plant after a rain. Birds will come to the
water at any level, so place the bath where you can see it easily to enjoy the
birds.

Maintenance – It is important to keep you bath clean. Make
sure to have a good stiff brush to scrub you bath occasionally and I also add a
specially formulated bird bath protector to the water to prevent organic
contaminants from forming and keep the water clear. Everything is available at Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing store.
Related Articles:
- Why do birds poop in the bird bath? http://bit.ly/whKqHg
- Tips to Maintain a Birdbath http://bit.ly/zGiSbQ
- Water Wiggler Attracts Birds and prevents Mosquitoes! http://bit.ly/wKl40q
- Why Birds Preen http://bit.ly/wcoC9d
- The best heated bird baths http://bit.ly/xkyLlW
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