The scum comes from the pigeon ‘powder down’ which they have to keep their feathers in good condition, rather than the oil from preening glands which most birds have.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
We live close to a rookery. I found that feeding the birds just meant that the garden was a chaos of big birds which drove away all the little ones and I stopped putting out food. Now the rooks don't bother with us much and the usual garden birds are busy finding natural food. All the birds use our little pond for drinking and bathing but the pigeons do, indeed, poo in the birdbath. I don't believe they are susceptible to advice.
We get all sorts using our traditional birdbath, big and small. Although it’s relatively deep, maybe 3-4” so probably used more by the larger birds including the blackbirds? We also have a shallow bowl on the ground and that is definitely more popular with the tits - probably only 1-2” when full. In comparison the goldfinches seem to prefer the pond edges, we see them drinking and bathing there more often than anywhere else - this is despite regular visits from a pair of crows (who seem to have a particular passion for water snails as well as noisy baths).
I think having a a mix of water sources helps attract more and different birds.
I’m not convinced that larger birds always scare smaller ones away (rookery scale numbers aside) we have a resident magpie pair, lots of jackdaws, wood pigeons and our regular pair of crows but have dozens of small birds as well. All around at the same time, but I think birds do like to feel safe when bathing. I suspect that may be why the tits like the ground level bowl as it’s not only shallow but in the border so lots of bushes to dart into or perch on whilst waiting for their turn.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
All the birds use our little pond for drinking and bathing but the pigeons do, indeed, poo in the birdbath. I don't believe they are susceptible to advice.
We have a bird bath very near the house, and the only birds brave enough to use it are the pigeons, as well as the occasional squirrel. I do enjoy seeing the pigeons bathing though, they really enjoy it. I watched one taking a bath during a heavy rain shower, and it was lifting its wings alternately, presumably to wash its ‘armpits’! Very amusing.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.