I live a couple blocks from a greenbelt that has an exceptionally healthy crow population. Several of them frequent my yard, bringing substantial quantities of chicken (whole legs, thighs, ...) and other meat, bread, peanuts, and other food that a neighbor is apparently providing them. They use my birdbaths to dunk or wash their food, and as a result, the water and surface of the birdbaths are quickly contaminated. Every day I diligently hose them down and use a brush to scrub away the debris. I use no cleaning products. And every day even a few hours after re-filling them the water is filthy with debris and grease from the meat.

First, I'm not interested in eliminating the crows from my yard. I've made my peace with them. And besides, we're the ones who created the perfect environment for them.

So here are my questions --
Why do they need water to eat this food? Are they dunking or cleaning the food? Or ... ?
How do I safely clean my birdbaths without using chemicals that could harm the birds and other animals, and the trees and plants under them. Both birdbaths are made of composite material -- concrete with embedded small stones. Because of their rough exterior, they are hard to clean. And now that summer has given us a hint of what's to come, this water is likely to rapidly become unsafe for any animal to use as temperatures continue to rise.

Thank you for any help you can provide.
Suzanne Krom
West Seattle