The Audubon Society of Central Arkansas

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All birds need water for drinking and bathing. An upturned aluminum trash can lid makes an excellent birdbath although it is not very pretty It provides about 3 inches of water depth which is ideal for the smaller birds. Place some small rocks in it to provide the birds a landing place. The sound of running water is very attractive to birds.  Get a drip attachment from your bird supply store to hang over your birdbath. It will increase the number of bird visitors. You can always buy a commercial birdbath but don't get one that is too deep.. Some branches placed above the bath will give birds a perch  before dropping down to the water. Baths should be placed so that birds using them will have a clear view of any approaching predators such as cats. The water in the bath should be changed every 3-4 days to prevent mosquitoes from completing their life cycle.

Jerry Davis, Manager of the Forest Wildlife Program at the Ouachita National Forest, makes the following suggestions regarding birdbaths:

"Evaluate your bird bath(s).

     Is the water about 1" deep around the edge and about 2" deep in the center (knee deep to a Robin)?
     Does it have perches within 10 to 12 feet?  Is it shaded at least part of the day to keep the water cooler?  Is water available 365 days a year? Does it have a reduced risk for predators such as feral and domestic cats?
     My surveys indicated that only two out of every 100 bird baths were properly constructed, placed, and contained water.  Every time you take a drink, ask yourself does my bird bath(s) have water?  This is a wasted resource and a lost opportunity to improve your habitat to help the birds.
     Is your bird bath for the birds?  Ninety-eight out of every 100 are not, but they all need to be.
     The link below provides a good publication on providing vernal ponds that also improve wildlife habitat in ways different from that of bird baths."
http://www.southernregion.fs.fed.us/boone/vernal.pdf

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