Hanging bird bath blowing in the wind

Maybe this is why ground bird baths are more popular choices? LOL

I bought this simple hanging bird bath (it looks like one of those pet waterbowls, doesn't it?) to hang beside my feeder on the shepherd's hook. I wanted to buy a more expensive, cobblestone hanging bath, but I figured this would be a good test for a hanging bird bath vs a ground one. My ground one broke, and I really like the looks of the hanging baths. Plus, it's easier to see the birds from inside the living room!

The birds seem to like the hanging bath better than my old pedestal one, maybe because they like being up higher? I put a rock in the bowl today because I haven't seen anyone take a bath, just drink from the edge. The rock will provide a better surface to stand on.

But, despite the bottle being pretty full last night, it was windy and I woke up to a bone dry bath! The birds weren't happy, and I hurried to refill it. It's been very windy here, and almost all the water sloshed out within half an hour! I filled it again, and thankfully the wind has died down. So the birds will have water at least for awhile.

I think I'll be buying a pedestal bird bath ASAP! Just thought I'd share.

Oh thats pretty neat!

Hello Lady_Eagle - may I ask where you purchased your hanging bird bath?

Thank you much!
~Kim

That is a neat one. I just started using my copper hanging bath again with water dripping into it. It took the birds a few days to adjust to it but they are liking it especially since it is further from the house and well under branches. It may take them a few days to trust using your new bath.

As far as wind...bummer. We get regular gail force winds out here (20-40 mph is normal wind) but haven't had any in a month or so since I put the hanging bath up. Mine has a pretty heavy rock in the middle of it. I can't remember if the wind empties it or not.

I saw, I think at Gardeners Supply, maybe BestNest, but not sure, some light colored rocks or porcelain pebbles that you put in baths to raise the bottom up some and give them something to grip on. They claim they won't get grungy. They may help weigh the bath down some too, but not sure. I'll do a search later and see what I can find.

gg=alice

I found them: Bird Bath Filler Balls

http://www.duncraft.com/Birdbath-Fillers-P1958C9.aspx

gg=alice

Thank you much gg!! I love that it fills itself. I will have to go check into ordering one :D
~Kim

I got mine from Home Hardware. It is available in a bunch of colors, too.

I no longer have it hanging, it is sitting on the ground doing its thing. :)

This message was edited Aug 15, 2007 10:14 PM

I couldn't find the one that you have but I did find one that is self filling that is what I am looking for. This is the one I am getting http://www.duncraft.com/Bird-Water-Cooler-P1432C11.aspx
Thanks much!
~Kim

I saw that one too Kim, looks interesting.

I will be trying it out... hope the birds love it :D - I love that I won't have to refill it all the time

In summer my birdbaths dry up unless they have constant water streaming or dripping into them, otherwise I would try one out like that. But then again my "tree rats" would certainly eat it up as they do to all plastic (and rugs and blankets, and chair cushions, and clothes, and towels, my eye glasses that trees snag, .... you name it.)

In the concrete with a stream, the squirrels lick the base. When it was near the rail the squirrels drank from the bowl with front feet on the concrete. One of the flying copper hummers was broken off the copper bath this week. I'm suspecting the squirrels did it.

Whenever the water has dried up the rats, snakes, and squirrels try to drink from the pool. One too many floaters to allow that to ever happen again. I did put a small, metal one out for the bunnies, on ground, way out in yard, but forget to fill it. Probably need to rig up a drip for that one too. BTW.... there's no way to keep the bunnies away so they peacefully co-exist for the most part. I used to feed SuperBunny (she bullied the squirrels and crows) on the pool decking but she got too comfortable and Hilda Rottie brought in her beautiful corpse one night.

Please report successes with the bottle bath. You may have to baffle it to keep squirrels from destroying it.

gg=alice

gg=alice

LOL, Your Hilda Rottie must be quite a hunter!

Well I purchased a couple of them... found them at an amazing price at Petco and then if you order $50 or more you get free shipping but if you purchase one with shipping is still less than buying one at other places... most of them wanted 19.99 which I thought was good - but I found them here
http://www.petco.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=1039040&cm_ven=shopping&cm_cat=75&cm_pla=1039040&cm_ite=1039040
for $10.19 and then shipping is like 8.15 - so you get it for under $20 with shipping (18.34 to be exact) or if you buy other things you want or need you can get free shipping :)
Petco also has a sale on everything right now because normally they are 11.99
Can't wait to give it a try :) I know I will be glad that I don't have to fill it up every day
~Kim

Walmart also has a hanging bird spa.

When Hilda Ratter and Hank Rotties came here as puppies (their sire was Rottie/Lab mix; dam Rottie - they are labeled at the Vets as Lab Mix in case we ever get any Breed Restrictions out here) they jumped around like little crickets all over the house. Hilda stayed small enough (74 lbs; no extra fat) and retained her athletic abilities. She's one of "those" who can get out of or over just about any fences. A couple of "neighbors" were scared of her because she is a "Rottie" but she's more scared of them and just barks from a distance. (In her advancing years she pretty much stays home now with occasional jaunts into the woods.) I saw her catch the possum last year at a feeder on deck. It was making a "leap". She jumped at least 5 ft up to snag it, at age 9 yrs at that. Thank goodness she isn't interested in live birds or we'd have a real problem.

gg=alice

I'll have to check ours. They changed everything from last year because they remodeled and they must have different suppliers because the garden and bird depts have changed dramatically and they don't carry very much stuff in either dept. now and what they have is very different from before.

pelle,

Our HD and Walmart changed and rearranged too. They both have smaller wild bird sections now, too. (I only make it to Lowes once a year or so)

At least HD has started carrying the Corn Logs and Safflower that save me an extra trip to WM (where I always spend too much money).

