Archives

BACKYARD SECRET – BIRDS NEED WATER IN FREEZING WEATHER

Jan25

       Those Georgians that feed birds have been busy during the past few days keeping their feeders stocked with suet, seeds, cornbread and other bird favorites.  However, I suspect many folks have not offered their bird neighbors water.  The truth of the matter is that birds need water in winter as much as they do in summer.

       The problem is that when the temperature drops below freezing our birdbaths freeze.  Nothing is sadder that watching birds fly up to a frozen birdbath vainly looking for water.
With that in mind, if the water in your birdbath does freeze, there are a few things that you can do.  One is to pour water onto the ice.  If it is not extremely cold, birds will be able to drink and bathe before it freezes.

       Another thing that you can do is to place a shallow pan such as those placed beneath potted plants atop the frozen ice.  If you do take this approach, fill the pan so that it is only 1.5 inches or so deep.

       You can also purchase devices that heat birdbath water.  My wife and I received one for Christmas.  The problem is it is still in the box!

 

      

 

BACKYARD SECRET – GLYCERIN SHOULD NOT BE ADDED TO BIRDBATH WATER TO KEEP IT FROM FREEEZING

Dec7

       Over the years, people have tried a number of ways to keep the water in birdbaths from freezing.  One the such technique is to use glycerin as an antifreeze; this practice should be avoided.  If a bird drinks water treated with glycerin, the chemical can raise the amount of blood sugar in its body to dangerous levels.  In addition, glycerin can mat the birds’ feathers together.  This can be harmful as the matting can adversely reduce a bird’s feathers ability to insulate its body against the cold.

 

IS TAPWATER SAFE TO USE IN BIRDBATHS?

Sep14

       Some folks have raised the question whether or not it is safe to use tap water in birdbaths.  They question whether the additives such as chlorine and fluoride placed in tap water are harmful to birds.

       Based on what is widely known tap water does not pose a threat to birds.  If, however, you feel that it might be detrimental to the birds using your birdbath, simply fill a bucket with tap water and let it sit for a few hours before using it.  This will allow chemical such as chlorine to dissipate.

 

DON’T FORGET TO FILL BIRDBATHS

Jul27

       With the number of hummingbirds swelling at our hummingbird feeders, it is easy to forget to keep the water in our birdbaths from drying up.  Don’t let this happen!  With daily temperatures soaring in the nineties and feel like temperatures reaching well above one hundred, our avian neighbors have a tremendous need for water.

       It goes without question that birds require water to drink, bathe, regulate their body temperature, and maintain their feathers.

       With that in mind, check your birdbaths daily.  In the kind of weather we are facing right now, it is not uncommon that the water in birdbaths needs to replenish daily.  What the birds do not use simply evaporates. Keep in mind, the water should always be clean and fresh.

       Indeed, providing your backyard birds with water is one of the most important things you can do for them at this time of the year.

BACKYARD SECRET – MOURNING DOVES AND EURASIAN- COLLARED DOVES DRINK IN DIFFERENT WAYS

Jun1

       If you have both mourning doves and Eurasian collared-doves visiting your backyard, you have a great chance of witnessing the different manners in which they drink water.

       If you carefully watch a mourning dove drink, like most other birds, it scoops water up into its bill and then lifts its head back to allow the water to trickle down its throat.

       In comparison, the Eurasian collared-dove keeps never lifts its head down while it is seemingly drinking water through a straw.  This many not seem like much, however, it is something most other birds are unable to accomplish.

EURASIAN- COLLARED DOVE © Terry W. Johnson

       It is amazing what you can learn about bird behavior in your backyard.  To me, watching the behavior of the birds that visit our yards adds a whole other dimension to backyard birding.

       Keep watching!

WATER ATTRACTS NORTHBOUND MIGRANTS

Mar6

       One morning earlier this week when I step outside I was greeted to the song of a Louisiana water thrush.  This was the first northbound migrant that has shown up in my yard this year. The only times I see or hear it is during the spring.

