[va-bird] Re: Bird Creeks and Ponds
- From: canyon.eagle@xxxxxxxxxxx
- To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 04 Dec 2003 11:01:52 -0500
Cheryl and all interested,
Has anyone purchased a bird creek or pond from www.avianaquatics.com? I'm
considering setting one up but would like to know how much maintenance is
involved. The website says they are very low maintenance and that the
pump keeps it pretty clean, I'm just skeptical.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Cheryl Thomas
About 5 yrs or so ago I purchased a similar pond kit from Avian
Aquatics. Several things delayed my installing it. First, several stray
cats showed up and due to their intense interest in the birds, I had to
rethink the spot I had chosen for the pond's location. Then as my
ever-evolving plan for our garden kept changing, the project was delayed
several more times until I decided a pond might not work out. It's
probably just as well, since I couldn't guarantee I'd have the time to
maintain it properly. I donated the pond kit to Green Spring Park in
Annandale and came up with plan #537 or whatever plan I was up to by that time.
Presently I use birdbaths. In warm weather I have 4 or 5 located in
various locations around the garden. Some are on the ground, some are
elevated. In a large shrub above one of the elevated baths I mounted a
mister. The mister sprays and some of the spray dribbles and plops into
the water in the birdbath which I think helps attract birds.
For another bath, I hang a gallon water jug from a tree limb. The jug has
a wee hole in it which allows a drop of water to drip every now and
then. It's drips into a bath that sits on the ground directly underneath
the jug. Again, the dripping water helps attract the birds. I refill the
jub daily too.
In all the birdbaths, change the water daily. I quickly whisk the baths
out with a brush once or twice a week as needed. It's a maintenance
schedule I can handle, so it works for me.
During the winter I use one electric birdbath. You may have seen the type,
it's commonly available, a large white plastic bath on a black metal
stand. The birds love it and it is easy to clean. If I change the water
daily, it stays very clean.
A few notes:
1) Prior to the electric birdbath, I used a heating element in a standard
bird bath. It got would accumulate leaves, popular tree seeds, etc. which
were a bit of a nuisance. Also, the squirrels would jump in the bath and
bash it around a bit. After a couple seasons it fell apart. I replaced it
with the electric birdbath and am glad I did. This is the third season
I've used it and it is in good shape.
2) A friend of mine has a 3-tiered pool and found that she wasn't able to
use it through the winter due to it freezing up. She ended up having to
store it away until warmer temperatures. I don't know if this is unique to
my friend or not.
Water = birds, so whichever method works for you, do it. You'll make the
birds happy and have lots of fun watching them.
Lori Markoff
Vienna
Fairfax County
canyon.eagle@xxxxxxxxxxx
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