Heated bird bath from Wild Birds Unlimited

Just over a year ago we bought a heated (150 watt) bird bath & stand from Wild Birds Unlimited. We used it through the entire winter of 2013-14 and it performed well. We regularly experience temps below -20 C through the winter so I make a habit of bringing it (just the dish) in each evening and redeploying it with fresh water each morning. I reasoned that this would save us on electricity, lower the risk it getting knocked over by easily spooked nocturnal deer and perhaps lessen the wear on the heating element.

It performed well enough and while some have complained about the flimsy metal stand, this wasn't an issue for us as the feet of our stand were frozen fast in snow and ice for the entire winter. Others have lamented that their bird baths didn't attract birds. Ours sure did. Pretty much all of our regular feeder visitors drank and some of those also bathed. I've read some fretful comments that tempting birds to bathe in subzero temps will lead them to icy premature deaths. That's just hokum.

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Alas, the heating element in our unit failed after a few weeks of sub-zero weather this fall. I took it back to the WBU franchise in Edmonton last week and they gave me a replacement with no hassles. Thanks WBU! [I've since learned that the product's warranty lasts four years.]

Awesome Evening Grosbeaks!

Evening Grosbeaks are ongoing, welcome visitors to our backyard feeders. The first photo in the series was taken a few years ago by Martha near Burleigh Falls, ON. I snapped the last four shots yesterday morning. The current flock size varies from day-to-day. Sometimes there may be only three or four, on other days there may be more than forty. What a sight!

Check out this ongoing research into five "types" of Evening Grosbeak - we thought that Alberta EVGRs sounded different from those in the east.