Just like people, birds get hot and thirsty. Especially during the blistering summer months, your favorite flying friends may be roasting in their feathers. Help out your local birds and provide them with a shady spot to splash, play, bathe, and drink—a bird bath! Especially in areas that lack natural sources of water, such as springs, ponds, lakes, or streams, bird baths are essential for the health and happiness of birds in your area. In addition to helping out your fine feathered friends, a bird bath will attract all sorts of birds to your yard and allow you and your family to enjoy their company.

Think of it: if you were a bird, where would you want to splash about? Would you choose a muddy, stinky puddle or a clean, fresh bird bath? The choice is not just obvious to humans, but birds have a distinct preference. Once you have decided to lend a helping hand to your local birds, make the trek to find a bath that fits into your style and design of your yard. There are tons of options, from baths that borrow style from the white marble columns of ancient Greece to fantastically modern creations that could double for an avant garde statue.

After you have brought your bird bath home, find a place to set up the bath well within sight of your outdoor and indoor spaces. Consider installing a bird bath near your porch, patio, deck, or house’s windows so that you can enjoy the birds from anywhere in your home. Fill the bird bath with cool, clean water and watch the bird flock around your bath.

In order to draw more birds, consider using a fountain bird bath instead of a traditional bird bath that holds still water. Birds love the sound of running water and prefer fountain bird baths dramatically over still bird baths. If a fountain bird bath is out of your budget, consider creating your own fountain. Something as simple as a bucket with a hole drilled in the bottom positioned over top of your existing bird bath works just as great as expensive fountain bird bath, although it may not be quite as aesthetically pleasing.

Keep in mind that birds need bird baths year round, especially in some parts of the country that seem to be out of the grip of Jack Frost. Instead of putting your bird bath inside during the winter, purchase a model that can remain outdoors for the entire year. Heated bird baths work to ensure that ice does not form in the bath, but does not produce a birdie hot tub, so birds will keep coming to your yard regardless of the weather.