How to keep bird bath water cool

Go ahead and attempt to keep the bird bath water cool but remember birds can manage in a warm water source, so don't be too disheartened if you can't achieve cool water.

How to keep bird bath water cool will begin in a shaded location. You can add ice cubes throughout the day or why not replace warm water via a bird bath dripper that feeds fresh, clean cold water out of a faucet - as old water spills over the sides. Birds can cope with warm water but can appreciate a cold drink.

Can there be anything more refreshing then a cool beverage on a hot summers day - well this is what birds would like so would appreciate it if you can supply it.

Birds can cool down in a super cold water source so are happy to ruffle their feathers in a cool water source; a too hot bird bath water temperature can never really by achieved in outdoor conditions.

Regardless, rest assured birds can drink or bathe in warm bird bath water which is vital for keeping birds fully fit.

Begin by locating your bird bath in a shaded area within your yard, with a deck mounted bird bath out of direct sun coming in useful at this time.

Of course, all this can include what you would consider to be the best color bird bath, where a vibrant theme can grab birds attention as they pass nearby.

To locate a bird bath on a pole it can be on the shaded side of a structure or a tree.

Similarly, a hanging bird bath will have to be hung on the shaded side rather than being out in direct sunshine all day.

With any kind of bird bath situated in the shade, only then can you attempt to use a technique for keeping bird bath water cool.

Ice cubes can be added to the water throughout the day but realistically its beyond anyone's patience to do that.

What can be better is dripping fresh, cold water into the bird bath continuously while the warmer, dirtier water is allowed to spill out. How this is done is with what is called a bird bath dripper that must be connected to a faucet.

Water is wasted but it won't feel like it is if you allow a gentle drip of water only.

You can replace water like this by hand only the bird bath dripper can be setup once, the faucet can be turned on and then can be forgotten.

Never allow general bird bath grime or algae to develop in a bird bath when you are attempting to keep the water cool; this filth can either raise the water temperature, or indeed the grime can damage any water cooling devices you choose to use.

Situate bird bath in shade

Where you decide to place your bird bath is up to you, it can depend on your yard only with your local birds behavior.

And while a bird bath can be in the sun or under the cover of shade; its imperative you place your bird bath in shade to at least to keep your bird bath water cooler.

Unfortunately there's no guarantee your bird bath water can stay cool in the shade because a hot day will simply heat up the water regardless. With that in mind humidity can also cause water to stay warm whichever technique you use to cool down water.

Situate the bird bath in an area within the yard that receives the most shade in the day.

Little sun may not be avoided although careful planning can be sure you miss direct sunshine for all of the day.

Where to place your bird bath in the yard would be by the side of a tree or near your property boundary - as the bird bath would be tucked behind a fence, wall or shrubs - to hide the bird bath out of sight of the sun.

Remember wild birds have to find your bird bath by sight or at least hear it with the sound of running water - thus be sure the bird bath remains in an open and unrestricted area.

Consider adding ice cubes

What will need a lot of time and patience on your part is to continue to replenish the bird bath water bowl with ice cubes to cool down the water.

Now I can't say how often you'd need to do this but I am sure it will be every hour or so, which will continue everyday to keep the water at a cool temperature.

It doesn't make sense to use this technique especially if you don't have the time on your hands. However I can assure it is a great way of cooling the water down to room temperature at least - as the heat of the sun will avoid the water going too cold.

To counter the ice cubes melting to quickly you must still locate your bird bath in the shade, while making sure the water isn't too shallow.

You see a bird bath water depth of 2 inches would take longer for the sun to heat it up, and therefore melt the ice cubes. Great for larger birds at this depth only smaller birds like a shallow bird bath at 1 inch.

Continue to add plenty of ice cubes to the bird bath water to keep it cool while making sure to make additional cubes to keep it topped up.

Never buy ice cubes as too much will be needed and will be a waste of money.

Pour cool water with dripper

What I believe the best way to keep bird bath water cool is to setup what is known as a bird bath dipper.

Handy little device that is connected to an outdoor faucet which in turn the connected hose joins up with a nozzle that is hanging over your bird bath water - it hooks over the rim of the bird bath bowl to stay in place.

Now what you do is turn on the outdoor faucet [tap] only a little way to create a very calm, consistent light drizzle.

Water will now run through the hose - which you can keep it discreet by burying it - then dribble out the other end, into the bird bath water bowl.

