Bird baths won't freeze over this winter if you add this $2 item

Bird baths are a great way to make your outdoor space more welcoming to local bird populations, as it gives them a safe and reliable place to hydrate. They can also look quite graceful in the garden and add a point of visual interest.

While bird baths are generally low maintenance, it’s worth taking the time to prepare your water feature for the winter — and the stakes are higher than you think.

As the temperature dips, it’s not unreasonable to assume that the bird bath won’t get much action; after all, don’t most birds migrate south in the winter? But you might be surprised by the number of creatures that remain in your area throughout the next few months — and fresh, unfrozen water will be a hotter commodity than ever.

Not only that, but frigid temperatures can cause the water inside the basin to freeze, potentially causing damage to the bird bath itself. This means it’s important to keep that bird bath from freezing over, both for your enjoyment and the birds’.

Now, you can’t control the weather. Fortunately, you don’t need to. The simplest way to disrupt the formation of ice is cheap, easy, and possibly in your house right now.

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Add an Icebreaker

Perhaps the most obvious solution is to buy a bird bath heater and there are good options on the market. But these devices can be a safety risk, since they mix water and electricity, and can look bulky and unattractive in the basin.

They can also be expensive to purchase and then use power to run, increasing electricity bills and requiring a convenient outlet. All in all, it’s an option — but not my favorite.

When the temperature falls below freezing, the water in the bird bath doesn’t immediately freeze all at once. This is because the water itself is not at a uniform temperature: Exposure to sunlight or wind can lower the temperature at the surface, and heat will escape more easily from shallower, wider pools. As a result, water at the surface usually begins to solidify first and form ice, only creating a solid sheet over time as the crystals attach.

This presents a great opportunity to disrupt the formation of ice simply by keeping the ice moving. To do this, just place a small floating object in the water, such as:

• A ping pong ball
• A cork
• A rubber duck

While the ping pong ball floats on the water, it should naturally move around the basin. Since the item is so light, the smallest fluctuation in the air is enough to push it across the surface, so even low wind levels should be sufficient. This movement of the ball around the pool helps to break up small ice crystals and prevent them from solidifying into a thicker sheet.

As an added bonus, moving water is more attractive to birds, so this icebreaker can also function as an enticement for local fauna.

Other Methods to Try

If you live somewhere particularly cold and want to take additional action to prevent freezing, you can also try:

• Add a black layer to the bottom of the basin. Either paint the surface for something permanent or add a layer of black waterproof insulation to the bottom of the basin, such as black river rocks. This will help to absorb greater sunlight and, therefore during the day, to raise the overall temperature of the water.
• Move the bath to a protected location. The temperature of the water will be greatly impacted by its specific conditions, not just the overall temperature outside. To increase the heat, place the bird bath somewhere that gets a lot of sunlight, but has minimal exposure to winds that can radically drop temperatures. If you need to, consider adding a windbreak for the winter months.
• Apply insulation around the basin. Just as you might protect outdoor plants from winter weather, you can insulate your bird bath. Straw or burlap wrapped around the basin can create a rustic look while providing meaningful warmth to the water inside. Even if you just do this overnight, this can make a big difference to overall temps.
• Keep water levels high. The deeper the water, the longer it will take for heat to leach out and for ice to form. Make sure you’re topping up the water every day with warm water — not hot water — from inside. This will help to raise the overall temperature of the bird bath without shocking the materials and potentially causing a fracture.
• Swap out your basin material for something more frost-resistant. While ceramic or stone surfaces can look more attractive, a resin that is labelled frost-resistant will be less vulnerable to cracking should the water freeze despite your best efforts.

What not to do

It can be tempting to take quick measures in order to melt or prevent frozen ice — and the instinct makes sense. But this can actually cause more harm than good, if done in the wrong way. Here are a few things to avoid, if you want to keep your bird bath in good condition:

• Don’t pour boiling water into the basin. When you drastically change the temperature of the water by adding boiling water to ice, this can shock the substance and cause it to shatter the surrounding material. Even if you’ve got away with this in the past, the basin may now be weaker so it’s not worth risking it again.
• Don’t add salt or chemicals to the water to lower its freezing point. While this may be effective at preventing ice formation, it will change the quality of the water and likely make it unappealing to birds at best — and toxic at worst. Don’t risk contaminating the water this way, as it undermines the entire purpose of having a bird bath: To hydrate the local wildlife.
• Don’t set up a space heater near the bird bath. Even if this works, the risk of leaving an electrical appliance outdoors and exposing it to water is too great. Most space heaters are not designed for outdoor use and could cause a fire to break out. You also risk exposing the cables to damage, either by the elements or pests.

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