Can you believe it’s already the 10th of June? I’m sure this month is flying past! And speaking of flying, today’s Saturday Special is one for our feathered friends, but also could be useful for any hedgehogs, foxes and even badgers that might visit your garden.
We’ve all seen those really fancy birdbaths that companies try to persuade us are essential to help the birds in the garden. Well of course they do need water provided, just not necessarily in one of those expensive baths!
All you need is a simple plastic plant pot saucer (you don’t want anything too shallow, as the birds need an inch or so of water to really get into their bath), and if you can find one, a large stone or pebble can come in handy.
This plant saucer from B&Q is almost identical to the one we’ve used
We placed a large stone against one side of the saucer just to weigh it down a little, as the pigeon tends to sit on one side and tip it over! But if you don’t get pigeons visiting all that often, then it’s not essential to add that in.
If the plant saucer is quite deep, you could add a stone or pebble onto the base just to make that part a little shallower for the smaller birds, but we didn’t find that necessary.
You will need to find a suitable place to put the saucer – there should be a good amount of open space around it (to allow the birds to keep an eye out for any cats), and ideally some plant cover they can fly into when they want to dry off. Then just fill up the saucer with water (top up as required, and remember to clean it out every now and then to keep it fresh), and once the birds spot it, they should be heading your way.
We’ve put our saucer on the steps, and the birds seem to adore it! I have also spotted a fox drinking some of the water overnight before, so it should prove helpful to other animals as well as the birds.
