‘Tiny’ birds prefer the shallow end

Question: I enjoyed your article about hummingbirds [“Yards Abuzz With Tiny Travelers,” May 5]. My garden is organic, and I try to plant as much as possible for hummingbirds, butterflies and other creatures. However, I don’t have the right kind of water source for hummingbirds.

Can you provide more information on the hummingbird bath of Trish and Chris Meyer, the Sherman Oaks residents mentioned in the story? Or do you know where I might go to find one, or a person who can design one for me?

Nadya Starr

Pasadena

Answer: Chris Meyer offers this advice:

Hummingbirds prefer very shallow water to bathe in — half an inch or less, and not too swift. The ideal bath arrangement is a thin sheet of water running over a flat horizontal rock or shelf. A few years ago, Chan Williams from Eagle Pond Design & Construction in Thousand Oaks, (877) 907-6637, https://www.eagleponds.com , rebuilt the waterfall of our existing water feature to include a trio of shelves in this arrangement. Ever since, we’ve seen hummers bathing almost daily.

Hummingbirds supposedly like misters, but our hummers seem indifferent. What works better is to aim the mister to wet the leaves of a shrub or a vine covering a fence. Many birds — including hummingbirds — enjoy taking “leaf baths.” They rub themselves over the foliage while also enjoying some privacy and protection from the leaves. We bought our misters and automatic timers, as well as parts for our bird-friendly water feature, from Avian Aquatics, (800) 788-6478, https://www.avianaquatics.com .