While I remain lamentably ignorant about the birds in my garden -- something I hope to remedy -- I have a gut feeling that bird feeders here in the temperate climates are unnecessary if not a bad idea. Instead, I choose plants with seeds and, more importantly, native plants that attract insects, the best food for baby birds. I feel differently about bird baths. There's no rain for many months in the summer, and even now in the rainy season we've just had a three week dry spell. I'm suspicious of the run-off from lawns, full of herbicides and fertilizer. So I have some water sources in my garden.On the left is a large concrete fountain (the kind you buy in the hardware store) left by the previous owners. Mr. Mouse installed a solar pump, so we -- birds and humans -- enjoy the sound of a burbling stream when we need it most. And word has gotten around in the bird community, the fountain is popular with the finches, Gold-Crowned Sparrow, and Black-Capped Phoebe.
The hanging bird bath I bought last year seemed a long shot, though the price was right. It came with a picture of several birds clinging to the chain and sitting at the edge. "Yeah, right," I thought, but hoped for maybe one or two visitors every now and then. Turns out the picture was correct! The finches (Gold Finch and House Finch) love this bird bath. They use it mostly for drinking, and it's often quite crowded there in the morning.On the shadier side of the garden I have my succulent standing bird bath, which is a concrete bird bath that came with the house but had a crack. I solved this problem with a plant saucer and some dirt and succulents. I often add a few flat stones so the bath is easier to access for smaller birds. The succulent bath is preferred by California Towees, Robins, and the occasional jay. In spring, when every bird appearantly wants to look great, I sometimes feel as if I'm the maid for the birds, filling the bath several times a day.
Some birds seem to favor my little water garden, shown in this post, though the barrel is really too steep. Still, I saw a chickadee sitting on one of the leaves just last week. Daring but effective.Finally, here's a picture of the plant saucer I put in the front as a ground-level bird bath. Right now, the plants in the front are still fairly small and there's little danger of a cat hiding behind them, so it's probably fairly safe. And the birds don't seem to mind the foot traffice and cars shown in this not very artistic photo. In fact, in the last two weeks I've felt as if I had the only open bird bar for miles around, and everyone came by a few times a day for a drink (or a bath).
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