 | Birdbaths are a great addition to your lawn or garden. They can be the focal point of a garden, or a stand-alone decorative accent in the center of the yard. If you’re considering a birdbath for attracting your feathered friends, one of the most ideal locations would be wherever your feeders or other sources of food are. Beside a path, or in a garden where seeds from flowers and the grass are readily available, gives them the best of everything.
Cleaning of your birdbath is an important consideration, and can influence not only the type you buy, but also where the bath is placed. Algae can be notoriously difficult to remove, especially from porous surfaces that have not been sealed. Putting your birdbath where it gets full sun all day, every day, can mean almost daily cleaning. And while shade may seem like the obvious answer, it will not eliminate the algae completely. Plus, a birdbath that is under low hanging branches or next to bushes is providing cover for predators who will view your birdbath as a buffet.
Anywhere that gets a substantial amount of shade during the day is a good location. Once you have learned how to clean the bath properly, and the location tells you how often it will need cleaning, you’re ready to sit back and enjoy the visitors that come to wet their beaks. The work of cleaning your birdbath can be greatly reduced by adding aquatic plants, a circulating pump, or a few pennies to the water in the basin, as aeration and copper retard the growth of algae.
Birds like to survey their surroundings. They appreciate being where they can see all around them, which is one reason the center of a garden is such a popular place for a birdbath. If you want to place yours on the lawn instead, try and choose a place that is near, but not right on top of some bushes or trees, as they will come, light, and then fly down to the bath. What surrounds your birdbath often dictates the type and number of birds that will visit.
Although a deep birdbath may seem like a good idea, particularly if you get small flocks of enthusiastic birds that splash out much of the water, smaller birds have been known to fall in and drown, while drinking from such outdoor fixtures as rain barrels.
Remember that birds like to drink year round. If you live in a climate where the temperatures go below freezing point in winter, think about adding either a heating coil to the basin, or a solar-powered heater. For the latter, look for a model that allows you to place the panels that gather light outside of the actual birdbath, so you don’t have to move it from that nice, partially shaded spot.
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