Gardening is often a gateway to birding: As gardeners spend more time in their yards, they begin to notice all the other creatures who enjoy their landscape—and observation quickly turns into a desire to see more birds. Bird-loving gardeners might consider adding a water source in their gardens. In suburban and urban landscapes, fresh water is increasingly hard for our feathered friends to find—especially with the hot summers we’ve been having. But some gardeners hesitate to install a bird bath for fear that it will attract mosquitoes or grow algae. We asked two backyard habitat experts, Alan Baczkiewicz, the author of The Backyard Bird Sanctuary, and Jen McGuinness, the author of Bird-Friendly Gardening, what gardeners need to know before adding a bird bath to their yard.
1. Cleanliness is everything.
Above: A cast-stone birdbath from the Edwardian era is tucked into the plantings of this Cape Cod garden. Photograph by Justine Hand for Gardenista, from Landscaping Ideas: A Classic Cottage Garden on Cape Cod.
The phrase “bird bath” implies that a bird bath is just a place for splashing around, but birds use it for bathing and drinking. So, it’s especially important to be proactive about keeping the water clean. “If you’re not going to clean the bird bath, then you’re probably better off not putting it out,” says McGuinness. Once a week, you should deep clean with either a bleach or vinegar solution (one part bleach to 10 parts water or one part vinegar to nine parts water). “Rinse very thoroughly before you refill it with the fresh water,” adds McGuinness. The Audubon Society specifically cautions against synthetic soaps and cleansers, which can strip feathers of essential oils.
2. Maintenance is a daily chore.
Above: An artful bird bath carved out of rock by Cleve West at the Chelsea Flower Show 2016. Photograph by Kendra Wilson.
While adding a bird bath to your garden is simple, proper maintenance requires daily effort. Water should be refreshed daily, but rather than topping it off, McGuinness suggests setting your hose to jet-spray mode and using it to force out the old water. (Replacing the water daily will also keep mosquito larvae from developing.) In addition, she recommends scrubbing the basin every other day with a bristle brush between weekly deep cleanings to help deter algae.
3. The material matters.
Above: Photograph by Jen McGuinness.
Some bird baths are made out of materials that are too slippery for birds, including glass and glazed ceramics. Birds prefer a material with a little texture, like concrete, so that their feet can get a hold. Baczkiewicz cautions that resin and plastic may degrade in sun, and metal, especially a dark metal, could potentially overheat, depending on placement.
4. Finding the right spot can be tricky.
Above: This bird bath in garden photographer Caitlin Atkinson’s garden attracts mainly acorn woodpeckers. Photograph by Caitlin Atkinson, from Garden Visit: At Home with Landscape Photographer Caitlin Atkinson.
Where to place a bird bath is a little bit of a Goldlocks situation: You want it to be somewhere you can see it, but you don’t want to put it somewhere that will make birds vulnerable to predators. If a bath is way out in the open, hawks may target the bath, but if it’s too close to shrubs, then there’s a chance of neighborhood cats hiding nearby and pouncing. McGuinness says a spot five to ten feet from shrubs or dense perennial cover should offer birds a quick escape.
5. Bird baths can be too deep.
Above: An American goldfinch stops to drink some water in Edwina von Gal’s garden on Eastern Long Island. Note the small rocks she put in the bird bath to aid insects and smaller birds alike. Photograph by Edwina von Gal, from Ask the Expert: Edwina von Gal, on How to Help the Birds.
Avoid bird baths with deep bowls and don’t fill them up too high: one to two inches of water is ideal. “Sometimes you have fledgling birds that might be not experienced getting into water and they can drown,” warns Backiewicz. But even larger birds prefer shallow water. “You can modify it by adding some rocks–not smooth river rocks—actual garden rocks,” says McGuinness. “That gives them something to get their feet perched on, so they feel a little more confident going into that water.”
6. Height is another consideration.
Above: A cape weaver taking a refreshing dip on a hot summer day. Photograph by Marie Viljoen, from Oystercatchers’ Haven: A Whitewashed Hideaway on South Africa’s West Coast.
Shopping for bird baths, you may notice some sit on the ground and others on a pedestal and wonder which to buy. Either is fine. McGuinness explains they’re different heights because birds like to bathe at different levels. “Just like when you put a feeder out, there’ll be different birds that’ll eat off the ground versus ones that prefer a tube feeder, that’s true with bird baths, as well,” she says.
7. Moving water is even more appealing.
Above: A recirculating fountain in a Santa Barbara garden designed by landscape architect Kathleen Ferguson. Photograph by Michael Ferguson, from Garden Visit: Native Flowers and Cor-ten Steel in a Santa Barbara Landscape Designed by Kathleen Ferguson.
“Moving water mimics more of the natural world,” says Baczkiewicz. Plus, “When there’s movement, there’s the sound of water, so they can hear that, which can attract more birds than a plain bird bath.” But you don’t have to buy a fancy, electrified fountain: Today there are inexpensive solar inserts that can make the water bubble, ripple, or spout, but they do require ample sunlight to function.
8. Bird feeders and bird baths don’t mix well.
Above: Hand-cast concrete bird baths. Photograph by Todd Carr, courtesy of Hort and Pott, from Garden Visit: A Couple’s Lush and Romantic Sanctuary in the Catskills.
Don’t put a feeder directly over your bird bath. The Audubon Society recommends keeping your birdbath close to, but not directly under, feeders, as seeds can dirty the water.
9. A water source is beneficial year-round.
Above: In freezing weather a mourning dove drinks from a freshly filled, improvised birdbath. Photograph by Marie Viljoen, from Help Birds in the Winter: 12 Tips for Food, Lodging, and Bird Safety.
We think about birds using a bird bath in summer, but there are benefits for providing water year-round. “My heated bird bath attracts so many birds in the wintertime, especially when it gets cold and everything’s frozen over,” says McGuinness. A submersible heater can keep water from freezing, but Baczkiewicz notes, you need to ensure the bird bath is deep enough to accommodate the heater.
10. A bird bath will attract all sorts of birds.
Not only will greater quantities of birds come to your yard if you install a bird bath, but there will be greater variety, too. Baczkiewicz notes that warblers, for example, will come to water but will never go to a feeder because they eat insects. And McGuinness had no success attracting Eastern bluebirds to her yard until she installed a plug-in heated bath from Erva.
See also:
