A surefire way to attract songbirds - and often other wildlife - to your backyard is by adding a birdbath or small pond, according to Game Commission biologists. During the dog days of summer, water has almost magical powers of attraction on many birds, because it's something they use regularly.

It's not that birds are big drinkers, or hygiene extremists. A belly full of water and wet feathers definitely are not conducive to flight, a bird's chief mode of transportation and first line of defense. Drinking and wading in water can help birds manage their body temperature when the sun is baking backyards and suburban settings. In fact, water can be as or more important than food to some birds when the heat is on.

Birds typically do just fine regulating their body temperatures through breathing; they do not sweat. As cooler, fresh air circulates through a bird's respiratory system, it shuttles away the warm, moist air that radiates from its overheated body tissues. As a general rule, the smaller a bird, the greater its body's loss of water via breathing - and need to replenish what it has expelled. This can be accomplished through eating juicy fruits and berries, or bugs, or at a puddle or backyard birdbath.

"Adding a water source to your backyard will almost always draw birds and provide countless hours of bird-watching pleasure," said biologist Doug Gross, an endangered bird specialist for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. "Water will pull in everything from bluebirds and American goldfinches to ruby-throated hummingbirds and robins.

"The big decision is determining what you want. You can definitely add a commercial birdbath to your yard for under $20. But, you also can spend hundreds of dollars - even thousands - putting in or contracting to have put in a water garden, lawn pond or fountain, and landscaping around it. Try to invest in something durable, and then let your personal taste and budget guide you the rest of the way. Remember, though, birds really don't care about style or originality. They're just looking for a watering hole!"

A water source can be made more attractive to birds by adding a water dripper, mist sprayer or a cascading trickle. Birds seem to key on moving water and the sound of it, particularly when it's found or heard in an area where water is hard to come by. Once located by birds, a properly maintained water source rarely sits idle. Birds usually wait in nearby trees for their turn to access the water for drinking or bathing.

Birdbaths, pond kits and an assortment of attachments and enhancements can be acquired at local home-improvement, garden and department stores as well as via the Internet. Do a web search on the Internet for "birdbaths" or "bird ponds" and you'll be looking at pages upon pages of purchase possibilities and ideas.

Goldfinches, house finches, blue jays, and grackles often visit birdbaths in small groups. Mourning doves and cardinals frequently come in pairs. Robins often solo, as do catbirds, tufted titmice and gray squirrels. Communal bathing is a necessity in backyard Pennsylvania. But just because the water is shared, doesn't mean all birds bathe well together. Some do, some don't, and their tolerances vary, from species to species, and from individual to individual.

"Birds are like people in many ways," Gross said. "They have preferences and peculiarities just as we do. Some don't handle the close quarters of birdbaths well. Others sit on the rim and absorb tidal-like splashes from bathers. It's entertaining - and often educational - to watch their behavior and interactions."

Of course, the wild card about having a backyard bird oasis is that water and watering birds attract other birds, often songbirds that you don't usually see at a birdfeeder. Bath splashing and feather flapping may pull in a Baltimore oriole or Carolina wren, a wood thrush or a Cerulean warbler, or something that you never knew was passing through your yard or your region of the state.

One of the great things about establishing a backyard water source when compared to bird-feeding is that you don't have to figure out what is the best seed-combination, what feeder to use or remove it if bears starting visiting the area. All you have to do is fill 'er up and refill when needed. With birdbaths, however, it is important to freshen up the water regularly -even daily - in hot weather to reduce bacteria and viral threats to birds.

Another maintenance-must for birdbaths is using a scouring pad on the dish area once every week or two in summer to remove algae that forms. Failure to do this will often lead to a thick, slimy deposit in the base of the dish that reduces its appeal, both to birds and people. Use a scouring pad or scrub-brush and a hose to clean algae; add dishwashing liquid for tough cases. Plastic usually cleans up easier than concrete and terracotta baths, but it isn't as solid and is more prone to topple. During winter months, terracotta may crack if water freezes in it.

"When selecting your water source, it's important to decide what it is you expect it to provide," Gross explained. "If you're trying to provide a songbird water hole, shallow - about two inches - is better than deep. If you want fish and aquatic plants, deeper is better than shallow. Both types will be beneficial to birds.

"If your desire is to have a fancy goldfish pond, please be advised that deeper ponds with fish will attract wading birds, particularly great blue herons. Placing the pond closer to your home will help, as well as planting cattails, lilies or iris and placing rocks in the pond for fish to use for cover. But know that great blue herons are patient hunters and that brightly-colored goldfish aren't exactly very challenging prey for a hungry heron."

The general location of the pond/birdbath should be in a low-traffic area of the yard and devoid of hiding places for housecats. Limit or eliminate the bath's exposure to sun, which will keep the water cooler - and less prone to evaporate - and fresher. It's also best to avoid placing water sources near large picture windows, to reduce take-off and in-flight collisions. Birds cannot see glass.

Birds that are shaking off their bath and preening also desire nearby perches. Some birds do this on the rim of the bath, but if you're bath has a lot of traffic, or you have a pond - no rim - its closeness to trees and shrubs will make it more obliging and help keep wet birds out of harm's way.

One the most important factors that will influence your birdbath's ability to attract birds has little to do with design, or even location. But it's directly related to your actions.

"If you keep your birdbath filled with fresh water, the birds will come and keep coming; which means you may have to refill it daily or even more frequently," Gross pointed out. "Birds are quick to recognize reliable watering holes and readily rely upon them. And when they're backing up in the trees to come in and use your birdbath, you can bet a lot of what's in the bath will be soaked up on the ground. That's why quick refills are a good thing and why birdbaths are best placed in a rock gardens!"

The addition of a birdbath or pond, fountain or water garden can greatly improve the wildlife habitat in your backyard, as well as enhance your property's aesthetic beauty and provide an invaluable necessity to songbirds.

"There's no better time to add one than in July and August," Gross said. "So get going; do something 'wild,' and then sit back and enjoy what you have created. Birdwatching, after all, can be very therapeutic and is always conversational."

Visit the Game Commission’s Wildlife webpage to learn more about how you can get involved in safe wildlife viewing.

7/21/2006