Sharon's Florida Bird Mister Instructions
Here's a tutorial for how to make your own bird mister.
If you garden for wildlife then I recommend the addition of a bird mister to your green space. Water is one of the key elements to attracting and keeping wildlife in your garden.
All wildlife, from birds to butterflies, will take advantage of it and really appreciate it. A mister also cools your green space, and waters your plants, which is an added bonus considering the summer Florida heat we deal with.
You can take advantage of it yourself while you’re doing yard work by walking through it periodically to get cool with some fresh water on your skin and clothes. Or run and skip through it to satisfy the child within! Let your imagination out for playtime.
The parts are inexpensive and available at most hardware stores, and it only takes a few minutes to assemble.
I sold my bird mister for many years, to lots of happy customers, but postage inflation has made it impossible to affordably ship. At almost three times as much to mail as the parts cost, it’s not feasible to sell them anymore. So, rather than depriving my customers and their birds, and plants, of the luxury of a bird mister, I will show you how to make your own.
All of the parts can be purchased at any hardware store. Head to the sprinkler parts aisle and you should find just what you need. The parts may not look exactly like the ones I use, but they will have a comparable item. Some sprinkler heads are very low profile and sleek and others may have large heads, but they work the same. I prefer the 180 degree sprinkler spray pattern is so I can turn the spray on and not get sprayed in the face and point it exactly where I want to. So the spray pattern is a personal preference.
Go to the plumbing isle and get heavy duty thread tape to put on each threaded section as you assemble it so it will keep drips at a minimum. It’s not essential since it is a water sprayer, however, leaking joins lowers your spray’s volume and pressure.
You might want to consider getting a quick connect for your mister and your garden hose. Having quick connects makes it … well … quick. It’s super fast to set a mister up and have it misting in a matter of minutes anytime you want to treat your wildlife friends, yourself, or water some of your plants.
It only take three parts and some thread tape. You will need a ground spike, a threaded pvc riser (whatever length you like), a sprinkler head and thread tape. I like to use three foot long risers because then I don’t have to bend over to put them in the ground.
To assemble your bird mister:
Start by wrapping a small amount of thread tape (one turn) onto one end of the threaded pvc riser and screw your ground spike onto it. Get it as hand tight as possible to prevent leaking.
For the other end of the threaded pvc riser wrap a small piece of thread tape onto the threads and screw on your sprinkler head. The sprinkler heads come in different spray patterns. I prefer the 180 degree one because I can turn the mister on (pointing away from me) and put it in the ground without spraying myself in the face while doing it.
Position your bird mister near foliage where the birds can land as they check out this new device. The wet leaves provide perfect places for them to take quick leaf baths.
Not only does the location help the birds, but you get the added bonus of watering your plants while the birds bathe.
You’ll be amazed at the wildlife that come to take advantage of the spray. The sound of the spray attracts them in a matter of minutes. I have everything from birds to butterflies flying through it on hot dry days.
Enjoy your new bird mister!
Enjoy your green space,
Sharon
Next Article: Elderberry Bread Pudding