Bird Bath Basics

A Key Element in Your Backyard Habitat!

Birds need water all year and sometimes fresh, clean water is hard for a bird to find. You can attract the greatest variety of birds to your yard by providing a source of water along with your feeders. Not all birds eat from your feeders, but all birds need water.

Adding a water feature provides a key element in providing a backyard habitat for your birds.

Here are a few things to consider:

• Place your birdbath 10-12 feet away from shrubs to help keep the birds safer from predators.
• When placed in the shade algae doesn’t grow as fast and keeps the water cooler.
• Birds don’t like deep water, but birds come in many sizes, so add rocks to the bath so that a variety of birds can enjoy it!
• While there are many products available to clean bird baths, use only a scrub brush and water. If mold or stains are a problem, a bleach solution of ten parts water to one part bleach can be used to clean the bird bath.
• Birds find moving water irresistible. Add a dripper, mister, or water wiggler and watch the birds go nuts!

How the Material Used In Birdbaths Affects Your Buying Decision

Bird baths come in many shapes, sizes and materials. The material that is used to make the birdbath will likely be the first factor you consider before making a purchase.

Concrete and Ceramic baths, while often appealing, are best used only during the summer. Because of their porous nature, they have a tendency to crack during the winter after going thru freezing and thawing cycles. Birdbath heaters are not recommended in these baths due to the extremity of our winters. Birdbath tops, while often heavy, can be brought inside during the winter and replaced with one of our pedestal mount heated birdbath tops (see ‘Heated Birdbaths’ below).

Cast Aluminum and Cast Iron baths are more versatile and come in many decorative styles. They generally are not as heavy as other baths. They can be left outside all winter, and work well with a bird bath heater.

Granite baths are often natural centerpieces of well manicured landscapes. Made of solid stone, they are heavy and difficult to move; however, we offer a delivery and placement service to all of our customers! These beauties can be left outside all year, they will not crack or split and they can be used with birdbath heaters and pedestal mounted heated birdbath tops.

Solar Birdbaths - Technology has come a long way and we now carry a solar pump that creates a fountain of water, when in the direct sun. We are still anxiously awaiting the day when Solar Birdbaths are made to store energy to work continuously, even when they are not in full sun. Right now the technology is not there and those that are on the market are pretty costly. When technology meets with reasonable prices you will find them in the store!

Heated Bird Bath

Heated Birdbaths are often first thought of as an indulgence to your birds. But the fact is, birds need water all year. Our heated birdbaths have heaters encased in a heavy-duty plastic shell that de-ices the entire surface down to -20°F. These baths are very easy to clean with a built-in tilt mechanism. They can mount on top of existing pedestals, metal pedestals and deck railings. The automatic thermostats conserve energy and use only 70 Watts of power. They come with a 4 year warranty. Unplug the heater and use it during the summer as well. We carry them year around.

This durable, plastic bird bath provides a reliable source of water, even to temperatures below -20° F. Easily mounted to wood deck rails, it features a built-in 150 watt, fully grounded heater that is thermostatically controlled to conserve energy.