Goodbye Traditional Bird Baths — Turn A Thrifted Frying Pan Into A Basin They'll Love

If you recently got sticker shock while shopping for bird baths, you might be considering budget-friendly DIYs to attract more birds to your yard. You may have already tried solutions like an old dish pan or a vintage hubcap while looking for something to use as a bird bath, but there's one item that you might not have considered: a frying pan. As long as you're not looking for the fanciest bird bath on the block and you just want something that will hold water for the birds, a thrifted frying pan may be exactly what you need.

Thrift stores, yard sales, and flea markets are all overflowing with old pots and pans that nobody wants. A 10- or 12-inch frying pan is a good size for a bird bath, but depth is actually more important. A bird bath should mimic a puddle, so only a few inches deep at most. One to two inches is better for small songbirds. If it's too deep, you can add some rocks, but just remember that it needs to be rinsed and refilled with fresh water every couple of days.

You can choose any type of frying pan, but avoid putting black pans in direct sun because they will evaporate more quickly. Put your bird bath in a spot with good visibility (for the birds and you), and make sure there are branches and plants of different types nearby to provide cover if they need to fly away quickly to escape a predator.

While there are many household items you can repurpose into creative bird feeders, there are fewer ideas out there for making your own bird bath. Using an old frying pan can work with both ground-level and above-ground baths, and having both types will help attract different types of birds to your yard. When cleaning it, use hot water, but skip the harsh chemicals. Be mindful that chemicals on certain types of pans (like nonstick ones) can harm birds. If you decide to treat any pans with a finish, research it for wildlife safety first.

You might like the whimsical look of some frying pans, but removing the handle could make it more stable if it's on the ground. You can use J-B Weld to seal the holes so it will still hold enough water. Place it on a paver, mulch, or grass. Or, if you want to install it above-ground, you could strap or wire the pan handle to a post, or even drill a hole in the bottom of the pan and screw it to the top of an old stump. You could also elevate it by placing it on an overturned nursery pot or a pedestal of stacked bricks. A frying pan can also be an essential ingredient for DIYing a bird bath from more unusual items (like a stack of old tires lying around, for example).