How To Keep Your Garden Water Features Bird Friendly

When you think of garden water features, perhaps one of the first things that come to mind is a beautiful birdbath, where colorful local birds come to drink and play. Birdbaths have long been a tool of the bird watchers and bird lovers; they entice birds to stay longer than simply having a bird house or bird feeder might, they’re beautiful, And they are relatively easy to maintain. Of course, not every bird bath attracts the birds that its owner hopes to see— but why not? Here are a few tips that will keep your bird bath or other fountains enticing to our feathered friends.

Has Your Fountain Been Cleaned Lately?

Just as you would not be thrilled to take a bath or drink water that had been sitting for months on end, birds aren’t particularly excited about the prospect, either. If your garden water features have recirculation pumps that continually aerate the water and keep it fresh, this is less of a problem for you; however, it is inevitable that leaves, bird excrement and other detritus will end up in your fountain from time to time. It’s a small price to pay for the added beauty of having birds come to visit, though, so rinse out your bird bath once a month to keep the visitors coming.

Are You Using Bird Friendly Additives?

No one particularly enjoys cleaning slimy algae or other vegetation out of their garden water features, and fortunately, there are a number of excellent algaecides and fungicides on the market for use in both indoor and outdoor fountains. Of course, if you’re hoping that your fountain or bird bath will attract visitors, the algaecides and fungicides that you decide to use should be marked as animal-friendly. It’s a good idea anyway, in case a pet or other animal decides to try a sip of your water when you’re not looking!

Making your garden water features a place where birds will enjoy spending their time is incredibly easy— but it’s not completely without work. Fortunately, the questions you must ask yourself about how to attract these birds are few, and the changes you should make to your regular routine of upkeep are extremely slight. And, of course, the rewards are huge— and the birds who will drink, bathe, and play in their new safe haven will be eternally grateful for your generosity. (As long as you keep it clean.)

Polly Godwin has been an expert on garden water features since 1998 and is the owner of DesignerFountains.com, a company specializing in the highest quality outdoor fountains. Visit DesignerFountains.com today for expert advice and quality water fountains.