Water is simply the liquid of life. All living things require it, and all living things will remember where they can find it. Birds are no exception. They will visit water sources several times a day for the purpose of drinking and bathing. Water is vital to their survival and therefore a necessary part of any birder's garden. Whether a fountain, pond, mister, or any type of feature, it's a necessary part of a bird's day. In fact the more water features you add to your garden, the more likely you'll attract a wide range of birds, and they will discover the features you created for them.
     Over the last couple decades, I've experimented with different types of water features to see what style is the most preferred with songbirds and hummingbirds. Simply put, the bigger the bird, the deeper the water, but every one of them prefers belly deep water or shallower.  All birds that aren't your typical water bird have a great fear of water.  Before they're comfortable with a water source they want to make sure they can feel the bottom with their feet.  They're not like ducks, and they will not float.  So when we create a feature for birds, we have to keep this in mind.  The range of size in birds in my garden is typically from a hummingbird to a Northern Flicker, which means water depths should vary from 1/8 inch to 2 inches in many locations.  Anything deeper and you won't get many birds attempting to bathe in it.  Birds will typically touch down with their feet and then lower their bodies into the water, so a 2 inch maximum is more than enough for a bird the size of a Robin or Northern Flicker.  For small songbirds, shallow water just over their feet is enough, but there are a few courageous birds that like to swan dive into some deeper water.
     When I suggest a perfect backyard bird pond, I don't mean the most beautiful pond imaginable,  I mean a pond logically designed for birds.  I'll use my small fountain pond as an example.  The depth ranges from 8 to 12 inches deep.  It's not a deep pond by any means, but it's way too deep for birds to trust and use without some added features.  So to attract the birds I had to think like them.  I added special features to the pond so the birds would trust it.  
     1. First of all we added the fountain.  Water gently flows over the moss and flat rocks which is a perfect location for small birds to perch, drink and bathe.  It's not a fast flow to turn it into a bird water slide, but gentle enough to flow over their feet.

​     2.  Secondly, I placed rocks close to the edge just beneath the surface of the water.  If they can see objects just below the surface they'll test them out.  Have different sizes of rocks, some breaking the surface and some slightly below.  If the rocks are clustered they'll stand on the rocks breaking the surface and examine the others around it.

​     3.  Thirdly, I laid some larger curved branches from one side of the pond to the other.  The curve of the branch dips down into the water on one side, and then gradually backup out of the water on the other side.  Birds will frequently land on the branches and slowly hop their way down to the depth they prefer. 

​4.  Finally, create areas all around the pond where they can perch and observe all the structures you prepared for them. I left smaller branches attached to the larger ones in the water so birds can perch on them.
     Birds love water, and I can tell you they will travel great distances just to get to your garden.  Food can be found in many places, but water is harder to come by.  I can promise you that if you create water features with many important structures built in, over time you will attract birds like you couldn't imagine. Know that birds are afraid of deep water, and keep that in mind when you create little features. Create many perches, rocks and plants all around and they will search them out and use them. Once they find their favorite perch, you'll start to recognize the same birds returning time after time, and day after day. 

​In the next project we have a birdhouse. It doesn't seem like much, but within a very short time there will be flowers surrounding it to complete that small space. 

Next is a rock path which was done by my wife in about 2 hours. Every flat stone or brick she could find was placed beautifully off our main trail to get to our garden shed. It cost virtually nothing and cleans up a space beautifully. Without this clean path the area would look unruly. 

​One of the most recent projects started was this little sitting area which is a short distance off the main path. Many lumber yards throw away the garbage tarps that wrap around the lumber. We cut a piece to fit the shape of the short trail leading to a sitting area with two smaller side tables which will contain annuals. The soil was scraped down just a few inches equal to that of the depth of the round stones to form the walkway. That old tarp was laid in with the edges punched into the ground with a shovel. The stones were laid to our satisfaction and then bark was placed between the stones. Perennials such as hostas and a few others were placed along the shape of the trail which are now starting to grow. Beyond those hostas are delphiniums. They are a hummingbird magnet like no other in my region. The delphiniums tower over most of the other perennials, but will surround the little sitting area perfectly. It will only improve on what we had last year with multiple hummingbirds constantly fighting for the nectar. This is our ultimate plan, to create multiple sitting areas around the garden, and then develop local areas condensed richly with flowers that the hummingbirds love. You'll be able to sit in any area of the garden and observe hummingbirds in their feeding, fighting and frenzies. Find out which flowers are big producers in your region of the continent and go heavy on them. Create one theme at a time in each little area, and eventually you will have a garden that no hummingbird will refuse.
Here are a few other small projects within our yard. This is another rock step path that leads down a slight hill to our raised garden of vegetables.

Next is a sitting area, one of my favorites that looks over the entire garden. It's a perfect sitting area located under a towering Maple tree for those hot sunny days.

This is the main path leading down into the garden. It was the start of all projects. It leads in and around all 3 acres of our property. And then we have a few views of the overall look into the garden. Every flower has its season, and as many of these start to fade, loads of others will begin. The ones that perform the best for hummingbirds are the ones we've loaded up on to be blooming just in time for when the young leave the nest. 

     It's quite remarkable how the bare grounds of Winter are quickly transformed into lush colorful gardens in just 6 weeks. In my zone 3 garden I'll show you a few flowers that brighten up the yard before the summer blooms. This is right in the city where space can be tight. You don't need a lot of space, you just need to take full advantage of all the space you have - No gaps between plants, just make sure you don't have an aggressive plant overtaking the smaller ones. Otherwise you may be doing a lot of trimming throughout the year to expose the smaller plants. Here is a view of my backyard. We have a small pond, a bridge to cross over to do a bit of maintenance and weeding, and another bridge at the far end going over a creek. All the rain we get goes into barrels. The overflow is not wasted, it goes into the pond which then overflows into a creek that runs to a dry bed at the far end. 

     Around the dry bed is where many of our Spring perennials are now starting to bloom. Columbine is a hardy zone 2 perennial in which there are many looks and colors to them. They oftentimes will cross pollinate and produce some magical creations. Here are just a few. 

     From the other end of the garden looking back, you can see our sitting area where we can get a clear multi-dimensional look from one end to the other. From this end, we have a gradual incline, and from the deck towards the dry bed it gradually slopes downhill. All the flowers are then visible from one end to the other. 

     Finally to make everything colorful throughout the season, Annuals. We place the annuals in pots on the deck. Annuals are continuous bloomers that give any garden an endless explosion of color. They will typically bloom right til frost and even after in some cases. All they need is a bit of fertilizer every few weeks and you're good for the summer. Happy gardening!