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Does anyone recommend a birdbath warmer. I have seen dog bowl warmers with a long cord which is needed in my yard. I have also seen that its not recommended to let birds swim in freezing cold temperatures. The bluebirds come to the birdbath every morning and the water is freezing right now.
This is the kind I’ve always used. I didn’t think it’s from this company but it looks just like it. Just look at reviews before you buy. Mine had lasted for over 10 years. (Sorry the link didn’t work. I’ll try to figure out out later.)
I don’t think you need to worry about your birds bathing in cold temps. We have a large pond that doesn’t freeze easily and birds drink and sometimes bathe in that. They know what they can and can’t do. I’ll try to show you what I have but I forgot how to do it in this group.Tammy
Oh ok, thank you. I wasn’t sure about them freezing their feathers. Thats good to know its not going to freeze them.
If you know the name brand, I’ll search that. I appreciate your help. Also did you use an extension cord?I’m just going to type in the link. You’ll have to cut and paste. This one is from wild birds unlimited.
https://order.wbu.com/shop/bird-baths-&-houses/bird-baths-&-water/20%22%20Heated-Bird-BathTammy
I got my daughters at wild birds unlimited. It came in white or green.
I’m pretty sure I bought this one for me from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/API-Heated-Birdbath-Bird-Stand/dp/B0006HRQNQ/ref=asc_df_B0006HRQNQ?mcid=93e69048a4ce3859bc85110c4d6769c6&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693713553070&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1208995198898725199&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010816&hvtargid=pla-493438363901&psc=1Tammy
I haven’t bought the heated birdbath yet but I was in PetSmart that very day and they had a 20.00 heated water bowl for dogs and I grabbed it. I had 5 bluebirds getting sips of water from it this morning. Its 20 degrees this morning. I placed rocks inside for them to stand on but they mostly stayed on the edge of the bowl.
Glad it works. The only downside to a heated pet dish is the placement of it. If you put it on the ground a cat can easily get the birds and same in a deck. But I throw mealworms on the ground so I risk that too.
I’m sure it cost a lot less than a bird bath!!!Tammy
I do heated fountains all over my yard in winter. Better than a feeder! One i do is a camouflage dog bowl. The rest i stick a bird bath de-icer and it does the job and keeps the pump from icing. They have some really inexpensive ones on amazon. I can’t seem to find the model I have.
So you have actual fountains with pump attached in several areas of your yard. That’s cool. What state are you in? Does Philly mean you are in Philadelphia? I’m sure I knew at one point but you know the brain fog thing is happening more and more.
Tammy
Hahah I hear you on the brain fog! Just hit 50 and it is getting real lol. Yeah I am just outside northwest of Philly in a relatively dense suburb. Obviously not terribly cold like others here in the winter but this year was pretty frigid. I take big flower pots and stick a pump in the bottom —- on some of them I use a big plastic plate or big flowerpot tray for the top. I stick a hole through the middle for the spout and use a soldering gun to pole drain holes all over the tray. Sometimes I use different sprinkle heads in warmer weather. It’s a huge draw for warblers and sometimes orioles in the spring. Then I have a very small fish pond in the front yard. I actually had a wintering oriole one year stay around every day – maybe my coolest birding moment. Still struggling to get bluebirds in my years (they visit occasionally but not for long). I have fledged some tree swallows here and there though. They can’t resist the water.
Wow…you are quite creative with those bird fountains. You have to plug those in somewhere though don’t you. (Can you tell I’m not mechanical? LOL)
I have less and less TRES (Tree Swallows) every year!Tammy
Lol! I just sneak a long outdoor cord where I need them. However there are some really great solar powered fountains (the ones with a charging battery in them) available on amazon. if you have full sun they work great! I have a strange situation this uear with the tree swallows. A couple males that have clearly claimed my front yard boxes but no female. The one started making a nest but still haven’t seen a female. My neighbors seem intent on killing every last bug in our universe so I have slowly watched my monarch caterpillars and my toads disappear…used to breed and sing every year in my pond now gone completely. Worried about the swallows. They love my little pond and we are near a golf course but they probably spray that too!
@phillyblues By sheer luck my wife and I chose to live in a neighborhood years ago that fits with my appreciation of plants, bugs, and birds now that I have the time. Your neighbors would hate it, sounds like. My ideal ground cover is not grass but rather Mimosa strigillosa (Sunshine Mimosa). I love Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio Spiderwort) and its beautiful, short-lived flowers that bloom in the early morning and close by around noon. The relationship between Passiflora incarnata (Purple Passion Vine) and Dione vanillae (Gulf fritillary) is fascinating, watching the larvae consume the vine to the ground and then seeing the vine come back the following spring. I look at wildflowers and what everyone else would call weeds as food or support for insects, or bugs in general. And I look at bugs as . . . bird food!
I’m reminded of a meme — can’t find it now — showing an image of a large beautiful lawn followed by a huge paved parking lot and the caption “What birds see”.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
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