Keep Cardinals Happy And Hydrated All Winter With This Simple Birdbath Alternative

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Catching a bright red cardinal against a snow-white background is a feast for the senses. Those wishing to see more cardinals in their backyards this winter can help attract them by filling feeders with black oil sunflower seeds. They can also make sure those feeders are in the right spot and consistently cleaned and filled. To ensure those cardinals stick around and keep coming back, it's necessary to provide them with a source of fresh water as well. For many, leaving a birdbath filled throughout winter seems like an obvious solution. However, there are some downsides to that strategy, since the water can be freezing cold, even freeze solid. As a result, in many areas, particularly those that routinely experience sub-freezing conditions, a bird waterer may be a better alternative to keep cardinals happy and hydrated all winter.

Bird waterers come in a variety of forms. Think of them as the office water cooler for your feathered friends. Models like the Perky Pet 48-ounce hanging water cooler bird waterer consist of a reservoir with a dispenser tray beneath, similar to many birdseed or hummingbird nectar feeders. Like all hanging bird feeders, these pet waterers are portable, which can be very helpful. Unlike birdbaths, they can be quickly and easily moved from one area of your yard to another as sun and weather patterns change. This can even be done throughout the day to ensure the waterer is always in the warmest possible spot in your yard.

The portability of bird waterers, also known as wild bird water feeders, offers a few other advantages over birdbaths when it comes to providing birds with water during winter. For one, the water in a birdbath is likely to freeze overnight in the winter time. In contrast, waterers can simply be brought indoors at night to prevent freezing. On days when temperatures stay below the freezing mark, waterers can be easily dumped or refilled to ensure birds have a continual supply of unfrozen, drinkable water. This can also be accomplished using a small, unbreakable bowl instead of a hard-to-empty birdbath if you don't have a waterer.

While you can add heaters, dark color stones, or even rubber ducks to keep your birdbath from freezing, there is some thought birds shouldn't use birdbaths in such harsh conditions. Freezing water can create a coat of ice on their feathers dropping their body temperatures. In nature, the shallow pools of water birds use to bathe are typically frozen unless the temperature is warm enough for them to safely bath. By using artificial methods to prevent the birdbath water from freezing, birds are open to the risk of being able to bathe in dangerously cold temperatures. Since waterers only birds something to drink without getting soaked, the danger is automatically eliminated.

Finally, regardless of the time of year, all water sources need to be cleaned regularly. Not doing so puts birds at risk for disease. Whereas cleaning a birdbath in winter can be laborious, especially if it has become frozen over, bird waterers can be easily removed from their hangers, and cleaned and refilled on the spot or where it's nice and toasty inside.