|
| We just put some feeders out for the first time this year & have attracted quite a few birds. I'd like to put a bird bath in the yard, & have been reading various forums on the subject, but still have a couple of questions.
> The use of drippers seems to be popular, is it necessary or could I make a shallow fountain (water running from one bowl into another)? > I'm thinking about gluing some terra cotta pots together & using the saucer. Does it have to be glazed on the inside? & what is the ideal depth of the water? Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated! |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by tsugajunkie 5a SE_WI (My Page) on Thu, May 22, 08 at 6:06
| Fountains are fine, so long as the bowls aren't more than 2 inches deep (if you want the birds to actually bathe). Terra cotta is porous and would need to be glazed. tj |
|
- Posted by greengardener07 6b/7 - SE PA (My Page) on Tue, Jun 3, 08 at 13:32
| wannaflower, We took the simple route. 1.) Find a nice flat stone to set the "birdbath" on. I did not have the old saucer laying around, but I got the idea when walking through the garden section of Walmart (I know, some people are dead set against Walmart, but their loss). It cost about $1.00 for a pretty durable birdbath. And you can easily add more for just a few dollars. When they break, recycle and get more. Be creative! And have fun! |
|
| or.....go to the thrift store, find a nice decorative plate and a couple of pretty vases. glue them together with GE silicone II in a pleasing manner. place4 in a nice spot and add water! |
|
- Posted by wannaflower 5 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 10, 08 at 14:27
| Good ideas! I like inexpensive, different things. Thank you! I'm off to the garage, basement & shed to see what we have. :-] |
|
- Posted by cinder_ella z7 PNW (My Page) on Sun, Jun 15, 08 at 23:48
| I have to share my "almost free" birdbath. It's very dry here in the Summer, and I wanted to provide water for the birds, squirrels and sometimes even the passing deer. The sound of running water will attract many more birds than still water or the feeder, by the way. Took an old, watertight galvanized washtub, set a pump in the bottom with an upended pond plant basket over the intake as a sort of filter. Used a few rocks or bricks as filler to raise the bathing basin to the top, and used an old mortar "splat" the mason left from cleaning out his mixer. It made an interesting, uneven sculpture that resembles a large cow patty, complete with flat spots and pools. Assembled the works so that the water comes up through a hole in the basin, is forced into a waterfall by an arrangement of rocks, flows over the basin and down into the tub. It holds enough water for several days but I usually top it off daily. When it gets mossy I take it apart, empty and clean. Takes only a few minutes, and it's up and going again. My deck has at least a dozen birds at all times, feeding or bathing - they love it for bathing and drinking, and I love watching them. My sister and I sat out there this afternoon visiting, ID'ing the species and birdwatching. Would share pics but don't have a photo storage space. Wish Gardenweb would let us upload photos here. :-/ |
|
- Posted by sharon_can 6b (My Page) on Mon, Jun 16, 08 at 8:18
| cinder ella - sounds interesting! A picture of it would really be helpful. |
|
- Posted by cinder_ella z7 PNW (My Page) on Tue, Jun 17, 08 at 22:00
| Check out this one. I've been googling how to make birdbath fountain |
Here is a link that might be useful: terra cotta with dripper
|
- Posted by cinder_ella z7 PNW (My Page) on Wed, Jun 18, 08 at 12:14
| Ok, I broke down and got a photobucket account so I could participate more fully here. My name, btw, is Diana, I live in WA state, and have had a very restful Spring recovering from a broken ankle. Made it all the way through a very icy Winter, only to slip and fall on the mud in the Spring early April. It's nearly healed but I'm still not released to do much outdoors work. I hope this works [IMG]http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm288/DiannaLynne_photos/busyb irdbath.jpg[/IMG] |
Here is a link that might be useful: washtub birdbath
|
- Posted by schoolhouse z5/ohio (My Page) on Thu, Jun 19, 08 at 15:54
| Oh my gosh, cinder ella - that is great. You're very creative and the bath looks natural. |
|
- Posted by cinder_ella z7 PNW (My Page) on Tue, Jun 24, 08 at 20:20
| The bath needed cleaning yesterday so I took photos as it was going back together. Because of moss and worry about concentrating bacteria for the birds sake, I clean it every couple of weeks. Every part gets soaked with bleach water and scrubbed before re-assembly. It never takes long for the birds to come check out their newly fresh spa. |
Here is a link that might be useful: slideshow of assembly
|
- Posted by butterbeanbaby z5 MO (My Page) on Thu, Jul 24, 08 at 12:06
| Diana, your washtub birdbath is great! Love it love it love it! Now I know what to do with my washtubs -- also like that they're "kid friendly"... not too deep! I see you have a leaf casting on it too... great idea, and since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I'll be copying it LOL. Holly |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Garden Accoutrements Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.