Your fountain is a hit! And you're much better at getting photos/videos than I am - as soon as I get close, even on the other side of the window, the finches fly off.
I put the camera on a tripod, set it right next to the fountain, hit the "record video" button, and walked away. The birds arrived 26 seconds later. Dear Husband cut off the first 20 or so seconds of the video for me.
Deeply peaceful. A wonderful gift to your readers; thanks to you and your beloved. The part where they're all three fully into bathing is something I could watch for a long time.
That is so sweet! Does the fountain require much maintenance? Have you posted any pictures of what the "bath" looks like -- how you arranged the stones and how deep the water is? I have a simple birdbath (rinse and refill everyday) but would love to have a fountain for them.
Not much maintenance. Mostly adding water, as it evaporates. I wash out any gunk into the surrounding plants so they get watered and the water gets cleaned at the same time.
The water is pumped up into a dish sitting in the top of the urn, a dish like the dish that goes under a flower pot. The water is maybe one inch deep. The birds can perch on the edge of the dish. I also put a piece of flagstone about the size of a playing card in there, so they can land on that if they like. The urn sits in a basin of water with a little submerged pump.
Camera on tripod, put the tripod next to the fountain. Hit the "video record" button on the camera and went away, and the birds came. It is a very busy fountain and birds are constantly coming for a drink or a bath. After I made that video, right after I walked away with the camera, eight goldfinches landed and they were all taking a bath. I wish I'd left the camera longer going to catch that.
Me, too. It was interesting to see the male bird squawk and drive off one bird who then came back. I thought the driven-off-then-returned bird was maybe a fledgling and mama bird was the second.
I think you're right about that. The probably-fledgling is a bit smaller, and also sits and watches the other two bathe for a bit before getting into it. The burbling sound of moving water is a powerful lure for birds, which makes your fountain-bath design an especially good one. The sunken boot tray that's our feeble storefront gets the most traffic after the splashing sound of other bathers attracts them. The most regular users are sparrows, who seem to enjoy the process much more than others; they spend a long time splashing and jumping in and out.
Love this ! I always feel so awestruck when birds take advantage of my birdbath --I've always wanted to do a setup like yours since they are so attracted to running water . Maybe one of these days
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Oh, that was wonderful to watch! I love seeing birds taking a bath. You even captured the buzz of the hummer's wings, nothing else sounds like that.
ReplyDeleteHappy you enjoyed it!
DeleteYour fountain is a hit! And you're much better at getting photos/videos than I am - as soon as I get close, even on the other side of the window, the finches fly off.
ReplyDeleteI put the camera on a tripod, set it right next to the fountain, hit the "record video" button, and walked away. The birds arrived 26 seconds later. Dear Husband cut off the first 20 or so seconds of the video for me.
DeleteIt's always nice to see birds in the bath!
ReplyDeleteI see that the bath was pleasant!
Greetings
It is nice to give the birds somewhere to bathe. They say "thank you" by eating bad insects!
DeleteDeeply peaceful. A wonderful gift to your readers; thanks to you and your beloved. The part where they're all three fully into bathing is something I could watch for a long time.
ReplyDeleteHappy you enjoyed it, Nell.
DeleteThat is so sweet! Does the fountain require much maintenance? Have you posted any pictures of what the "bath" looks like -- how you arranged the stones and how deep the water is? I have a simple birdbath (rinse and refill everyday) but would love to have a fountain for them.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!!!
Not much maintenance. Mostly adding water, as it evaporates. I wash out any gunk into the surrounding plants so they get watered and the water gets cleaned at the same time.
DeleteThe water is pumped up into a dish sitting in the top of the urn, a dish like the dish that goes under a flower pot. The water is maybe one inch deep. The birds can perch on the edge of the dish. I also put a piece of flagstone about the size of a playing card in there, so they can land on that if they like. The urn sits in a basin of water with a little submerged pump.
It looks fantastic! Thanks for the information!
DeleteAren't they amazing? How do you film this?
ReplyDeleteCamera on tripod, put the tripod next to the fountain. Hit the "video record" button on the camera and went away, and the birds came. It is a very busy fountain and birds are constantly coming for a drink or a bath. After I made that video, right after I walked away with the camera, eight goldfinches landed and they were all taking a bath. I wish I'd left the camera longer going to catch that.
DeleteOne of my favorite things to do is to watch birds in the bird bath. Fun!
ReplyDeleteMe, too. It was interesting to see the male bird squawk and drive off one bird who then came back. I thought the driven-off-then-returned bird was maybe a fledgling and mama bird was the second.
DeleteI think you're right about that. The probably-fledgling is a bit smaller, and also sits and watches the other two bathe for a bit before getting into it.
DeleteThe burbling sound of moving water is a powerful lure for birds, which makes your fountain-bath design an especially good one. The sunken boot tray that's our feeble storefront gets the most traffic after the splashing sound of other bathers attracts them. The most regular users are sparrows, who seem to enjoy the process much more than others; they spend a long time splashing and jumping in and out.
Love this ! I always feel so awestruck when birds take advantage of my birdbath --I've always wanted to do a setup like yours since they are so attracted to running water . Maybe one of these days
ReplyDeleteNot easy being a wild bird--happy to (hopefully) make it a little easier for them.
Delete