My absolute favorite type of bird bath is a hanging bird bath.  The reason is because you can hang them from trees, so it is easy for you to place them near areas that birds frequent.  Birds, especially timid birds, feel safe and sheltered under trees, making these baths appealing to them.  Another reason I like hanging bird baths is because hanging birdbaths usually have multiple levels of deepness which will attract a variety of birds.  Small songbirds are not likely to visit deep bird baths, but with hanging bird baths they get a shallow step.  Hanging bird baths are usually shallowest around the edge, and then gradually become deeper towards the center.

Many hanging baths are quite pleasant to look at, serving as a nice accent piece for your backyard.  Here are a couple hanging bird baths that I really like:

• I have the Hanging Bird Bath by Zoobox, pictured to the right.  This is the perfect bird bath to hang in a tree.  As you can see from the picture, the Hanging Bird Bath by Zoobox has three levels of deepness.  One great aspect to his bath is that it has a textured finish which will allow birds to grip the floor with their feet.  The edge has perches which will allow birds to just stop by and have a drink of water if they do not want to get in the bath.

• Another attractive hanging bird bath is the Birdscapes Lily Bird Bath with Reservoir.  This bird bath is decorated with butterflies, leaves, flowers, and dragonflies.  The entire bath, including the chains, has a deep green finish.  The best part about the Birdscapes Lily Bird Bath with Reservoir is that the reservoir in the center can hold up to 32 ounces of water, meaning that you will not have to refill this bath as often as others.

• The Aqua Hanging Birdbath is a wonderfully bright blue hanging bath.  It has three levels of deepness, and has a textured surface so birds will not slip.  If yellow is more your style, you can get this bird bath in yellow (Bright Yellow Hanging Birdbath).

First, make sure there is no stagnant water in your backyard.  Mosquitoes are drawn to water because they can lay their eggs there, which means there could be even more mosquitoes visiting your backyard.  If you have any containers that can collect rain water in your yard, be sure to remove them or turn them over so they can not collect water.  If you have bird baths, make sure you change the water every day so that if any mosquitoes have laid eggs, you can quickly get rid of them!

To get rid of any larvae or eggs that have been laid in stagnant water, you can use Mosquito Plunks – 0.2 oz / 24 pouches.  You can take one pouch of this mosquito killing pesticide and drop it into a container of water of up to 50 square feet of water.  It will kill eggs and larvae for up to 2 whole weeks.  It will not harm any animals, including birds or fishes.  If you have larger bodies of water, like pools, you could get Mosquito Dunks, which are doughnut shape disks that have a pesticide in them that kills eggs and larvae.  One doughnut Mosquito Dunk will last for up to a month.

Another way to get rid of mosquitoes is to attract bats to your yard.  Bats can eat up to 3,000 insects a night, meaning that the number of mosquitoes in your backyard will dramatically decrease once you invite bats over.  A great way to do this is to get a bat house.  The Cedar Bat Shelter, pictured above, can hold up to 20 bats at once.  The cedar wood will make a comfy home for your neighborhood bats!  For an added bonus, mosquiotes hate the smell of cedar.

A fun way to prevent mosquitoes from infesting your yard is to plant flowers and herbs that have strong smells that repel mosquitoes.  Some examples are mint, marigold, garlic, or lemongrass.  Basically, the more smelly it is, the more likely it will be to repel mosquitoes!

Getting the sound of running water in your backyard is easier than you might think.  Simply put a tool like the Water Wiggler for Bird Baths into your backyard bird bath.   This little tool creates ripples in the water, which creates a very appealing sound for birds. It operates silently, so it will in mo way disturb or scare birds away.  The Water Wiggler for Bird Baths operates on two D batteries, and you leave it on 24 hours a day.  It is so simple to use, there is no plumbing or wiring!  You can even use it in a heated bird bath for the winter.

If you do not want to worry about replacing batteries, you can get the Solar Water Wiggler for Bird Baths.  All you need to do is make sure your bird bath is placed in an area that is exposed to the sun during the majority of the day.  It also runs 24 hours a day, as the Solar Water Wiggler will run at night on the solar energy it stores during the day.

An added bonus to using a Water Wiggler is that that rippling water prevents mosquitoes from laying eggs!  In turn, it can also prevent the West Nile Virus from spreading.  While rippling water is healthier than stagnant water, you will still need to make sure you clean out your bird bath often.  Birds know the difference between clean, fresh water and water that isn’t as fresh.  They are unlikely to visit filthy water, even if it is making a pleasant flowing noise.

If you enjoy bird watching like I do, I would recommend that you put a bird bath in your backyard during the winter months.  I have for the past couple of winters, and plenty of birds consistently come to my house to bathe themselves.  They also used the bird bath as a source of drinking water.

Unless you want to pour boiling water into your summer bird bath a couple of times a day, you have some much easier options for winter bird baths!  One good idea is to get a bird bath that can serve as a heated bird bath in the winter, and a regular bird bath for the summer.  If you go this route, there are a variety of heated bird baths to choose from.  In the summer, you just won’t turn on the heat source.

Personally, instead of purchasing a heated bird bath, I decided to purchase a bath heater.  The brand I bought is the Blue Devil 300 Watt Bird Bath Heater.  I simply put the thermostat in my commercial bird bath, and it heats the water from anywhere from 40 degrees to 50 degrees.  This particular heater can be used on a variety of types of bird baths, anywhere from plastic to pottery to concrete.  All you have to do is plug the heater it in an outlet, and place it in the bath.  When warm weather arrives you store it until next winter.

