Today I continue my quest in creating and posting one block a day of the fabulous That Town And Country Quilt by the lovely Susan-Claire Mayfield. This is day one hundred and ninety-seven of that project.

This quilt block shows a golden bird bath with a little bird on it. This is against a blue salmon-patterned background. The birdbath has a wide circular base, a cylinder support, and then a large concave half globe holding a bit of water. The bird is a deeper orange with dark tan tail feathres. The birdbath is outlined by dark stitches and light stitches, and has a bit of pen indicating water.

This little bird is so excited to find a birdbath!

This bath looks really deep but it’s not. Birds only need 1-2 inches of water. Deeper won’t be as appealing. If birds have access to water they will take 2 or 3 baths a day.

They bathe to clean themselves of parasites, ticks, lice, mites and fleas that can eat their feathers and cause infections and disease.

All those creepy crawlies can carry viruses, bacteria and protozoa that can kill a bird.

A good way to attract more birds to your yard is to add water for them. Keep it fresh and clean every day and when it’s very hot put ice in it. If you put it under a tree or near shrubs they will be happier.

A trick to provide a little movement in the water is to fill an empty water jug with a very tiny hole in the bottom and hang it above the birdbath.

You can find out when migration time is in your area and make sure you have water out and you might see unusual birds on their way past.

Birds might not stop for food but they will certainly stop for water.