Robin perched on weathered stone bird bath

17 JUNE 2019

Where to put a bird bath

Allow us to offer you inventive ways to put your bird bath in the garden, with the design and material its made from all vital to where to put a bird bath.

Well stone pedestal or ground bird baths will weather over time, they should be allowed to naturally blend in with a stone surround like a patio or inserted into a rockery. Well a lightweight pedestal bird bath will need stabilising with pegs, with the option to use decorated smooth stones to lay on the base.

Common mistake siting a bird bath often relates to positioning the bath away from overflowing bushes, hedges or blooming flowers, well isolating the bath all on its own.

Well perfectly acceptable to site the bird bath in the centre of the lawn or patio, often it would require you to centre it in the middle of plants or alteast where they're close by.

Take the material of the bird bath as a base for where its located in the garden; with stone bird baths ideally suited to a patio or near a beautiful natural stone brick wall.

Cheaper, plastic bird baths have issues of there own in regard to being to lightweight so therefore, prone to tipping over, though buying a bird bath shouldn't be difficult.

In the case of plastic pedestal bird baths you'll need to stabilise it by using pegs in the ground, so will only be suited to the lawn or turf.

Then if its a hanging bird bath, make the most of it be fixing it near to a window so you can watch the wild birds happily take a bath or drink the water.

Get the full benefits of a bird bath by positioning it in an appropriate spot, keep it filled with fresh water and give it a clean once in a while.

Quiet spot in the garden

Weathered stone bird bath situated in a quieter spot within the garden, near plantation.

With our small gardens these days being so close to roads and busy pathways, its quite difficult to site a bird bath in a quieter spot.

If you have a front and back garden then you should know which side is best, but if its primarily a one-sided garden, then keep the bath away from areas that are disturbed.

This includes areas close to the house or near a fence, hedge or wall with noisy, busy neighbours next door.

If you must you can bring the bird both closer to the house if you don't scare the birds with every little movement.

Success of wild birds using the garden bird bath is largely to do with seclusion.

Keep it close to hedges or bushes

Treat where you put the bird bath similar to where you site your bird feeders; try to centre it where it looks pretty, but so far centred its too far away from natural hiding spots.

You should site the bird bath no more than 3 metres away from where the birds take cover whenever they're frightened, this could be hedgerows, shrubs or even ivy.

During the summer months blooming flower beds would be the ideal hiding spot.

Where NOT to put the bird bath

Autumn leave floating in bird bath water

Well a fall of leaves is perfectly acceptable in water, bird baths should be clear of nasty moss or grit that could end up flouting around in the water.

Picking a perfect spot in your garden will only come true by the habits of wild birds taking to it the bird bath or not at all.

Its quite like the use of other common bird products; bird feeders get used almost without failure, well where you've sited the bird box will almost always end in failure.

Like these products it may require you moving the bird bath around the garden until a spot is finally taken up by birds, so you will need to give them sometime to try it before moving to another spot to quickly.

Well wild birds not using the bath is not the end, it just takes a bit of creative thinking and lots of patience on your part.

When finding a spot for the bird bath, consider the follow...

Not to close to feeder

One big one people don't think about is the bird feeder will more often than not take the spot where the bird bath could go.

Don't make the feeding spot area to crowded with more items.

Wherever the feeder is sited move the bird bath - if your gardens large enough - two or three metres further down or up the garden.

Not only will this free up precise flight space, but will allow birds to perch from one to another, well measuring up where to go next, for a bath or drink, or eat on the feeders.

Bird droppings

It might be fair to say wild birds visiting our garden all year round will always perch on the fence, wall or tree before scooping down to the feeding or bathing area.

And well it might not apply to areas under the garden fence or wall, over hanging objects such as washing lines, gazebos or even tree branches should be avoided.

Birds perch before they do there business beneath them so a bird bath anywhere below would normal results in them pooping in the water.

Which is especially important as wild birds should be left out fresh, clean water everyday.

Falling debris, moss, etc.

You've established the perfect spot to put a bird bath; you consider if they can poop on it being perched above; its in a quiet spot; and away from the feeder.

But there's one thing you might not have considered yet...

That's the falling debris from above, which will only be visible after a short time of the bath being used and sited in the same spot for sometime.

Close to the house and you may have moss falling off the tiled roof, well gravel and fine grit may be brushed off the shed roof felt.

Centre the stone pedestal bird bath

Must be the only bird in Britain to use the bird bath for its intended use, as this Blackbird shows well enjoying splashing about in the water.

Not only do we suggest you site the bird bath in the centre of your garden, but make it so its surrounded with blooming plants and flowers as a natural hiding spot for birds.

As a stone bird bath the weight will help balance the bath regardless, but with a badly fixed bird bath it could still tip over.

If made from stone bird baths tip over, the weight could result in cracks or breaking.

Pick a spot on the lawn and dig it up before laying soil and seeds. Then centre the bath and watch as the seeds grow well the stone pedestal bath naturally weathers over time.