A couple things to keep in mind is that not only will birds use the bird baths for bathing, but they will use it for drinking water.  Just like you would in the summer, it is important to wash and refill the bird baths often.  Never put any chemicals in the water.  Do not even think about using antifreeze in a winter bird bath.  Also, birds have the option to obtain drinking water from snow, but if there is no snow on the ground there are usually not many other sources of fresh water.  Try to refill your bird bath often as birds will come to depend on your supply of fresh water.

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One of my favorite birdbaths is the Hanging Bird Bath with Misterby Zoobox International.  This birdbath has steps for the birds to wade in the water and it is easy for the birds to see how shallow the water is.  It comes with a mister that runs on solar power and continually sprays a fine mist of water that birds love to bath in.  It is available in a variety of colors and red is the best for attracting hummingbirds. 

Another great birdbath by Zoobox International is the Multi-Level Octagonal Birdbath.  This free-standing birdbath is a light color and varied tiers that make it easy for birds to see the water depth.  It has the look of expensive stone, but not the weight of stone because it is made of fiberglass.

One of my favorite heated bird baths is the Heated Bird Bath – Easy Tilt to Clean by Allied Precision.  This durable and attractive bird bath makes a great year round bird bath because it heats up during the winter to prevent the water from freezing over and is wide enough for the birds to take a bath a year long.  Birds will be attracted to the light color and enjoy having a bath or taking a drink in the bird bath.

Another great heated bird bath is the Heated Deck Bird Bath by Farm Innovators.  This shallow bird bath has a terracotta to help attract the birds to your yard and does not use a lot of electricity.  The cord may be concealed for use during the summer and the bird bath has a diameter of 14 inches, which is perfect for both bathing and drinking. 

A simple and economical deck mounted bird bath is the Audubon Deck-Mounted Bird Bath.  This simple, deck mounted bird bath may be used year round with the use of a bird bath heater such as the Economical Birdbath Deicer by Farm Innovators.   Birds love the shallowness of this bird bath and it is easy for the birds to drink from. Mounting the bird bath is easy and quick and the birds will be attracted to your yard.

Shelter is one of the key items that birds need for year round survival.  It is important because birds need a place to get warm in the winter, protect themselves from the elements, and to help protect their babies from preditors.  Setting up a variety of shelters around your yard will help the birds to thrive and you will have the added benefit of some great bird watching.  A nest box is an economical home for the birds and makes a great home to escape from preditors and bad weather.  The Audubon Cedar Bluebird House and the Cedar Wren / Chickadee House both make wonderful homes for the birds in your yard. 

In addition to shelter, it is important to offer food to the birds in your yard.  Use a variety of feeders to help attract numerous birds to your yard.  One of my favorite bird feeders is the Perky Pet Triple Tube Bird Feeder-Charcoal.  This feeder has three feeder tubes to feed three types of bird seed to the birds at one time and won’t require constant filling. 

Providing water for the birds year round, especially in the winter, is vital for the birds.  In the winter, a heated bird bath is great for keeping the warm, so it won’t freeze over.  The Farm Innovators Premium Electric Bird Bath De-Icer will help to keep the warm enough for the birds to drink and bathe in.  This de-ier can be placed in any bird bath and works well even in cold temperatures.

Other ways that you can help the birds in your own home are by using products that are safe for the environment.  It is also important for you to recycle plastic, paper, metal and more to help decrease the amount of trash in the landfills.  By doing this small steps in your home, you will help improve the environment for the birds and help to reduce the amount of birds that are becoming endangered.

A classic bird bath that looks great in any yard is the Heated Bird Bath with Stand.  This stylish and streamline bird bath has a sturdy, weatherproof stand with a white basin.  The white basin is ideal for attracting birds because they will be able to see the bottom and it blends in well with the snow.  The heater in the bird bath is designed to keep the water from freezing in temperatures up to -20 degrees.  This bird bath also includes hardware for mounting it to your deck.

The Heated Ground BirdBath – 70 Watts is a fun and unique way to offer the birds with water.  This bird bath is designed to sit on the ground to provide birds with easy access to warmer water.  The unique shape of this feeder looks great in a garden, flower bed, or placed on your lawn.  It blends in well with any rock formation and looks like a real rock.  The birds will love the shallowness of the bird bath.

If you are just looking for a heating element to place inside your bird bath, choose one like the Heated Rock Bird Bath De-icer -75 Watts to warm up your bird bath water and keep it from freezing over.  This de-icer is thermostatically controlled to work when the temperature drops below 35 degrees.  Made of cast aluminum to be durable and weather resistant, this de-icer has a great rock shape that blends in well with any bird bath.

Keeping a supply of fresh water for the birds during the winter is important for the survival of birds and helps to attract them to your yard.  For a great selection of heated bird baths and bird bath heaters, check out Rachel’s Robin.

A great seed to get for your fall and winter birds is the Birdlovers Thrive RX Stress/Survival Blend by FM Browns.  This special blend of bird seed is formulated to give your birds the nutrients and energy they need to make it through the winter.  It is a great source of protein and carbohydrates for birds.

When feeding your birds during the fall and winter, use a feeder that offers some protection from the elements, such as the Go Green Coppertop Gazebo Feeder.  This feeder has a sturdy, copper roof that is great for protecting the birds from rain and snow.  It is also easy to fill up with bird seed and keep clean.

Another essential item for attracting birds to your yard this fall and winter is a bird bath heater.  Water is less available during the colder months and by offering birds warm water when the weather is cool, you are sure to attract birds to your yard during the winter.  A great bird bath heater is the Heated Rock Bird Bath De-icer.  This bird bath heater blends in nicely in your birdbath and operates only when the temperature is below 35 degrees.  It is energy efficient and easy to operate.