keeping bird water clean

[bird lady]

I have found that if you put a few coppers (1p & 2ps) in a birds garden water bowl it keeps the water nice & clear. Even in a bird bath. Give it a try.

[storye_book]

hi bird lady

erm - i think your birdbath must be in a nice clean place.

if i put mine in the west site it would be under a huge alder tree and would collect leaves, bits of alder seeds and birdpoo: a bit of a challenge for the coppers.

it's a hanging bath, so i've hung it on the edge of the beck on the other site (south), next to all the feeders. the wind blows seed, poo and feathers into it. maybe a copper brick would do the trick. but luckily i can just swing it over the beck each morning, and splash the water out onto the moorhens below (who are waiting for the bird-table to come out). they don't half squawk. then i refill it, and always manage to hit it with my shoulder when sweeping and get soaked. ho hum.

you always get adventures living by this type of stream. in summer it's six inches deep, with rocks sticking out - nice for dippers, yellow wagtails, kingfishers, herons, baby brown trout - and falling 3m onto your head and hitting the rocks. in winter, after rain from the hills, it will run at least 7 knots, at nearly 3m deep. currently it's about a foot or so deep, but the other day i dropped a feeder component into the beck and anguished a bit about it. so out comes brave hubby with the ladder, down he climbs, and amazingly brings back the bit of plastic. my knight in shining wellies. yay.