Time for a bath: visitors to our bird bath
Brown-headed Honeyeater
Some years ago we set up a birdbath on our patio area. It gave us much pleasure to see birds coming to drink and bathe. More recently we moved it to the other side of the house. Now it is in full view from our sunroom. It is here we often eat our meals, and work at the table with the birdbath in full view.
Over recent years, this location has had four main benefits:
- It is a great time waster investment; watching the birds go about their daily lives just a few metres from where we are sitting is both relaxing and refreshing to the body, mind and spirit.
- It is most entertaining, especially when a bird like a Mallee Ringneck Parrot comes to bathe and the water sprays in all directions.
- It is excellent for photography; with the 12X zoom on my camera, I have taken many close-up shots of the birds visiting. (Update: my new camera has a 20x zoom. Further update: I now have a camera with an 83x zoom.)
- It is educational; our human visitors marvel at our avian visitors and this gives us the opportunity to further enhance our friends’ appreciation of the natural environment.
White-plumed Honeyeater
I’ve actually installed three different baths in close proximity to one another; one on the ground (which the lizards sometimes use too), one at a height of about 60cm and the third at about 1.5m. This gives them choices. The nearby branches and bushes give them a place of refuge if they feel threatened in any way.
House Sparrow (male)
A List of Species that have visited our bird baths:
- Mallee Ringneck Parrot
- New Holland Honeyeater
- Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
- Red Wattlebird
- Brown-headed Honeyeater
- Singing Honeyeater
- White-plumed Honeyeater
- House Sparrow
- Common Starling
- Little Raven
- Willie Wagtail
- Spotted Turtledove
- Crested Pigeon
- Spotted Pardalote
- Striated Pardalote
- Diamond Firetail Finch
- Yellow-rumped Thornbill
- Grey Shrike-thrush
- Australian Magpie
- Magpie Lark
- Mistletoebird
- Common Blackbird
- Rufous Whistler (see updates below)
- European Goldfinch (see updates below)
- Chestnut-rumped Thornbill (see updates below)
- Grey Fantail (see updates below)
- Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike (see updates below)
- Galah (see updates below)
- Grey Currawong (see updates below)
- Eastern Rosella (see updates below)
- Sacred Kingfisher (see updates below)
- Dusky Woodswallow (see updates below)
- White-browed Babblers (see updates below)
- White-winged Chough (see updates below)
- White-browed Woodswallow (see updates below)
- Purple-crowned Lorikeet (see updates below)
- Animals
- Red Fox
- Stumpy-tailed Lizard
- European Rabbit
- Brown Snake
- Blue-tongue Lizard
That’s quite a list!
UPDATE: More recently we have added the following species to the list:
- Rufous Whistler
- European Goldfinch
- Chestnut-rumped Thornbill
UPDATE #2 Two more species to add to the list:
- Stumpy-tail Lizard (also called a Shingleback Lizard)
- Red Fox – yes, that’s right, a fox.
- Brown Snake – passed close to the bird bath on the ground. In January 2016 a metre long Brown Snake actually stopped to have a drink. See photos here.
UPDATE #3 Another species to add to the list: Grey Fantail – it came to the bird bath briefly but left before I could take a photograph (4th May, 2007)
UPDATE #4 In January 2008 we had a single Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike come to drink briefly from the bird bath.
UPDATE #5 In late January 2008 a single Galah came to within a metre of the bird bath but did not drink. A few weeks later I added Grey Currawong to the list.
UPDATE #6 In December 2008 I added European Rabbit to the list.
UPDATE #7 In December 2009 I added Eastern Rosella. (Click here for a photo)
UPDATE #8 In November 2013 a Sacred Kingfisher perched about a metre from the bird bath but did not drink. In February 2014 a Dusky Woodswallow came to drink during one of our heat waves during a very hot summer.
UPDATE #9 In September 2015 I added White-winged Chough, White-browed Babbler and Blue-tongue Lizard (click for photo)
UPDATE #10 In December 2015, during a heatwave, I added White-browed Woodswallow.
UPDATE #11 In December 2020 I added Purple-crowned Lorikeet.
Comments: many of my readers have commented on this post – read them below and leave one of your own.
Update: this post was last updated on December 2020.
Mallee Ringneck Parrot
Mallee Ringneck Parrot
Mallee Ringneck Parrot
[…] I have written on a number of occasions about the birds that visit the bird bath in our garden. (Click here for one article with several photos.) […]
[…] Time for a bath – a list of visitors to our bird baths. […]
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[…] followed by a much larger bird, a single Grey Currawong. This was a new species to add to the list of birds that have come to visit the bird bath. A few moments later a Crested Pigeon came for his turn who […]
[…] Time for a bath – contains a complete list of birds and animals recorded coming to our bird baths. The post also includes a selection of the best photos. Tags: Animals, bird bath, garden, Garden birds, rabbits Category: Animals, Bird baths « Lorikeets and flowering trees […]
I love the mallee parrot I am a artist.I should have a bird like that.It looks like someone painted it.Becky Jenney
Hi there Becky,
They certainly are beautiful birds and we are really blessed to have them in our garden.
If you live in Australia it is possible to keep this species as a pet. Ask at your local pet shop.
[…] meals and watch the passing parade of birds visiting for a drink, especially on hot summer days. The list of species we’ve seen visiting the water is long and growing […]
[…] a complete list of species that have visited our bird baths, click here. Australian Magpie sitting in the bird bath on a hot day (43C or 109F) Australian Magpie sitting in […]
I am just establishing a garden in a coastal town and have appreciated your advice on introducing bird baths. Hopefully I will also get an interesting variety of birds. The photos are great.
Hi there Sue
Welcome to my site about Australian birds. I try to add a new article with photos every day or two, so I invite you to visit often – and I’d be very happy if you left comments and questions too.
Bird baths are only one way of attracting birds to your garden. Not having cats wandering through is another good way, but you’d have little control over neighbourhood cats. The best way is to plant Australian native plants, especially those local to your area.
For more details on what to plant, go to your local nursery and ask for help – or you could go to my wife’s site about Australian plants here:
http://www.malleenativeplants.com.au/
She has written many articles on plants and is happy to give you advice. Just tell her I sent you – and mention what part of Australia your are located and how far from the sea as that influences the types of plants you will have success with.
[…] Time for a bath – with more photos Blue Tongue Lizard Next: Birding Bloopers #7 » « Prev: Birding bloopers #6 […]
This post was updated on 20th September 2015.
[…] written a number of times about the birds that come to visit the bird baths in our garden (see the links […]
[…] Time for a bath – a long list of birds and animals using our bird baths […]
[…] Time for a bath – a long list of species, both birds and animals, using our bird baths […]
[…] Time for a bath – an article about birds and other animals which have visited our bird baths. […]
[…] Over the many years that we have had several bird baths in our garden we have seen many different kinds of birds visit for a drink or a bath – many times both. You can see a full list here. […]
[…] Time for a bath – a list of birds and animals we have observed at our bird baths […]
[…] Lorikeets having a drink and dipping into the water for a bath. I have just checked my list of species to have visited the birdbaths. This was bird species number 36, in addition to the three reptiles […]