Birds depend not only on predictable food sources during the tough days of winter. They also need a reliable source of drinking and bathing water. Here in the land of Cary BirdCam, I ensure that is not a question for our visitors. I run a de-icer at the bird bath which kicks in whenever the water temperature falls below 33 degrees F. Mine has served effortlessly down to at least 11 degrees F---conditions during ownership have not been any colder here. The unit is powered from an outside outlet using an outdoor-grade medium duty extension cord appropriate to the deicer's amperage requirements. This season I first powered up the device in late October, and I expect to leave it operating until some time later this month. According to my logbook it has already served its purpose on 59 mornings, or 46% of all winter days to date. It’s an inexpensive product that is widely available at bird supply outlets, doesn’t consume much electricity at all, is easily installed, and it will make you friends on a cold day!
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