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"Water, water everywhere. . . [1]

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Date: 2022-09-01

. . and not a drop to drink.” Or is there? Water is in short supply in many areas, and it’s reaching crisis levels.

We had a serious heat wave this summer, which means it’s summer and it’s Kansas, no different from any other year. We’ve been having another mini-heat wave recently, too, but with temperatures only in the 90s. But when I was feeling too hot, I checked out my daughter’s weather, near Dallas. That’s been pushing the thermometer right up near the top. And then I checked out my friends in Glasgow, Scotland. Yes, the UK had its own deadly heat event this summer, and although most deaths were in southern England, Jenny and Alex were still very uncomfortable, as almost no one there has air conditioning in their private homes. I lived in an apartment for one year, more than 50 years ago, and I remember how hot an enclosed environment is, with windows only on one side and no chance for cross ventilation.

I check on my garden at dawn’s early light, walk up the hill to get yesterday’s mail, and then I’m inside with central air again as the sun heats up Kansas.

I have my refrigerator well stocked with drinks—soda, juice, water (some of the water is flavored). I have a water fountain for the cats, and I’ll drop an ice cube or two into it when it’s super warm. But what about outdoors, whether true wildlife or the occasional feral cat? (Or, of course, my neighbors’ untended barn cats. “They can hunt for food.”)

My huge pond turns green in the heat and sunlight, not conducive to providing for critters. Nearer the house, I have the hummingbird feeders, of course. But I also have bird baths for other birds, and bowls of water for other critters.

A pair of ducks that actually like to eat the algae stopped at the pond during their migration.

A female ruby throated hummingbird rests at the nectar feeder. She will eat the nectar; she’ll also eat any ants that find their way inside.

I’ve always had birdbaths, but this year I’ve discovered making solar powered fountains for the birds out of things found around the house. With no need for electricity, I’ve been freed to place these anywhere, and to make them from almost anything. Birds are attracted to moving water, and it brings in birds that aren’t interested in the seed at the feeders. The fountains can be anywhere; only the solar panels need to be in the sun.

This is part of a canister set I had made in the 1970s, during my Earth Mother phase. The pump is at the bottom and the canister is filled with water. There’s a tray wedged at the very top, where I can put some larger river rocks, in case the birds want to perch near the spout, although they prefer to land on the rim of this one. The water level is high enough they can drink from the pool, or they can perch on a rock and drink directly from the spout. In this case, it’s aquarium tubing that brings the water up, but a plain drinking straw recycled from a fast food drink works just as well. This is the first fountain that birds came to. This is on the north railing of my deck.

This is my heated bird bath. It’s unplugged in the summer, of course, and has its own fountain now. The rocks both anchor the pump and provide a perch. I haven’t used any of the spray attachments, but the pumps come with several. Birds drink from this birdbath, and I’ve seen a large number of them bathing, too. This is the railing on the east side of the deck. It’s the favorite of the squirrel that visits every day.

This used to be wedged into a maple tree, but as I age it’s easier to have everything closer to the house. It’s in the northeast corner of the deck. It seems to be preferred by nighttime visitors like raccoons and possums.

I had a Bradford pear tree removed during the winter. It has soft wood, and three times I’ve had to be out in the driveway cutting up very large limbs. Three times was my limit. The stump is still there, surrounded by the suckers sprouting up. Seemed like a good spot for my short concrete birdbath. I do keep the tree sprouts trimmed, and open on the west side. You can see the little solar panel in front. This birdbath is far removed from the feeders, but the splashing water still attracts a lot of birds.

I have begun assembling the dishes and pots from around the house for my next fountains. This can become an obsession, if not an addiction.

It isn’t either difficult or expensive to set these up or maintain them, and it doesn’t require much water. I already had everything except the pumps, which I ordered online. I bought some on the high end, about $26, because I believed the hype about the quality of the solar panels, but you can get pumps for about half that price with different panels. They all work; this panel is supposed to be sturdier; it won’t necessarily produce more power, just last longer.

Each one needs about a gallon of water to set up. I scrub them with vinegar when algae forms but otherwise I’m just topping them up a little each morning and making sure the intake on the pump is kept clear, so there’s not a lot of water usage overall, making them suitable for water-restricted areas. And every month or so I take the pumps apart (easy to do; they’re designed for it) and soak in vinegar to dissolve minerals and keep them functioning. It’s also a good plan to keep them a little distant from the feeders. Birds are not tidy eaters, and you’ll have not only hulls but bits of seed and other food in the water.

People have created this water crisis. We can make it up to some of the critters around us, so they can go on with their lives.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/1/2120159/--Water-water-everywhere

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