The birdbath: The easiest way to bring birds into your yard, especially American Robins

Like many Americans, my backyard has been a source of comfort and gratitude during this difficult year. This week, I have been heartened by a new arrival. American robins – who fly southward to escape cold weather – have been driven as far south as sunny Venice. This is uncommon, because these red-breasted birds migrate as little as possible, and will stop further northward if the winter is mild. But this year, they’re here, and as usual, they’re thirsty. That’s great news for me, because my yard has a birdbath.

In my humble opinion, the birdbath is perhaps the easiest way to bring the joy of birdlife home. They take minutes to install, they last a lifetime, and they help many thirsty birds. For those who want to try a birdbath at home, let me help by addressing a few common mistakes, and providing a few helpful suggestions.

The most common mistake is a birdbath that is too deep. Deeper, bowl-like shapes seldom attract birds. Rather, a good bird bath is shaped like a frying pan: wide and shallow, with a little lip around the edge.

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A second common mistake is watching a birdbath at the wrong time. Due to Southwest Florida’s pronounced wet and dry seasons, bird baths are much more active in the winter and spring, when water is scarce, than in the summer, when water is abundant. Also, birdbaths are best watched during early morning or late afternoon – a time that bird watchers call “bird thirty.”

A third common mistake is a poorly positioned birdbath. It’s best to position your bird bath next to a fence or small tree, so that a bird can check the area for predators prior to flying down to the bath. Birdbaths are also best outside a favorite window, so that your visitors are not missed.

For those who find birdbaths enjoyable, it becomes an important part of their yard. An acquaintance in Saint James City keeps several birdbaths of different locations and sizes for different birds. One easy variation is a bath placed directly on the ground. The most surprising variation is their old Coleman ice chest, filled with water, which black vultures visit regularly for a full-body dunking.

If you want to try a birdbath, I have a few suggestions. The easiest, by far, is a large drain pan from a potted plant, placed at your air-conditioning drain line. This is a smart solution because the water is free, the pan always full, and the birds are excited by dripping water. Mosquitoes are not a problem, as they don’t breed in moving water. The downside, however, is that the AC drain line is all function and no beauty.

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Much better is a birdbath outside a favorite window, and for this I recommend a pan-shaped cement basin on a cement pedestal. You may be tempted to buy a fancy birdbath of glass, ceramic, or acrylic, but buyer beware: they may not work. Avoid deep, bowl-shaped basins, slick surfaces, and irregular shapes. Wide pan-shapes with gentle slopes are preferable, because they offer flat footing and shallow water that short birdie legs seem to favor, as well as room on the side where a bird can perch, drink, and stay dry. In fact, a majority of birds will come to drink, not bathe.

To purchase a simple birdbath of this type, visit a local landscape-supplier that casts cement products, or try the online inventory of a big-box store, which will have a much broader selection than the in-store inventory. My cement birdbath from Lowe’s was sold as two pieces – pedestal and basin – costing $17 each. If you’d like to watch a video of me and my birdbath, along with many other conservation-related videos, please visit conservationfoundation.com/focus to see a video series called Florida in Focus.

Finally, I have one last suggestion. Imagine your birdbath as a much-needed source of personal gratitude for you during your daily routine. Wash dishes, check email, or drink coffee within view of it. I trust you’ll find the occasional feathered visitor to be a welcome boost.

Lee Amos is land steward for the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast.