Bird baths are great for birds and the humans who love to watch them. Here's all you need to know about bird baths.
Bird baths are animal and people friendly
One of the greatest things about bird baths is that they bring birds and bird lovers together in a totally harmless environment. Bird baths are pleasant looking decorations that can be placed in any yard. They can be pleasing to human eye and are definitely an attraction to birds.
Like all animals, birds need to constantly have a water source. It's great to provide them a food source, such as seed in a bird feeder, but birds are picky about what they eat and only certain kinds of birds will go to your feeder. However, if you put your bird bath in a safe place, you will get visits from all types of birds. Bird baths are a win-win situation. You get to watch the birds and they get a bath and some water!
What kind of bird baths do birds like the best?
Bird baths that are too deep will scare birds away. They need a shallow little space with a clean water source. Make sure that your bird baths are shallow - no bigger than three inches deep in the center - and that the slope of the bird bath is gradual, not steep. Many bird baths that are for sale are far too deep and will scare your birds away. Measure the center of the bird bath and if it's deeper than three inches, place some large rocks or other decorative, nontoxic materials in the bottom of the bath to change the depth.
On that note, birds also like bird baths that have rougher bottoms. Imagine walking in a pool that doesn't have all of those spiky things at the bottom that keep you from sliding all over the place. That's how a bird feels if it has to take a bath in bird baths that have slippery surfaces. Concrete is a good way to achieve this affect.
Water movement is critical for bird baths. Birds don't like stale, stagnate water and they're very attracted to the sound of water pouring into the bath. Bird baths that have a steady calm of water that cascades down rocks or makes other water noises, will bring the birds to your bath. Birds also like baths that have water squirting up because they can fly through it and get their wings wet. If you're going to go this route, make sure that the water pressure isn't too high because birds don't want to be blasted away when they're in the bird baths.
