Bye Basic Bird Baths: There's An Amazon Find That Also Shows Off Flowers

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No backyard bird-friendly habitat is complete without a bird bath. Just like other animals, birds need to drink and bathe, too. Even if you're out of bird seed, a basin of fresh water will lure in birds aplenty. Tuck it in among flowers, and it makes a charming image with colorful birds splashing about. Standing a pedestal bird bath right in a flower bed is a classic choice, but the Best Choice Outdoor Solar Lighted Pedestal Bird Bath from Amazon does one better by making the flowers part of the structure. Between a lily leaf-shaped basin and a filigree base sits a planter for flowers and foliage, adding some extra wildlife value.

Some bird baths are statuesque creations that double as outdoor art pieces. Those made from ceramic, concrete, or metal can be a serious investment, too, without necessarily being better for the birds. In fact, some of these creations can crack in freezing temperatures, and glazes can make the basin's surface too slippery for birds to use without difficulty.

Amazon has a pretty sweet selection of pedestal bird baths made from resin or other plastics, making them much more affordable and — if not more durable — less expensive to replace after weather damage. At just a hair over three pounds, the Best Choice pedestal bath might seem flimsy. But it's advertised as having a hollow center column that you can fill with water, sand, or gravel to give it more heft and wind resistance. Plus, the product comes with three ground stakes to help anchor the base into the soil.

The Best Choice Outdoor Solar Lighted Pedestal Bird Bath comes in three metal-look finishes — bronze, black, green, and peacock blue — for a regular price of $49.99. However, metal pedestal baths with similar looks can cost more than twice Best Choice's. With the help of a solar panel, the upper part of the bath's pedestal becomes a lighting feature after sunset, as well. The basin is also broad enough to hold a water feature like the Gaizerl Solar Fountain that's great for hummingbirds and other feathered friends.

The planter component is equipped with drainage holes and only needs some soil and flowers to look complete. A floral fringe around the pedestal is a beautiful way to attract hummingbirds and pollinators to your yard, but some reviewers shared that they've converted the planter portion into a squirrel feeder. One such customer claims that squirrels now leave their other feeders alone.

With an overall rating of 4.2 stars across over 3,000 reviews, it's clear that the Best Choice Solar Lighted Pedestal Bird Bath has received very few complaints. One legitimate concern is how challenging it is to stand the bird bath securely. Although Best Choice claims that the hollow pedestal can be filled with material to weigh it down, one reviewer reported that the pedestal doesn't have an inner base to hold the material in place. Another reviewer with similar concerns solved the problem by driving a wooden stake into the ground and fitting the pedestal over it.