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Gardening Tip of the Day
Birds eat plant-destroying insects so should be welcomed in all yards and gardens. Bird baths are an excellent way to attract birds to a garden.
Birds are one of the best predators that can control slugs.
The best way to attract birds to bird baths is with bright colors. Red, pink, blue, orange, and yellow attract most songbirds such as orioles, blue jays, goldfinches, chickadees, warblers, and hummingbirds.
Brown, green, and grey attract ground feeding birds including doves and thrushes.
Most birds do not like the color green.
White is the only color that will repel, instead of attract, birds. White signals danger to birds so they avoid it.
Anything painted for birds needs to be done with latex or acrylic paints. Never use oil-based paints. After painting, the bath, rocks, or other items need to sealed with a waterproof sealant and thoroughly dried.
Bright colored marbles in the water are very attractive to birds.
The second best way to attract birds is to use drippers, misters, fountains, or bubblers because birds like moving water.
Place the bird bath in a shaded area, with up to 2 inches of clean water replaced daily.
Place the bird bath within 10 feet of trees and shrubs. Any closer than that provides cats easy access to bathing birds. The birds will also use the greenery to preen after bathing.
Bird baths can be slippery so sand, rocks, or pea gravel in the bath provides solid footing for the bathing birds.
In the wild, birds bathe in water on the ground so bird baths of a lower height are more attractive to birds than tall bird baths.
A wide bowl is preferred over a narrow one. The larger width also makes it possible for more than one bird to bathe at the same time.
Lastly, in the summer add ice to the bird bath, and in winter, use a heater in cold climates.
Author Marilyn Pokorney
Copyright Marilyn Pokorney 2022