The best price I've found for the Corn Logs is still at WM; less than $4 for a two-pack. I just ordered a case of Corn and Nut Logs from Best Nest. I haven't seen those before. I purchased enough things to get free shipping (and no sales tax). (It's 8.5 % here)

I'm seriously considering checking in to getting a Wild Birds Unlimited Franchise out here since our shopping area is now the second largest in Dallas County and growing, the Park and Preserves are bringing in a big draw of birding people (and surely local "awareness" will increase), and with the Audubon Center Opening next year there could be a lot of demand for that type of store . I would have to have a partner, though, because I can't come up with the full amount needed to start. I'm first going to check with the owners of a WBU in Dallas who donated a lot of land to Audubon, are very active with Dallas Co. Audubon Society, and sponsor a lot of birding field trips out here. They used to own two stores in Dallas but are only listed as one now. Maybe they are opening one out here. Maybe I could at least work there. If I have to be inside I can't think of a better job.

gg=alice

The beginning of this year the wild bird feed section was turned over to the Garden Center. It used to be part of the pet department. Our wild bird section is larger than it used to be. I guess a lot depends on how good the dept. head is at recognizing the demand. My dept. head is the best we have ever had and keeps track of what our customers want. He also feeds birds. The wild bird section has been better stocked this year. Since we feed also; we are able to talk to the customers and understand their needs and wants. We are also better able to anticipate the need of any seasonal increases in certain items.

Wow that's nice, I wish I lived near your store!

That's great info Frank. I was really disappointed a couple of months ago when WM didn't have the Corn Logs. It was the only place I could count on having them consistently along with Safflower. It is disaster here if I run out of those. I guess our WM was getting ready to transition the wild bird section to the garden section too as they have now completed. I do think ours is smaller now though. Maybe that will change.

So I could maybe talk to some of the employees for any special requests? I mean a suggestion? And it might work?

BTW... Frank, I'm sure this has been asked before. What camera and lens do you use for your bird pictures. I have two Minoltas Z1 and Z3, with a wide angle and zoom lens (I keep the zoom on the Z3 and wide angle on the Z1 as it doesn't have any anti-shake feature) but I'm thinking I need a more powerful zoom (or telephoto), and a Canon A640 (powershot), but I don't want to get a larger zoom for it because I got it for it's smaller size and reasonable zoom and speed for consecutive shots (and the price was right too). I haven't had much time this year to get many bird pictures. I watch them a lot but I'm always hopping up to do chores.

I'm really considering selling the two Minoltas though and getting one that has a remote shutter feature, either physical or clicker and keeping it set up on a tripod. I can't keep the tripod really handy though as the dogs knock it over but if I think about it hard and long enough maybe I can come up with a solution.

Last month I left the Canon out in a huge rain storm with water from the roof flooding over it for a few hours. Immediately removed the batteries and memory card, and dried with everything open, it in the clothes dryer, extra low heat, for a day, changing its position frequently.... Didn't seem to phase it. I was one lucky granny.

One of my major obstacles for picture taking and getting good colors on the birds is so much shade. I even thought about mounting some floods with remote controls when a good shot presents itself in the shade.

gg=alice

Granny, Are there settings in your camera for lightning up the subject ? Sorry I don't know anything about Minoltas. Would software help at all; there are a lot of fee software you can download that might help too.

Alice...I use a Canon Rebel XTi. Most of my bird shots are made with an EF 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 IS USM lense zoomed to the 300mm lengh. I also sometimes use a Canon G5; but it does not have enough optical zoom. I also have a lot of shade. I have to use a high ISO to get enough light. High ISO creates noise so I have to put most of my photos through noise software to clean up the noise. Noise is the tiny spots on photos shot at high ISO. My next lense will be a 100-400mm L. There are now some good point and shoot cameras out there that have 10 and 12 times optical zoom. Check into any IS as some cameras use a higher ISO to get a faster shutter instead of having a lense element shift. Remember the best prints are 300 pixels per inch or more. So if you want large prints you will need a lot of megapixels. And happy snapping.

Frank, Thanks so very much for the info. I'm familiar with the Rebel XTi as I purchased one for my friend in the Yucatan, who has the Spider Monkey Preserve/Rescue. A university gave her a grant for a new camera recommending that, and I agreed. Great camera and very highly recommended for semi-pros and pros alike. And novice user friendly, too. I'm sure the prices have come down some since. Thanks, for info.

Do you use a tripod?

gg=alice

Alice, I don't usually use a tripod for the bird photos but the lense is an IS one. I do use a tripod for macro photos and portraits.

Kim, I really love the one that you bought from Duncraft. Now I want one! Has it arrived yet? How are you liking it?