by Margaret Baird
How do you attract wildlife during the winter? You
might stock the bird feeders, provide brush piles for shelter,
and grow food sources like nut- and berry-producing plants. But
what about water? No animal can live without water, and regular
water sources tend to dry or ice up once the weather turns
cold. When water suddenly disappears, animals like deer,
opossums, and rabbits expend valuable energy and risk dangerous
exposure searching for other sources—which might mean the
difference between life and death in the coldest season. For
birds, water is essential for drinking and for bathing—a
year-round necessity to keep feathers in top flying and
insulating shape. While animals do eat ice and snow, they
prefer a reliable source of water. Here are some suggestions
for providing water for your wild neighbors all winter
long.
Heaters and Aerators
The easiest, most reliable way to keep water ice free is
using a heat source. Choose any of the thermostatically heated
birdbaths or water-heating units commercially available. Be
sure your outdoor outlets are protected by a ground-fault
circuit interrupter (GFCI) to cut off the electricity in case
of a short. Birdbaths with built-in heating elements are
available from online retailers and home and garden specialty
stores. Water heating units designed to float on the surface of
ponds or to rest on the bottom of birdbaths are also
popular.
Most heaters cost little to run and have thermostats to keep
the water 40–50 degrees Fahrenheit. Most also shut off
automatically when pulled out of the water. If you already have
a pond aerator, keep it running to prevent freezing. If you
don't get many days of freezing weather, try replenishing your
birdbaths with hot—not boiling—water to melt any ice; this
should keep them nearly ice free for a few hours. In warmer
areas you may be able to run a dripper—a device that releases
droplets slowly into water—all winter. The sight and sound of
drip-ping water is a powerful attractant for wildlife, from
raccoons to chickadees.
Location, Location
Locating water sources close to your house makes maintenance
much easier—and you won't have to carry buckets of water far.
Also use solar energy to your advantage: Put water sources on
the south or southwestern side of your property, preferably
sheltered from the wind. To capture even more heat, apply black
latex paint or secure black rubber pond liners to the interiors
of water containers. Never add anti-freeze chemicals to the
water—they can poison wildlife. However you provide water,
remember that sanitation is important year-round. Be sure the
containers are regularly cleaned and replenished with fresh
water—more often as more animals use them—to prevent the spread
of disease.
