Bird Baths and Fountains

[Mockingbird]

Does anybody have a recommendation of where I might be able to find a larger bird bath or fountain? I am looking for one thats maybe 4' tops and would prefer a natural type as opposed to the plastic ones. I have started to search online but figured maybe there are other places I have not thought to look. Is this something you can get from someplace like an antique shop or a salvage yard?

For very long time I felt like I wanted to add something to one of my other beds, some sort of statue or something. Any resources for better garden decor would be appreciated.

 

[dave david]

I have found that salvage yards and CL provided the best value, but I look for non-conventional items, rusty iron buckets, stone ware and large pots and barrels. It really comes down to what is your taste and how do you want to use it....will it need to be moved or drained? Does it need power to run a pump, will a small PV panel and battery work or does it need AC.

I have a square piece of stone about 4-5" square and perhaps 2 feet tall, that I am looking to use in a fountain, but need an appropriate basin/container to match the texture, so I am still looking .

Plastic ones and pond liner can work, when you want to completely hide it with stone or plants or other textures.

The lady down the street found an antique tooth harrow, perhaps orchard size, and stood it up on the tail end, and she has started viney-plants on it and used it at halloween. It is really odd, but works and is so unusual as to be noticeable.

 

[galmal]

Not sure what kind you're looking for, but if you like the ones made out of concrete, you might try a concrete yard - they usually make them there and some sell retail. Also, you can find some pretty generic ones at places like Lowe's and Home Depot

If you're looking for something made out of metal or fancy, I would try an upscale nursery. Sometimes you can find some nice ones at antique stores. Or if you live close to an area that has artisan-type shops, you could try a metal worker or sculptor.

It's something you need to think about, do you want to get one quickly and aren't concerned with it being unique, or are you willing to really shop around to find that perfect one? How much are you willing to spend? You can find something quick and cheap at the big box stores, but if you want unique you're probably going to have to search around a bit.

 

[IcyBC]

I usually looked for what I want at Thrift Stores, and buy bits and pieces here and there to create my own. Thrift Stores had the best price and so does hardware stores. ACE hardware has a good selection sometimes and their sales at the end of the season is wonderful.

 

[Cereus]

I've seen people make their own bird baths from everything you can imagine haha. Used but painted/mosaic toilets to large basins placed on home made pedestals. Generally thrift stores are very cheap so snagging one from there is a better bet than an antique store. Craigslist has listings often for yard sales with them in there and flea markets are another source to check into. There's also stone mason/carver places that sell them but they're heavy haha.

 

[grouie]

I designed my own bird bath and had it built. I am happy with it. It is a shallow tapered concrete basin with a 6 feet diameter which is mounted on a concrete pillar.

 

[BirdBathMan]

Making your own bird bath is a great idea, as long as you make sure the depth of the basin is ideal. 2 inches is about right, and the basin should slope from the outer rim to the center. This will ensure that the birds don't drown and that your bird bath attracts the widest variety of wild birds possible.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

 

[marlingardener]

Esther, that is a lovely fountain! Have you found that wild creatures visit your fountain at night? We have a water station for wild birds that often gets tipped over by raccoons, feral cats, and who knows what.

 

[BirdBathMan]

Looks really amazing! Do the solar cells absorb enough light to keep the fountain going all the time? How do you find the maintenance of the fountain?

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Esther, that is a lovely fountain! Have you found that wild creatures visit your fountain at night? We have a water station for wild birds that often gets tipped over by raccoons, feral cats, and who knows what.

had this set up for the past 6 years, it has never been disturbed.
this cannot be tipped over, its very heavy pot.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Looks really amazing! Do the solar cells absorb enough light to keep the fountain going all the time? How do you find the maintenance of the fountain?

It works from about 10AM to 4PM depends on cloud cover etc. The water is in a huge pot, when the water looks a little yucky, I have to pail it out, and tilt the pot, use a hose to clean out any green that grew inside, or sediment . The refill with new water, place the solar pad back in and its done. Somewhere about mid -- November, I will empty it for good for the winter, put the solar pad in the gazebo for the winter, cover the pot and that is it.

there is nothing much to do to the fountain, if it looks mucky on the bottom just wipe it off and put back in the water. I don't fuss with it much.

 

[BirdBathMan]

That's excellent that you clean the bath often. Moving water is supposed to make that at least somewhat less of a chore.

I was curious recently about how photo voltaic cells work, not just on bird baths, but in general. NASA's site explains it pretty well, for those who are also curious: https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/solarcells

 

[Beverly]

@The Denying Dutchman has posted a wonderful video on the forums about how to repair small fountain/birdbath pumps. I had 3 solar pumps that had stopped working. I didn't know they could be repaired. I followed the instructions on his video and now i have 3 working solar pumps. So, if you missed it you can find the post here
https://www.gardening-forums.com/th...etc-pumps-in-a-few-minutes.12355/#post-114014