Drought is a natural phenomenon that affects all living organisms and birds are no exceptions. Barring the odd instances when conspiracy theorists have suggested that the droughts have been manmade or at least been facilitated by man, most occurrences have been natural, partly fuelled by lack of rain and partly due to drying up of ground and surface water sources. Blame global warming or climate change, misuse and exploitation of natural resources or just rampant urbanization by man, the fact that matters is many parts of the country are facing a drought or are at risk of drought like conditions. The condition is most severe in California and other western states. Many other states are at high risk of drought.

While many animal species can survive days, weeks and some species can survive months without generous consumption of water, birds cannot. Most avian species require water several times every day. They may not need a lot of water but those little sips are necessary throughout the day. Birds don’t need much water at night, especially because they don’t embark on flights. It is also necessary to note that birds are not as robust and strong species as terrestrial or large animals. They cannot survive on just about any kind of water. There is a reason why birds flock to fresh water sources. And these accessible fresh water sources are the first to dry up when there is a drought.

What Can We Do?

Activists and bird lovers have been on a war footing for a while now, standing up against climate change and everything else that affects the avian species adversely. But one cannot undo the impact of global warming or remedy the drought immediately.
What we can do is ensure that the birds around us get sufficient supply of clean water. The best way to provide clean water sources to birds is to have a window bird feeder. You can get a two-compartment window bird feeder which will allow you to provide food and water to the birds in your neighborhood. You can have birds as pets or you may simply attend to a few flying wonders nearby.
The two-compartment window bird feeder can save the life of at least a few birds and if everyone endorses the practice then all species of birds in a drought hit region can be saved. Also, they would be healthy, chirpy and would contribute to the environment in ways that we don’t normally acknowledge every day.
A window bird feeder is an appropriate remedy for drought and an imperative installation during summers.

By Tim J.