Heat Wave

During heat waves like this current week’s, birds can suffer from heat illness just like humans. To deal with the heat, birds have a few behaviors they can use to avoid over heating. They will seek shade, pant (also called gular fluttering), hold their wings out away from their body, and bathe.

You can help the birds around your home deal with the heat by providing a bird bath that can be a source of drinking water as well a place to bathe.


Here are some tips:

• Empty and refresh the water daily to keep it clean and free of mosquito larvae.
• If possible, try to place your birdbath where shade will be during the hottest part of the day.
• Remember that smaller birds prefer shallow water. A few stones placed in the middle of the bird bath will provide smaller birds a place to perch.

Also:

• Clean hummingbird feeders and refresh their sugar water regularly. Very warm conditions can lead to the growth of dangerous bacteria and fungi. We have been changing and cleaning our hummer feeder every 1.5 days.
• Keep any seed feeders clean of refuse where germs could breed and spread.