       Most of us only see many of these migratory birds during migration. One reason why most of these birds are undetected is that they rarely, if ever, eat food at our feeders.  As such, one of the best ways you can help the birds and give yourself a chance these see these beautiful birds is to provide them with water.

BIRD BATH WITH BLUEBIRD © Terry W Johnson

      Migrants bathe and drink water. Without it, they cannot successfully navigate.  Migrants will drink at small backyard ponds and birdbaths alike.  If you want to boost your chances of seeing a migrant at a birdbath, install a dripper or mister—moving water acts like a magnet to migrants and resident birds alike.

       With that in mind, during the next couple of months a steady stream of potential backyards guests such as warblers, tanagers, vireos, and thrushers will be arriving or passing through the state… If you offer them with water, you are giving them a reason to land in your backyard.  If you do, don’t be surprised if you add a half dozen or more birds to your yard list.

SUMMER TANAGERS ARE ON THE MOVE THIS MONTH

Sep8

       The summer tanager is one of Georgia’s most beautiful birds.  Fortunately, it inhabits many backyards during the summer.  However, from September into October these colorful migrants are migrating south to their wintering grounds.  These amazing flights take place mostly at night.

       Summer tanagers are indeed long-distance migrants.  Each fall summer tanagers that breed in Georgia migrate southward on a flight that requires them to fly across the Gulf of Mexico to reach their winter home.  They have a vast winter range that stretches from Mexico all the way south to Bolivia and Brazil.

       To reach these far away destinations, prior to migration they store fuel as fat.  If a bird takes off from the shore of the United States without storing enough fuel, it flies as far as it can before dropping into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  Fortunately, a vast number of summer tanagers successfully make the flight with fuel to spare. One study found that summer tanagers arriving in Panama were still toting enough fuel to fly an additional 553 miles.

FEMALE SUMMER TANAGER–PHOTO © Terry W Johnson

       Summer tanagers rest and feed at various places along their migration route.  Some of these birds might use your yard as a stopover site.  If so, listen for them calling from the canopies of the trees growing in your yard.  If you hear a call you are unfamiliar with, use your MERLIN to help you identify it. 

       Also, keep your birdbath full of clean water.  Although I have never attracted a summer tanager to a bird feeder, on many occasion I have seen them bathe and drink at a birdbath.

       Even if you have never seen summer tanagers in your yard, keep your eyes peeled for them.  This may be the year you they just might visit your yard before moving on to their winter home.

      

BACKYARD SECRET – LEAKING BIRDBATHS CAN BE REPAIRED

Jun23

       Keeping backyard birds and other wildlife supplied with fresh, clean water is important throughout the entire year.  However, this is often more difficult during the hot summer months.  This is because water evaporates more quickly on hot dry weather than it does when it is cooler.  This is especially true if you have a leaky birdbath.  During a hot day, water can vanish in the matter of a few hours.  If you have a cement birdbath, one of the easiest and least expensive ways to remedy this situation is to reseal the basin.

       Birdbaths should be treated when they a completely dry.  If water is seeping through the basin, spread a clear silicone sealant over the inside of the birdbath.  If there are any cracks in the birdbath, fill them with clear silicone caulk.  Before you refill the birdbath with water, make sure the waterproofing materials are completely dry.

       Before you purchase the sealants, you plan to use to repair a birdbath, seek the advice of the experts working in the store where you plan to purchase them.  Emphasize that you want to use sealants that are not harmful to birds and other wildlife.

 

DON’T FORGET TO MAINTAIN A SUPPLY OF WATER FOR BACKYARD WILDLIFE DURING THE CURRENT HEAT WAVE

Aug23

        Although most backyard wildlife enthusiasts realize that wildlife needs water, far too often I find that they forget to maintain a birdbath or other water source throughout the entire year.  It is especially important to provide your backyard wildlife with water during the severe heat wave that is holding Georgia in its fiery grip this summer.   

