Winter Sips

A winter wonderland may be filled with frozen water, but it's liquid water that birds crave. By providing water in your backyard via a heated bird bath all winter long, you'll see a wide range of thirsty birds visiting the bar for a quick drink.

I love my heated bird bath - a very simple plastic basin with a concealed heating element (to prevent shorts and increase the lifespan of the heater) mounted in a plain metal frame. The house finches, lesser goldfinches, and American goldfinches all enjoy simple sips, but it is the house sparrows that truly enjoy the bath - in every way. More than once this winter I've spied my sparrows happily splishing and splashing, even on the chilliest of days. Many backyard birders worry that bathing birds might freeze in winter, but in fact they're quite well insulated and moderately wet feathers are not harmful on most days. The birds themselves don't tend to bathe in the most severe cold, and after a bath they often sunbathe or otherwise dry themselves off and warm up.

Even in winter, never forget to clean your bird baths and keep them freshly filled. This is especially important with heated baths, since a dry bath can cause the heating element to malfunction. I need to remember to refill mine more frequently, but whenever I see the birds balancing nearly headfirst for a quick sip, it's a great reminder!

Check out more heated bird bath tips!

Sparrow Spa Day

Winter is slowly descending upon northern Utah, and despite warmer temperatures for the past few weeks the nights are positively chilly and I’ve had my birdbath heater in position for several weeks. After all, there’s nothing more pathetic than watching a house finch peck at a frozen birdbath and look at it as if puzzling why they can’t drink the ice, but fortunately my backyard flock of sparrows and finches has a ready supply of water.

Of course, they haven’t treated that water quite as I anticipated. Within days of putting out the heater, my birdbath became quite the spa getaway and the surrounding patio is frequently splashed from flocks of bathing birds - and splashed more because they are so skittish that no bath lasts longer than a few seconds. Now, it’s important to note that while the temperatures have been decidedly warmer than normal for late fall, the birdbath is in the shade on a north facing patio. The resulting 40 degree or lower temperatures there aren’t what I’d call perfect for a cooling dip at any time, but the birds, especially the sparrows, can’t seem to get enough. It’s hilarious to watch them juggle positions in the basin and along the rim of the birdbath, and I’ve seen as many as a dozen birds at once crowded around what becomes an increasingly shallow puddle.

Of course, this does mean that you’ll see me several times a week shivering on the patio as I refill the birdbath with a bowl from the kitchen – the outdoor spigots having been sealed for the winter some time ago. Cleaning the birdbath is also an ongoing necessity, what with the leaves, dirt, and other debris getting into it from so many eager bathers. Nonetheless, it’s a thrill to watch the birds enjoy their makeshift spa, and I can’t recommend enough that you get your own birdbath heater or fully heated model so you can invite your backyard flock for a fun spa day.

Not sure what type of birdbath to get? Learn how to choose the right birdbath for your backyard flock!

Water, Water Everywhere

I'm fortunate in that while I live in a moderate desert climate, the Provo River, Utah Lake, and Great Salt Lake are nearby and draw in millions of birds of hundreds of different species that I can observe quite easily. In the next week, I'm traveling to even better water attractors -- the Great Lakes region -- where I hope to do some magnificent eastern birding that will be just as exciting as the birds I find here at home. When I return, I will undoubtedly have updates for my life list as well as stories and photos about the birding life in the Midwest.

This leads, however, to the June poll on water. Summer is a thirsty season for birds, especially with Utah County temperatures regularly reaching 90 degrees, and my concrete birdbath can dry out in the course of a day if I don't refill it regularly. I'm happy to do so, of course (and a neighbor will be keeping an eye on it while I'm away), but I can't wait to add more water features to the yard as part of my bird sanctuary landscaping. Birds love water, and as wiser birders than I have mentioned, not all birds will eat seed or nest in birdhouses, but they all need water. In a recent poll on improving your backyard, water features were the top response for landscaping wish lists, so now I'm curious: what types of water features would you like to add to your backyard?

Personally, my plans are for a small waterfall with appropriate basins for birds to bathe and drink. I don't want the upkeep of a large pond, but I wouldn't mind adding a few more birdbaths as well, though they can be a hassle to keep clean and filled. What water would you like to see in your backyard? Vote in the poll today!

It's easy to attract birds to your yard with water: learn how!

Warm Drinks on Cool Days

It is a wonderful experience to be able to provide the birds with the resources they need, and now I can do more thanks to a lovely Christmas gift from my husband: a thermostat controlled heating element for my concrete birdbath. We installed it a few days ago, and I've already seen both house finches and American goldfinches sipping from the now liquid pool. While the bulky heater and its cords may not be pretty, it is a beautiful sight to see the birds so appreciative of the water.

For some birders, it seems incongruous to provide heated water (and it's not warm water, just heated enough to stay liquid) when the ground is covered with frozen water -- after all, can't the birds just melt the snow to drink? Many of them do, but it takes a good deal of energy and caloric heat to melt snow for drinking. If liquid water is available, birds can better use their limited food supplies for body heat and survival. This will help build a happier, healthier backyard flock throughout the year, and the birds' bright plumage and perky personalities are a pleasure during every winter day.

Frozen

There can be no clearer indication of the change of seasons than when, in the early morning hours that have previously been filled with avian activity, your backyard is met with silence and the chill of a frozen birdbath. Several days this week froze the pedestal birdbath, though the ground bath remains fluid despite its shallower basin, all due to the unique properties of thermal conduction of the air versus the ground.

There are heated birdbaths available, either fully heated models or heater attachments for standard baths, and I will be investing in one shortly. That will give birds easy access to fluid water throughout the season, and hopefully will keep tempting them to return to the backyard even when the weather is dismal. Thus far the brush pile seems to be a preferred shelter, situated as it is in a quiet, hidden corner sheltered by the house and fence from fiercer winds. There will always be food available, and if water can be added to the menu even during the coldest of days, perhaps the backyard birding this winter will be just as intriguing as it is during the warmest of weather.

Only a few days left to vote in the October poll - What feeder(s) do you use?