Bird Watching Curaçao – HOME

A bowl of water is not a luxury

More and more nature is being destroyed on the islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire for so-called development purposes. As a result, the habitat for many animals is shrinking, and birds, reptiles, and other animal species are increasingly coming to gardens to survive. As humans, we can give the animals a helping hand by placing bowls, mainly containing water, here and there in the garden, especially during the dry season. The animals come to drink, and birds, in particular, come to bathe. Placing one or more bowls of water in the garden is easy to do using inexpensive materials. It is not necessary to buy expensive water bowls in the store. The most ideal containers are plant pot saucers, preferably made of terracotta or other durable material. (Plastic saucers also do the job but decompose quickly under the intensity of local sunlight, leaving you with small pieces of plastic in the garden). These plant pot saucers are not too deep and often have a good, spacious surface area. Shallow plastic containers, like the one in the photo, are also an alternative, but they are not durable. Place the containers at different heights in the garden; not all birds like to sit on the ground. Place a clean stone in the middle of the container so that birds can also sit on it, or insects can use it as a landing spot. Clean the containers regularly, preferably every day. If algae start to grow in them, it is a good idea to scrub with a dish brush. Do not use soap, as soap residue can remain in the container and be harmful to birds. Do not place the containers in direct sunlight, but in a spot where they are partially or fully shaded.

A bowl of water for insects

It is not only birds, reptiles, and mammals that struggle during the dry period. Anyone who places water bowls in the garden for the birds runs a high risk that these bowls will become a welcome drinking trough for wasps (maribomba), ants, and also bees, which are willing to travel quite distances for them. This often creates great panic, which is completely unnecessary. Bees and birds can drink perfectly well together from the same container without fighting. And the bees are so busy collecting moisture that they pay little attention to a human nearby. If you still find it scary, it is wise to move the water bowl in the evening hours to a corner of the garden where you rarely go and therefore have little interaction with the bees. Bees are essential in nature, not only in agriculture. Any help they receive to survive the dry season is therefore very valuable.

Supplementary Feeding

In addition to water, you can also help by providing healthy supplementary food. Place and hang bowls of overripe fruit such as mangoes, bananas, and melon in various places around the water. Orioles, sugarbirds, and many other birds love these. Birdseed can also be used for feeding. In any case, never feed bread and especially no sugar. This is unhealthy for birds, and sugar in particular can cause birds to become overweight, develop deformities, and have birth defects.