In my yard there are more birds than I can feed!  Food is rationed each morning, as there are at least twenty different species seen at any given time.

Mind you, I could do without the occasional hawk, or squabbling, screeching crows in the morning, but seeing the Bluebirds, Cardinals, Woodpeckers, Goldfinches, and so many more daily are well worth it.

One reason for the multitude of species is birdbaths.  There are nine of them in my yard, but only two are the traditional pedestal type baths.  Some are merely plant saucers or containers, some with moving water in them.

The bird bath pictured above is an old resin planter. When first purchased, I had drilled holes for drainage.  When I decided to use it as a birdbath, I simply plugged the holes with glue from the bottom.  Adding the water wiggler to create the moving water was what really caught birds’ attention!  A few river rocks in the bottom serve as a decorative feature.  This bath is usable year-round as it will accommodate a heater in winter as well.

Any kind of shallow planter can be turned into a bird bath as long as it holds water and is not too deep for birds. An optimal depth is 2″-3″ for birds to bathe and wade comfortably.  If the water is too deep, try adding a large rock for them to land on, or perch.  Also, there is a great new item called the Birdbath Raft which turns any decorative container into a birdbath by floating on top and allowing only a small amount of water into the raft…very cool!

You can attract more birds with birdbaths–and they needn’t be expensive or fancy.  Just look around the basement or garage and see what’s available to craft your own!