As soon as hummingbirds have done raising their brood, they start growing new feathers so they’re in tip-top shape for their fall migration. So right now, they’re in full plumage preparation, and there’s a simple way you can help hummingbirds get their feathers fully flight-ready, no matter how big or small your garden. You see, hummers need water to clean and preen their feathers, but they have super-short legs so don’t often land in bird baths. Instead, they seek out fountains and waterfalls where they can fly through airborne sprays of water – and that’s where you come in.

Adding a cheap floating solar-powered fountain to your bird bath – or, even better, fashioning a purpose-made hummer splashpark with a container and said garden gadget – will give hummingbirds the sprays of water they’re looking for at this time of year. Making a garden feature with a floating solar fountain is cheap, easy and sounds just as lovely as it looks. And boy, is it fun to watch those speedy hummers scooting though!

In the north, hummers begin their epic fall journey in August; in southern states, September to October is peak travel time – so now is the exact right moment to support hummingbirds in this simple way.

It’s estimated that 8-10% of adult hummingbirds die during the fall migration (the figure is devastatingly high among juveniles making their first journey, with a 60-70% mortality rate), and having plumage in prime shape makes a difference. Clean, preened feathers are essential for insulation and waterproofing as well as efficient flight – and you’ll understand why these are all such critical factors when you consider that many species must fly a non-stop marathon of 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico as part of their migration.

Ready to help? Here’s everything you need to know to make a quick garden fountain this weekend, and help our feathered friends on their way.

How to Make a Fountain For Hummingbirds

It’s quick and easy to make a fountain for hummingbirds, but there are a few critical factors to get right if you want lots of hummers to use their new garden spa facility.

1. Choose the Right Container

Many bird baths aren’t wide enough to house a floating solar-powered fountain – not because the fountain won’t physically fit in the basin, but because the spray falls outside the rim so water quickly empties. If your bird bath has a large diameter, great. If not, there are all sorts of ways to DIY a bird bath on a budget by using upcycled or reclaimed items or cheap vessels such as plant-pot saucers and animal stock feeders, and making your own means you can choose whatever diameter you fancy.

For water to be safe for hummingbirds to land in, it must be incredibly shallow: no more than a ½ inch deep. So, you may want to keep your existing bird bath as is for most of your feathered friends and make an additional hummingbird fountain. Because hummers are very unlikely to land – and if they do, they'll sit on the fountain itself – you can use a bigger, deeper container that holds a far greater volume of water so it won’t need topping up every day. A wider container also means you can use a more powerful floating solar fountain to create a higher, fuller spray of water for hummingbirds to enjoy.

You don’t need to buy an expensive water bowl, as you probably already own a perfectly suitable container. It’s a simple job to seal the drainage hole of an old planter or make a vintage vessel watertight with a marine silicone sealant like this from Amazon. Pots intended for succulents typically don’t have drainage holes, or have a hunt in your local hardware store for a budget utility tub.

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If you are using a deeper container, do fashion a ramp from a piece of wood so any critters who fall into the water can climb out safely, or add a purpose-made wildlife ramp such as this from Amazon.

2. Match the Fountain Power to the Container Size

So you don’t continually lose water over the sides of your bird bath or container, it’s important to match the power of the solar fountain to the size of the vessel it’ll sit in. The amount of energy the solar panels are capable of generating is measured in watts. For a bird bath fountain, a 1W or 1.5W product is plenty powerful enough. In a larger container, a fountain that’s at least 2.5W will power a higher spray and stronger flow of water. Don’t be tempted by a fountain that’s above 5W as these are designed for larger bodies of water.

Choose a product with stabilising arms as these will stop the fountain floating close to the container rim, minimizing water loss. A fountain that comes with plenty of nozzles will allow you to select a spray pattern that falls within the bowl, too. For longevity in a container, it’s also a smart move to look for a fountain with run-dry protection so it automatically shuts down when there’s insufficient water.

