The addition of a simple Dripper will attract resident birds and spring migrants to any birdbath. View the Mini-Pond with Dripper at the Duncraft link in our Products articles.

The best thing you can do to attract birds is to provide fresh water. It’s easy, cheap, and highly effective – water attracts a greater variety of birds than all the different kinds of foods and landscaping plants combined! An elevated shallow bowl of water, a bird bath, a basin with a mister or dripper or small “fountain” – these simple water features are tough to beat as far as their attractiveness for birds. As for something that will serve birds while adding another dimension to your yard, patio, deck, or balcony, you may be considering a more substantial water feature – perhaps a shallow stream or pond, or even a small waterfall.

The Sound of Water – The sound of moving water helps to attract more birds, especially migrants looking for water in new surroundings. Therefore, even with a standard birdbath, you can jazz it up a bit and make it much more effective in attracting colorful migrating songbirds as they move through you area. And that may also be a deciding factor as to whether some birds might stay and spend the nesting season in your neighborhood, providing a wealth of enjoyable sightings and even regular visits to you water feature.

Mister and Dripper Jazz – The easiest way to add all dat jazz is to install a mister or dripper, or both, to an existing watering setup – a birdbath, basin, or small pond. Some birdbaths even come with a built in dripper or mister. A small solar-powered “fountain” is another nice option, as is a solar “water wiggler,” and all are very affordable and easy to install. Hummingbirds in particular like misters, and other birds like to bath in the mist too. Drippers provide a real sound attractant, and once birds find a water source, they tend to return as long as they’re in the area.

Avoid Deep Water – The most common mistake people make is to buy a deep dish to provide water in, and fill it up. If you already have a deep dish basin, refrain from filling it more than ½ inch deep. Birds like to be able to stand in water, especially to bathe. A good rule of thumb is can a goldfinch or warbler stand in the shallow water in your birdbath or other water feature. If nothing else, make sure there is a shallow end to the water basin so birds have an option to use the shallow water side.

Decorative Ornamental – To add a larger water feature to your yard, or even your workplace, there are usually plenty of options at local home improvement stores, nurseries, and hardware stores. Most have decorative elements, and they will be more of an investment, but these ornamental structures are more substantial with more moving water, and they should add a featured element to your yard that will serve you and your family – and birds – for years.

Natural Beauty – Then too, you can create a natural beauty by surrounding a basin with ornamental rocks or plants, or both, and adding a means of moving the water, whether it’s a recirculating pump, a small fountain, a dripper, or a number of drippers. The sound of moving water is soothing for we humans and just as you want to make your water feature an attractive, cohesive part of your landscaping plan, or feeding station, you can alter the sound of a water feature to make the most pleasing sounds to make it a true sight and sound oasis.

Some Places to Shop – Among the birding store that offer great birding products, 2 really stand out for the variety of quality water feature products. We feature Duncraft and BestNest in this issue’s Products section and hope you find something interesting among the many options they offer.

Just as with any landscaping or birdscaping additions or changes to your yard, give it some thought, do a little shopping, and make this the spring when your yard prospers from your interest and dedication to benefitting birds – during migrations, the nesting season, and throughout the winter – birding is truly a year-round activity!

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