Although in winter some birds may get water from snow, snow melt is chilling. Heated birdbaths can be especially important to birds during winter months, when little unfrozen moisture is available.
Choose a birdbath that isn’t too deep. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the best birdbaths mimic rain puddles- shallow and with gradually sloping sides. This makes it easy for birds to wade into the water. A maximum depth of no more than two inches is ideal. Look for a birdbath made of tough plastic so it won’t crack and is easy to clean. And remember to keep your birdbath clean and the water fresh.
Birds seem to prefer birdbaths placed at ground level, but if you are concerned about neighborhood cats you can raise the bath 2-3 feet above the ground. Place clean sand or gravel in the bottom of the basin to give birds a sure footing. Arrange a few perches in the birdbath, using small branches or stones. These give birds a place to perch and drink without getting wet, and areespecially important during winter.
If possible, place your birdbath near trees or shrubs, giving birds a place to hide if predators show up. Birds with feathers wet from bathing don’t fly well, so woody shrubs offer a place to sit and preen until their feathers dry off.
Heated birdbaths come in a variety of styles, including those on pedestal bases and some that attach to deck or porch railings. Each has a built-in heating element that is thermostatically controlled to keep the water temperature above freezing. Heated pedestal birdbaths have an extension cord running up out of sight through the center of the pedestal while mounted birdbaths have the cord tucked under the bowl. Removable, immersion heaters can be added to existing, unheated birdbaths to keep the water from freezing. Or a lightbulb placed in a flowerpot beneath an unheated birdbath will provide more than enough heat to keep the water from freezing.
Finally, the sight and sound of moving water is irresistible to many birds. Birdbath drippers are a new innovation meant to attract even more birds to your bath. Commercial drippers or sprayers are available, or you can make your own. Simple punch a small hole in a plastic container, such as a liter soda bottle, and hang it so that the water drips into your birdbath.
Source: Sarah Browning, UNL