If you want to position your hummingbird fountain in partial shade, or want it to operate on cloudy days, you’ll need a product that has a battery. A fountain without a battery will only operate when sunlight is hitting its solar panels; a fountain with a battery will store energy to run in-between times. A battery size of 2000mAh or higher will typically run a fountain for 3-4 hours without sun on a full charge.

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3. Find the Optimum Spot for Your Hummingbird Fountain

Considering the perfect position for your hummingbird fountain will make all the difference to how often it will be used, and how much it will benefit your feathered friends. Placing the fountain within 20 feet of an existing nectar feeder will ensure birds find it quickly. Airborne water naturally cools the air, so think where it might bring you or your plants some benefit, too.

While you need direct sunlight to power the fountain’s solar panels – and sparkling sunlit water droplets and reflections will also attract hummers – if you've chosen a fountain with a battery, then a little shade will lessen evaporation meaning you won’t need to top up as often. A spot that gets around 6 hours of sun a day is the ideal compromise. If it's sheltered, all the better, as wind will also accelerate water loss.

The airspace around the fountain must be fairly clear. While hummers will appreciate perches to preen within 6 feet of the fountain, it’s important it's sited well away from dense shrubs or other cover where cats and other predators could hide. Hanging up hummingbird swings such as these from Walmart is a great solution.

Once you’ve found the perfect spot, put your bird bath or container in place, fill with water, add the floating fountain and wait for the hummers to arrive.

Why a Garden Water Feature Helps Hummingbirds So Much

While hummingbirds get most of the fluid they need from supping nectar, water is vital to the feather-cleaning process. If they have easy access to a suitable water supply, it’s thought hummers bathe around four times a day. With any sticky residue from their diet of flower nectar and sugar water preventing feathers from performing properly, it's no wonder they’re such frequent bathers.

After dampening their feathers, hummingbirds will perch and preen, using their bills to spread natural oils and zip up the feather barbs, an especially important process during their annual molt. At this time of the year, hummingbirds have begun the gradual process of losing and replacing their feathers, and at the moment will be molting their body feathers (the molting process then halts during migration, and wing and tail feathers are replaced once birds have reached their wintering zone).

Landing in water is risky for hummingbirds as their legs typically measure less than half an inch, and completely saturating their feathers can leave them unable to fly and vulnerable to drowning as well as being snatched by predators. So hummers prefer to shower rather than bathe, darting repeatedly through sprays of water. Imagine if everyone with garden bird baths created the right conditions for hummers to clean their plumage: not only would feathers be fully migration-ready, but hummingbirds would save a heap of energy searching out suitable spots for a shower.

How to Make Your Fountain Into a Fab Garden Feature

Your new hummingbird fountain looks fabulous just how it is, right? Well, there are all sorts of easy ways you can upgrade it another notch to be a standout garden feature. Use a solar-powered floating fountain with LEDs to create a water feature to light up summer evenings in the garden. Or how about introducing a second, wider planter beneath to DIY a fountain planter for colorful flowers as well as cascades of water and flurries of feathers? Microponds using solar fountains are a huge trend this year, so you could add serious style to your backyard design while helping hummingbirds.

As quick and clever ideas for garden containers go, making a hummingbird fountain is a sure winner.

What Else to do to Support Hummingbirds Before the Great Migration

• Keep feeders clean and filled with sugar water prepared to the correct concentration. This will fuel not only your resident population of hummers but also birds passing through if you’re on a migratory route. Keep feeders filled for two weeks after you see the last hummingbird.
• Act now to fill your garden with fall nectar. Choose perennial plants that flower well into fall and, if you’re on a budget, there are lots of fast-growing annual plants you can still sow in midsummer that will speed from seed to bloom in as few as 45 days. Adding flowering groundcover to borders is another easy win for a long-lasting nectar buffet, or how about planting a hanging basket of nectarous blooms to feed hummingbirds?
• Use decals, such as these Suncatcher Stickers from Amazon, to prevent window strikes.