Bird Baths

Bird baths are always nice additions to the garden, giving birds a place to wash and humans some free entertainment. In the heat of the desert, though, your local birds will be especially appreciative of any water source you provide.

Bird bath location and maintanence

Although the location should be visable, so you can watch the birds, the birds will feel more secure using a bird bath if it's surrounded by plants and trees. In a desert landscape, placing the bath in the shade of trees is also important to get the birds to use the bath at all. Seed- and berry-producing plants are especially well-suited to this purpose. However, make sure the foliage it isn't close enough or dense enough to hide prowling cats. When choosing a bird bath, keep in mind the size of bird you're expecting. To accomodate both large and small birds, choose a deep bath and place flat stones or create a shelf using fish tank gravel.

Especially in warmer months, regularly clean the bird bath to keep the water free of algae, leaves, bird droppings, and other debris. The bath can be sterilized using a mixture of four and one half cups of water and one half cup of liquid bleach. Of course, be sure to rinse the bath thoroughly after cleaning it with any hazardous chemicals. Using a pump (solar or electric) will filter and re-circulate the water - keeping it clean and free of mosquito larvae.

Solar powered bird bath

Of course, a simple pool of water doesn't take any energy to "run," so the "solar" in solar bird bath may refer to a solar-powered fountain, light, or heater. These units are usually self-contained and need no wires, hoses, or complicated set-up procedures and the solar panel is almost always under the water and out of sight. While solar fountains require direct sun to run and the height of the fountain is directly related to the stregth of the sunlight. A bubbling fountain also keeps away mosquito larvae and the sound helps birds find the bath. Baths with solar-powered lights come with a solar panel stakes that can be pushed into the ground.

Bird bath drippers and misters

If you'd rather not include a whole fountain in the bath, drippers and misters offer the same benefits. Finches and other songbirds love them and for hummingbird gardens they're a must have. Most drippers and misters come with regulating valves to adjust to your local birds' preference. Misters attract birds best when aimed at nearby foliage to let birds bathe in the wet leaves.

A dripper, which is designed to drip into a bath or onto the ground, will make noise to help the birds find the water and also creates ripples the birds seem to enjoy. Many birds like to perch on the dripper tube and drink right from the end of the tube. These typically come with a drip-rate regulating valve.

There are also dripper-mister combination -- one unit with two different tips.

Bird bath heaters and alternatives

To give your birds even more bathing luxury, an immersion-type electric heater rated 200 watts at 120 volts can keep water at 40-50 degrees and costs very little to run. For reasons of safety, choose one that will automatically shut off if there's no water. The heater should have a grounded plug and the cord should be fairly short in order to keep it off the ground.

In climates without winter frost, a heated bath may not be necessary, but in cold desert areas such as Utah or eastern Washington and Oregon, birds may appreciate a little extra warm in the autumn chill. A bird bath with a black bowl absorb the sun's warmth and stay thawed. Alternatively, the water can be kept thawed using a built-in aerating pump. If only the nights are chilly, simply cover the bath at night will often be enough to keep it from freezing. Another option is to add a small float, such as a rubber ball or a few corks, to keep the water moving. Or, if you don't mind a bit of a chore, just keep refilling it. Whatever you do, do not add glycerin to the water in attempt to prevent it from freezing. Glycerin coats the birds' feathers, which leaves the birds unable to fluff up enough to stay warm. In climates with hard winter conditions, the bird bath is best emptied in winter as birds' feathers can freeze before they have time to dry.