In Delaware, we just finished one heatwave where temperatures held steadily in the high 90 degrees for nearly a week. Chances are, before the end of the summer, we’ll be experiencing another heatwave, if not more than one. Welcome to global warming.

While the National Weather Service issues extreme weather advisories, cautioning people to stay indoors in air conditioning, our wildlife – particularly our birds – don’t have such choices. They feel the dangers of high temperatures, too, but without the benefit of artificial cooling, running water, and supermarkets or take-out.

If you routinely observe bird behavior, you’ll notice that during extremely hot days, birds are also less active. It’s their way of helping to keep themselves cool – flying requires energy! You may see a bird perched stationary on a branch with its beak wide open, somewhat like a dog with its mouth open and tongue hanging out. Birds do not have sweat glands so this behavior is the bird’s way of trying to cool off its body.

The heat can also reduce bird appetite, which means they don’t need to be out and about at the hottest times of day. Whether it’s over the short- or long-term, you can help your backyard birds cope a bit better with heatwaves and summertime heat in general. Here are a few tips:

Water!

First and foremost, birds need clean, cool water. All living creatures depend upon water (that is why life can even exist on and what differentiates our “Blue Planet”), so it’s just as important to bird life that they remain hydrated. Birds drink water, they bathe in water, they cool themselves down in water. If you’ve ever watched an American Robin in a bird bath, for example, it’s a particularly entertaining sight to see.

This 11” plastic planter base with a stone in the bottom makes a perfect bird bath.

During heatwaves, it’s even more important that birds have access to cool, clean water, and you don’t even need to have a fancy bird bath to make this possible. For example, large plastic or terra cotta planter bases make fine, improvised bird baths. The bird bath shouldn’t be deeper than 3”. Baths of varying sizes are suitable for different sized birds. Be sure to put a stone about the height of the bath in it. It helps the birds judge the depth of the water.

The hotter the weather, the more often you’ll want to change out the water in the dish completely, as well as clean it. Even if the dish doesn’t appear to be used, on very hot days, you might want to replenish the water twice a day because the water will heat up, and hot water will not help the birds as much as cool water.

Heat will also cause algae and bacteria to propagate in the dish, so wash it with some frequency, a minimum of once a week. A 10-to-1 mix of water to bleach will kill these bird-harming coatings on your dishes.

Supply Shade

While birds don’t have the benefit of artificial air conditioning, they do get relief from natural air conditioning: shade. Temperatures in heavy shade can be 10 degrees cooler than in unprotected exposures.

If you’re a bird-lover and you do not have a wooded property, consider creating some. While trees can provide the most shade, dense tall shrubs and bushes also do the trick. Native varieties are the ideal and will grow heartily and well. Natives also provide additional benefits, like housing insects or producing fruit that birds like to eat, to the ecosystems in which they belong.

Since plants and trees take time to grow, get the ball rolling! Consider planting some new ones in the fall season once temperatures cool down. Fall, even more than spring, is also a great time for young trees and shrubs to take root because summer heat stresses plant life, too.

Provide Food

The general rule of thumb is that, because of a natural supply of insects and berries, wild birds need less bird seed at feeders during the summer months. This may be true, but this year’s heatwave came during the very early summer, which is still peak breeding and fledgling season. This places an additional strain on birds who either need to feed a mate that’s incubating eggs or the chicks and fledglings themselves. Searching for natural sources of food to feed a batch of endlessly hungry babies can be time-consuming and energy-exhausting even without a heatwave!

Some birds, particularly songbirds like American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Grey Catbirds, Blue Jays, and even Red-bellied Woodpeckers will also eat other fruit like grapes and apples. Baltimore Orioles, House Finches, Northern Mockingbirds, Scarlet Tanagers, and other birds also eat oranges. These fruits contain water, so they are another special tasty source of hydration and refreshment during a heatwave, particularly if you refrigerate them before you put them out for the birds. You can assist the birds’ grab-and-go tactics by cutting the fruit up into small, bird beak-sized pieces. (This is also a great trick to enhance your birdwatching opportunities!)

If you attract hummingbirds by putting out nectar in hummingbird feeders, during a heatwave where temperatures exceed 90 degrees daily, remember to also change out your nectar and clean your feeders daily. Use this handy chart as a guide:

Hummingbird feeder and nectar changing chart

Heatwaves can reduce the amount of natural food supplies, which are also affected by prolonged heat. Providing food sources at this critical time most definitely helps both adult and young birds.

Keep Your Cats Inside…even more!

Cats are one of the top sources of bird death (Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife). People who allow their cats outside and who also love birds have a dilemma of choice. Dilemmas aside, extreme heat is also dangerous for cats, so all the more reason to resist their meowing during heatwaves. Close the latch on the cat door, and give your neighborhood birds a much-needed respite. At least your household cat has the benefit of cool air conditioning!

Prolonged, excessive heatwaves will not be going away anytime soon. Scarily, they may even become more of the norm. Help protect Delaware’s backyard wild birds with these tips this summer and in future summers. We want more birds for many years to come.

Featured image courtesy of Alexas_Fotos on Pixabay