But there is one thing you can add to your birdbath to make it appealing for all birds, from robins to blue tits, finches and thrushes, and keep them coming back again and again to a trusted source of water. A gently sloping, shallow bird bath is ideal for attracting robins to your garden. As they are little birds, the slope allows them to enter safely. However, if your bird bath doesn’t have this, you can add stones or rocks to give them extra support and something to grip onto.
Gardeners on Reddit recommend using a natural stone, not a polished one which birds can slip off. One person said the best kind to use is “natural rock without algae on top isn’t too slippery”. They added: “Maybe don’t use some manually polished stone, that could get slippery indeed.”
Another chimed in: “I put some flat natural stones in mine, and the littler birds often use them. It’s fun to watch them building up the nerve to try one out for the first time.”
The ideal position for your garden water source would be somewhere close enough to cover and shade, yet clearly visible to the little birds.
It’s important to refresh the water in bird baths daily (and make sure they remain ice-free during winter months). Periodic cleaning is also recommended to maintain the overall hygiene and appeal of the water source.
Grime and dirt can rapidly build up in birdbaths, but there is a straightforward method that can help significantly reduce dirt in your birdbath using one item you should have in your wallet.
The copper in a 1p or 2p piece is a natural biocide with properties that stop algae growing. Make sure you clean any pennies before dropping them in the birdbath.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has recently issued urgent advice urging people to cease putting out seeds for garden birds from May 1. The bird charity introduced fresh guidelines which came into force this month and will remain in effect until October 31. The RSPB has cautioned gardeners, bird enthusiasts and amateur ornithologists against providing birds with seeds or peanuts, due to fears that feeding birds during the spring and summer months, despite well-meaning intentions, is actually contributing to disease transmission.
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