Access to winter water is important to birds such as this House Finch.
The Wild Birds Unlimited 20-inch Heated Bird Bath with Stand
The Duncraft All Seasons Heated Bird Bath
The BestNest 80-watt Super Ice Eliminator De-Icer resembles a natural rock.
The BestNest Watertight Outdoor Cord Connector comes in green, orange, and black colors.
|
As noted throughout the year in The Birding Wire, you can attract more birds and, especially, a greater variety of birds to your yard by providing fresh water. Across the sunbelt, providing winter water is business as usual – keep it fresh, and cycle the water with a dripper, mister, fountain, or air stone bubbler to attract more birds by giving them an audible cue to the location of moving water. But if you live north of the freezing line, winter water requires another option – a heater – or a birdbath with a built-in thermostatically controlled heater. But that’s easy enough, there are excellent products on the market.
Winter water is an important element for all birds. Choosing a bird bath with a built-in thermostatically controlled heater is your best bet, but they also function as four-season water features if you simply unplug the heating element when temperatures warm. If you already have a bird bath or other water feature that you prefer to use year-round, a handy electric heater that operates with a thermostat will serve your purposes as long as you have a sturdy water container. You just place the heater in the water vessel and plug it in. You will surely enjoy the added activity at your bird bath or water feature through the winter season, which will also help you appreciate how important access to winter water is for birds.
Where can you get a heated bird bath or an outdoor water heater for your existing water feature?
Wild Birds Unlimited offers a heated 20-inch durable plastic bird bath mounted on a 20-inch stand, with a built-in 150 watt thermostatically controlled and grounded heater that comes with a four-year warranty at https://www.wbu.com/products/bird-baths-misters-accessories/
Duncraft has a number of heated bird baths available at https://www.duncraft.com/Durable-All-Seasons-Heated-Bird-Bath including the All Seasons Heated Bird Bath, mounted on a 24-inch pedestal with a built-in 150 watt thermostatically controlled and grounded heater with a three-year warranty at https://www.duncraft.com/Durable-All-Seasons-Heated-Bird-Bath
For a selection of heated bird baths, including pedestal and deck-mounted birdbaths check out the collection at BestNest at https://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/heated_bird_baths.asp
If you already have a quality bird bath or another water feature and just need a heater, sometimes referred to as a de-icer, you can see a variety at BestNest here: https://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/bird_bath_heaters_deicers.asp
Using an electric connection does add a safety factor that really can’t be over-emphasized. Just being aware of the added danger of the outdoor electric connection is all that’s necessary, but it’s best to also use a waterproof outdoor electric cord connector that encloses the electric connection at your water feature to ensure that rain, snow, ice, and other water sources cannot access the electric cord connections. It’s a bit surprising that heaters, de-icers, and heated birdbaths almost always have a very short cord, which requires an extension cord and a resulting cord connection. But by using a waterproof outdoor electric cord connector, your electric connection should be safe; nonetheless, it’s a good plan to check daily to make sure your electric cord isn’t lying in water, ice, or snow.
You can get a waterproof outdoor electric cord connector, at BestNest at https://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/RTProduct.asp?SKU=FI-CC-2
Share your backyard birding experiences and photos at editorstbw2@gmail.com