As you all know.....some of us haven't had rain in quite awhile so I was watering some and I noticed a little bird would come and sit on the fence in the middle of the spray ...also a little hummer was flitting back and forth from time to time through the water spray too so ......I decided to put out my first little water spot for the little local critters. I bought a big pot saucer and filled it with pebbles and various sized rocks and put it in the middle of a bed close to the fence where they were ....I am proud to annouce that lots of little winged creatures have found my little water spot and are now coming often for water.....oh and forgot to mention...I saw to flutterbys there also...I'm loving it.
The Local Watering Hole
I use pot saucers for my bird baths too, they are smaller and a lot easier to keep clean, because with all the fun they have, thay also leave food and droppings, so you have to scrub those saucers quite often. It also helps to keep the algae off when you can scrub them regularly.
I agree--the birds are really suffering through this drought. I use big pot saucers too, noticed they are getting harder to find at the garden centers though! Glad I still have the 2 I have!
I've been very careful to keep water out for the critters, too. I have a regular (cement) birdbath, two saucers w/pebbles, a glass plate, and I just bought another, smaller birdbath.
Here's the plate, it has a fossil in the center.
I was hand watering my grass, when a hummer came over over sipping a lot of plant blooms. I thought it was thirsty, so I sprayed water in the cracks of the sidewalk because hummers have taken water breaks from them before. But, the hummer didn't fly down to drink. It just kept approaching and retreating many times. Finally, it flew within a foot of my face and looked at me ... straight into my eyes. I read its mind. :o) It wanted to be cooled off and I needed to make the water spray finer. As soon as I did so, it flew into the spray. It was so much fun watching it turn around and around in the spray. Now when I water, one occassionally appears for a bath. I don't know if it is the same one.
I have several small flattish bowls with rocks inside of them that are hidden beneath larger rocks tucked under plants in several flowerbeds for the frogs. Some of the little tree frogs have become my friends. They come out at night from the areas in which I have these bowls around my patio, hop around me and chirp. Then, they go off to eat insects.
The chameleons are also happy to find the water stations I have situated in many areas of the yard. Some are small yard statues that have a small bowl for birdseed. I place water in the bowls instead.They also like to take showers as I am watering. Sometimes, they follow me around as I do so.
I bought a 2 foot in diameter 5 inch deep black plastic "tub' from a feed store for the larger birds to drink from and bath in. I placed some large rocks and a small tree branch in it so that if any frogs or small birds venture into it, they can will be able to reach the rocks or branch instead of drowning. It is actually supposed to be used as a small pond. The blackbirds, bluejays and crows love it. I sometimes have to take frogs from the rocks and place them on dry land. I have read that wild birds do not like fresh water as much as they like "dirty" water that has a few twigs in it. I have placed small branches in several of the larger water containers.
I have collected small satellite dishes (Directv, etc.) and use them as water stations. I placed Mexican black stones and at least one small branch in them. These stones are very good to put into watering stations because they do not slough off particles into the water. One is attached to a tree close to the larger mounted satellite dish that I use as a birdfeeder. The birds as well as the squirrels love this one the best.
Outside of my fence near the field behind me, I have placed water for the raccoons, skunks, rabbits and oppossums. They have not been coming into the yard after I did so. I am hoping that the snakes have used this watering station too.
There are some really great ideas here! I just have my birdbath and one short tub with rocks in the center. I love watching the birds....I need to put some in the flower beds for the frogs though. I love my frogs as well..... they take care of mosquitoes!!! Any ideas on keeping the algae off of a cement birdbath other than the scrub brush and elbow grease?
Maggiemoo your plate is beautiful...
Good Morning -
I noticed the other day when I was watering, that the Mockingbirds and another species that I am unfamiliar with (yellow breast, short but big body) were bathing in the large puddles and the old chicken feeder that had water in it.
Fun to watch.
Summer, it may be a waste of water, but I try to change the water in my cement birdbath about every other day, that doesn't give the algae time to grow (and freshens the water for the birds.) When I do get algae (after being lazy), I usually do the scrub brush thing, but someone on another forum suggested using sand instead - works great, no chemicals to worry about, and if some of the sand stays in the bath, no problem.
maggiemoo, I forgot to say how pretty your plate watering station is. I bet the birds feel so special when drinking from it.
I was watering the grass today (illegally - not during the permitted times ... I am a criminal) and it was hitting up into the crepe myrtle trres which I usually don't let the sprinkler do. I needed to water a large area. It was such fun as I took a break from digging dirt to watch all of the birds land on the branches and bathe. The bluejay kept calling for his friends to come and enjoy the fun. A male redbird came and took a really long shower. It left and 4 more redbirds showed up within minutes. I don't know if he went to gather up his family and/or friends to join the refreshing water fun. Lots of finches gathered on the branches when the larger birds left. The titmouse couple arrived and darted from limb to limb.
One female wren cooled off too after much apprehension. I could have stayed in my lawn chair watching the birds all afternoon; but, alas, I had too much work to do.
I just love that picture of all the birds going to your house to play in the sprinkler! It must be such a treat for them, to get cooled off in the middle of all that heat.
I must have one of the few, if not only, birdbaths in my neighborhood. I don't have any birds of great beauty come to it, just the sparrow, grackels, starlings, and finches (they are pretty!) and the mockingbird. I am happy that I can help them. :) My gillions of toads are staying cool in my mulch.
htop, I'm so jealous of your hummers!! I have just recently started to see one that might be staying. Last year I had 3 that were here daily and when it rained they would just play and chase each other all over the yard. I miss them!
after I put jp my hummingbird feeder early in the season, I didn't see any birds for a long time and then one little bird...all day every day for ages and now there are lots of them out there...Such fun to watch.