Which birds use the bird bath in your garden?

[Billabong Karen]

Just wanted to report the success of my new bird bath. I didnt have one in the garden before, as I assumed the pond would provide enough water for any birds around. Then this summer I bought one as a birthday present for a friend - turned out she already had three! So I kept it myself. It is shallow and terracotta, and I set it up on some bricks next to a small apple tree. It has been a huge success from the start, with robins, great tits, and blue tits regularly visiting. The blackbirds enjoy it too (though they also use the pond for bathing). It is interesting to me that the small birds clearly feel safer using the bird bath rather than the pond - I guess they are a little higher up and so have more view of the surroundings. Also, several seem to use it at one time, with one or more sitting in the tree keeping watch, and waiting their turn to use the bath. They are using it noticeably more now than in the summer.

I'd be interested to hear what others have to report about their bird bath visitors. And to see photos! Karen

[htcdude]

Excellent stuff!

I was wondering about getting one sometime. At the moment I only have a small dish on the shepherd's staff feeding station. Various birds drink from it but I've never seen anything bathe in it.

Nige

[jaelen]

I'd been trying to get a second-hand bird bath off eBay back in the summer without any results, but wanted to provide clean water for them, (this was when the pond was still a swamp) so I appropriated an old large frying pan.

I've secured it on some rocks to keep it stable, and it's behind the low wire fence around the pond... no cat can sneak up on them. The advance to it still having its handle means I can pick it up, empty and clean it easily.

The sparrows use it the most, but I've seen bluetits and our resident robin all drinking from it, and bathing vigorously now and again. I don't have any photos of any of them on it... I'll have to try and take some.

[King Edward]

I don't have a bird bath, but these are the species I've seen using the new pond (photos in the Water Life section):

Woodpigeon (drinking/bathing)
Stock Dove (drinking)
Crow (drinking/bathing)
Jackdaw
Magpie
Sparrowhawk (bathing)
Robin (bathing, possibly also once picking insects from the surface)
Redwing (drinking/bathing)
Starling (only seen once, when there was a flock of about 40 splashing about simultaneously - quite a sight)
Green Woodpecker (once, drinking)

Mallard (unwelcome)
Heron (also unwelcome)

In the ponds next door, I've also seen Goldfinches drinking (once), and Crows hunting for newts/snails from the edge (killed and ate a new Goldfish once as well, still in its bag about to be released). The resident Crow(s) also used to bring bread/meat scraps from someone's birdtable to soak before eating, but I haven't seen that recently.

Overall, the list is very biased towards larger species, so it probably is true that the small species don't feel safe in the wide open space.

[Billabong Karen]

Well, that's quite an impressive list! Actually, I forgot that I have also seen wood pigeons drinking and bathing in my pond. In about May I also had a family of greenfinches, and the babies bathed in the pond which worried me, as the sides are a little steep, although covered in sacking, so they would have good grip to get out. I think the fact that your pond is so shallow, with such gradual sloping sides, probably means that you dont actually need a bird bath - unless you want one closer to the house, for viewing purposes...

[Billabong Karen]

Oh yes, and in the spring the blackbirds went wild over the tadpoles... they must have eaten hundreds.

[FUDGEY]

Im desperate for a Sparrowhawk, but no photos as yet. This is the best to date.

[King Edward]

Originally Posted by Billabong Karen

I think the fact that your pond is so shallow, with such gradual sloping sides, probably means that you dont actually need a bird bath - unless you want one closer to the house, for viewing purposes...

I think the gentle sides make it pretty safe for birds/mammals, and the pigeons especially do seem to like using the sand spit. We had a Grey Wagtail a few days ago as well, although I'm not sure if he was actually using the pond itself.

I actually have a very nice view of the pond from my bedroom, otherwise I doubt I'd have seen so many species so far. The last time I saw a Sparrowhawk it was in there for a good 10 minutes or so (at least) - just standing motionless near the edge, then it decided to bathe properly. I am concerned about the claws though, since the sand layer isn't very thick. Herons concern me for the same reason (beak & claws), so I think I might put up some posts with nylon line around/over the pond as a deterrent when the amphibians start getting active next spring.

Fudgey,
That's a very good picture of a Jay, especially the way all the water droplets are flying off him.

[Billabong Karen]

Originally Posted by FUDGEY

Im desperate for a Sparrowhawk, but no photos as yet. This is the best to date.

Lovely photo! The action is great.

[Billabong Karen]

I doubt that the sparrow hawk would do any damage, but I agree about the heron... One stab od that beak and it would go through the liner no problem...

I have a very nice view of the garden and pond from the living room, and have just been watching some blue tits using the birdbath, then magpie swooped down to the pond and had a good old splash around... The little birds disappeared when the magpie flew down, but are back again now. Do magpies predate adult tits? They certainly seemed very nervous.