By Sheilar
Sunderland Tyne and Wear,
United Kingdom 
Why does the water in my concrete bird bath keep going a dark red colour? It's mainly rainwater but I top it up with tap water. Any ideas anyone?
6 Jul, 2011
Answers
At this time of year, maybe the birds are eating a lot of cherries etc.... and so their droppings turn the colour of the water to red ...
6 Jul, 2011
yes i think seaburn girl is right, mine do exactly the same its just a case of removing algae and cleaning out and putting fresh water in
6 Jul, 2011
I'll just continue cleaning it out regularly then - I just wondered what caused it to discolour! Thanks everyone for your replies.
6 Jul, 2011
wash your hands well afterwards though. you should be ok but better to be safe than sorry.
6 Jul, 2011
Will do Seaburngirl, thanks for your advice.
6 Jul, 2011
I keep an old stiffish brush with a foot long handle for this kind of job. There are always minute bits of algae left to continue growing in tiny crevices. So I do it regularly. Chemicals are a no go in a bird bath I should think.
6 Jul, 2011
hey mine all do that as well, plus the tiles in my bathroom get a slight orange/red tinge on them as does the shower head. its always puzzled me. i thought it was something to do with the minerals in the water?
7 Jul, 2011
No, its an alga. Bleach will remove it.
7 Jul, 2011
with out a close check I suspect it may be bacterial/algal growth, mixed with bird wastes etc.
6 Jul, 2011