Install a Birdbath to Entice Birds
Water Features Attract Birds and Encourage Them to Nest Nearby
Water is one of the things that make good bird habitat. Here are some pointers for choosing a bird bath or water feature, picking the best location, and maintaining it.
Birds need reliable access to clean fresh water, a sometimes scarce resource in hot dry weather. Adding a water feature to your backyard bird habitat increases the number of birds that visit and also attracts species that don’t visit feeders. It’s one more thing that makes your property more attractive to birds looking for a good nesting site.
Whether you opt for a birdbath or install an elaborate pond or waterfall, there are some details that will make your water feature more attractive to birds and easier to maintain.
Features of a good birdbath or pond
Make your birdbath attractive and safe for birds:
- Water for birds shouldn’t be deep: three inches at the deepest point is ideal, and there should be shallow water at the edges so that birds can walk in. Adding rocks creates shallow water in ponds.
- There should be a wide flat dry edge to land on. Some birds will land on a vertical lip, like the edge of a cake pan, but a wider rim attracts more birds. Place wide flat rocks at the edges of ponds.
- Surfaces should be rough rather than slippery. Wood, cement, unglazed clay, and natural rock make good surfaces.
- Running or dripping water is a definite plus. Some birds, like hummingbirds, like to bathe and drink without landing, so a steady drip entices them. A slow drip replenishes the water in a bird bath as it evaporates or gets splashed away. Some commercial bird baths have a dripper feature, but you can design one with a garden hose or drip line.
- Birdbaths should have no sharp edges and be made from non-toxic materials—don’t use metal that will rust, pressure treated wood, or anything else that might leach chemicals. In ponds and fountains, don’t use chemicals or pesticides that poison birds.
Locating a birdbath or pond
Put your water feature where birds and garden plants will be comfortable, and where you can enjoy it:
- Place the water feature in light shade, if possible, rather than full sun or dense shadow. The dappled shade of a tree branch hanging just a few feet above the water is perfect. The branch will provide shade, cover, perches, and places for birds to hide.
- Remember that a wet bird can’t fly as well—water near dense vegetation that can hide predators such as cats, or located where birds of prey can see it, is a dangerous place for songbirds. Again, low branches above the water are ideal.
- Elevate a birdbath if you can. Baths placed on the ground provide opportunities for cats and other predators. As well, some birds like to cling to a rough support under the bath and catch falling drops. Alternatively, hang a birdbath from a tree or hook. Aim for about three feet off the ground.
- Plants under or near a birdbath or pond should like being wet or they may die. If drainage is a problem, you can place the bath on a layer of gravel.
Birdbath maintenance
A birdbath needs a bit of regular care and maintenance:
- Refresh the water several times a week and scrub away any algae or debris.
- Ensure that the birdbath is stable.
- Take time to enjoy the birds enjoying your water feature.
Other articles about backyard bird habitat:
Garden Birds and Transition Zones
Sources:
Las Pilitas. “How to Build a Simple Bird Bath to Enhance Your California Garden.”
Porter, Diane. “Tips on Birdbaths.”
Willison, Marjorie. The Complete Gardener’s Almanac. Halifax: Nimbus; 1993.
