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Birdbaths in Winter

Baby, it's cold outside! Keep that birdbath thawed!
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Mourning Dove at frozen birdbath
© Vicki DeLoach CC

Does the image of a frozen birdbath bring to mind a small yellow bird with ice skates? Birds need water in all seasons, for drinking and for bathing. When the water is frozen, you can thaw it with hot water. Or go the slightly more expensive route and add a heater.

Support for BirdNote comes from the Port Aransas Tourism Bureau. Info on February's Whooping Crane Festival and hundreds of species of birds to see year-round at VisitPortAransas.com.

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BirdNote®

Birdbaths in Winter
Written by Ellen Blackstone

This is BirdNote. [Splatter of birds bathing] 

It's 27° outside, and a robin is rolling and flopping in the birdbath, flinging water every which-way. What on earth is it thinking? Isn't it going to freeze to death with all that water on its feathers? Well, it turns out that bathing in winter actually helps birds' feathers protect them from the cold. The bath washes away particles of dirt that might otherwise prevent the feathers from their water-proofing work. And it probably also helps remove parasites. 

Birds need water in all seasons, for drinking and for bathing. [Splatter of birds bathing] 

When the water is frozen, you can thaw it with hot water. Or go the slightly more expensive but easier route by adding a heater.

Some things to keep in mind: In winter, it’ll help to put the birdbath on the south side of the house, or in the spot that gets the most sun, or against a sheltered wall. Place it no more than six feet from a tree or shrub, so the birds can fly to cover if a predator comes along. [Sparky the Cat]

If you supply winter birds with water, [Single Red-breasted Nuthatch, plus chatter of nuthatches and chickadees] you’ll be doing them a great service – and you might attract some really fascinating customers.

Support for BirdNote comes from the Port Aransas Tourism Bureau. Info on February's Whooping Crane Festival and hundreds of species of birds to see year-round at VisitPortAransas.com.

###

Bird calls provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Red-breasted Nuthatches foraging by W.L. Hershberger.
'SFX 02 Wind Moderate Soft' from Nature Sound Essentials recorded by Gordon Hempton of Quiet-Planet.org
BirdNote's theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Dominic Black
© 2015 Tune In to Nature.org     January 2017    Narrator: Mary McCann

ID#010506bathbath-01b

Ellen Blackstone
Writer
Frank Corrado
Narrator
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Tagsbackyard sanctuary backyard sanctuary birdfeeding

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