Date: 6/13/26 1:47 pm From: Lisa Saffell <0000065c370fac8c-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Bubbler Data near Smithville Lake and Construction Suggestions....
Excellent Terry! Birders who don’t have a moving water source and a trail camera don’t have any idea what they are missing! :)
Lisa Saffell, St. Louis
> On Jun 13, 2026, at 1:37 PM, Terry Miller <000009a0b0d4f681-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> Greetings fellow birders,
>
> I am making this post as I believe many of you, after reading it, will be interested in setting up your own bubbler?
>
> Last Spring (2025), my good friend and colleague Mike Niles wanted to put up a solar bubbler along a tree line in the field behind my house. I readily agreed and my property borders Smithville Lake in Clinton Co., MO. Being solar, it was only having water flow for 3-5 hours a day if it wasn’t overly cloudy. We have it operating from early Spring until October but occasionally it was not operating for various reasons. We set a game camera up to take short 30 second videos. And we have hundreds of videos!
>
> To date we have videos of 41 species of birds…and a few squirrels and raccoons. I will list them after comments by Mike Niles on some aspects of our bubbler set-up:
>
> Bubbler/Bath is an old utility sink (donated and I built a 2 x 4 frame to hold it up) with a metal wire “shelf” over the opening. Then added a bathing dish, a solar pump (keep under 120 gph, only want a trickle of water – DEPENDS on how high you are pumping the water up) and rocks. The gurgling occurs especially as the water overflows the bathing dish/pan into the sink below. I like the “utility sink” because it has a plug for EASY water changing every 2-3 weeks! (If you have access to electricity, a non-solar pump would be great because the solar pump is only running about 3 – 4 hours per day)
>
> I have uploaded 10 videos to Flickr and, if you just want to look at a 3-4, I would suggest the ones titled:
>
> Indigo bunting, Nashville Warbler, Swainson’s Thrush
>
> Rose-breasted Grosbeak
>
> Wilson’s Warbler taking bath with Am. Goldfinch
>
> *Eastern Phoebe – one of our favorites as we have at least 15 videos of them diving at the water to bathe!
>
> Here is the link to the videos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/190967906@N08/ >
> I hope you enjoyed this post and are encouraged to set up your own bubbler!
>
> The List of 41 Species alphabetically:
>
> 1. American Goldfinch
> 2. American Robin
> 3. Baltimore Oriole
> 4. Black-capped Chickadee
> 5. Blue Grosbeak
> 6. Bluejay
> 7. Brown-headed Cowbird
> 8. Brown Thrasher
> 9. Canada Warbler
> 10. Cedar Waxwing
> 11. Chipping Sparrow
> 12. Dark-eyed Junco
> 13. Eastern Bluebird
> 14. Eastern Phoebe
> 15. Eastern Screech Owl
> 16. Eastern Towhee
> 17. European Starling
> 18. Gray Catbird
> 19. Harris’s Sparrow
> 20. House Finch
> 21. House Sparrow
> 22. Indigo Bunting
> 23. Nashville Warbler
> 24. Northern Cardinal
> 25. Northern Flicker
> 26. Orange-crowned Warbler
> 27. Palm Warbler
> 28. Purple Finch
> 29. Red-winged Blackbird
> 30. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
> 31. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
> 32. Song Sparrow
> 33. Summer Tanager
> 34. Swainson’s Thrush
> 35. Tufted Titmouse
> 36. Red-eyed Vireo
> 37. White-crowned Sparrow
> 38. White-throated Sparrow
> 39. Wilson’s Warbler
> 40. Northern Yellow Warbler
> 41. Yellow-rumped Warbler
>
> Terry L. Miller
> Plattsburg, MO
> <millert832...> <mailto:<millert832...> >
> www.millerstaxidermy.net <http://www.millerstaxidermy.net/> >
> Follow me on Instagram: terryl.miller
>
> "Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made." Romans 1:20
>
> "The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder." G.K. Chesterton
>
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