What You Need To Do For Your Bird Baths Before September Slips By

A bird bath not only acts as decor for your yard or garden, but it also helps to attract birds and pollinators in the area. The fresh water allows these creatures to cool down on a hot day, get clean, and enjoy a hydration break. However, as the seasons change, there are certain things to consider in order to prep for a shift in weather. September is when the transition from summer to fall happens, and there are a few things to do to continue providing a safe place for the local birds to enjoy a water break. 

While we often think of mistakes to avoid when doing winter maintenance for bird baths, there are certain things to also do as the leaves start falling and the temperatures drop. One of the first things is to decide if you actually plan to maintain the bird bath through the winter months and if the material it's made out of can handle the upcoming changes in temperature. If you're not leaving it out for the winter, then pick where to safely store the bath out of the elements. This is also the time to get it cleaned out with some mild soap and a soft sponge and dried so that it can be stored. Make sure that you're paying attention to the dos and don'ts of cleaning a bird bath in order to get it ready for the next year. However, if you plan to leave the bird bath out for the rest of the season, there are a few things to do to keep it safe and healthy for your feathered friends.

As summer switches over to fall, it's important to move your bird bath away from any of the deciduous trees in and around your yard. However, if you can't easily move your bird bath, at least cut back some of the branches that will start dropping leaves throughout the season. Leaves that land in the water can decay quickly, leaving behind dirty water that becomes stagnant and unsafe for the birds. Even without a lot of dead leaves landing in the bird bath, it's still important to consistently clean out the basin and fill it with fresh water for the health of your neighborhood flock. For daily maintenance, you'll likely only need to pluck out a few leaves. However, when waiting a few days to clean the water, you'll need to do a full rinse and fill to keep things fresh.

Fall is also when you want to prepare your bird bath for the winter. Check the entire structure for any damage that needs to be fixed, including scratches in the paint that can lead to rusting on metal parts. Beyond that, there are a number of ways you can keep a bird bath from freezing in the winter, including adding a small heater or moving it to a spot where it's in direct sunlight. This is the perfect time to make these changes before the weather completely shifts and ice starts forming. Keeping your bird bath ready for the seasonal changes will also help any migratory birds that stop by before their long flights and help to keep the locals happy.