Birdbaths: How to Choose and Place the Perfect Birdbath for Your Yard

Awhile back, the wife and I landscaped my Aunt's tiny back yard. Besides beefing up the lawn and planting three small gardens for her, we had her choose a birdbath so she could watch her little "feathered friends" frolic in the water. We put it within easy sight of her back window, so she had a good view of it. The one she picked was a white, marble cherub on a little pedestal. It faces her window and makes the little yard look quite elegant.

Last week a windstorm hit our Nevada home, wind in Nevada, go figure! It broke a limb off one of our old cottonwoods. The limb landed on our birdbath and smashed it to pieces. So the wife and I went looking for another one on my days off. The wife is very organized and wrote down the names and addresses of every place a birdbath could be bought within fifty miles. As we went from shop to shop, she took notes and we didn't buy anything until we had compared all the birdbaths and the prices. We went home with the perfect one for us. Here's how we did it:

How to Buy the Perfect Birdbath. Suggestion One:

Find as many places as you can to look. Selection and prices can vary widely. Make a list of them and take it with you when you go shopping. Leave enough room to write down the description and price of whatever they have that you might want.

How to Buy the Perfect Birdbath. Suggestion Two:

Unless you have your heart set on one particular style, stay flexible and look at them all. You might find something even better if you look around each store.

How to Buy the Perfect Birdbath. Suggestion Three:

Once you have visited all the stores and seen what they have, go someplace quiet and pick the one that best suits your needs. Picture it in your yard. Is it still the right one? Then go get it!

How to Buy the Perfect Birdbath. Suggestion Four:

Be sure you have a way to get it home with you or buy from a place that delivers. Birdbaths come in all sizes from about two feet tall up to three or even four feet and bigger. They won't fit in a sports car or an old VW Beetle! Sometimes size does matter!

Now that you have brought your birdbath home with you, where to put it is the next consideration.

Where to Place Your Perfect Birdbath. Suggestion One:

Assuming you picked a birdbath that is the right size for your yard, figure out where it will look the best. Is it for the front yard or the back yard? What else is in the yard? Find a general area that needs something new and try it there (if it's easy to move around. If not, your first idea better be a good one!)

Where to Place Your Perfect Birdbath. Suggestion Two:

Don't put it too close to a fence. There are two reasons for this suggestion. One is that if it ever gets knocked over, you can lose part of your fence. The other reason is that not everybody is honest and an attractive birdbath can be a great temptation.

Where to place Your Perfect Birdbath. Suggestion Three:

Make sure it's visible from one or more windows in your home. Why have it if you can't see it and enjoy it?

Where to Place Your Perfect Birdbath. Suggestion Four:

Never put it under a tree! Leaves can clutter it up and require constant cleaning, perching birds can leave droppings in it, or a tree branch could land on it!

Final note on birdbaths. Make sure you keep the water clean or it could breed mosquitoes! Now, sit back and "watch the birdies!"