Re: Keeping bird baths hygienic
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýHi Nikhil, ? The only real solution is to have running fresh water. We have a number of water features in our garden specifically designed for birds, and each has circulating water that is fed by a drip hose so that they are always being topped up with fresh water. ? It is a lot of effort and there is some cost depending on how much you can do yourself, but let me tell you, it is so worth the effort. In fact, the number one best way to attract birds to your garden is to offer copious amounts of clean, fresh water. ? Here is a video of the birds at one of our ponds during just a few days last summer ¨C you¡¯ll see the diversity of species is pretty amazing: ? ? So, stick with it and try to get some friends to help you build something that works for your garden ¨C it doesn¡¯t have to be too fancy or large but I guarantee it will be worth the effort! ? Derek ? Derek Matthews
? ? -----Original Message----- ? Nikhil¡. my mom used to have the same problem with her bird bath. The birds would always make a mess. I think a bath with flowing water (like a fountain) eases the problem somewhat but only a little. Those fountains usually just re-circulate a set amount of water so once it gets dirty it stays dirty. When it got dirty, my mom would just dump the water, hose it off and then fill it again with clean water. That¡¯s all. Don¡¯t know what else can be done. ? Daniel Bastaja ? > On Apr 8, 2022, at 9:17 PM, Nikhil Patwardhan <Nikhil.pirate@...> wrote: > > I recently have started maintaining a bird bath in the backyard that's attracting a lot of juncos, a few pine siskins, and rarely a black squirrel or chickadee. The juncos love to bathe especially on sunny afternoons and I even suspect one or two birds are dominating over others in having access to the bath. The juncos almost form a waiting line on the nearby hedge because as soon as one is done, the next one will pop in from the hedge. The bird bath is made of stone, and is shallow (less than an inch of water) and wide (less than 2 feet in diameter). While I change the water daily in the morning, I often discover bird droppings either in the bath or on the edge when I do this. For now I just rinse it out with a coarse brush and plain water, but I'm wondering if it needs more aggressive cleanings with either soap, vinegar, etc. At some point in the future I'd like to install a small water fountain (one used in an aquarium) that can throw water up about 3 inches. What is the general advice for maintenance of a healthy bird bath? > > -- > Nikhil Patwardhan > ? ? ? ? ? |
Derek Matthews