Bird bath events

I don’t have many garden memories since I spent most of my childhood in military housing apartments overseas, but as I’ve shared before, the garden memories I do have are of Oma and Oba’s garden. We lived with them when I was very young and my father was on a grueling tour in Korea for the Army and during some summers when I was older. My Opa loved gardening and bird watching. He loved animals in general and we often referred to him as Dr. Doolittle. I don’t know if I’ve shared this before, but my mother had a collection of unusual pets growing up like a pony (they paid $25 for her and drove her in the back of a station wagon), squirrels, a goose, a raccoon, turtles, birds, goats, snakes, and a white mouse named Pedro And dogs and cats, of course. My mom said they kept goats in the bathtub when they had parties, and it would surprise unsuspecting guests using the bathroom.

However, one of my strongest gardening memories is playing around the concrete birdbath and bench that belonged to my great-grandmother. (I have my eye on a fluted concrete birdbath like theirs to put in the backyard.) I’ve been setting up a kitchen on the bench and making mud pies and honeysuckle salads. I have vivid memories of that old, rough concrete squeezing my fingers.

I think this is one of the reasons I love concrete garden decor. So, when I was putting together my shopping list for our first Lucetts Fall Market after we moved to Maryland, I added a concrete birdbath to the list. I never thought about having one in Minnesota or Pennsylvania, but I had a perfect spot for one in our new home.

One of my kind and generous blog readers saw my Lucketts wish list and reached out to tell me that she was downsizing and wanted to give me some concrete planters and a birdbath that she was getting rid of. She gladly took them from her hands and enjoyed them very much.

I didn’t start paying much attention to the birdbath or how often I used it until this spring. I didn’t even clean the tender leaves from the fall and only removed the water, but they were used a lot and I often watched the birds from the desk in my studio. I have perfect vision to see all the comings and goings. So, I started taking photos as references for paintings and then videos because they were so entertaining.

I loved watching the different species, how they interact, and how to use the bathroom. Some of them splash through the air like children in a swimming pool. Others are hesitant and walk around the edge before gently entering. Some are territorial and chase other birds away when it is their turn to bathe. Some just want to get a drink of water, so they tiptoe to the edge, dip their beak, and hit the water. The most entertaining birds are sweeping swimmers. They bathe and fluff, bathe and fluff, and continue the process until they appear satisfied. They will end their session disturbed and mangled with wet feathers.

I take a lot of photos, as if I have a newborn, but here are some of my favorites. Some of it is a little grainy, but the quality is pretty amazing considering I’m taking it on my phone and through the window.

I started writing down the types of birds I saw this year…catbirds, robins, blue jays, bluebirds, house sparrows, goldfinches, doves, starlings, house sparrows, and cowbirds.

Since I’ve been sharing photos and videos of my new birdwatching hobby on Instagram Stories, I’ve been asked about my birdbath, why I keep rocks in the center, and how I maintain them, so I thought I’d answer all those questions in this blog post.

First of all, the birdbath is made of concrete and comes in two parts, so it is easy to move, clean and store for the winter. As I shared, mine was a gift, but I found the exact gift at Lowe’s for less than $40 total for the bowl and base. Here is the base and here is the bowl. It’s out of stock now, but it’s been in stock for a few weeks, so I’m sure it will pop up again. You can also check your local store since shipping is expensive for concrete pieces or statues at local and garden stores. Concrete bird baths also appear on Facebook Marketplace with some regularity.

I actually saw birdbath rocks in a home decor book (I forgot which ones) and really liked the look of them, so I added some to my story that I collected from around the yard. I later learned that having some rocks or a larger rock in your birdbath can provide a place for small birds to perch and can make the water more accessible to pollinators. Since this birdbath is deep, it’s a great addition and I see birds using it as a little island.

One of the pigeons was shocking me by walking in the water around the rocks like it was a calm river or something.

When it comes to keeping the birdbath clean, I don’t really do much. Every two to three weeks, I’ll have Jeff help me get it out (it’s easier with two people) and then I’ll rinse it, put it back, and refill it. I don’t use any chemicals or anything and the birds seem to enjoy it. I have also been asked about stagnant water attracting mosquitoes and have not noticed this being a problem. We have been spraying our garden for mosquitoes, so this may be the key.

I wear rubber gloves when we empty the birdbath just to be safe. Birds can carry diseases and this is just a good precaution.

In other bird watching news, we’ve had a lot of activity at the English Pigeon. No one has nested there, but house birds keep visiting. At some point, I think we had a bird in each cubicle, where we would talk to each other and yell at anyone who tried to get into their cubicle.

Some days I get too distracted working on my computer because there’s so much activity in the birdbath and house, but it’s a good distraction.

I don’t know if it’s just getting older or what, but I have a huge appreciation for the outdoors this spring. I loved walking and working in the garden. I also enjoyed the tedious tasks like weeding, mulching and edging. I have sat and weeded by hand many times just to put my hands in the dirt and enjoy the fading light of a beautiful evening.

Next thing you know I’ll be putting out the bird feeders, suet cakes, and rain gauges and basically turning into my Oba. I just need to catch the catch…