Attracting birds in this hot weather is easy, I keep my water dishes filled.

It is hot here in Philadelphia. The thermometers hit the 100˚ mark yesterday and probably will today also.

Providing water is an inexpensive way to attract birds, butterflies and other animals to your garden, patio or balcony.

Setting out water dishes of clean water is a good way to help the local animals.  Birds will drink and bathe in a dish and various insects will visit also.

It is simple and you probably have a suitable container in the house right now. It can be a trash can lid, large flower-pot  saucer, a swallow dish, or commercial made fancy item.

The dish needs to be swallow, no more than 2 inches deep. We wouldn’t want baby birds to drown. I like to add rocks in my water dishes, so small birds can perch on them to drink if they feel more comfortable.

I stopped putting my water dish on the ground as cats are able to attack birds that are on the ground more easily.

Right now my water dish is hanging from a tall shepherd’s hook. I don’t like it there but I feel obligated not make the birds so vulnerable by putting the water dish on the ground.

I fill this swallow dish up each morning and the water evaporates by mid-day. With the evaporation I don’t have to worry about mosquitoes.  Mosquitoes breed in standing water. And the eggs take several days to hatch.

You can combat mosquitoes by having water that moves, I use a “water wiggler”. Or dump out the dish and fill with fresh water each day.

So, with this hot weather, watching birds from the comfort of an air-conditioned room makes being inside not so bad. And the birds, butterflies, and insects will appreciate the free drinks.