Bird bath..

jayvee64 · #1 (**permalink**) 20-04-2010, 07:31 PM

Hi
I'm wanting to put a birdbath in my garden. Will be at the top of a steepish terraced garden where little "human activity" goes on (apart from myself being there occasionally)! Can anyone recommend type of bath which is most attractive to birds, height, positioning etc?

Many thanks

Simples · #2 (**permalink**) 20-04-2010, 08:33 PM

In my experience birds prefer to bathe at ground level. Any shallow dish will do, the water needs to be no more than 3-4cm deep in the middle and shallower around the edges. I'd recommend a glazed ceramic, metal or plastic finish that can be cleaned easily. The bigger it is, the more birds will be attracted to it - but the water needs to be changed regularly so bear this in mind when deciding on size.

jayvee64 · #3 (**permalink**) 20-04-2010, 08:38 PM

Thanks Simples
Will have a look around for something suitable. I thought about ground level, but doesn't that pose a problem with cats ?

Pigeon feather · #4 (**permalink**) 20-04-2010, 09:18 PM

I have a nice cast iron effect bird bath that is about 3 feet tall positioned near a hawthorn tree that the birds seem to love, a ground level one needs to be some distance away from any shrubs in the open so a cat can't lie in wait to ambush any suspecting birds as long as there are trees nearby for the birds to fly into they should feel safe to use it.

solus · #5 (**permalink**) 20-04-2010, 11:17 PM

Mine is an old frying pan on the patio step! Popular with all for drinking and bathing and to see how many times a day they can make me go out to refill it for them!

Simples · #6 (**permalink**) 21-04-2010, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayvee64

Thanks Simples
Will have a look around for something suitable. I thought about ground level, but doesn't that pose a problem with cats ?

Birds won't go near anything if they see a cat nearby, which is why I have gone to great lengths to keep cats out of my garden. In my opinion you can't have both, and I know which I prefer.

A cat will easily jump 8 feet in the air in one leap, and birds know this. Therefore it won't matter if it's on the ground or three feet up. If you must have a bird bath, position it carefully and try moving it around until you find a spot that the birds seem happy with.

Cowgirl · #7 (**permalink**) 21-04-2010, 06:02 PM

At work a dustbin lid blew off one day then filled up with rainwater, it just sits all skewed but they don't mind. I noticed the birds queing up for it, so now I replaced the lid with another (as dustbin was filling with water!) & keep it clean & topped up. They love it, especially the sparrows, they'r great to watch all the squabbling & flapping about. Even the local woodpigeons & collared doves have a go.

jayvee64 · #8 (**permalink**) 21-04-2010, 09:41 PM

Thank you all very much for your advice. I don't have cats but there are one or two around. I'm looking forward to getting a bath for the birds and trying it out!

Sprout · #9 (**permalink**) 22-04-2010, 07:32 AM

i can tell you which one to avoid - the plastic one from the rspb!! it looks nice and it's painted to look like like cast iron and was about £10-15. trouble is the sides are too steep and the plastic is too slippy for the birds. i have 4 birdbaths (two cast iron, a traditional stone one and the rspb one) and this one has never been used. i put a brick in the middle of it to try and encourage the birds but they still don't like it.
i did mention it to an rspb person but was told they'd never had any other complaints (i wasn't really complaining, just giving them feedback) and it was a best seller. maybe someone out there has one that gets used and can tell me what i'm doing wrong??