      Birds and other wildlife need a dependable, fresh, and clean source of water.  When it is not available, some birds will travel up to two miles in search of it.  However, other creatures such as many mammals, frogs, salamanders and others cannot travel long distances to reach the much-needed liquid. 

       With this in mind, if you have not already done so, place a container that animals can use for drinking and bathing. It can be a pedestal birdbath, or something as simple as garbage can lid, clay or plastic dish, or pie pan.

MOCKINGBIRD DRINKING WATER; Photo credit: Terry W Johnson

       These artificial ponds need to be no more than 1.5 to 2 inches deep at their deepest point.  It is great if the container has a sloping, rough bottom.  However, if it is deeper, place a gently sloping rock in the middle of the container or cover its bottom with gravel.  This will enable birds of all sizes to use it.

       Then, don’t forget it; keep it full of fresh, clean water at all times.

       If you already have a birdbath but have not regularly maintained it, begin doing so.

       For more information dealing with providing water to backyard wildlife, type in WATER in the Search feature on the right side of the first page of the blog and hit the return button on your computer.  In the blink of an eye, you will be able to access no less than seven columns dealing with this important subject.

      

 

BIRDBATHS ARE NEEDED IN WINTER TOO

Dec25

       There are untold numbers of birdbaths in backyards throughout Georgia.  I would venture to say most birdbaths are bought and placed in yards during the spring and summer. It is also safe to say homeowners maintain them during these two seasons than at any other time of the year.  Have you ever wondered why this is the case?  I know that I have.

       It seems to me this is due, in large part, to two popular myths.  Some folks harbor the mistaken belief that birds do not have as great a need for water in the winter as they do during the warmer months of the year.  When you stop and think about it, if the reason for providing is birds with an easily accessible source of water is that water is scarce of nonexistent in a neighborhood; the changing of the seasons doesn’t alter the need for water.   

       Another myth goes so far as to say that birds should be prevented from bathing in cold weather.  In fact, some bird fanciers that do maintain birdbaths in the winter actually cut a hole in piece of plywood and place it atop the birdbath.  The hole is cut large enough to allow birds to drink but not bathe.

       Well-meaning individuals that believe that, if birds are allowed to bathe when it is extremely cold, ice will form on a bird’s feathers; when this happens, a bird is unable to fly.  The truth of the matter is when the temperature dips well before below freezing birds refrain from bathing.  Why should we try to prevent them from bathing when nobody is preventing birds from bathing when they are away from our birdbaths?

CARDINAL TRYING TO DRINK WATER FROZEN IN BIRDBATH

  Actually, birds need water every bit as much in the winter as they do at other time of the year.  Birds require water for both drinking and grooming.  Without it, they quickly become dehydrated.  This hinders the movement blood throughout a bird’s body as well as the normal functioning of tissues and organs.   

       Bathing also allows birds to properly clean and groom their feathers.  By so doing, the feathers are better able to insulate the birds from the cold.

       Often the only water available to birds in many neighborhoods is provided by birdbaths. One biologist took the time to determine how far the birds living in his Long Island, New York backyard would have to travel to drink and bathe if he did not provide them with water in a birdbath.  He discovered the nearest water was some two miles away.

       When birdbaths are lacking, the numbers, and variety of birds using a backyard drops.  In fact, the numbers of birds using a yard is often dictated more by the availability of water than food.

       Another important point to keep in mind is when birds are forced to travel some distance to obtain water, they are more apt to be preyed upon by predators or killed while crossing a road.

       I hope you will consider keeping a birdbath full of fresh, clean water this winter. The only inconvenience this should cause you is, on those increasingly rare days the temperature drops below freezing, you might have to break a thin skim of ice that formed overnight atop the cold water. Alternatively, if water in the birdbath completely freezes, you will have to brave the icy temperatures and pour warm water on top of the ice. 

       When you look out your frosty kitchen window on a cold winter day and see chickadees, waxwings, sparrows, cardinals and others flying into drink and bathe in your birdbath, I am sure you will feel the efforts you put into providing these winter residents with a dependable source of water have been handsomely rewarded.