Source: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Trying to make your backyard more attractive to birds? Just add water! Birds need a dependable supply of fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing—few things are more attractive to them than a well-maintained birdbath. In fact, a birdbath in your yard may attract birds that don’t eat seeds and wouldn’t otherwise come to your feeders.

Traditional concrete birdbaths sold in garden shops make nice lawn ornaments, but they aren’t the best type for birds—they’re often too deep, glazed ones may be too slippery, and they’re often hard to clean. Also, they may crack when the temperature drops below freezing. The best birdbaths mimic nature’s birdbaths—puddles and shallow pools of water in slow streams; they’re shallow with a gentle slope so birds can wade into the water. Look for one that won’t break and is easily cleaned.

You can make your own birdbath using a trashcan lid, saucer-type snow sled, shallow pan, or old frying pan.

Setting up your birdbath

Birds seem to prefer baths that are set at ground level, where they typically find water in nature. While birds are bathing, they are sometimes less wary than is safe, and if their feathers get soaked, they can’t take off or fly as quickly as normal, so cats pose a very serious danger. If you have a cat, please keep it indoors. If cats are at all likely to be lurking in your neighborhood, make sure there is a fairly wide open area between your birdbath and the nearest thick shrubbery, so birds have a better chance to detect and get away from a pouncing cat in time.

Place your birdbath in the shade if possible, to keep the water cooler and fresher. Nearby trees also provide branches on which they can preen.

Clean sand or gravel on the bottom will provide more secure footing. Arrange a few branches or stones in the water so birds can stand on them to drink without getting wet (this is particularly important during freezing weather).

The water should be no deeper than 1/2 to 1 inch at the edges, sloping to a maximum of 2 inches deep in the middle of the bath.

One of the best ways to make your birdbath even more attractive is to provide dripping water. Many birds find the sight and sound of moving water irresistible. You can use a commercial dripper or sprayer, or make your own by recycling an old bucket or plastic container. Punch a tiny hole in the bottom, fill it with water, and hang it above the birdbath so the water drips into the bath.

Winter birdbaths

Drinking water entices birds year-round, but keeping it ice free in winter is not as critical as many people believe. Birds have several physiological mechanisms for conserving water, and can usually get plenty from snow or dripping icicles. Electrical birdbath heaters may not be justifiable in light of the problems birds face from electricity production; also, if the air temperature is cold enough to make the water steam, heated birdbaths may pose an immediate danger to birds. On freezing days, birds should use baths for drinking only—not bathing. A network of sticks over a birdbath, holding birds above the water and make bathing uncomfortable, should prevent problems.

The simplest and probably the safest and most environmentally conscientious way to provide water in winter is to set out a plastic bowl at the same time each day, and bring it in when ice forms.

f you do want to keep a birdbath ice-free during sub-freezing days, you have several choices. Manufacturers now offer birdbaths with built-in, thermostatically controlled heaters. Immersion heaters are also available at most places bird feeders are sold. Most new models turn off if the water in the bath dries up. A less expensive alternative is a light bulb set in a flower pot under the water basin. The light bulb will provide enough heat to keep the water from freezing. Ideally, plug your heater into a ground-fault interrupted circuit (available from hardware or electrical supply stores) to eliminate the chance of electric shock.

Never add antifreeze to the birdbath—it is poisonous to all animals, including birds. Some people use glycerin as a makeshift antifreeze in birdbaths, but we do not recommend it. Glycerin is a low-level toxin—if birds drink too much, it raises their blood sugar so much that they may die. Furthermore, when birds bathe in glycerin-spiked water, their feathers can become saturated and matted, providing poor insulation and leaving them susceptible to hypothermia.

Maintaining your birdbath

When the temperature is above freezing, it’s a good idea to keep your birdbath full at all times to attract the widest numbers and variety of birds. But to provide a safe drinking and bathing environment, it’s critical to change the water every day or two. Bathing birds may leave behind dirty feathers and droppings, making the bath increasingly unsanitary for other birds. Grackles often drop their nestlings’ fecal sacs into birdbaths, another cause of filthy water. Algae grows much more quickly when the water isn’t cleaned frequently. Also, the species of mosquitoes most likely to transmit West Nile virus often lay their eggs in bird baths. By frequently changing the water, we don’t give the eggs time to hatch or for the larvae to emerge.

