Bird Bath
 

I'm considering getting a bird bath for my backyard. I'm in a courtyard Villa and many birds land on the block wall in the back. Now, I don't want to give Mosquito a place to breed. I see there are tablets you can put in a bird bath that will keep the mosquitoes away. I don't want to hurt the birds, I want to help them. Does anyone here have experience with this or is a birdbath a bad idea?

If you do get bird bath don’t let water set in there. Flush it out every couple days minimum. If it starts to turn color with algae you have use algae cleaning product or 10% or less bleach. Then throughly rinse. Birds are going to get bird bath dirty so you going to want to flush it out daily or minimum every couple days. Maybe be more work than you anticipated? Plenty of water in this area so makes no difference. I enjoy watching Bluebirds, cardinals, house finches, mocking birds splash around.

Solar Fountain Pump for Water Feature can help.

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Our bird bath turned upside down, mosquitoes! Bird feeder empty, bird flu, pretty sure they will survive without us.

At the end of a day of bathing, there is not much water left anyway, just muck.
Flush it daily and there will be no problems with critters breeding in the bath.
Do not need any chemicals, just clean water and a brush to clean.

You could also get a fountain…..more expensive and a bit more maintenance, but if you’re outside a lot, the sound of running water is nice. Get one where there is a shallow area on top for them to bathe in.

Fairfield Farms and KB Landscape would be a good source for one.

I don't know about the tablets for birdbaths, but the donuts (Lowes & probably H. Depot) are great. Donuts won't hurt the birds & will kill mosquitoes. On the other hand, a regular flushing will be needed as noted above. It won't be a maintenance free bird bath. It's a great idea, however!

What are donuts for a bird bath?

It contains a bacterium that kills mosquito larvae….or something like that. It’s used mostly in small koi ponds. Never used it in a bird bath…..

Clean water is a must!
 

Is the bird bath for the birds or is somewhat for your visual pleasure.
If it's for the birds, as a previous poster said the birds will survive without your bird bath.
If it's for your visual pleasure, see if there is such a thing as a bird shower, so this way they will sing as they're scrubbing themselves clean.

I have a bird bath. Birds love it. I need to change the water 3-4 days this time of year. In the summer , because it is in the
hot sun, algae forms more often, so it needs to be cleaned every 2 days or so. I just use a magic eraser and fill back up with nice cold water.

I agree with posters who said to have one you can clean easily and often. We have a couple of them up north and they're so worth it!

We did not have good luck with ours but we do not live in a villa. We mostly attracted black birds & raccoons. Finally a raccoon managed to break it. Now we use the base for our sundial.

Also if there are any rat traps near your property (including nearby rec centers, etc) and a rodent eats the bait & needs water to drink, they will smell a nearby waterfall, pond or birdbath.

But hopefully you have better luck.
As another poster mentioned, with bird flu I personally would not try it again now

Don't do it!!!!!!!!
 

Made the mistake of a bird feeder and bird bath. Got mice, rats, raccoons. Ate thru my screen birds flew in what a mess. Had to put a panel in to replace bottom of screen. Just observe, don't interact, you will get more than you bargained for. :shrug:

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Bad idea. Let me ask you this: Did the wildlife exist prior to your meddling with the ecosystem? Leave it alone. Let them be WILD, please.

The mosquito tablets (actually donut shape) work great. One donut should last a month. It doesn’t hurt animals. We used them in our livestock drinking barrels for the wildlife in the area at our ranch years ago. It keeps larvae from developing. I think it’s an enzyme of some sort.

I know little about birds. You must be attracting some dirty birds leave muck behind? Typical year I find 2-3 nests in bushes and trees. I've sort of given up on my blueberries. Used to grow them up north the birds would at least wait for them to ripen. Florida birds, perhaps why they are dirty-birds eat them green.,

For what it is worth koi are fancy carp. Many carp in lakes and ponds were purchased as gold fish at pet stores. Kill mosquitoes? With proper care. Proper being no care, the fish keep the insects in balance.

Most carps In United States are European and Asian. Farm ponds can be mix depending on how the got in there?

Which can first birds or Neanderthals?

Love having a bird bath. They come close to be viewed. I empty the water every day. Shallow pans are better and I put smooth river rock on the bottom allowing butterflies to get water too. Use regular water with some hydrogen peroxide to clean with a brush. The peroxide will not harm the plants. I have a separate small bowl for the donuts. I would only use clean, unadulterated water for the birds.

I can't help it. I'm a meddler. :wave:

For my bird bath I use a solar device called a Water Wiggler, which I purchased on Amazon. It spins creating a slight ripple to the water surface. This ripple keeps it mosquito free and it doesn’t frighten the birds.

Thanks to all who replied. Because my garden hose would have to be dragged out 65 feet every time to clean it I've decided not to get a bird bath.

In some areas they may need help due to bulldozer. :oops:

YOU don't make sense!
 

Birdbath
 

Our home is very close to neighbor. Our neighbor has a birdbath, bird feeders and feeds squirrels about 10 ft from our birdcage. The squirrels have chewed our plastic drain pads under gutter spouts, climbed up gutter spouts and chewed 2 large holes in our birdcage screens and dug up my gardens to hide peanuts she feeds them. We asked nicely last spring to please not do this as expensive damage to our home. Reply was how much she loves the birds n squirrels. Please be kind to your neighbors. Our neighbors could move their feeding area to side of home not near us or other neighbors but chooses to let us constantly pay to fix damages to our home./QUOTE]