With the garden so dry and the pond so low, I decided to set up a small area of water, easily accessible for the garden wildlife and that would look good on a cam. I have a ‘spare’ cable from the oak tree nest box. The hedgehog box is at the bottom of this tree as well, as it is a good location as I hope to attract my hedgehog visitors as well.
First I chose a suitable place… shaded but open enough for birds to spy predators (possibly my cats!)
Then, I dug a hollow in which to sink a log section. I wanted to raise the area to make visibility better for visitors…
I then took the soil and built up the sides, to create a slope up to the water tray. I covered the banks in bark chippings from the surrounding bed.
I used an old terracotta dish I had for the water . It is big enough for a small bird to bathe in and not too deep. I transplanted some ivy and ferns from the garden around the dish and put a stone in for small birds to perch on.
I knocked a post in beside the water bowl and then set up a HandyKam nest box camera on the scene. It has powerful IR… strong enough to illuminate the night time visitors!
The waterhole is just below the hedgehog box, so once they have eaten their fill, they can pop down for some liquid refreshment! I have put a smear of peanut butter to help them discover it. It will be live most evenings… so keep an eye out for visitors.
If you are not putting water out for wildlife in your garden, then a simple dish on the ground will do… in this warm weather it could be a life saver!!
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