Anyone with a birdbath urged to add 1 simple garden item before summer arrives
If birds never seem to use the birdbath in your garden, then a quick five-minute task is often all it takes to encourage them to stop by for a drink.
Birdbaths are among the kindest ways gardeners can help birds during extremely hot summer days, as many of their natural drinking sources can dry up in the heat. However, there is little point in having a bird bath in your garden if birds refuse to use it, and many will avoid one if they cannot perch comfortably on the edge.
It may sound strange, but birds often avoid slippery or steep surfaces, even when they need water, because they need to feel secure and be able to move quickly. If a bird bath is too deep or lacks suitable perches, birds may struggle to escape predators such as cats, foxes, or other birds, making them less likely to visit. Larry Hodgson, known as the Laidback Gardener, has explained that it is very easy to make a bird bath more attractive to birds that will drink from it every day, as all you need is a couple of pebbles.
He said: “Some commercial birdbaths look visually stunning, but when you install them, birds avoid them. Quite often, the cause is just that they are either too deep for small birds or the bottom is too slippery for them to feel at ease.
“To correct the problem, simply put pebbles or stones on the bottom, or even just a rock with a sloping top, so that at least one section is shallower than the rest or even exposed, offering a variety of depths.”
Most everyday garden birds prefer water that is less than five centimetres deep, as it makes it easier for them to move around.
Adding stones or pebbles to a birdbath creates a shallower area for birds to stand, helping them get a better grip as they land and making them feel safer.
Having stones or pebbles inside a birdbath will also reflect off the water's surface, making it more noticeable to any birds flying overhead, and they are more likely to come into your garden.
How to make birds feel safer around a birdbath
All you need to do is pile some small pebbles along one side of a birdbath so the water depth changes gradually. This makes it easier for birds to walk directly into the water to bathe.
Place two or four larger rocks at the bottom of the bird bath so they protrude slightly above the water. This creates lookout spots for birds to check for predators, making them feel safer.
Next, a few stones are randomly thrown to just break up the water. Any open water surface can make birds feel more exposed, and having different water depths will attract them to a bird bath.
Shallow areas in a birdbath are more likely to attract smaller birds like robins, wrens, or tits, while slightly deeper areas will attract blackbirds, starlings, and sparrows.
Making a birdbath more comfortable for birds should take less than five minutes, and it is one of the most effective ways to encourage birds to visit your garden this summer.
