For about a month or so, I have been experimenting with a moving water source to attract birds. I had been thinking about doing something for several years, but just didn't have the time. Also, I wasn't sure where I wanted to locate it and an electricity source was needed. Luckily I remembered that I had wiring running out to our old well and was able to re-energize it. I have the $15 pump on a timer so it only runs from about 5a to 10p. The first iteration was just using some flat stones over the black basin in the photos. The problem with that was there was too much water loss from spillage and I couldn't create a puddle for the birds. I got some hardware cloth, to hold the terra cotta dish and to keep out leaves, but it was ugly and not easy to clean. I now stack the dish on some bricks and it has worked out very well.

The photos in this gallery were captured with a ScoutGuard 565V or Nexcam TC08 Trail Cam.

Ultimately, I will create a more natural feature, but for now this simple setup seems to be pretty attractive with 22 species!