Birds can be attracted to the sound of running water or ripples on the surface which can grab their attention as they pass over - and that is the point of a bird bath dripper.

What you are going to use the bird bath dripper for would be to allow what is clean fresh water from your house to slowly fill up the bird bath bowl; which will replace the warmed up and probably now dirty water source in the bird bath.

Warm water will spill out of the sides of the bird bath while always be replenished with cool, fresh clean water.

You know what, I think this could be a good way of keeping your bird bath algae free in hotter months at a time when algae is likely to grow more rapidly.

Continue to replace water regularly

Similar to adding a bird bath dripper to the rim of your bird bath bowl, which will basically replace the water automatically as water spills over and onto the ground.

Only this time you can do it by hand as the now warmed up bird bath water can be changed as often as you like on hotter days.

Change the bird bath water up to twice a day if you can with the likelihood of only once a day being within reason for most people.

Keep the bird bath water cool by always swapping it out with fresh cool water out of the tap. I will say this would be a real pain for many of you - but on the plus side birds can happily drink or bathe in warm water still.

Continue to replace the bird bath water up to twice daily but remember this will coincide with a shaded location.

To go down the route of changing the bird bath water twice a day I will recommend you rely on a bird bath dripping to do it for you.

You can also be a bit inventive by hanging a bowl of water above the bird bath with a small hole it the bottom; this water will drip into the bird bath below it thus replace the old, warm water with the cooler water in the bucket - if its hung within a shaded area.

Rise in temperature due to bird bath material

You know what I am clutching at straws now because while it can make a difference, that small difference may not be worth your time.

So you see the material your current bird bath is made in - probably one of stone, plastic or metal - can keep the water cooler or indeed make it super hot which is true for a metal bird baths - which is a perfect conductor for absorbing heat.

With that in mind I believe a made in plastic bird bath can stay cooler and so can a stone bird bath which is my best material for a bird bath overall.

Metal, be it steel or cast iron bird baths, much like any metal in direct sun - which is basically like the body of a car or a gate lock - can feel particular hot when you touch it by hand.

Now imagine a metal pan or bowl filled with water, you can appreciate the water will quickly heat up to match the temperature of the object the water is sitting in.

Of course this is what a metal bird bath will do when offering a water source for birds.

On the plus side birds won't mind it as much although danger could be lurking. You see birds will land on a rim of a metal bird bath to which it can be so hot it could indeed burn the feet of birds - so do keep an eye on your metal bird bath to see if it gets too hot.

Birds can drink warm water

With all that said and done the good news is our common backyard birds can actually drink and bathe in water that is a little too hot for your liking.

Birds know a water source that is way too hot to enter or dink out of thus are guaranteed to avoid it at all costs.

Birds won't waste an opportunity to re-hydrate if they must because it could be a matter of life and death. If the water source is warm or a little hot - much like puddles or other water sources are in the wild - birds will deal with it.

With that bird baths can be in full sun if it must but I do recommend you make shade.

Its unlikely birds will experience some kind of shock or after effects when drinking out of warm or hot bird baths - just as birds can drink or bathe in freezing cold bird baths in the winter - because they've evolved to deal with it.

How birds will benefit in cool or cold bird bath water is that a nice cold drink is more appreciated in the heat, over a warm beverage when its hot out.

With birds able to drink or bathe in warm or in a hotter source of water, don't be too concerned about keeping your bird bath water cool, as it may not be needed after all.

To summarize

To get off to a good start at keeping your bird bath water cool, it would be of course to situate the bird bath in shade for part of, or all of the day.

Direct sunshine can rapidly heat up a water source thus the shade can sustain cool water as long as it stays under cover.

What you can do is fill up the bird bath water to depth of 2 inches thus the water will take longer to heat up. And in this water you can continue to replenish it with ice cubes in the day to keep the temperature down.

What is possibly my favorite technique for keeping bird bath water cool is simply setting up what is called a bird bath dripper.

What's involved is that a water hose is connected to your indoor or outdoor faucet; then water is carried down the hose to create a light drizzle of water into the bird bath at the other end - where the bird bath dripper leans over the top.

Now fresh cold water will drip into the bird bath while the old, heated up water is allowed to spill out as the bowl overflows.

You can continue to replace water a couple of times a day while a bird bath dripper will do it all for you.

To be honest, birds can happily drink or bathe out of an overheated bird bath water source, just as they can manage at a bird bath that is on the cusp of icing over in winter.

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