Goodbye Traditional Bird Baths: There's A Cheaper DIY Sitting In Your Recycling Bin

When it comes to decorating your yard, birth baths are a classic design choice. They're elegant and act as a sweet offering to the nature around your home. From pinecone feeders to wooden bird houses, there are all kinds of DIY ways to attract birds to your yard. You can even craft your own bird bath with minimal ingredients, like a recycled water jug. This clever bird bath even offers an advanced shower feature that pet birds will especially love.

Adding a water feature to your yard can even attract a wider variety of birds than simply leaving seed for them. Everyone needs water to survive, as well as a bath sometimes. Moving water stays cleaner than still water, so the moving water sounds from the shower feature, or dripper, will attract birds. You can always purchase a dripper or install a small fountain, but you can just as easily craft one yourself. All it takes is a plastic jug, some tape and something to cut with, and a needle — the smaller the better, since you'll need to poke a tiny hole to slow and extend the drip longer. You'll have to strategize about when you add water to the dripper, too. Early in the morning is a good time to fill your dripper, as birds tend to rise with the sun — it also decreases the water's evaporation since the heat increases throughout the day.

You can repurpose an old jug into a birdbath in a variety of ways. For this trick, begin by cutting a large hole through the center of the jug so birds can enter. Leave at least 2 inches in the bottom for water to pool, instead of just pouring out — make sure the hole is large enough for your expected birds to fit through. Cover all edges of the hole in an outdoor-safe tape to prevent the birds from getting caught or cut on any sharp edges when entering or exiting. For indoor, pet birds, this is enough, but consider adding a second opening to the opposite side for an easy escape route for outdoor birds. Otherwise, they may feel trapped or cornered and avoid your bath.

For the dripper, you'll cut off the top of the water jug and poke a tiny hole into the lid. Flip this top part upside down, and glue it into place on top of the jug. Now, it can be filled with water, dripping slowly as a sort of shower from above.

Take predators and pests into consideration when deciding where to place your bird bath outdoors as well. An ideal placement is in an open area that's partially shaded and doesn't face any windows. Remember that there are some bird species that you may not want moving into your yard as well.