Splish splash, they'll be taking a bath...

Every summer I wander around and photograph the various birdbaths we have in our yard.

2008's post is here; 2011's post is here.

(Excuse the yard photos - we haven't put down new bark mulch yet, which the yard desperately needs. We'll see if the budget allows for some later this summer.)

There used to be 3 birds on this one. Over the years, two of the birds fell off and were probably raked up with leaves in the fall and tossed out by mistake. So now, this one little fellow sits and waits for friends to come and set for a spell...

He used to hang from an oak tree branch next to our deck. Sadly, we lost that branch in last October's freak snowstorm, so this year he's been moved to the patio.

This waterfall fountain sits on the patio. It gets a lot of squirrel and chipmunk action.

The squirrels and chipmunks also love this small gazing ball birdbath that sits next to the swing set deck.

The finish on this birdbath has become mottled and has taken on a greenish tint, even though the water is clear.

It sits in the backyard between the gate and the garden angel.

These three little cherubs patiently say their prayers while waiting for the birds to come pay them a visit.

This little birdbath hangs from the cherry tree in the backyard.

Another little bird is perched on the rim of this small mosaic birdbath.

This bath sits in "the secret garden," an unkempt, overgrown area next to our backyard shed. The birds really enjoy this bath, probably because it is so private.

This fountain birdbath sits on the deck. It seems a Japanese Beetle is enjoying the water bubbling out of the top and running down the sides.

This is the heated birdbath, attached to the deck railing by the backyard. In the wintertime it gets plugged in and moved to a part of the deck visible from the dining room window.

If the birds were voting for their #1 birdbaths, all of the following would tie for first place. This is just a large green plastic saucer/drip tray from an oversized pot. It's deep and wide, and the birds love to bathe and splash around in it. This one sits in the front yard under one of our hoppa crab apple trees...

...but we have another in the backyard, next to the girls' old tree house (now the gnome home).

Our cement pedestal birdbath developed a crack a few years ago. We've 'patched' it and it has held water temporarily, but for the last two years I've just placed a large, inexpensive "chip" bowl from the Christmas Tree shop in the basin. And the birds l-o-v-e it.

In fact, the birds love these large baths so much that I stocked up last year (I think they were $1 or $2 each at CTS)...

... and I've put them all over the backyard.

 This one sits between Mary and garden bunny, next to the shed (and you can just make out the base of the "secret garden" birdbath in the background!)...

Another sits on top of this tree stump. (We salvaged this large piece of the trunk from the huge, gorgeous maple tree that we lost, another casualty of last October's snowstorm.)

And the last one sits on an old metal table in the front yard under the window box by the garden gate.

I hope you're all enjoying lovely weather. It's been gorgeous here in the Northeast!

I'm linking up to the Cottage Garden Party at the beautiful Fishtail Cottage
and to Show & Tell Friday at the lovely My Romantic Home.

Donna

My mistake... There are TWELVE!!!

In yesterday's blog post I said I had 7 or 8 birdbaths around the yard. When I filled them today, I kept count and I actually have TWELVE! If you want to take a stroll around the yard with me, I'll show them to you... It's a beautiful day here in New England!


1) This little bath hangs from a tree branch next to our deck. It used to have 3 birds, but over the years 2 have gone missing... Perhaps they flew off one winter day in search of warmer weather! This is by far the chickadees' favorite birdbath, probably because they're about the same size as the stone bird.


2) This is the fountain I picked up at Wal Mart a couple of years ago at the end of the season (gotta love clearance prices!). It sits on the deck and you can hear the water trickling from inside the family room.


3) This is a little mosaic style birdbath that I picked up last year. I seem to be drawn to birdbaths that have little birdies perched on them... For now, this one sits on a table down on the patio...


4) Now this is probably the most unattractive birdbath in the yard. It's just a huge green plastic drip saucer from an old plastic plant pot. But it's a favorite with the birds, so I can't get rid of it. For one thing, it's deep so the robins love it. It's also at ground level which means it provides water for the possums and skunks that occasionally visit our yard at night... (they get thirsty, too!)...


5) This is just a little two-tiered gazing ball birdbath. The chipmunks like to drink from it.


6) Shhhhh.... This little cherub birdbath hangs from a hook on our front fence, right next to Mr. & Mrs. Wren's house... so I have to be very quiet when I fill it so as not to disturb them...


7) Tired of perched birds yet? No? Good, because here's another. I've had this little guy forever and a day. His beak is half broken and the sides of his bath have chipped off so that it hardly holds any water at all anymore, but I still love him!


8) I got this 'waterfall' fountain at Wal Mart at the same time I got the other fountain (also on clearance!). We were building a patio at ground level and I really wanted one fountain for up on the deck and one for next to the patio. The squirrels and chipmunks love - love - love this one!


9) This birdbath is attached to our deck year-round. In the winter it gets plugged in because it's a heated birdbath so that even in our sub-zero New England temperatures, when everything else is frozen solid, my little squirrel and birdie friends can get a drink. The mourning doves actually use it as a 'sauna' in the winter months; they often gather around it toward sundown, and you can see the steam rising off the water... Smart cookies, those mourning doves!


10) Ahhh, the "secret garden" birdbath... This birdbath sits in a somewhat 'au natural' section of the yard, next to our shed (overgrown is probably a more accurate term). I'm tempted to move it more into the open because it's so pretty, and I may do that at some point in time, but the squirrels and birds (at least the modest ones) seem to really like the fact that it's tucked away behind some branches and such... It gets a lot of activity and use!


11) This is the numero uno choice of the robins. Robins bathe with reckless abandon and this birdbath has it all ... it's wide and it's deep... they can dunk and dip and frolic to their heart's content. I oftentimes have to fill this bath several times a day because they splash so much of the water out during their baths! Right now it sits on a huge UFO saucer-shaped, grassless section of muddy topsoil. We are in the process of filling in the crater that was once the bottom of our above-ground pool, taken down last summer... Yes, I have many plans for this part of the yard!!


12) And last but not least, this little lagoon birdbath hangs from our cherry tree, another small bird favorite because it is shallow.

So that's it... They're all filled and ready for whatever feathered or furry creatures feel the need for a drink - or a bath!! Thanks for coming along!

Donna