On a recent winter morning, the temperature had plunged to single digits C.O.L.D., cold. Early, on, I was in the yard scattering seeds and I also put a gallon of fresh water in our heated birdbath, which was nearly frozen over. By the time I got back to the house and peeked out the kitchen window, the birds had already discovered the water. Virtually ignoring all the seeds, they flocked to the birdbath; I counted 12 different species in less than five minutes. The little fellows were thirsty as all of their regular sources of water were frozen solid. Birds can live without food for several days, but they can’t survive very long without water.
I am an unabashed backyard birder. To me, my feathered friends are one of the great assets of my property. I enjoy seeing and observing birds year around, especially my blue birds. Folks often ask me how I attract all my birds and my answer is the same. It all begins with water.
Fifteen years ago, I had never even seen a bluebird in my yard when suddenly two showed up at the birdbath on a frigid January morning. My heated water source had attracted them and they hung around until spring, then nested in an old ceramic birdhouse I had dangling from a clothesline pole. The house was meant for wrens, but I certainly had no objections to bluebird residents. There has been a family of bluebirds nesting in my yard ever since.
So if you want to attract birds, get a birdbath, install a small heater and you’re in business.
The birdbath needn’t be fancy, by the way. It can be a plastic dishwasher container. Anything that holds water will work, but make sure it’s off the ground. Cats will be attracted to the feeding and watering birds and you do not want to set up an easy ambush site for the predatory felines.
There are several types of heaters, or de-icers, and all are really low wattage, but some are more efficient than others. Farm Innovators, for example, has a very economical de-icer on the market that uses just 44 watts, so it draws very little current, but it’s hardly a match for 8-degree weather. A 70 or 75-watt heater does a better job in extremely cold weather, and that’s when birds really need help – when it’s really cold. We have both types and switch out when the temperatures plunge.
Bottom line: if you want to attract birds, it all begins with providing a source for water.