Put water out in a heatwave
A shallow dish at ground level, refilled daily. In a dry week it is the difference between a bird surviving the afternoon and not.
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Why it lands
Heat kills small animals through dehydration long before anything else gets them, and cities are worse than the countryside for it — hard surfaces, no standing water, and every puddle gone by ten in the morning. A dish of water is the least skilled useful thing a person can do for wildlife, it costs nothing, and it works within hours. Birds find it the same day. It is also the rare kind act with no recipient who could ever thank you, which is most of its appeal.
How
Anything shallow and wide — a plant pot saucer, a roasting tin. Put it at ground level and another somewhere high if you have a wall or balcony. Add a stone in the middle so insects can climb out. Change the water daily in heat; standing water goes bad and becomes a problem rather than a help.
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