We should all provide water for the wildlife in our gardens, both for them to drink but also for them to bathe in. It is essential that birds keep their plumage in tip-top condition, especially in the winter months. Their feathers will protect them from the cold and if they are not in good condition, it could mean certain death when temperature plummet. My waterhole cam has proven very popular. It is simply an earthenware dish, glazed on the inside which I have placed on a log to raise it a little from the ground. I banked up the soil around the log, initially for the hedgehogs who drank from here every night before they disappeared to hibernate.
I get just about all the species of birds I have in the garden, drinking here. Lots also spend time bathing here. I have one robin who comes just about every evening just as the light starts to fade. Today, the waterhole seemed particularly popular, and I managed to capture a nuthatch and blue tit bathing together, followed closely by a blackbird. I have put the Bushnell out there to see if I could capture some HD footage. I have left it over night as well to see if we have any nocturnal visitors.
Here is a short clip of some of the bathing beauties today!….