There is this thread from a few weeks ago. Perhaps Schoolhouse can share info on her source, though she is in OH.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5320571/bird-bath-fountain-came-today?n=6

I know one of the regular posters on the Birds and other Mobile Features thread on the New England forum had a mister a few seasons ago. I can’t find those posts, but I will ask her about that and let you know her opinion of it and any pertinent details.

i think that one issue will be water resupply if you have a pump, even a solar one, since pumps don’t do well if they run dry. So you will need to consider if you want to be tied down to having to refill the birdbath perhaps several times a day if the bowl is small and the birds splash a lot of water around or if it is especially hot. So either no pump or some type of auto refill and hooked up to an outdoor spigot or a really large reservoir.

Thanks so much 'Babs' for referencing this thread for me. I have my heart set on a pump but I don't want to be bothered refilling daily so there would need to a a large enough reservoir.

I have some feedback to share if you are interested.

Yes, I need to keep an eye on the water level esp. but so far it hasn't actually run dry. After several days, I noticed I still need to clean the bowl and add fresh water. Don't want the pump to get clogged.

As far as the nozzles, I use the bubbling one because the taller sprays tossed too much water out of the bird bath. Mine is not deep.

The unit is black, as it needs to be to gather as much sun as possible, but I'd rather it be a color that blended in more.

Which brings me to one disappointment - the birds are avoiding the bird bath. I think they are wary of the "black thing" in the water. By now, I was hoping they would grow accustom to it it but so far I don't see any birds visiting like I use to. Maybe they need more time.

Pluses include, no noise from the pump, fun to watch.

My bird baths are very basic, but the birds are still very picky about what they use. They absolutely hate a pretty ceramic bowl on a pedestal -- I think because it's glazed and slippery. In 9 years I've never seen a bird use it. But they love a simple bath made of rough poured concrete. They line up to use it and fight over it. (Both are in the same area, so it's not a matter of location.)

Birds love this one!

And hate this one... It's just a garden ornament at this point.

Just throwing in my two cents worth....we have had several "bird bath friendly" water features over the years ranging from large to small; the most recent was a smallish traditional type bird bath on a pedestal stand, and it had a solar powered pump that generated a little burble of water that was quite pleasing. Problem with ALL of them: the pumps always clog up with pollen and other debris and the maintenance to keep the things running just eventually overpowers the pleasure one draws from them. Our most successful bird bath ever: a shallow (1 inch) terra cotta dish, about 10 inches across, placed directly on the deck, visible through the full view door. Sure, it needs to be dumped and refreshed every other day, but SO much more preferable than deconstructing an electric or solar powered pump set up and cleaning.

I participated in the other thread too. I bought one of the solar disc ones. I have it floating in a larger pot as seen below.

Because any shadow makes it turn off I decided to get the one with cord attached so I could put solar charger in different place than fountain and not worry about shade. I mostly use the bubbler attachment but pic below shows one of the spray nozzles on it. I actually like the bubbler better. Birds are cautiously taking interest and the bees and butterflies stop for a drink too.

I’ve had mine for a week or so. No issues getting plugged up.

This one is in a 24” round plant tray.

Thanks so much, all of you, for taking the time to respond to my inquiry in such detail. Right now I have just skimmed each post and will soon go back to look at each in detail.

I have to say it has give me the pond bug! Now I’m thinking of a proper one with reservoir dug in and power set up. Lol. I always avoided the work of a water feature but they’re pretty fun!

I looked for a solar-powered water feature (fountain, bird bath, whatever) for the little terrace next to my front door, but couldn't find any that I liked - plus the issue that it would likely work best at the times when I wasn't near it anyway, and there's no outdoor electric receptacle on that side of the house.

I opted for a small fountain for the deck at the back of the house where at least there's electricity.

FWIW, my best experience with a bird bath was with an old-fashioned unglazed terra cotta one.

I thought I had a better picture. This is a solar powered fountain we put into our new flower bed last Spring. It wasn’t really intended as a bird bath. The upper part is really just a ring of water, but the birds love drinking from it. They do take a dip in the second bowl. I was actually impressed how well this little solar panel (it has a pretty long cable) can power the pump.

I have four water points for wildlife. Two bird baths and two bee baths. The favored bird bath is in the front, shaded by a large crape myrtle. I nearly interrupted an American robin to take this photo. The birds drink from it and regularly take enthusiastic baths. It is slowly being surrounded by an ever increasing flower bed

My first bee bath is also in the front but in a different area. I’ve seen all sorts of wild life use it, including a raccoon, cats, and cardinals.

At the back I’ve got the bird and bee baths together. This bird bath is slightly deeper than the other one and although the birds line up to drink from it, especially late in the afternoon, I don’t often see them taking baths. When I first set it up, I put in a solar powered fountain to attract the birds’ attention but it became a nuisance to clean and wouldn’t stay suctioned to the bottom so I gave up on it. The cats seem to use the stone-filled-basin aka bee bath more than the bees.

In summer, I change out the water daily and scrub things out every couple of days or whenever it rains.