Bird Bath

[WVBill]

My wife and I have what we call a "bird garden" - lots of plants birds like plus bird feeders and a couple of bird baths.

Anyone have any ideas on how to rig up something to keep the bird baths full? I thought of a stock tank or other float valve but they were just too big. I can't get the water pressure adjusted well enough so the hose will just drip into the birdbath at the right rate to replace evaporation and what the birds drink or kick out. Drip irrigation emitters at 1 - 2 GPM are too fast I probably need something at 1/4 GPM or so - maybe even less.

 

[Golfgar4]

Bill,

I don't know the "official" name of these things, but I saw them on that HGTV show, Gardening By The Yard. I'm not a big gardener, but I love watching that show cause the host, Paul James - The Gardener Guy, cracks me up! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Oh, sorry - got sidetracked there!/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

Anyway, he was demonstrating different automatic watering systems. You know, when the water drops to a certain level more water is automatically added to a pre-set level? Kind of sounds like what you're talking about, huh?

Well, The Gardener Guy (Paul James - did I mention that he cracks me up??/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif) says that you can get these systems at any of your local lawn and garden centers or nurseries. Have you talked with those folks? I bet they could help you! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Good luck!

 

[Chuck52]

Bill,

You could set up the bird baths like a water feature, that is have an inflow and an outflow, with a sufficiently large reservoir so you wouldn't have to fill it often. I'm thinking something like a 55 gallon barrel with a small pump to circulate the water to the baths and passive returns.

Chuck

 

[gusg]

I have a question for you since we have a small bird area also. We have two bird feeders and a bird bath in an area that is about 20' X 10'. No plants yet. I put down landscape cloth and what I thought was a good idea, 1 1/2" cobblestone that I had. However, I didn't think about the seed that would fall down to the ground and through the rocks and start to grow through the landscape fabric.

The question is what would be a good material to use? Mulch, wood chips? I am getting tired of pulling the weeds which is what I was trying to avoid. I don't think Round Up would be good because the birds would get into it.

Thanks. What do you have in your bird area?

By the way, I wonder if something like the automatic waterers that they use for horses would work. As the horse drinks it replenishes the water. I think they have a low enough flow rate.

 

[WVBill]

Thanks for the ideas guys. I'll check out HGTV.com and see what I can find. Yes, Paul James is a crack up! I watch "Gardening by the Yard" all the time.

Gusg: Our bird garden (about 20' x 30') is in its fourth season now and is now pretty much covered by a "mulch" of black oil sunflower seed hulls which seems to keep down the weeds some. We've gone almost exclusively to feeding the sunflower seed, thistle seed, sunflower chips (in the wooepecker feeder), and suet (in the winter). Regular bird seed mix (even the premuim) generated too much waste seed the birds didn't like and which just fell to the ground and grew. I do use RoudUp on the few weeds that come up but keep the spray to a minimum in this area. We also have Cone Flower, Gladioli, Butterfly Bush, Rose of Sharon, Weeping Cherry, Day Lilly and other plants in the garden.

Our challenge is the European Starlings and Cowbirds who come in and run off the Finches, Doves, Woodpeckers (Downey and Pileated), Wrens, Eastern Bluebirds, BlueJays, Red Wing Blackbirds, etc. Almost all of our feeders have the screen around them to ward off the Starlings and Cowbirds.

 

[crawdad]

i dont know if this will help but how about a simple timer that attaches to the spigot.its been years since i used one but they run on batteries and you may be able to run it for 5 minutes a day or whatever.
good luck
scott

 

[WVBill]

Crawdad: Bingo! That's the answer. I even have one of these timers - don't know why I didn't think of it.

Thanks!

 

[patrickg]

A large bottle filled with water like a 3 liter pop bottle suspended inverted with its opening just below the surface of the filled bath will only discharge water when the level of the bath goes below the opening in the botle. Depending on activity level, that might last several days and not waste any water or make a wet spot from over doing it.

Patrick