10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (2024)

Gardening

Wild Birds

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Melissa Mayntz

10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (1)

Melissa Mayntz

Melissa Mayntz is a writer and a birder, with years of experience birding at the state, national, and international level. Melissa has been writing about birding and wild birds for The Spruce and other print and online publications for more than a decade and has been birding for more than 30 years.

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Updated on 11/02/21

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10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (2)

Birdbaths are essential for every bird-friendly landscape. While there are many different types of birdbaths you can buy, there are even more ways to create your own bath with upcycled, recycled, or repurposed materials, no matter what your level of crafting skill. These 10 creative projects offer plenty of opportunities for creativity and personalization while still providing water to your favorite backyard birds in fun and imaginative ways.

  • Tippy Pots Planter and Bath

    10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (3)

    There are many ways to use clay pots to make DIY bird baths, from simple towers to creative stacking, but this topsy turvy design is one of the most fun and whimsical options. Bold colors make the project pop, and the tipped pots make perfect planters for flowers, herbs, ferns, or other greenery. Add flowers for hummingbirds or seed-bearing flowers to attract even more birds.

    DIY Garden Planter & Bird Bath from Home Stories A to Z

  • 02 of 10

    Recycled Glassware Birdbath

    10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (4)

    Pedestal birdbaths are popular designs, but your pedestal doesn’t have to be boring or plain. Recycling glassware is a great option for a birdbath with extra sparkle and flair, and who doesn’t have old vases, platters, and plates gathering dust in a cupboard or piling up at a thrift store? Put them to good use by creating a birdbath that will add vintage style to the yard.

    Recycled Glassware Bird Bath fromFlea Market Gardening

  • 03 of 10

    Teapot Birdbath

    10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (5)

    Add storybook whimsy to the garden and invite birds to a tea party with this teapot bird bath stack. Mismatched cups, saucers, and teapots can blend together with a coat of paint, creating a memorable and fun design that is a great companion to a teapot birdhouse. Use your own miscellaneous crockery or visit thrift stores or yard sales for a wide variety of choices to turn into a DIY birdbath.

    Teapot Bird Bath Garden Art from Morena’s Corner

  • 04 of 10

    One-of-a-Kind Birdbath

    10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (6)

    This stacked birdbath allows you to express your creativity with different colors and by filling the stacked vases with a variety of items. Try pebbles, marbles, colored gravel, seashells, colored sand, yarn scraps, tumbled rocks, or any other fun fillers for unique colors and textures. The wood slice separators give the project consistency as well as good stability.

    Homemade Bird Bath from DecoArt

    Continue to 5 of 10 below

  • Stacked Stone Birdbath

    10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (7)

    The rustic look of this simple stone stack will add structure and an easy water feature in more natural gardens. Galvanized trash can lids are perfect for bird bath basins, and if the lids are a bit bumped and dented, so much the better for a weathered look. Stones added inside the basin give birds more perching space and keep the lids sturdily in place.

    Stacked Stone Bird Bath from Our Fairfield Home & Garden

  • 06 of 10

    Glass Lid Hanging Birdbath

    10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (8)

    Hanging birdbaths are a great choice for hanging below balconies, from awnings, or from large tree branches, and this easy glass lid bath is a simple but perfect project to attract birds with water. The chain adds durability and stability to hang the bath, but the lid can easily be removed to wash (even in the dishwasher) when it is time to clean the birdbath.

    Thrifted Glass Lid Hanging Bird Bath from Sadie Seasongoods

  • 07 of 10

    Cute Serving Dish Birdbath

    10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (9)

    Dollar stores and thrift stores have a wide variety of colorful serving bowls and platters that can make stunning birdbaths. This project adds even more custom flair with a carved table leg (recycled, of course) as the pedestal, complete with a stable platform to be sure the birdbath can support all its feathered visitors without tilting or tipping.

    Cute Serving Bowl Bird Bath from HomeJelly

  • 08 of 10

    Repurposed Lamp Birdbath

    10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (10)

    Turning an old lamp into a DIY birdbath is one bright idea, and you don’t need an electrician’s license to do it. What you do need is an old, ornate lamp you’d find at a thrift store, resale shop, or yard sale, and your favorite paint color to give it some pop. Add a crystal basin or other bowl for the water, and your birds will love the opportunity for an elegant bath.

    DIY Lamp Into Orange Bird Bath from Thrifty Rebel Vintage

    Continue to 9 of 10 below

  • 09 of 10

    Tomato Cage Birdbath

    10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (11)

    Add a birdbath to your vegetable garden or anywhere you want birds to make a splash with a simple tomato cage birdbath. The sturdy wire of the cage provides an easy pedestal for the clay saucer basin. The cage could be trimmed to any height, or you can make multiple baths at different heights to add even more water and character to the garden.

