GOLF CLUBS AS BIRD SANCTUARIES 



BIRD BATHS 



About many Golf Clubs there are few if any available places where 

 small birds may drink or bathe. /Vll birds like water and many of them very 

 greatly enjoy the pleasure of the bath. Much can be done, therefore, to bring 

 small birds about the Club-house by providing water that will be easily accessi- 

 ble. They much prefer to bathe in the open where they can at all times be on 

 the lookout for the approach of possible danger. The cost of constructing or 

 purchasing bird-baths is very small compared to the pleasure the Club mem- 

 bers may receive in watching these small creatures bathing near at hand. 



One essential in constructing an artificial bird-bath is that it must be shal- 

 low, so shallow, in fact, that birds can stand on the bottom without their bodies 

 being submerged. They will do all the submerging necessary by crouching 

 and fluttering their wings. If the receptable for water designed for the use 

 of birds contains water of more than one inch in depth, a little gravel or a few 

 rocks will improve the situation. 



The principle of the ideal bird-bath is a shallow cement pool from one to 

 three feet wide. It may be elevated on a stand three or four feet from the 

 ground, or built on the earth itself. When placed on the ground it should not be 

 near any shrubbery in which a cat could lie concealed. Water for the bath maj' 

 be carried by hand or piped, and the flow regulated to a mere drip. Bird-baths 

 may be purchased at the larger department stores, or directly from the manu- 

 facturers whose advertisements are seen frequently. A clever workman can 

 readily construct a bath on the ground near the sand box or beneath some 

 water tap where it will catch the drip. 



On some estates and Golf Courses, where running water is available, the 

 fountain is one of the most attractive features of the landscaping plan. If the 

 pool is deep and the sides very abrupt it gives the birds very little chance to 

 bathe or even to drink. A little forethought, however, in planning the design 

 will provide for the birds and certainly make the fountain no less attractive. 

 Such a one is illustrated on page 59. 



The addresses of bird-bath manufacturers will be sent upon request. 



Page 52 



