Water for birds

keps

Today's emailed issue of Ewings included the following:


http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Portals/0/Newsletter/bwi-nonea.gif [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]FINALLY...[/FONT] http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Portals/0/Newsletter/bwi-nonea.gif [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Lucida Grande, sans-serif] Ireland has been experiencing some very hot weather in recent days. Birds can struggle during prolonged spells of high temperatures, especially when natural water sources such as ponds, puddles and streams dry up. They need water both to drink and to bathe, and young birds that have just recently left the nest are particularly vulnerable to water shortages.

With this in mind, we would like to encourage you to put out water for your garden birds. Even just a simple dish on the ground can make a big difference: please make sure to put it in a location where the birds can easily spot predators approaching, however.
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ThunderCat

I have a tupperware container that I fill with water out the back garden on the grass and yesterday a male blackbird approached it, took a few mouthfuls and then proceeded to sit in it.

New Home

They "test" the water to check if it's ok for their baths. They take a few sips, then they dip their head in, then they dip their head again while shaking their wings, and eventually they take the plunge. I love watching them, sometimes they hop round and round in the bath until they find the angle they prefer.

The other positive thing about having water on the ground is that if you have any hedgehogs around they can drink from it, too. Just change it every couple of days at most to prevent any bugs from laying their eggs in it/any eggs from hatching, especially in the warm weather.