2021 Bird Bath Set Up! 

Thank you!

That's awesome! :)

Hello! I would agree with you for anything soap based, but for the weak bleach solution you don't have to. Wildlife rehabs don't, vets don't and Cornell Lab doesn't have that as the directions either. The only thing that should be being used is bleach or vinegar too, not soaps, especially for hummingbird feeders!

@@habitatYEG Thanks for the info.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write that to me. Made my day!! :)

Thank you so much! :)

You're welcome! I think it's a case of you have as many bird baths going that you can manage. Everyone has a lot on their plate, if it's only one bath you can dedicate your cleaning time to, that's ok! UGH. Cats. I have a beautiful 15 year old cat who enjoys his catio on the deck. :) I wish everyone would do the same if their cats want to go outside. If you can't make an instant brush pile the little garden edging fences are a great start.

The struggle is real! We just have to keep doing everything we can.

Congratulations!

That's amazing!

That's one of my nesting Blue Jays. Their eggs just hatched in the last couple of days. :)

I really love mine! Well, more importantly the birds love them!

Thank you! I enjoy my backyard so much. :) My happy place!

Oh thank you so much! Made my day :)

Thank you so much for your kind words! I too have a large deck area and concrete area so I do a lot of container gardening up there and that is where I put my "pollinator garden". And the pollinator I'm chasing hardest is the Ruby Throated Hummingbird! An experiment you could try is putting some concrete mix in a plant pot. If you make sure the drainage holes stay, by putting tubing through it first...if you put a bit of conrete mix with a wood post I bet that would be a really secure spot to attach your umbrella. You could also attach a hummingbird feeder to it and have a vine climb it. Some vines grow so fast! Like Scarlet Runner Bean. I hope it goes well! And remember, my stuff didn't happen overnight. I built it over years and a lot of trial and error! :)

I hope you're staying cool! This heat is absolutely insane. Clean fresh water is fantastic, and if you have a mister (my is from Can Tire) you can set that up as well! I post way more on instagram if you use that platform!

@@habitatYEG sweet, I just followed you! I moved my bird baths to better spots in my yard and followed your tips I have had quite a few thirsty blue jays stop by! That mister is a great tip- thanks.

@@BontoSwan Fantastic! They will tell all their birb friends too! Thanks for following me! I hope I give you some good info. :)

No, thank you! :)

Hi there! That is not a cleaning procedure recommended by wildlife experts, Cornell Lab or Audubon, so I would be careful with that.

@@habitatYEG thanx for the heads up then❤️and stay in the shade while you enjoy those backyard songsters! gal🇺🇸

Thank you! I use 9 parts water and 1 part bleach. I hope you get lots of winged visitors!

Thank you!

Thank you! It's 9 parts water, 1 part bleach. You can have this ready in another container to use while you're scrubbing. Rinse super well!

Salmonella is HUGE. And once it hits a flock, it hits hard. Feeders have to be kept really clean, but there are some that are either easier to clean or allow less contact. Like tray feeders for example, the birds walk around and eat and poop. So even if you cleaned it all the time there is just so much contamination so not worth it. The squirrels will probably stay away from your seed more if it was hung not in a tree, but on something like a shepherds hook with a baffle on it. I just posted how I am hanging my feeders on my insta page @urban_bird_garden

Oh also, about the copper. The jury is a bit out on that one. Birds drink a lot from bird baths. Cooper is a big water contaminate. If you're changing your bird bath water frequently, not matter what it was made of the algae or mold wouldn't become a problem. I've never had either in any of my bird baths before. Also, I don't kow how keen birds would be on using the copper. They can get sketched out easily for sure. The more natural and camo it is in their landscape the more apt they are to use it!

Thank you! The little rock bubblers I have are fantastic. I bought mine from Wildbirds Unlimited in Edmonton.

Thank you! It's from Wildbirds Unlimited.

@@habitatYEG Okay thank you! I’ll need in invest in one of them, I got most of my Feeders and bird pole systems from them. They are expensive but it’s good quality materials. We also have the same waterfall rock in our birdbath, and I had gotten mine from them as well. I’m glad I asked you because I don’t see the Wood Peckers going to my ground birdbaths or my birdbaths on pedestals and I get concerned why they are not drinking or taking a bath. 😊 Thank you again for your information you provided in your video. And it’s lovely the way you have your birdbaths setup.

@@MsQueensheena Oh yes, there are quite a few birds who would rather drink up high. The bigger woodpeckers absolutely do, and I also find the White Breasted Nuthatches. Several of the finches as well.

Alos! I post a lot of videos from my instagram @habitat_yeg of the birds using my bird baths.

@@habitatYEG I am going to get one this weekend and then I’ll feel happy for the birds that like to drink up high. Thank you so much.

Hi! Thank you so much! That post doesn't have anything in it yet, but in about 2 weeks time I will be planting Purple Hyacinth Bean in it. It is an annual and needs warm soil to grow, but even though you plant it late it grows SO FAST that it makes up quickly for lost time. In the 2 other giant obelisks I will be planting Scarlet Runner Bean which grows as fast, but with bigger leaves, than the Purple Hyacinth Bean. What Zone are you? The Dropmore Scarlet honeysuckle vine is not invasive. I have a few of those planted that will hopefully flower for the first time this year.

