In a previous blog, I briefly described my Automatic Bird Bath, and I will give more details here, especially how to make one.
Controlled by a timer, any debris accumulated during the day (fallen from trees or left by birds) is flushed out of the bowl of the bird bath at the end of the day. I recommend setting the time to late in the evening when it is highly unlikely that a bird will be using it. We don't want a bird to be suddenly and forcefully swept out while bathing!
The force of the flushing operation will leave the bowl nearly empty; but overnight, the dripper will refill the bowl. During the day, the dripper will not only make a sound that advertises a source of water for the birds, but will also keep the bowl filled as the sun evaporates the water and as the birds splash some of the water out.
The next photo views the bird bath from the side, labeling some of the parts. We will detail the hardware parts later.
A bent metal strap is fastened to the pole with U-hooks U1 and U2, and to the hose with U-hooks U3 and U4. The hose is a sturdy watering hose, The usual male connector at the end of the hose is removed by cutting the hose with a hack-saw. Clamp C flattens the end of the hose so that the water comes out as a flat, fan-shaped spray. Before you adjust the angle and position of the bent metal strap, you should experiment with this fan-shaped spray to find the best angle and position of the hose to sweep out the bowl, tossing some debris into the bowl as part of the test.
The dripper D is just quarter-inch hose, the kind used for drip watering. The drip hose is fastened to the pole with twist-ties or plastic tape. The valve V in the photo is used to adjust the drip rate. You can buy the valve from places that sell drip watering parts. The part of the drip hose that arches from the pole over the center of the bird bath needs to be stiffened. I wrapped wire around a wood dowel to make a spiral, which I slipped over the drip hose. One end of the same wire that was not wrapped around the dowel was wrapped around the pole to anchor the drip hose. The drip hose should be high enough to give large birds enough room for splashing. Then bend the stiffened part of the drip hose so that it will drip near the center of the bowl.
The hardware parts are shown in the next diagram. I bought one-inch wide steel material as thick as a typical steel hinge at a hardware store and cut it to the lengths indicated here. I bought the U-bolts and small straps used with them as-is at the hardware store. The U-bolts must be large enough to fit around the watering hose, and this will generally be large enough to fit around the pole.
The long strap must be bent on an angle at its center. The angle is needed so that the hose can pass by one side of the pole. To assure yourself of the correct angle, make a 'dummy' strap of cardboard, then hold the hose at the desired angle alongside of the pole, and bend the 'dummy' strap so that one half is parallel to the pole and the other half is parallel to the hose. Note the angle of the bend (about 50 degrees) and how far it is bent (about 80 degrees).
Use a sturdy vise mounted on a work bench to bend the strap. Mark the location and angle of the bend, and clamp the strap in the vise with the bend line at the edge of the vice jaws. Then hit the strap near the bend line with a hammer until it is bent the right amount by your best estimate. You can adjust this later.
The short strap can be bent by a similar method. I recommend drilling the holes after bending, as this will make it easier make the holes aligned. Here it is more important that the bend is centered, so that the two ends will come close together. So reversing the strap in the vice after partly bending it can help. Also, because the strap will wrap around a partly flattened hose, we don't want the bend the strap too sharply. Clamping a big nail or small bolt alongside the strap near the edge of the clamp will promote a 'softer' bend (more like a U, less like a V). Try how it fits over the end of the hose, flattening the hose, but not so much that water flow is shut off. Drill a hole through both ends of the strap large enough for a bolt to go through the holes. The short strap should not be bent too much; the two sides should be about 1/2 inch apart, and it should need the bolt and a nut to pull the strap a little more to make the two sides of the strap parallel on either side of the flattened hose.
Here are the controls. A Y-connector divides the water supply for the flushing function and for the dripper.
The flushing is controlled by a water timer to turn on at 10 pm so no birds will be flushed out of the bird bath. Three seconds is sufficient to flush the bird bath, by most water timers cannot be programmed for intervals that short, so it is set for the shortest possible interval (one minute). When on, the water flows at full pressure.
Drip systems are not designed to operate at full water pressure. So on the right side of the Y-connector, we have a pressure reducer and an adapter that adapts the 3/4 inch hose hardware to the 1/4 inch drip hose. You can also insert a flow-control button in the 1/4 inch drip hose line. These can be bought where drip system parts are sold.
My bird feeders and bird bath are at the back edge of my back lawn, near scrubs and trees, an ideal location because birds want a place that feels safe from predators, at the boundary of a place to hide in foliage (but close enough to look for an opportunity to visit the feeders or bath) and an open area to flee if needed. Because it is near trees, the bath tends to collect debris from the trees; and because the water supply and controls are near the house, the flush and drip hoses must cross the lawn.
My method of burying a hose under a lawn is fast and simple. I thrust a flat shovel as deep as I can into the grass, and tilt it forward and back to wedge open a narrow trench, repeating this along a mostly straight line. Then I push the hose down into the trench as far as I can, using a broom handle or long scrap of 3/4 inch lumber. Then stepping on either side of the trench pushes the grass back into place, closing the crevice. Within a week, all evidence of the crevice will disappear. Winter freezing is not a problem when the water is turned off, because the hose is soft, not rigid like metal pipes.
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I have acquired 45 patents during my 43-year career, all of which are expired by now. But in my retirement, I am too lazy to file for a patent for my automatic bird bath. I know how much work it takes, even with the help of a patent lawyer. I have preferred to put it in the "public domain" for any one to use.
Not everyone has the tools and muscle to make the straps. But if you are willing to make these or more parts of my design for others, leave me a comment with your contact information, and I will publish it here. But I won't get involved with any financial arrangements.
One reader of this blog makes and sells his own patented design, which automatically cleans and refills, but does not include a dripper. See http://selfcleaningbirdbath.com/ .
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