It looks like a plastic puddle, but birds love it. Squirrels, too.

It’s my water feature: a large pot saucer filled with strategically arranged rocks and, its most important part, a small pump positioned to pump a gurgling spout across several flat rocks.

I’ve always wanted a water feature to give birds a place to drink and bathe. A water feature typically implies a pond or a multi-tiered affair requiring rigorous landscaping with an electrical supply to power a large pump.

An article by birder Julie Zickefoose tipped me off about her alternative to an in-ground pond. She says the best way to set up a small water feature in a backyard is to “think like a bird.” Bird baths attract birds, but they’re “downright unsafe in a bird’s mind.”

Zickefoose calls her assemblage a WarblerFall. A WarblerFall rests on the ground like a stream, and, with a pump circulating water, it sounds like a stream. Both are essential attractors for birds.

Northern cardinals, mourning doves, white-throated and song sparrows, Carolina chickadees, and tufted titmice—all native to our area—have flocked to the puddle to drink or bathe. However, I’ve not seen one of the elusive warbler species visit the WarblerFall.

Would a small water feature work still better with native plants? I plan to plant a few natives typically found near water by the puddle to see if they will make the feature attractive to even more bird species.

If you’re in the mood for a do-it-yourself garden project, a video embedded in Zickefoose’s WarblerFall website provides an entry into how to make your own feature. She sells plans for the WarblerFall, which I was happy to buy.

In addition, Alison Kondler creates videos about her water features through her Birding By Ear channel. Her video, “DIY Bird Bath ‘Jacuzzi’ Fountain,” provides great information for first-timers.

If you decide to make a water feature, you should know that it will require regular maintenance. At least once a week or so you’ll need to clean the saucer and the rocks. Debris may need to be cleaned from the pump inlet port.

—Tim Rahn

Photos by Tim Rahn