As temperatures get colder, we don’t think about what birds do for water when everything is frozen.
In the wild, birds look for streams and brooks that have open water, even if just a little on the edges. They also can get water from dripping icicles and from snow. Snow as a water source is a last resort because of the energy it takes to melt it, according to Cool Green Science, a blog that tells the stories of The Nature Conservancy.
Birds also get moisture from their food sources such as insects and seeds, or water wherever it collects.
Some homeowners who provide bird baths during the spring and summer months tend their bird baths in winter as well. You can purchase heated bird baths, or water heaters that will work in them.
In this video contributed by Cathy Guire Hertz of Topsham, you can see the birds trying to figure out how to get to the water they know is in there. Some of them skate across the frozen water, while others pick at the ice or find small openings at the edges of it.
A tufted titmouse, chickadee and various goldfinches all responded differently. The titmouse seemed to enjoy playing on the water-covered ice.
Hertz said in her Facebook post that a bird bath with a warmer is on its way.
