Cheap & Easy Birdbath

free-standing birdbath

I just wanted to pass on to you a cheap and easy birdbath that the birds just love. Why spend a lot of bucks for a cement birdbath that may need extensive repairs after a freeze cracks the bowl? And why have one that's too heavy for you to move when you want to groom the area or relocate the bath? [Yeah, more like relocate your shoulder when you try to lift it.]

Here's how to make a lightweight, movable birdbath:

1. Use a flat-topped metal plant stand.
2. Place a heavy-duty recycled plastic plant saucer on top.
3. Anchor the saucer with several rocks of different sizes.

It's low to the ground and doesn't tip over easily. But it is very easy to move. If the paint on the stand shows any signs of rust use Rustoleum spray paint to repair it. If the saucer should crack or break, replace with another. The damaged one goes right into the recycled bin.

The birds have room to bathe or stand on the rocks to drink or cling to the rim to drink. I've had robins, juncos, chickadees, goldfinches, Stellar's jays, flickers, starlings and crows taking turns drinking and bathing. We always have two baths together and sometimes the birds will bathe in one and hop over the other and bathe or drink. They perform this little trick endlessly until they've become waterlogged and have to fly over to a low branch on one of the fir trees and shake off all the water and continue their grooming. [Of course, during this little show, we're convulsed with fits of laughter.]

The crows have been a problem with someone feeding them but not providing water so they come over here, from blocks away to wash their food in our birdbaths!!

However, this birdbath is very easy to clean.

1. Dump the dirty water.
2. Spray water to loosen any film on the bottom.
3. Add a drop of dish washing detergent if terribly soiled.
4. Rub with an all-surface scratch-resistant sponge/scrubber.
5. Rinse thoroughly.
6. Replace the rocks.
7. Fill with fresh cool water.
8. Sit back and watch the birds have fun.

To keep the birdbath sparkling and disease free, refill at least once a day and scrub as needed. Your birds will love you! [And keep the insects under control, as well as providing concerts all day.]

I bought the components at Walmart last year but you can cobble the parts together from any of your favorite suppliers or from what you have around the house. You can go to Lowes, WalMart, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, RiteAid, True Value and any of your local stores and poke around their seasonal garden items. [I haven't found very good bargains online, but you might try your favorite auction site. I also recommend hunting locally to find the best bargains.] Drop in to your local thrift store and search for something weatherproof and sturdy that you can use to create your own unique but movable and inexpensive birdbath. Here's a fun project for a birdbath using plastic buckets, decoupage, and a plant saucer. Check it out!

Now, get busy! Your feathered friends need water and the little effort you expend to bring it to them will be paid back a thousandfold. Watch when the parents bring the fledgelings to the bath the first time. It's really sweet! Thanks for visiting today and

have fun with your birdbath!