How to Find the Best Bird Bath for Your Garden (Expert Bird)

This is the expert guide to finding the best bird bath for your garden. It covers:

• The 3 Different Bird Bath Types Available
• The Pros and Cons of Each Bird Bath
• Popular Bird Bath Models and Designs

So, if you’re looking to offer your garden birds a quiet spot to refresh themselves with a drink or clean their feathers, this is the perfect guide for you. Let’s get started.

Hanging Bird Baths

A hanging bird bath is a brilliant way of providing birds with a regular supply of clean water for both drinking and bathing. All you need to do is find a safe spot to hang the bath (hanging it from your bird feeder is a good option), fill it up with fresh, clean water and birds will naturally flutter down for a refresh. It’s easy to clean too. All you need to do is unhook the feeder, pour away the water, scrub it down with a non-toxic cleaning detergent and you’re ready to offer fresh, safe water to your garden birds.

Pros:

• Easy to clean and maintain
• Attractive spot for birds to land
• Can be attached to other feeders

Cons:

• May fall over during heavy wind
• Needs to be set up securely out of the way of cats

The only negatives of using a hanging bird bath is the risk of it falling over and getting damaged during heavy wind. You also need to ensure its set up securely out of reach of any cats, don’t hang it from any low lying branches (below 6 feet), or near any potential launch points such as bushes, sheds or garage roofs.

Anywhere Bird Bath by the RSPB

If you’re looking for a simple and versatile hanging bird bath, then you should consider this Anywhere Bird Bath from the RSPB. This bird bath can be used as both a ground or hanging feeder and features a 45mm diameter basin, which is ideal for accommodating a variety of birds at one time for bathing. The other thing we love about this bird bath is the ridged edge design. This simple design feature offers birds a secure place to rest their feet when taking a drink.

Buy Now from £17.99

VCUTEKA Hanging Glass Bird Bath

Ok, so you’ve considered the simple, but what if you want something with a bit more personality? Something that sparkles in the spring sunshine? Well, if that sounds like you, then you should definitely consider this stylish glass hanging bird bath from Vcuteka. Featuring a colourful peacock feather painting, this bird bath is ideal for attracting the attention of your local birds. Don’t forget to take it down when the winds pick up, though!

Buy Now from £15.99

Wall Mounted Bird Baths

Mounted bird baths are small metal basins designed to be fixed against bricks, fencing or even trees. When installed correctly, they can be a great option for offering your local garden birds a drink of water, providing a sturdy all-weather place for birds to flutter down. Wall mounted designs come in a vast array of designs, with a whole host of options that will fit into your garden aesthetic.

Pros

• Sturdy design resistant to harsh weather
• Wide variety of designs available to fit with the style of your home

Cons

• Difficult to set up and install
• Problematic to clean
• Needs to be set up in a location away from cats

However, there are generally more negatives to choosing a wall-mounted bird bath design. Firstly, you need to find a really safe location. If you’re attaching to a fence, a shed or even the wall of your house, this will generally offer cats a variety of launch points to ambush birds. Then you also need to consider the difficulty of setting up and installing the bird bath. This can be quite a painful experience for those not disciplined in home DIY. Finally, you should also consider the fact that a wall-mounted design can be quite difficult to clean.

Maison and White Wall Mounted Bird Bath

One of our favourite wall mounted bird baths is this rustic design from Maison & White. Featuring a quaint bird design, this metal bird bath is easy to install featuring a two bracket and screw functionality that will easily fit on a garden shed or even a fence panel. The added bonus is that this bird bath comes with a two year warranty!

Buy Now from £11.99

Nature’s Market

Another option is this simpler option from Nature’s Market. This design will require a power drill as it's designed to fit snugly against your house wall. However, with decorative details and a cast iron bird ornament, we actually think this would be a delightful addition to many modern and contemporary homes.

Buy Now from £11.99

Free-Standing Bird Baths

The most common type of bird bath is the free-standing. This is a sort of plinth type bird bath design with a solid granite, marble or sandstone type base which rises up to a large metal/stone bathing bowl. They come in a wide variety of designs, with an array of colours and aesthetics to fit every garden. The benefits of this design are the fact that they’re easy to clean and refill with water, can be located out in the open and away from bushes or trees and, with a solid stone base, are generally resistant to all types of weather.

Pros

• Easy to clean and refill with water
• Easily located away from ambush points
• Resistant to all types of harsh weather

Cons

• Very heavy
• Design aesthetic may not fit every home

The only real cons with a free-standing design are the fact that they’re generally quite heavy and, while there are a variety of designs available, you may not fancy having such a large bird bath plonked in the middle of your garden.

Kingfisher Granite Bird Baths

Free-standing bird baths can be a little on the expensive side. So if you’re set on a free-standing bird bath, but you want to do it on the cheap, then your best option is look for a Granite made style. This option from Kingfisher features a simple design that should blend in with most gardens. And at £15.95, the price isn’t too bad either.

Buy it Now for £15.95

Slate Bird Baths

If the granite effect isn’t for your garden, but you still want to keep that price down, you could also look at purchasing a Slate made bird bath. Made from, you guessed it, slate, these bird baths are a quaint design that will complement any garden looking to echo a Lake District design ethos. The price starts to creep up compared to a granite model, but at £26.95, it won’t eat into your savings too much.

Buy it Now from £26.95

Marble Bird Baths

Ok, so let’s say your garden is your pride and joy. No doubt you’re willing to spend a little extra to find the right bird bath for your garden. In that case, take a look at these beautiful Marble Bird Baths from Wayfair. As you can see, the craftsmanship and the details are just delightful and you can just picture the scene as beautiful British birds swoop down to take a drink. The only hard bit for you to swallow is the price!

Buy it Now from £189.95

Sandstone Bird Baths

Finally, you have Sandstone Bird Baths. Starting from £800, these bird baths are usually reserved for country estates or the gardens of the rich and famous. If that’s you, then you may want to consider one of these beautifully designed garden features. It’s as much a piece of art as it is a local watering hole for your garden birds. As for the rest of us, £800+ might be a little too much to stomach.

Buy It Now from £885.95