[tn-bird] Re: attracting birds with sprinkers

Well, since you asked:  This only works well during fall migration
(especially if it's dry which is almost always true here in the fall).
Birds-especially migrating ones that are already hot and worn out--seem
to be attracted to moving and dripping water--especially during
migration.  So this works best during late August, September, and early
October.

    Any kind of moving water works--a flowing fountain, a dripper into a
fountain, or the simplest of all, a sprinkler or mister.  The sprinkler
or mister works best if located in (or on to) a bed of shrubbery or
bushes not far from a window.  They are attracted to the sound of the
water on the leaves, I believe.  And they love to take "leaf baths" by
getting down among the wet dripping leaves.  They also seem to feel very
safe in these conditions.  (The "near a window" part is so you can sit
above them and get great looks for long periods as they bathe and
preen.)

My guess is this works best in yards that are partially wooded (or very
bushy) and close to large wooded or shrub-scrub areas where the birds
might already be feeding or resting during migration.  Also seems to
help if you already have a lot of local birds in your yard to attract
them tto the general area out of curiosity.

Best season is 1 Sept. to 30 Sept. for most neotropical migrants.  Best
time of day seems to be 4:30 pm to 6 pm.

These are my experiences over the past 4 years, where I annually end up
with about 30-35 species coming to my sprinkler (mostly warblers and
vireos), with 5-10 birds (3-5 species) on average per day in September.
27 July may be a little early!!

Others I'm sure can give you their own recommendations.

Dev  Joslin
Oak Ridge, TN

jreese5@xxxxxxx wrote:

> How do you attract neo-tropicals with a sprinkler?
>
> Carol Reese
> Ornamental Horticulture Specialist -Western District
> University of Tennessee Extension Service
> 605 Airways Blvd.
> Jackson TN 38301
> 901 425 4721 email  jcreese@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
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=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
----------------------------------------------------- 
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
          web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
        jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx      (423) 764-3958
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