Last updated on April 27th, 2021 at 02:07 am
How to Add a Bird Bath to Your Lawn or Garden
Every child knows that running under a sprinkler or being sprayed by a water hose is a fun way to cool off on a hot summer day. Cool water always makes the summer’s heat tolerable and even enjoyable. You can offer the same relief from the heat to the birds in your backyard.
By installing a simple bird bath, you will make your yard more attractive while enjoying the sight of backyard birds arriving, drinking, splashing, playing around in the water and drying themselves off. Pure delight.
Your new bird bath doesn’t need to be expensive. It can be as simple as a shallow pan filled with water or as ornate as a concrete pool with a statue and fountain. Or something in between. The birds will love whatever water feature you provide for them to drink, bathe and play.
Depth and Footing
Most birds prefer shallow water (no more than one to two inches deep). A sloping surface, where the water is shallow around the edges and deeper toward the middle, caters to different sizes of birds.
You can adjust the water depth by adding flat stones, rocks, gravel or pebbles. These additions also serve as a perching spot out of the water or just a place for the birds to get their feet wet.
Ideally, the bottom of the bird bath should have a fairly rough surface, providing a solid footing for any visitors coming in for a sudden landing (or making an abrupt departure).
Easy Bird Baths
Here are a few ideas for easy-to-make bird baths:
Garbage Can Lids: Set the lid in a shallow depression to prevent overturning, then partially fill with small rocks and stones and add water.
Tomato Cage and Pie Plate: Firmly anchor a tomato cage into the ground then settle a pie plate, or a similar shallow dish, on the top ring of the cage. Fill with water.
Log Bird Bath: Chisel out a shallow bird bath area on top of an upstanding log, sand smooth, then seal the depression with a waterproof sealer or non-toxic paint.
Clay Pots and Saucers: You can find endless variations of these on the net.
Essentially, you place a shallow clay pot saucer somewhere the birds will find it and add water.
You could have this as a hanging bird bath, place it on a wall, or set it on a stack of upturned clay pots similar to our free project for a glass mosaic table or birdbath.
Recycled Dishes and Glassware: Get creative and use a strong, waterproof glue to join together odd pieces of glassware, old vases, or dishes no longer in use, with a shallow bowl on top as the bird bath.
Placement of Bird Baths
Bird baths can be placed on the ground, on a raised pedestal, or hung from a tree branch a few feet off the ground.
Ground level: While ground level baths provide water for small animals such as squirrels, chipmunks or rabbits they may also attract cats. Bathing birds are vulnerable to predators so do keep that in mind. If cats are in or around your yard, your bird bath should be raised above the ground.
Predators: Cats, and other predators, like to hide in shrubs and foliage lying in wait for their prey. If this is an issue for you, place your bird bath in an open area of your lawn or garden where birds have a clear view of the surrounding area and any hidden dangers.
Dripping Water: Nothing attracts birds as quickly as dripping water. While some bird baths have fountains, a water drip can also be easily made. Take a plastic bottle or tin can and make a hole with a nail in the bottom or along the side just above the bottom. Attach the container to a branch several feet above the branch and fill it with water. The slow steady drip will attract birds to your bath. Once they have found it, chances are the birds will continue visiting even when the water isn’t dripping.
Food Source: Having a ready supply of food nearby is an excellent way to attract backyard birds. If you keep a well-stocked bird feeder near the bird bath they will eat their fill and then, hopefully, splash around in the water for a few minutes.
Care and Maintenance: Clean, Fresh Water
Care: Keep your bird bath filled with clean water at all times. A reliable source of drinking water is appreciated by all birds. Evaporation, and the birds spashing around, can quickly empty a shallow bird bath so watch for dropping water levels during hot spells.
On the other hand, stagnant water filled with rotting leaves and bird waste quickly breeds bacteria which can sicken the birds as well as adding to the mosquito population.
For these reasons, it’s important to empty the bird bath completely and refill it every couple of days. Use a brush to remove any algae, rinse the bird bath well, then top it up with clean, fresh water.
If you follow these suggestions, you’ll have lots of birds eager to use your new bird bath!
Consider maintaining the bird bath as long as you can through the fall and into the winter. When ponds and streams are frozen over, any drinkable source of fresh water becomes vitally important for the survival of your local winter bird population.
Making a bird bath not only adds a beautiful feature to your lawn and garden, it can provide year-round enjoyment and sustenance for both you and the birds.
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