FOR THE BIRDS: In these dog days of summer, water isn’t just
good for your pooch. Don’t forget about those birds visiting your
backyard feeders.

Biologists for the Pennsylvania Game Commission tells us that
water has “almost magical power” to attract birds to your
backyard.

Drinking and wading in water can help birds manage their body
temperature when the sun is baking backyards and suburban settings.
In fact, water can be as or more important than food to some birds
when the heat is on.

Birds typically do just fine regulating their body temperatures
through breathing; they do not sweat.

As cooler, fresh air circulates through a bird’s respiratory
system, it shuttles away the warm, moist air that radiates from its
overheated body tissues. As a general rule, the smaller a bird, the
greater its body’s loss of water via breathing – and need to
replenish what it has expelled. This can be accomplished through
eating juicy fruits and berries, or bugs, or at a puddle or
backyard birdbath.

Biologist Doug Gross, an endangered bird specialist for the Game
Commission, adds, “Adding a water source to your backyard will
almost always draw birds and provide countless hours of
bird-watching pleasure. Water will pull in everything from
bluebirds and American goldfinches to ruby-throated hummingbirds
and robins.”

One must for birdbaths is keeping the water fresh to reduce
bacteria and viral threats to birds.

Another maintenance-must is using a scouring pad on the dish
area once every week or two to remove algae. Failure to do this
will often lead to a thick, slimy deposit in the base of the dish
that reduces its appeal, both to birds and people.

Use a scouring pad or scrub-brush and a hose to clean algae; add
dishwashing liquid for tough cases.

The general location of the pond/birdbath should be in a
low-traffic area of the yard and devoid of hiding places for
housecats. Limit or eliminate the bath’s exposure to sun, which
will keep the water cooler – and less prone to evaporate – and
fresher.

And, finally, fresh water will attract even more birds so be
vigilant in refill daily or even more frequently.

“There’s no better time to add one than in July and August,”
Gross said. “So get going; do something ‘wild,’ and then sit back
and enjoy what you have created. Birdwatching, after all, can be
very therapeutic and is always conversational.”