Water for Birds
If you move into a house with a river frontage, or a lake or decent-sized pond at the foot of the garden, spend some time watching what happens before planning any changes. Find out which waterside plants are growing there and which birds are using them for food or shelter. Large areas of reeds or so-called `bulrushes’ may extend right across your frontage, and its perhaps tempting to clear them away to give a clear view across areas of open water—but it may be much better to create a couple of large gaps in the cover, retaining some of it at either end and in a clump or two in the middle. This broken edge effect is likely to prove more attractive to more bird. Species than either a clear shoreline or a continuous, unbroken line of vegetation. Fly producing little bays and inlets you will provide loafing spots for duck, feeding areas for snipe and open crossing points which might help you to spot More furtive birdlike the water rail_ You might also attract a fishing heron and, if you provide one or two strategically placed perches, regular visits from a kingfisher.
If you are fortunate enough to have a long frontage onto a lake, it could pay dividends to think in terms of creating a length of irregular shoreline, with miniature bays, promontories and shallows. This will probably involve you in many hours’ manual labor, but the chance of attracting more waterfowl and perhaps
Migrant waders like green and common sandpipers will make it very worthwhile. A big post in the water will also be useful as a perching place for a number of birds.
In upland areas, some gardens back on to rocky or fast-moving streams, where common sandpipers, dippers and greyis wagtails may all occur as breeding birds. Generally, it is not possible to manage the foot of your garden to attract these species, although a contrived hit of gravelly shore might help wagtails and sandpipers and a garden pond should certainly attract the former. If there is none in place already, it would be worth positioning a couple of large, round-topped stones in the water where you can seethe. All three birds will find them and use them - dippers may pause to feed in the eddies around them.
One final point concerning water frontages: relatively swift-moving lowland stream, particularly on chalk, may provide you with the opportunity of growing. If you have the room to divert the water across a shallow area. This leads not only to good eating, but produces excellent conditions for a number of birds, including wagtails and pipits. If you live in a suitable area there will be cress farms locally where you can see how the system works and (if you are not likely to present a serious commercial threat) local cress-growers may advise you.
Most people, of course do not have rivers, streams, lakes or ponds at the foot of their gardens, but for many bird gardeners the provision of water is often one of their first considerations. Birds need water to survive; you can provide it quite easily, either as a simple drinking or bathing supply, or in the form of a manmade pond.
Bird baths are available in a variety of forms, either on pedestals or as precast or molded mini-pools for placing at ground level. All of these are perfectly acceptable to birds, but you can just as easily make your own, using an upturned dustbin lid or a small sheet of heavy gauge pond-liner. If you do make your own, remember to give the bird’s easy access from gently sloping sides, or via brick or stone placed in the water. Remember that shallow water is all that is needed; keep it clean of leaves and debris and change the water regularly.
Water is important in winter and, even if you do not maintain a year-round supply for your birds, you shouldendeavour to provide it in hard weather. The problem is, of course, that water freezes easily—so what is to be done? On no account should you add any form of anti-freezing substance to the water: the chances are that it will do some harm to the birds. You can, of course, adopt the irksome course of going out and breaking the ice regularly, or adding warm water at intervals, but nowadays most people think instead of installing a simple heater to maintain the water temperature above freezing point. An aquarium heater, available at any good pet shop, does the job perfectly well but it will, of course, require external, weatherproof wiring—a local electrician should be able to advise you on this aspect. If you are putting water out in a shallow container, for example a dustbin lid, it is very effective to raise the whole affair on bricks and place a simple nightlight in the space underneath it.