If algae does start to grow, you should thoroughly clean the bath with a stiff scrub brush and running water.

Source: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Providing food, nest boxes, nesting materials, water, and natural habitat can attract birds to our backyards, giving us much nicer views of them and, when done properly, making life easier for the birds. Attracting birds is also a great way to introduce young people to nature, and it’s something the whole family can share. Having a bird-friendly yard has never been more important – nearly 80 percent of wildlife habitat in the United States is in private hands, and an average of 2.1 million acres each year are converted to residential use.

How do you begin?

An easy way to start out attracting birds is to put up a bird feeder. We’ll help you choose feeders and foods that appeal to the birds you want to attract, plus we’ll tell you where to put your feeder and how to maintain it. And we can give you some hints about food items, such as eggshells, fruits, and mealworms, that provide extra nourishment for some wonderful species.

Some birds, especially woodpeckers and chickadees, excavate cavities in tree trunks for nesting and roosting. Many other species, such as wrens, bluebirds, and some ducks and owls, nest in cavities that other birds have made. Nest boxes offer these birds a place to raise their young, especially where natural cavities are at a premium. Our nest box section describes the features of a good nest box, where to place it, and how to avoid predators. Our nesting section also lists some nesting materials you can offer that will help a wide variety of species.

Bird Baths and Other Enticements

A source of clean water, for drinking and bathing, may attract birds that don’t visit feeders. We can help ensure that your water helps birds, not mosquitoes or algae. And we’ve got ideas for other great attractants, too, such as building a brush pile.

The Big Picture: Landscaping

How we landscape our yard and deal with insects and weeds can make the difference between a bird haven and a pile of problems. Our landscaping section is full of tips to help you make your backyard a place where birds thrive.

Source: WikiHow

Categorize the bird. There are 8 different categories that they can go into. As soon as you see the bird you should try to put it into on of these categories. The 8 categories are:

• Ducks and duck-like birds
• Gulls and terns
• Long-legged waders
• Shorebirds and small waders
• Fowl-like birds
• Birds of prey
• Flycatchers
• Warblers

Size matters. You should pay attention to how big or small the bird is. You can use size relativity to get a general idea. Size relativity refers to being bigger or smaller than a sparrow, robin, crow, or pigeon, per say.

Study silhouettes. The silhouette is an important part of identifying it. When it is flying and you can’t see all of the details, just pay attention to its body, beak, tail, and legs. Ask yourself these questions:

• Is the body short or long? Narrow or plump?
• Is its beak fine, long, or short and stout? Is it dagger-shaped, hooked, or straight?
• Is the bird’s tail rounded, square, pointed, or forked?
• Are its legs short or long?
• Do the wings look rounded or pointed?
• Do the wings have wing bars? If so, are they single or double? Bold or obscure?

Pay attention to the bird’s behavior. Different birds have different behaviors. For example, when woodpeckers climb up a tree, one might climb in spirals, and the other might climb in jerks. Also, they might climb using their tail as a brace or headfirst. If you know what a bird’s behavior is like, this can be a helpful tool in identifying.

Take note on where you saw the bird. There might be a bird that looks exactly like it, but is on the whole other side of the world. Range is a very important part in identifying birds.

Don’t depend on color. Birds have different plumages at different times of the year, so the color of their feathers might not tell you what kind it is. You should use color as a last resort.

Use a field guide. It is best to use a field guide last, because you will have all the information recorded when you go to look it up. Painted pictures in field guides are often better than photos, because photographs sometimes have lighting problems. Most field guides have categories that the birds are put into, or they separate them by family.

• You can purchase field guides inexpensively, or look at one from your local library. Your local Audubon Society will also have field guides.
• Photographing the bird after you see it also might be helpful in identifying it. It will also be a nice memory.