Birds can seem like simple creatures, but they can be as particular as people can. When it comes to bird baths (and feeders), they’ve got needs that have to be met for maximum bird visits, and we’re going to take you through those here.

TL;DR – Place it in the shade, near a tree, away from bushes and fences cats can leap from

Place your bird bath in the shade

Birds prefer cool water, as it’s more likely to be fresh and is more likely to be found in the wild. In the shade, you can stop your water heating up and keep it as the nice cool shower birds like.

Under a tree is best as it gives birds a place to retreat if they get spooked, as well as a spot to check the area before jumping in for a clean. Just make sure it’s not a good place for cats to hide too, so thin branches starting a few feet off the ground is ideal.

Top tip: get a cat repeller to prioritise birds over felines.

Place your bird bath away from fences

Don’t use a shaded corner created by fencing or a wall – birds like to see all around them at all times, and a corner blocks off 50% of their field of view. And cats can pounce from fences, attacking birds and possibly breaking your bird bath.

Choose a spot that’s as open as it can be while still sticking to point one. While birds don’t get sunburnt like humans do, excessive sun exposure will cause them to overheat – even after a bath if the water isn’t cool enough. Keep the birds cool and replace the water regularly during heatwaves. 

Agitate the water a little

To a bird, moving water is clean water. This isn’t strictly true for us, but it’s a good rule of thumb to remember to remove all standing water (like upright buckets) regularly – that’s where mosquitos breed.

A little drip or fountain will do wonders for attracting birds, so you can either get a bird bath with a fountain or add a dripper above your bird bath to imitate the lightest of rainfalls. Unless your bird bath is multi-tiered and has an internal reservoir you won’t be able to add a pump to an existing bath for a full-on fountain. The bird bath needs to remain shallow.

What is the best bird bath?

The best bird bath has slightly agitated water, is shallow (with a water level resembling a puddle), heavy enough not to blow over in the breeze, and is placed in line with the guide above. Our most popular is the Pizzaro Solar Bird Bath, but every bird bath you’ll find in our category is suitable for your local warblers, bathers and flyers.

We’ll explore the best bird baths in a later blog post, but for now you can take a look at our bird baths and pick the one you like the best!

Shop over 80 bird baths at Primrose

Bird bath Photo by Timothy Kindrachuk on Unsplash