Please put some water out 🙏

[kinkytoes]

Hi all, with the heatwave this weekend please can you put some water out in shallow bowls so the animals, birds and insects can get a drink.

Keep refilling so the water doesn't go bad.

If you have a pond, make sure escape routes are in place.

Thank you!

Yes I will do!

Emptying and letting water dishes dry out overnight helps with avoiding the spread of Trichomonosis. If you have two you can have one drying, one filled so they have a constant source.

Thank you! 🫶

Yes must make sure water is always available for those nocturnal critters too ❤️

We always have a dish of clean water available in the back garden, mainly for our cats to drink from, but this reminds me to put one outside the front door for hedgehogs and other random nocturnal visitors.

Thank you @YoBetty 😊

I always have at least three out in various places and all are big enough to have a fat pigeon soaking it up 😂 They have at least one large pebble in so any insects can safely scrabble out instead of drowning. I now just need to get the large crow to stop throwing things in them such as fat balls 👀

Brilliant @LittleGreenDragons 👏

I made a small pond out of an old Belfast sink. Got plants in it a big piece of wood , a small plant pot in it's side. Dogs think it's for them, had a pigeon, magpie some starlings and small birds drink out if it.

Got another one to set up soon.

I have 3 all with pebbles in and a 4th on order, i have had the pleasure of watching 2 of them being used vigorously this afternoon
I am keeping them clean and topping them up regularly at the moment.
So lovely watching the birds enjoying themselves with wild abandon !

Had a few small birds bathe themselves in this.

Thanks for the reminder OP.
We have several different bird baths around the garden - they've been very busy with blackbirds today.

Our water feature is drinking water and bird bath water (we had seven Starling fledglings trying to take a bath together yesterday). There's also cat food for the hedgehog and a big shallow dish so they can have a drink.

I’ve done this the past couple of years after reading a reminder on MN, so thank you for keeping up the tradition! I’ve got magpies, hedgehogs and bees.

Front of garden, back of garden, side entry and bird table.

I’ve put some out too. We regularly see a hedgehog so have put out a shallow plastic plate so they’ll be able to get to the water. Put another couple of plastic tubs out too. We have squirrels, birds and the occasional fox too.

Good reminder thank you. I have a cat so don’t want to encourage birds but hadn’t thought about insects etc. I will put a bowl out when he’s indoors.

What a fab response from you all, thank you so much! The wildlife will be so grateful 🙏

We had a fat pigeon having some sort of bird spa day in our bird bath yesterday! It was in it for ages. Sometimes flapping, sometimes preening and sometimes just sitting, filling the entire thing! Once it had finally vacated, DH cleaned it and refilled it. 😁

The starlings often come and have a whale of a time as well.

I have three dotted around the garden and a bird bath.

I need to get some stones so the insects can land.

@NoWordForFluffy We had the pigeon spa day happen in our bird bath this week. I'd never seen it before!

S/he was enormous, filled the whole thing and just sat there like Queen Victoria in a bath tub. Like your DH I went out and gave the thing a scrub after because I felt sure there must be a tide mark.

Yes, the Queen Victoria look was exactly it! 🤣🤣 Puffed itself up to fully fill the space!

Just done it thanks op

Pigeons do like to luxuriate for a while (even when it's cold 😬) but often leave a tidemark or film of whatever comes off them.

Starlings are brilliant when it comes to their baths, done with such energy and enthusiasm 😍. Sparrows aren't dissimilar but their splashes don't travel so far.

Last year's chard is starting to bolt but the sparrows are at it almost constantly, they are loving it. I could do with the space but it'll be there as long as they're getting something from it 😍