Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Water Options

Like this bathing House Finch, more birds will find your water feature with the aid of moving water.
A Duncraft Universal Dripper will help attract resident and migrating birds.
A Wild Birds Forever Easy Mister will be a hit with hummingbirds and a variety of songbirds.

Offering fresh water is the best, simplest, and most effective way to attract colorful warblers, buntings, orioles, bluebirds, and thrushes during spring migration. Providing sound and movement to the water is especially effective in helping birds find your water feature, so the time is right to add some action to your bird bath with a dripper, mister, or wiggler; or add a small fountain or a tiny waterfall – you have some great options to bring exciting songbirds to your yard this spring.

You can change a simple birdbath into a songbird magnet where small birds can drink and bathe by using one of the forms of moving water to attract migrating songbirds and local nesting species. In nature, songbirds listen for the sound of water at a spring, or stream, or lakeshore. By providing a moving water option in conjunction with your bird bath or water basin, you will increase the attractiveness of your water feature, and increase its benefit for birds.

A dripper may be the most effective of the options. Knowing the effectiveness of the sound and action of dripping water, bird photographers often use drippers to attract songbirds to a blind setup. Likewise, many birders have added drippers to their water feature to ensure more birds find their backyard bird bath.

A mister is the ultimate hummingbird shower. You will find that hummingbirds will utilize the fine mists as a fly-though shower, and other birds will also appreciate a mister, whether you use it in conjunction with a bird bath, or if you project the mister among a cluster of leaves, among flowers, a shrub, or a tree branch. You may be surprised at the fun you have seeing how birds react to the addition of a mister to your yard or bird bath.

It’s interesting and impressive that merchants are providing small solar-powered fountains and mini-waterfalls that fit conveniently into a birdbath or water basin. They provide the sound and action that attracts birds, and they add pleasing water sounds for birders within earshot.

To check out a variety of misters, drippers, wigglers, fountains, and “waterfalls” offered by Duncraft, see https://www.duncraft.com/index/page/category/category_id/14/name/Water+Misters+%26+Drippers?view_all along with models offered by Wild Birds Forever at http://www.birdsforever.com/birdbath-accessories.html

Share your backyard birding experiences and photos at editorstbw2@gmail.com