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Keep Mosquitoes Away: Attract More Birds with moving Water Features
If you’re anything like me you love summer! I love the later evening sunsets, the sound of cicadas singing their song and if there is a body of water within 100 miles, I’d like to be in it. Picture this, it’s a hot summer Saturday, you’re sitting poolside with a margarita in hand at a family BBQ and suddenly you find yourself swatting a long needled pest sitting at a country buffet of your blood, a Mosquito. It’s the gross reality of summer. Not only do mosquitos leave behind ichy and sometimes large welts, they also carry with them illness-causing diseases that can wreak havoc on your immune system.
Never fear, NATURE IS HERE. Birds are a GREAT all-natural option to help keep mosquitos to a minimum in your yard this summer. Various species of birds are known for their nack of ridding yards across the United States with my summer time enemy.
- Purple Martins – The Mosquito Slayer. These guys are known for their incredible ability to hunt these pesky insects. They come in large families that make them really effective in controlling Mosquito populations.
- Chickadees & Titmice – Tiny but Mighty. They may be small in size, but pack a punch when it comes to keeping mosquitos in check. Trust us, you’ll want them on your side.
- Swallows – To-Go Order. These guys are remarkable. They can catch mosquitos mid flight, making them excellent hunters you’d love to see in your yard.
You’ll want to attract several of these heavy hitters if you’d like to keep mosquitos out of your yard this summer. The best way to attract birds in summertime is by providing food water or shelter. In this case, lets take a look at water. Providing your feathered friends with a cool space for them to splash around in water is absolutely paramount. In the heat of summer there’s simply no better way to entice friendly fliers than with moving water!
Accessories for bird baths and leaf misters will absolutely bring more birds (and butterflies) to the garden. Because
they keep water from becoming stagnant, it stays fresher and mosquitoes can’t lay their eggs in it either.Both solar fountains and those using electricity recirculate water in bird baths. Drippers and leaf misters run off the outdoor spigot and although very slow and adjustable, do utilize a continuous water flow. They come as complete kits with everything required to be up & running in minutes… no kidding!
Leaf misters offer lots of options for placement too. You can attach them to a branch or trellis, (50 ft. of rubber tubing is included) attach to a deck bracket or even a simple plant stake in the garden. We prefer the latter as the mister may easily be moved around to benefit the garden by watering different sections daily.Butterflies especially adore the gentle mist, while hummingbirds and other songbirds like chickadees and bluebirds will wait for them to start each morning… it’s like a spa for them and makes a spectacular viewing experience for host too.
Place leaf misters near nectar-producing plants like lantana and enjoy the show!Moving water in a bird bath or somewhere in the landscape is the ticket to seeing more bird activity during warm summer months. In fall, simply pack them up and store away for next season. A one-time investment that promises to bring many seasons of use and enjoyment… and more winged activity to your place!
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When Critters Break a Tall Bird Bath
It’s more often than not, and applies universally to all creatures (including smarty-pants humans). The path of least resistance will be option #1. Yes, there’s even a fun garden plaque stating such!
When feeding backyard birds and/or squirrels, you’re bound to attract a few less desirable furry friends. The masked marvels (raccoons) are hands-down the most destructive of all. Likely due to their curious nature and smarts- they can manage to disrupt bird feeders, tall bird baths, even hummingbird feeders that hang within reach!
Although hummingbird nectar or sugar water has no scent- it’s the shiny hanging thing that piques curiosity. Once the sweet sticky treat is discovered… they’ll be back for more the next evening. Upon seeing your empty feeder which was just filled the day prior, you may be wondering who ate all that food so fast?
Much the same as when you discover the top of your tall bird bath broken on the ground 🙁
To prevent this from happening again, the birdbath is an easy fix since the critters are simply looking for water.
Place a plant saucer on the ground for wildlife and keep it full of fresh water. It just goes back to that path of least resistance! If they don’t have to climb… why bother?
On our deck at home in Atlanta, mom and babies each took turns playing in this bubbling fountain. Luckily it’s on the ground and fairly indestructible! But the glass hummingbird feeders hanging from the deck… not so much!
Having extra feeders out for busy fall migration (five on the back deck alone), the critters were caught red-handed and in the nick of time! We simply moved one feeder to a garden pole with empty bracket, hung one feeder from the hummingbird swing and bought one feeder inside for the night. A little confusing for the tiny sprites in early morning hours… but now they have the routine down pat! Silly person moves our food back to deck for daytime.
As for the broken bath? Place a shallow pan of water on the ground right next to it, or use a tall bird bath that won’t break! These beauties are ideal for year-round use, accepting a heater in winter and large enough for a fountain or water wiggler in summer.
Lastly, should raccoons or squirrels be destroying your seed feeders… use a baffle! For those who insist baffles don’t work? Wrong- they’re just not installed correctly. feeder placement is most important, here’s another post with more detail on baffles.
You can feed birds without the headache or intrusion of other wildlife by using baffles, placing feeders correctly and offering fresh water at ground level 🙂
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Keep Mosquitoes Away: Attract More Birds with moving Water Features
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Quick Preparations are like a face lift for bird baths
Georgia weather can be so finicky, we usually get cheated out of any decent spring and fall weather. With the last few days in the 70’s and nights around 50 degrees, a cold snap is headed our way. Predicted low temperatures are below freezing starting tomorrow night, until of course, we are back in the 70’s again next week.There are several bird baths in the yard, (no – make that too many bird baths in the yard) that won’t fare well in freezing temperatures. The concrete pedestal bath for one, along with the ceramic pedestal bath will definitely crack. The plastic ground bath with the dripper will do the same.
I never really understood how folks could just dump the water and turn their bird baths over for winter? Fresh water is a critical element for birds’ winter survival. When temperatures drop below freezing, most shallow pools and ponds tend to freeze, leaving many wild birds no immediate water source.
In lieu of the nearing cold snap, tomorrow’s chores include winter preparations for feathered friends, almost a bird bath face lift if you will. Removing summer bath
accessories like water wigglers (shown above) and drippers like this one, and adding heaters to the baths will keep birds flocking and happy! The deck-mounted bath conceals its heater inside, so it just needs to be plugged in…yay!Adding heaters to your existing bird baths is one of the best ways to keep birds around. Last year our Eastern Bluebirds over-wintered, staying around through one of the nastiest winters on record.
Help feathered friends to thrive and flourish during frigid winter weather by creating a wildlife-friendly habitat with a consistent fresh water source, food and shelter.
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