Bird Barn logo
Blue Tit and her young perched around rim of ceramic bird bath

Bird Bath Benefits

Of course the focus of any bird bath setup should be the attraction of bringing song birds to your garden, as to observe their incredible behaviour.

Bird bath benefits is making sure common garden birds never go without during dryer weeks or month, where water sources are more scarce. Re-hydration is guaranteed when offering a bird bath, so can bring more regulars to the garden, but so to can a bird bath attract rarer birds, or birds that never visit a garden.

When thinking about setting up any type of bird bath in your garden, do so for the benefit of wild birds in mind, rather than your selfish needs.

What I mean is, set up a bird bath as you would to attract birds to use it, but not if its means risking birds being harmed if you have issues with cats.

Its important then you can site a bird bath that is open to the elements but never within reach of predators.

Bird bath benefits is about bringing wildlife to you, and where there's a water source; its sure to attract a series of common to rare bird species - plus other animals and insects if you are lucky.

It will also keep you busy as you observe the activity around the bird bath, but what may of been a novelty at the beginning, may soon turn into something serious as you become a garden bird watcher - keen on the bird species that visit your garden.

Let's move on then to what is the big benefits to a bird bath, but remember it must be about the birds safety at all time.

Overcome water shortages

Bird bath benefits first and foremost is to insure you can offer a wide series or common garden birds a reliable water source around the clock.

So important is the availability of any kind of water source, it may be possible to see more rare, non garden visitors coming to your garden during a spell of water shortages.

Shortage of water would normally occur in the hot, dry summer months, but it can happen in spring or into autumn with little to no rainfall for weeks on end.

To have a bird bath setup in your garden won't be enough in these circumstances mind you, because the heat can dry up any water source - so will do with any bird bath.

Its up to as the person responsible for the bird bath to continue to replenish the bath once or twice a day - or several times in any given day to be sure it never dries out.

Shortage of water out in nature in rare, but as common garden birds rely more on rainfall it can cause stress when they must go further afraid to seek out a water.

What better way then to offer a bird bath near a bird feeder to make sure the common garden birds never go without.

Re-hydration guaranteed

To have a bird bath positioned in your garden 365 days of the year then, you guarantee vulnerable birds can re-hydrate whenever that may be needed.

It can seem like bit of a novelty to have a bird bath situated in the garden, but in reality this simple plastic, stone or cast iron bird bath can save lives of our feathered friends.

Re-hydration is a guarantee for all garden birds who stop by your garden, but for those times when its needed most - just may see more birds than ever before.

Its not just when times are harsh either, as birds need to drink around the clock to stay hydrated - so why fly miles away or take time to seek out droplets of water when there's a source of water in the garden.

Feeders and bird baths go hand in hand, so where there's a food source, it certainly is a good idea to offer a bird bath as to help them wash any troublesome food down.

Maintain a clean bird bath by washing it out once or twice a week to prevent the growth of algae, but more importantly be sure to maintain a decent water depth to prevent the water drying up under the heat of the sun.

Birds might not come to a bird bath if it is indeed dirty, but won't at all if there's no water.

Reason for birds to visit more

You may know already the number of birds who visit your garden do so to feed on the numerous bird feeders, or may decide to feed from nature.

Well, if you want to attract birds to your garden then you certainly needn't worry if they come to feed already.

But there are sure fire benefits to setting up a bird bath in addition to any bird feeder setup.

Once again in times when water dries up in nature, a bird bath near a food source can sure cause less stress for your visitors.

But to eat food off the bird feeder that may need a touch of moisture, it is possible wild birds may soak that food in the water within the bird bath itself.

But to setup a bird bath offering a reliable water source where birds know where to find it, can only be a good thing.

Not massive benefits to setting up a bird bath I grant you as it can be rare to see it used, but certain times it can get very busy, or slow down to no visits at all during times when water sources are a plenty.

Observe behaviour

Often when people setup a bird bath in their garden, they do so for the selfish reason of a desire to watch birds come to the garden to use it.

Not terribly selfish of course but why would we go through the time and expense to never want to see garden birds use these wild bird accessories - its within reason to want to see the benefits of our labour.

And well its all very good watching birds come and go, this observation will soon turn into a private bird watching session.

Benefits to setting up a bird bath in our garden can only up your interest in birds, as you soon observe their behaviour with a keener eye.

Its pretty amazing too, as in spring though summer you get to see the female adult birds bring their young to the bird bath.

You'll notice how birds sip water rather than gulp it like people, but confidence soon turns to joy as you get to actually get see the birds use the bird bath for its intended use, as the wild birds bathe.

All this can go unnoticed if you don't pay much attention to detail, but in time its this sort of behaviour around the bird bath that is sure worth the wait, however long that may be.

Lighten up a dull garden

Providing you prioritise the need to offer garden birds a bath that is easy to access, a bird bath can certainly liven up an otherwise dull garden landscape.

But I must say that doesn't need to be, if only needed to attract birds to to use a bird bath.

Sure, a colourful bird bath can bring birds to it, but a bird bath that blends in with its surroundings can be just as beneficial.

Little harder to see for sure, but if birds are willing to come to your garden to drink or bathe, it doesn't matter what the bird bath looks like.

Buy a bird bath that can in time blend in with a stone landscape as it weathers in due course, or use a green or bronze effect bird bath to centre on the lawn.

Pedestal bird baths can be positioned around the garden so there's no need to fix it too one area permanently - but to keep moving it around the garden may help your find a more successful spot.

Other area can be livened up a too such as a brink wall with no garden decor, so a wall mounted, hanging cast iron bird bath would certain take care of that.

Benefits to a bird bath must prioritise birds first and foremost, but don't do so if only to ruin a beautiful garden landscape with a poorly positioned or badly designed bird bath.

To sum up bird bath benefits

Major benefits to a bird bath would be to make sure garden birds can overcome a drought with a bird bath always full to the rim with fresh water.

Do setup a bird bath in the garden, prioritising spring/summertime or with long spells of dry weather when to position a bird bath in the garden.

Focus on replenishing the bird bath regularly as it will dry up as it already has in nature.

Re-hydration is a guarantee when offering regular visitors to your garden a bird bath, but don't be surprised to see it bring more birds with lack of rainfall for weeks at a time.

What may also occur is due to desperation, a bird bath may bring wild birds that never visit gardens - so do keep an eye out for a rare visit once in a while.

What may start out as a little interest to bring birds to a bird bath, may grow in interest as you observe the garden birds behaviour around the bird bath, thus leading you to take more notice as the eat on the bird feeders.

You must prioritise offering a reliable water source with use of a bird bath, but remember a bird bath can be ornamental so can be used as a sort of garden statue for what might be in a bland garden landscape.

Setup a bird bath for ornamental purposes knowing it can be used for the purpose of attracting birds, so never locate a bird bath in a way that is inaccessible.

Share this article: