Carolina Wren enjoying the Heated Dog Bowl |
For food I fill several different feeders with different types of
food. I love song birds so I make sure to put out a steady supply of
black oiled sunflower seeds. I also put out nyjer seed for the little
finches. I love to attract woodpeckers so I offer both suet cakes and
suet pellets.
For water I have a birdbath which the birds love both for drinks and
bathing. This winter has been particularly cold and the bird bath
water is always frozen so I searched for a good way to provide fresh
water. I know there are heated birdbaths, but they were a little out
of the cost range I was considering. I read on one of my bird groups
that a heated dog bowl works great for birds and is inexpensive so I decided
to try that.
Heated Dog Bowl
After looking at several sites I settled on this dog bowl.
This bowl had several features which I find works well. At one quart
it is a good size for my deck. It is thermostatically controlled so
that it only operates when it is necessary. The bowl has an anti-tip
construction and the cord is covered with a heavy duty protector. It
comes in several colors and I chose the bright blue because I was hoping to
attract some blue birds and I thought that would look great in the
photographs.
I have had the bowl for 2 months now and it has worked great. It has
really been tested the last two weeks when our temperatures have been below
freezing the entire time and we've had wind chills in the -10 area.
The bowl has worked perfect and provided water for the birds in the chilling
weather. When it has snowed the snow just melts into the bowl. I
am very pleased with my purchase and I think my birds are too!
Photographs of Birds at the Water Bowl
Here are some photographs of birds taken at the new water bowl. First
of all it did attract the Eastern Blue Birds I was hoping to get. I
love the way their coloring matches with the bowl.
Here are some of the other birds enjoying the water. The Robin looks
pleased to have some fresh water and the Cardinal and House Finch also enjoy
the water.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”