put lids on your water butts

[Two_Sheds]

I hope the same thing doesn't happen to you:

Today I had to fish a little drowned blackbird out of my water butt

The wind had blown the lid off, the fledgling had somehow tumbled in (learning to fly) and couldn't get back out, having not many feathers



Lids will also stop the mozzies laying their wretched eggs

[veggiechicken]

What about your goldfish, 2S.? I thought you had fish in your butts.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I've had similar tragedies the last being an adult blue tit. I now have mesh over the top of the butt to prevent a recurrence.

[Two_Sheds]

What about your goldfish, 2S.? I thought you had fish in your butts.

I have 9 water butts, but fish in only 3 of them, the open-topped ones at home

[veggiechicken]

That was what I couldn't understand - maybe mesh them as well like AP does? I found a drowned adult blackbird in a bucket of water. Its really hard to cover up all water in the garden - I hate it when something dies as a result of my negligence though.

[WendyC]

Last year an OAP in Lincolnshire drowned in his by falling from a ladder next to his waterbutt. His wife wondered why he was so long and found him head down in the waterbutt. Must admit mine do have lids but never thought of fledglings falling in.

[Sanjo]

Mu husband insists that each full watering can stored by the butts has a tree branch in it to allow anything to drink from and climb out from.
I do know how it feels though TS because the above rule came into force because of a blue tit drowning in one of our cans and the OH had to fish it out.

[alex-adam]

Thanks for that post Sanjo - I alway keep the lid on the butts, but never thought of the danger to birds drinking from the cans. - Will follow your good advice, thank you.

a-a

[Snadger]

Surely thats a bit like saying "Put covers on your ponds, or your lakes, rivers or loch's..............or even the sea!

I have about 10 water butts but only have a cover on one..............the one I use for the chooks drinking water!

[Two_Sheds]

Surely thats a bit like saying "Put covers on your ponds, or your lakes, rivers or loch's..............or even the sea!

So you don't think it's a good, kind, decent thing to do?

[Snadger]

Nah.............kinder to leave them uncovered and let the birds sit on the edge and get a drink!

[Aberdeenplotter]

Surely thats a bit like saying "Put covers on your ponds, or your lakes, rivers or loch's..............or even the sea!

I have about 10 water butts but only have a cover on one..............the one I use for the chooks drinking water!

Open water isn't a problem Snadge, it's when birds fall into a confined space they get into difficulty

[Canny Grower]

Surely thats a bit like saying "Put covers on your ponds, or your lakes, rivers or loch's..............or even the sea!

The birds love drinking from our pond but I make sure there are piles of flat stones on the shelves as a way out for any who might fall in.

[SarzWix]

I've got a bath with a plank in it, at a slope, so the birds can happily drink and bathe. The rest of the water containers have lids or mesh coverings. I learned the hard way too

[taff]

me too but it was a massive bee who shredded half of one of it's wings.