    DIY Tomato Cage Bird Bath from My Life Abundant

  • 10 of 10

    Jeweled Concrete Bird Bath

    10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (12)

    Perhaps you already have a heavy concrete birdbath that is showing its age with chips, nicks, or cracks. Give it new glamour with a simple coat of concrete and glittery jewels, with a smaller colorful basin in the middle for a fun focal point. You can even leave the smaller basin loose in the bath so it can be removed for easy cleaning whenever needed.

    DIY Bird Bath Restoration from Following the Master Gardener

10 Easy DIY Bird Bath Projects (2024)

FAQs

Do copper pennies prevent algae? ›

How to Prevent Algae in Bird Bath Water Features. Copper pennies may help if they're from before 1982 when copper was still the main material. You can also use other copper coins or copper tubing. Do not include fish in any water that has copper added to it.

What is the best concrete mix for a bird bath? ›

In a plastic bowl, mix three parts contractor's sand to one part Portland cement. Mix 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of concrete fortifier, and add slowly to the sand until it reaches the consistency of a thick brownie batter. The easiest way to do this is to squish it with your hands wearing rubber gloves.

What will attract birds to a bird bath? ›

One of the best ways to make your birdbath even more attractive is to provide dripping water. Many birds find the sight and sound of moving water irresistible. You can use a commercial dripper or sprayer, or make your own by recycling an old bucket or plastic container.

What can I use to make a homemade bird bath? ›

To make a hanging bird bath, simply repurpose a hanging planter by placing an upside-down planter saucer on the top. Hang the bird bath from a sturdy branch. Then, add stones, glass beads or rocks and a couple inches of water. If you'd rather buy a prefabricated hanging bird bath, we get it.

How to build an inexpensive bird bath? ›

Stacked Stones

This one is a simple yet effective bird bath that does not require you to go to the shops, simply use what you have in your garden! Find a few similar medium sized flat stones and pile them on top of each other. You can place any fancy saucers or pots that will be able to balance on top and you are done.

How many pennies should I put in my birdbath? ›

To keep algae growth from your bird bath drop some pre-1982 copper pennies in. I have what I would call a normal size bird bath & I use 7 pennies. The reason for the pennies being pre-1982 is that before that year, the pennies contained copper, a natural algicide.

What can I put in my bird bath to keep it clean? ›

To keep your birdbath fresh, just rinse and scrub it with nine parts water, one part vinegar.

What can I put in my bird bath to prevent algae? ›

Yes, dilute apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a great choice for combatting algae in your bird bath the natural way.

How do you make a sturdy bird bath? ›

How to make a bird bath
  1. Find level stones or bricks that you can stack to make a sturdy base. ...
  2. After you have stacked your bricks or stones, place your dish on top and test if it's stable.
  3. If the dish is slippery inside, you can add some small pebbles and rocks to the bath to provide some grip.

Do you put rocks in a bird bath? ›

What birds really want from a bird bath is a wide, safe and shallow puddle with a rock or two for perching on. That way, they won't get out of their depth, there's plenty of space to flap about, and every chance to do it in the company of others, which is always safer.

Does Flex Seal work on concrete bird baths? ›

Flex Seal Liquid works great on cinderblocks, in particular. Whether it's a non-bearing wall, bird bath, or any other place where cinderblocks are present, Flex Seal Liquid seeps in and seals off the material to keep your area safe, clean, and protected.

Why won't birds come to my birdbath? ›

The Birdbath Isn't in the Right Place

Much like we as humans look for convenient watering holes, birds are looking for easy—and safe—places to wet their beaks and bathe. If your birdbath is out in the open, with no cover or brush nearby, it's too risky a place for birds to use as a rest stop.

How do you keep water flowing in a bird bath? ›

Running a small recirculating pump into the birdbath also works well. My favorite water-mover, however, is the mister. Misters release a fine spray of water into the air. They seem to work best in spots where the mist bathes nearby foliage.

Should I put rocks in my bird bath? ›

Give Your Birds Perching Spots

If you happen to have a deeper bird bath, you can make it more appealing by adding in a few rocks in the middle or along the edges. This will give birds a place to land so they can splash and preen themselves in the water.

What kind of bird baths do birds like best? ›

Pedestal Bath

This classic pedestal-style bath is popular with bird lovers. It withstands all types of weather to attract birds year-round. The shallow basin is ideal for smaller songbirds such as finches. Check out unique birdhouses your birds will actually use.

Can I use a bowl as a bird bath? ›

Even an old bowl or a cooking pot would work. You could even creative and upcycle something unwanted. The perfect birdbath will have very shallow sloping sides, a maximum depth of only 10cm or so and be as wide as possible – ideally more than 30cm across.

What goes in a bird bath and doesn't get wet? ›

Q: What goes in a birdbath but never gets wet? A: The bird's shadow.

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