How to make a bird bath

What you will need

h A ready-made bird bath or a shallow, watertight bowl

with sloping sides, such as an upturned dustbin lid or

large circular plant tray. It should have a maximum depth of only 10cm or so and be as wide as possible, ideally more than

30cm across.

h Stones or gravel

h Bricks on which to raise the bowl if it doesn’t

have a plinth

h Rainwater or tap water

Step-by-step

1

Lay out four bricks on a

piece of open lawn or border, where the birds will have a good all-round view

but can dart into the cover of bushes or trees nearby if they need to. If cats visit

your garden, make sure there is nowhere they can hide within pouncing

distance.

2

Put the bath, bowl or galvanised dustbin lid on top of the bricks. Make

sure it is stable.

3

Feel if the inside of the bird bath is too smooth or

slippy. If it is, birds might slip into the water. Put some pebbles or rocks in the water to give them

easier access.

4

Fill with water. You’ll need to keep the bird bath well topped-up in summer

and ice-free in winter. In frosty weather, never use salt or de-icer. Pour in warm (not hot) water, or gently knock the ice out and

replace with fresh water from the tap. “It’s important to keep your bird bath clean. Having lots of different birds gathering

in the same space can increase the risk of disease

transmission, and droppings can quickly dirty a small bird bath, so give it

a scrub every week to remove algae and other dirt,” suggests Ambrose.

“We recommend safe, non-toxic disinfectants such as Ark-Klens.”

(rspb.org.uk)