What is a bird bath dripper
What can be described as a device to keep bird bath water moving, understand this is an essential feature of any bird bath setup if you were to succeed in attracting birds.
What is a bird bath dripper would be a made in metal piping feature that connects to tubing to fix on an accessible faucet. Metal pipe can then allow water to flow out by creating drips, although more water pressure can supply a continuous flow. Water drips into the water bowl to achieve ripples in the water.
Often people will revert to buying what is a solar powered bird bath fountain feature to add to their current set up, or indeed buy a bird bath with a fountain feature installed.
Unfortunately, a solar powered feature can only function in direct sunshine in the yard.
What else you can buy is what is called 'The Wiggler' which is a battery operated water ripple machine to place within your bird bath bowl.
Of which all this is done to keep the bird bath water moving in order to attract birds to the sight of ripples - with any sound of cascading water being a much needed bonus.
What the 'bird bath dripper' does which can be comparable to these devices, is make ripples on the water surface via a gentle flow of water drops.
Drippers are operated by the water mains which is connected to a faucet while using a length of tubing made available within the kit.
Bird baths drippers are therefore more reliable than solar power or batteries yet can see water waste.
You can buy a bird bath dripper which would be made compatible with any kind of bird bath design - including a bird bath that hangs which birds love - while a dripper is more compatible with a bird bath on a stand.
Benefits of a bird bath dripper certainly far outdoes similar options: including fresh water pouring into the bird bath to keep it cool, or indeed a dripper can use a warm water flow at times to prevent the bird bath water freezing over.
Bird bath dripper creates water ripples
What exactly is a bird bath dripper is a pipe made up of copper with a length of regular tubing which connects to an outdoor faucet - all the way to where your bird bath is.
Now the copper end is similar to a tap - or should I call it a facet - in which a continuous flow of water is allowed to drip out. Force which creates this continuous drip at various pressure levels, is done so via the water mains in the home.
How the bird bath dripper setup will appear is a pipe hooked over the rim or positioned in the middle of the bird bath bowl.
Connected to this pipe which allows water to drop out is a length of tubing leading all the way back inside the home, or to an outdoor faucet for convenience.
What you will then do to operate the bird bath dripper to create moving water within your water bowl is to turn on the faucet at a gentle pressure.
So gentle in fact the water that flows out the end of the pipe is a barely noticeable drip, in which can lead to making effective ripples on the water surface.
I will say you'd want to make the drip at a pleasant force while avoiding what can only be an annoying dripping sound.
Connects to outdoor faucet to operate
Unfortunately, there is a downside to using a bird bath dripper in order to attract birds to tour bird bath, which is a waste of water.
Forcing the dripper at a gentle drip won't waste that much water if its only allowed to drip just to make effective ripples in the water - but to use more pressure for a continuous, fast flowing drop of water - will sure add up on your water bill each month.
Solution to avoiding too much water waste is to create a gentle drip rather than a continuous flow if you can help it.
Where you place your bird bath in the yard may have to be pushed closer to the home or indeed near to an outdoor faucet location so the dripper tube can reach.
But why use an outdoor faucet is because you'd be forced to keep a window or door open to allow the bird bath dripper to be pulled through - of which there's no avoiding insects in summer or the cold in winter.
With the cold weather in mind, a continuous flow of water directly out of your tap can be used to drip warm water into your bird bath water bowl which is how you'd keep your bird bath water from freezing - especially if you turn on the hot tap once in a while.
Outdoor faucet won't apply to many of you for use, but remember a bird bath dripper can still use an indoor tap in the kitchen if it must - its just up to you to make it work out.
What to expect in kit
Thankfully, what you need to get up and running with a bird bath dripper out of the box is going to be included in the kit.
What you can expect of course is a disconnected bird bath copper or durable plastic tubing for water to drip out - along with a length of tube similar to a garden hose rolled up and ready to be connected.
Connection point to squeeze onto your outdoor or kitchen faucet will guarantee to be compatible for all.
Bird bath dripper accessories can vary but can include one or more of:
- Bird bath dripper made in copper or any metal
- Y-shaped valve to connect to faucet
- Adjustable needle valve
- 20 to 30 feet of tubing which is like a garden hose
- Hanger for securing dripper over bird bath bowl
Bird baths really do need running water in an effort to attract birds to it, thus a simple bird bath setup will get you up and going in no time at all.
What you must consider most when buying a bird bath dripper for your specific bird bath placement, is the length of the tubing.
You don't want to come up short while additional tubing shouldn't be in the way. In the end you will be burying this tubing in the ground to hide out of view - but only if that is what you want to do as it depends on your backyard landscape.
Birds attracted to moving water
Make no mistake about it our common backyard birds who frequent our bird baths more often, are attracted to a noisy, moving bird bath water source over a quiet, static bath.
Reasons why that is because bird baths can simply go unnoticed if birds can't be attracted to it through sight or sound - of which a bird bath dripper can supply both.
Bird bath dripper will create what I hope is a pleasant sound of dripping water, whereas a continuous flow wouldn't be as noisy or noticeable.
All while the dripper will create an effective dripping effect in the water originating at the drip with ripples seen to flow outwards.
Ripples will be seen by passing birds whereby the water is moving, yet a glistening of sun or light can be enhanced in this ripple.
Options can include to use what is the best solar powered bird baths on the market; only they rely on direct sun to operate - whereas a dripper will continue to operate until your turn off the tap - of which you will when birds disappear for the day.
With that, the bird bath will still need to be made visible to birds who pass over in the sky, or birds who at times briefly land in your yard to rest.
Compatible with bird baths
What is so great about bird bath drippers is its ability to be compatible with pretty much any kind of bird bath style.
Ideally it would be a bird bath with a rim where a dripper can be hooked onto at the edge; whereby there's an option to buy a bird bath that is compatible with a flat base bowl - where the dripper is positioned at the center.
Dripper will then be mounted into an heavy base so it can remains safely standing up.
Compatible bird baths could even be what is a deck mounted bird bath if the tubing can reach it, or indeed the tube can be hidden on the deck.
And as bird baths must also be on the ground to attract ground feeding birds - I will admit this is where it can get complicated. As drippers tend to be made to hook on an elevated bird bath rim - the ground could prevent the dripper being position as it must.
With all that let's not forget the depth of the bird bath for the dripper to operate.
Well, rest assured you can have your bird bath water at a depth you feel can encourage all birds - so at 1 inch deep will do it - in the safeguard a dripper can still fully function.
To summarize
What is a bird bath dripper would be a copper piping with tubing that connects to an accessible faucet, which then hangs over a bird bath for water to drip into the bowl.
Where the 'dripper' name comes from is because you use a gentle water pressure to only create a continuous drop of water rather than make a continuous flow.
What this bird bath dripper will do is then make ripples in the water, of which wild birds are attracted to moving water over what is an isolated, static bird bath water source.
With the ripples in the water the dripping sound or a flow of water can also attract birds to your bird bath operating a dripper.
No solar power, electric, battery or effort is needed on your part for a bird bath dripper to operate; simply turn on your cold faucet gently for a few hours a day while you can go about your business and forget all about it.
I will admit, the downside to using a bird bath dripper is it doesn't use recycled water like a solar powered fountain would; thus water will begin to spill out over the sides as the water fills the bird bath bowl to the top.
Drippers can be made fully compatible with any bird bath style yet a bird bath can even be made available with a bird bath dripper built-in to the feature.
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