Stone Bird Baths: Where to Put One and How to Look After It

A bird bath is one of the few garden ornaments that gets used every day. Birds need water to drink and to bathe, and clean feathers help them stay insulated. In a hard winter, when puddles and ponds freeze, a reliable water source matters even more.

A heavy stone bath on a pedestal stays put, doesn't blow over, and looks at home in almost any garden. Here's how to get birds using it, and how to look after it.

Where to put a bird bath

Birds bathing are distracted and wet, which makes them vulnerable. The right spot balances two things:

• A clear view. Put the bath in the open, so birds can see anything approaching. A pedestal bath helps here, lifting them clear of the ground where cats hunt.
• Cover nearby. Place it a couple of metres from a shrub, hedge or tree, close enough for a quick escape but not so close that a cat can hide beside it.

Two more tips. Keep it away from directly under your feeders, where husks and droppings will foul the water. And put it where you can see it from a window, because watching the birds is half the point.

Stand it on firm, level ground. On a lawn or in a border, a paving slab underneath stops the pedestal sinking and tilting.

How deep should the water be?

Shallow. Small birds won't use water they can't stand in, and they prefer a gently sloping edge. If your bowl is deeper in the middle, place a flat stone or a few large pebbles in it to create a shallow standing area.

Use plain, fresh tap water. Don't add anything to it.

Keeping it clean

A bird bath shared by lots of visitors gets dirty quickly, and dirty water can spread disease between birds.

• Change the water every day or two, and more often in warm weather.
• Scrub the bowl regularly with a stiff brush and water to remove algae and droppings.
• Rinse thoroughly if you ever use anything stronger than water, so no residue is left behind.

A bath in full sun grows algae faster, so a spot with some afternoon shade means less scrubbing.

Winter: keep the birds supplied and the bowl safe

Our stone ornaments are frost proof and can stay outside all year. Water is different. When water freezes it expands, and a bowl full of water that freezes solid can be damaged by the ice. That's true of any water-holding ornament, and it's why we recommend care in the coldest months. See the winter care section of our delivery page.

You can protect the bowl and still give birds water:

• On nights with a hard frost forecast, empty the bath in the evening rather than leaving it full to freeze.
• Refill it in the morning with fresh, lukewarm (not boiling) water.
• In lighter frosts, a small floating ball moved by the breeze can help keep a patch of water open.
• Never add salt, antifreeze or glycerine. They are harmful to birds.

Making it a feature

A pedestal bird bath is a natural focal point in the middle of a lawn, at the heart of a cottage border, or in view of a garden bench. Low planting around the base softens it, as long as it doesn't give cats a hiding place.

If you'd like moving water too, which birds find especially attractive, have a look at our guide to self contained water features.

See the Large Classic Bird Bath, or browse all our garden ornaments. Prices include delivery to most mainland UK postcodes.