To prevent the stone bird bath from tipping over, inserting it slightly into the soiled ground will stop it ever falling over.

If digging up the garden is not acceptable to you, not to worry; use a single patio slab as the base to level off the bird bath - tough try to make it match the theme of the bath.

Plastic, pedestal on lawn or turf

Problems with cheaper plastic pedestal bird baths is they're light, which pretty much defeats the purpose of its use.

Light and vulnerable to tipping over in the wind is fair enough, but with birds perched around the rim, this can only force the bird bath to move which will frighten the birds, or worse, tip over.

With that in mind, all lightweight plastic pedestal bird baths need to be anchored to the ground with use of pegs for stabilising.

With that in mind, most light plastic bird baths need to be sited on the lawn or turf so you can make use of the stabilising pegs for forcing them into the ground.

If you plan to site the bird bath on a patio then you could have issues here, as you're unable to insert stabilising pegs through the patio slabs.

One way around this is to pick up beautiful smooth, decorated stones at the garden centre. You could also bring a few nice rounded off stones home when you're next on your daily walk.

How you anchor a bird bath is from the use of sharp, long pegs that slot into the ground just as you would pitch a tent - with as many as six pegs needed.

The design of the pedestal bird bath will often allow for pegs to be inserted through gabs in the base; which is a feature you need so look out for, before purchasing one.

Cast iron bird bath on patio or decking

In our opinion a cast iron bird bath is better suited to the patio or decking nearer the house, and for good reason.

The bronze colour in the cast iron can be washed out and bland on the lawn, well the colouring of the brick/slab work on the patio can compliment the natural cast iron colour.

This also applies to the colouring of the often brown, light tan painted colour of the wooden decking, with any metal fencing or ornaments positioned near by.

It could also apply to pebble or stone ground with patio slabs randomly positioned, with the colour in the stones suited to the cast iron colour.

That's only our opinion mind you but you're free to site the pedestal cast iron bird bath in the centre of the lawn, just as we've outlined above.

Don't take our word for it; often manufacturers of cast iron bird baths will picture there products with a decking or patio setting - rarely using the lawn.

Ground stone bath with shrubs

Coal Tit standing on stone ground bird bath

Beautifully located ground stone bird bath with a Coal Tit using it all to itself with plants and long grass obscuring it as it blends in with its natural surroundings.

Siting a ground bird bath made from stone will absolutely weather over the coming years, and should gradually blend in where you've sited it in the garden.

We would recommend a ground stone bird bath positioned on a patio near to overflowing shrubs, flowers and bushes as the spot the birds are more likely to take to.

Consider where you put your bird bath that won't result in birds being ambushed by cats, though if you do have a cat problem you might want to reconsider using a ground bath.

If you feel you're fine to use a ground stone bird bath then always site it on the ground, tucked into the overflowing plants as natural cover.

Overtime the plants will grow around it, but not so much over the bath as you'll need to cut it back if its becomes a problem.

Hanging bird bath on wall

Hanging up a bird bath is the easiest and safest way to provide birds a bath will easy access to drinking water.

Up high and out of the way, the wild birds can sit back and relax well taking there time.

We will always suggest using a cast iron hanging bird bath with bracket attached, as its unlikely to cause issues later.

Where you site the hanging bird bath is another matter. If you just want to supply your visiting birds water than fine, pick a spot that's high and out of the way.

However, if you wish to watch birds drinking or bathing from out of the living room window any chance you get, then obviously you'll need a clear line of sight.

Brick walls that are sited either side of your window will do, so will a brick shed.

The best area to hang a bird bath is near your window, which would require you to fix the hanging bird bath to the brick work on your house.

Closer to the window the better, but not so close the activity within the home will disturb the birds trying to take a drink.

Bird bath on feeding station pole

That leaves us to the small rounded fixed bird bath that often come with the bird feeding station on a pole.

The bird bath rarely gets much attention but it should, not only do these feeders supply a helping of there favourite foods, but a healthy supply of water should be offered every time.

Problem with this is the mounted water supply can largely only be fixed further down the pole, with birds perched above pooping into the water.

Its when the water is pooped the birds will not bother at all with it.

So every time you're using one of these feeding stations on a pole, prioritise the water by placing further up the pole, and inline with the hanging bird feeders.

To Summarise

Don't waste the opportunity to fix a stone bird bath in a spot where it will be located permanently for years to come, giving it enough time to blend it with its surroundings.

Well a lightweight pedestal bird bath will need stabilising by inserting pegs through the base and into the ground.

Hanging bird baths should be positioned where you can watch the birds use it, so ideally should be fixed close to the window or a nearby outhouse or high wall.

Whichever bird bath design or style you choose, don't fix it securely until you know the area you've chosen takes to birds.

Then its time to lay a patio slab or actually make a concrete foundation to make it permanent.

Final word, make sure the location of the bird bath is within reach so you can always keep it filled up with fresh water, well doing a spot of cleaning once in a while.