Backyard Bird Habitats

Lesson 2: Food, Shelter and Water for Backyard Birds

Water for Birds

Water – Fresh clean water is the third important component of a backyard bird habitat. Baths keep bird plumage in good condition. A simple birdbath that is kept full of clean water will do just fine. When providing water for birds, it is good to provide some shelter nearby. Wet birds cannot take off from predators as fast as when they are dry.

The Cornell web site at http://birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAbo... says that birds like shallow, gently sloping birdbaths, not too deep. Water can also be provided inexpensively by using rocks that have depressions in them that fill with water when it rains or by placing shallow pans, away from predators, among your plantings. As discussed earlier in this lesson, USDA’s web site at http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/tools... shows how to make a simple birdbath from an empty milk carton.

The USGS web site at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard discusses how to make backyard ponds. All types and sizes of ponds and fountains are popular with people and birds. Gently trickling water does attract a greater variety of birds. Pages 256 to 265 of our textbook also have a step-by-step guide to constructing a small pond.

Definition – What is Dust Bathing? As described on page 165 of our text, The Audubon Backyard BirdWatcher, some birds bathe in dust, usually after bathing in water. For example, house sparrows fill their feathers with dust. It may help to remove parasites in their feathers. Refer to page 91 of the textbook to learn how to build a special dust bathing area.

Hopefully, while reading Lesson Two, you have been thinking about the kinds of birds you would like to attract and the kinds of habitat components you would like to add to your backyard.

In Lesson Three you will build on the information learned in Lessons One and Two and apply this knowledge. You will refer to our textbook, The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher, and to the web sites linked to this course, to assemble your ideas into a Backyard Habitat Action Plan.

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