@@habitatYEG Hi, I had to look it up and Ottawa is zone 5a. So maybe the scarlet runner bean is a better choice for quicker growth and flowers. I am hoping to visit a garden centre this weekend early in the morning to check out the selection of vines. I do have another important question. I have read that song birds are responsible for carrying countless ticks along their travels. Have you noticed any ticks ever since the birds have come over the years, maybe in one of the bird baths. Thanks!

@@hsingh1614 OH YOU ARE SO LUCKY! I can only dream of Zone 5. haha. Where did you read about the ticks? I have never heard of this or seen it myself. Annual vines are amazing for HUmmingbirds. Especially since some of the perennial vines might take a few years to flower after you plant them. Sometimes it's because the plant is too young and it flowers on old wood, or it's just the process of transplanting. Either way, you will rarely get blooms the first year you plant a perennial vine. Unless it is Clematis, which HUmmingbirds have never touched in my garden. I had heard they like Blue Bird Clematis, so I am growing some this year on some arbours. That is mainly for nesting sights though as it gets right mangly looking. Scarlet Runner Bean, Purple Hyacinth Bean are the fastest growers I know. The packet of seeds will cost you about $4. The Hummingbirds loved mine last year and they grew over 10 feet when planted on June 1st. I saved some pods and I will be planting those in the next couple of days in coco fibre pots in the house and then transplanting June 1st. Then I get a bit of a jump on growth and can also ensure germination before I plant them outside.

@@habitatYEG I had read and heard about ticks migrating with songbirds in various places. A quick Google search will confirm it. Here is just one article www.wellingtonadvertiser.com/songbirds-can-transport-disease-carrying-ticks/ but there are countless others. I will look at picking up some annual vines for this year and plant the perennial for the next few years. If I get the seeds in the next few days, there is enough time to germinate them inside and transplant them outside? When you mentioned nesting sites, which species would nest in the vines? Thanks!

@@hsingh1614 I'm a little bit suspicious of these sources. They are are all quoting only the one study and it doesn't seem to even be peer reviewed except mentioned once on PubMed but they say specifically there is no evidence on how far they actually carry the ticks. The Cornell Lab, and Audobon and my local organizations do not have any kind of tick warning about birds who would visit feeders or your yard. It would be I think most prudent to be tick aware without thinking of source because lyme carrying disease ticks could be anywhere and more likely to latch on to you on a walk in the forest than from having backyard birds visit.

Thank you! I use Arlo security cameras. :)

@@habitatYEG thank you

I fully recommend it! I love seeing what happens when I'm not staring at the bird baths! I also have them on nestboxes. I use Arlo security cameras. They are the best! I also have 1 Amazon Blink. I don't love it. The batteries are not rechargeable and the sound quality is terrible. BUT, they are much cheaper to buy. I use the 1 I have on the Northern Flying Squirrel feeder.

@@habitatYEG thank you!!

@@HeatherTheHippyGardener Anytime! :)

That is not an issue where we live.

Hi! It depends a bit on the spot you have. In my shadier spots I'm growing bluebird clematis. I hear they do like the flowers and my goal with this plant is to eventually have nesting sites so I'm growing it on 3 different arbors. Your best bet for hummingbird vines for fast flowers are Scarlet Runner Bean and Purple Hyacinth Bean. Wait til after Monday to plant when we warm up again. These beans like warm soil. Soak them in water for the night before you plant to speed up germination. I also grow other vines but they are spindly do probably not a good fence option. Cypress vine and Cardinal Climber. You can grow those in pots with a trellis though!

Oh oh oh! I can't believe I didn't say Virginia Creeper!! All the birds love it. It's super hardy and grows like lightning! You'll want to plant several plants because it grows fast in a straight line. Doesn't spread sideways fast.

@@habitatYEG Thank you! I’ve heard of Virginia Creeper and was thinking about planting it. I will look into the other ones you suggested. The only thing I was wrong tried about with the Virginia Creeper is I’ve seen it will grow 40-50 feet. will it be easy to keep well maintained for my fence?

@@rydervanwyk Yes it really grows like crazy. BUT you can literally chop it off whenever. My husband accidentally cut some of mine off, to the ground with a weed whacker, and it's coming back happily. It's not finicky like some that if you prune it wrong it will die off etc...It's tough to beat for an all bird attraction vine, including hummingbirds. The trouble with the honeysuckle is that it is very hummingbird specific, and once planted can even take 3 years to bloom. Mine is in it's second year and I still don't think I will have blooms. Another option for a fence besides vines is a tight hedge made of currant bushes. They grow right from the ground up, so nice and tidy looking. Flowers for insects to attract birds and berries for birds to eat too. Plus fast nesting spots. Hedges rock!

@@habitatYEG Alright! That helps. I find vines so exciting. I took a chance with the Honeysuckle but unfortunately we have classic Canadian weather right here before our eyes.

The rock bubbler is from Wildbirds Unlimited. It is not solar powered as these baths are in deep shade.

They are from Canadian Tire. Here you go! www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/for-living-stone-bird-bath-0591644p.html#srp

Excellent question! When I'm finished I give the brush a spray with my bleach solution before I leave it to air dry.

@@habitatYEG thank you!

I bought mine at Canadian Tire :)

Everyday I dump and refill the water, every few days I give it a scrub with a brush and every few days after that I use a quick squirt of bleach from a spray bottle. On the busy days I have to dump and refill more often as so much water is displaced or gets dirty fast. That is usually closer to fall migration when my yard bird numbers skyrocket.

Thank you for your prompt reply. I have lots of work to do.

@@joanmacleod1362 I find mine is a job that keeps evolving after the observations. I enjoy the process though! :)