My neighbor asked: Why do so many birds come to your yard? The answer surprised her

BirdBath - ADV
– ItamiHome
Advertorial
Section: Nature & Garden
"Every year there are fewer birds – and the summers keep getting hotter." Why a 74-year-old craftsman from Shrewsbury is giving away his last handmade bird baths before he retires for good.
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Earl Calloway is not an ornithologist, not a biologist, not a conservationist with credentials. He's a builder. For over 40 years, the 74-year-old has been crafting everything wild birds need in his small workshop in Shrewsbury. Now he's calling it quits – and letting go of his last handmade bird baths. Just in time before summer hits.
fewer and fewer birds in our backyards – and why it keeps earl up at night
1 in 6
birds in the UK have been lost since the late 1960s — a decline of over 40 million individuals
70%
decline in farmland birds in the UK since 1970 — one of the steepest drops of any group
4 in 5
seabird species in the UK are now in decline — driven by climate change and food shortages
38 million
fewer birds now fill UK skies compared to 1966 — a dramatic shift in just a few decades
The UK has lost around 38 million birds from its skies since 1966—that’s roughly one in six.
That's one in four. Species that used to be part of every backyard – bluetits, chaffinches, house sparrows, song thrushes – are disappearing from entire regions. Habitats are being paved over. Meadows turned into parking lots. Hedgerows ripped out for vinyl fencing.
Earl has watched it happen for decades. Right outside his workshop door. And it eats at him.
"Twenty years ago, my yard was alive. Blue tits, great tits, wrens, a song thrush pair nesting in the fence post. Now some mornings I step outside and hear – nothing. Dead quiet. And that scares me more than anything."
Earl Calloway (74) in his backyard in Shrewsbury. For over 40 years, he's been building everything wild birds need to survive.
And there's another problem nobody talks about: The summers are getting hotter every year. Heat waves, droughts, weeks without rain. Natural water sources are drying up. Puddles, creek beds, damp patches in the yard – gone. Drained, paved, dried out.
"In winter, folks put out birdseed. In spring, they hang nest boxes. But in summer, almost nobody thinks about water – and that's exactly when birds need it most."
Earl has seen it firsthand in his own backyard: "During the hot months, birds are truly struggling. A lot of them simply can't find water anywhere in the neighborhood anymore."
On scorching summer days, he's counted as many as a dozen different species at his bird bath at the same time. Robins, goldfinches, blue tits, great tits, even a great spotted woodpecker. "They come because there's nothing else left out there."
See Earl's Bird Bath
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see earl's bird bath
"most bird baths on the market are poorly designed"
Earl doesn't sugarcoat it. "People buy a pretty bowl, stick it in the yard and think they've done something good. But a lot of bird baths out there aren't built with birds in mind – some can actually cause real problems."
What he's observed over 40+ years:
Too-smooth surfaces – Ceramic, plastic, glazed stone. "Birds can't grip it. Their feet slip. They either avoid the bath entirely – or they fall in and can't get out."
Too deep, no graduated edge – "Fledglings and small birds like wrens need shallow water. If the bowl is the same depth all the way across, small birds can fall in and drown. I've seen it happen."
No insect escape route – "Bees, butterflies, hummingbird moths – they all drink too. But if they land on a smooth rim and slip in, they can't climb back out. I've opened bird baths with dozens of dead bees floating in them."
Cheap materials – "Plastic heats up in the sun and leaches chemicals into the water. Thin metal rusts after one season. Cheap ceramic cracks in the first hard freeze."
Standing water becomes a breeding ground – "If you don't clean a bird bath regularly, bacteria and parasites build up fast. Mosquito larvae, algae, you name it. And most store-bought baths are shaped in a way that makes them nearly impossible to scrub clean."
"Folks mean well. But without the right knowledge, they can do more harm than good."
Inside Earl's garage in Shrewsbury. This is where he's been tinkering, testing and improving for over four decades.
what a bird bath actually needs to do
Earl has spent decades experimenting. Testing materials, changing shapes, watching. "You gotta watch the birds. They'll tell you exactly what works and what doesn't."
What makes Earl's bird bath different:
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Copper-coated surface – gives birds a secure grip. Doesn't heat up like plastic, doesn't get slippery like ceramic. Over time, it develops a natural patina that makes the surface even grippier.
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Graduated bowl with shallow edges – works like a natural creek bank. Small birds stand on the rim, larger species wade into the middle.
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Ground stake for easy placement – push it into the soil and it stands firm immediately. The elevated position gives birds a clear sightline to spot predators.
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Textured rim – gives birds a solid landing spot and gives insects a way to climb out of the water.
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