Do-It-Yourself Bird Baths
Most small birds need to drink at least twice a day, so preparing a bird bath in your yard makes the area attractive to them. Seed-eating birds especially have dry meals, and water helps wash food down. Birds also like to bathe and preen to keep their feathers in good condition. You can make your own bird bath using fairly inexpensive materials, and invite birds to your yard. Place the bird bath in a shady area to minimize loss of water from evaporation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Rubber gloves
- Dust mask
- Cement mix
- Bucket
- Trowel
- Sand
- Board
- Scissors
- Cabbage leaf
- Towel
- Garbage bag
Instructions
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1
Wear gloves and a mask to protect yourself when handling the materials for making the bird bath.
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2
Scoop 15 double handfuls of cement mix powder into a bucket, and form a depression in the middle.
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3
Add a cup of water into the depression, and use a trowel to mix it with the cement mix powder. Keep adding water one cup at a time until the cement reaches the consistency of a firm sandcastle.
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4
Mold the cement into a firm ball, and toss it from one hand to the other. The cement ball should not crumble. If it does, add more water, and mix it more thoroughly.
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5
Make a compact mound of sand the size of a medium plate on a board with an even surface.
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6
Lay a cabbage leaf on the sand mound. Use the back of a pair of scissors to press the leaf against the edge of the mound. Take the leaf off the mound, and cut off the excess portion.
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Cover the mound with the leaf again, and draw a circle about 1 inch out from the edge of the mound. This outline will serve as a guide when you shape the cement.
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8
Place the wet cement on the leaf, and use the circular outline as an indicator of the edge of the bird bath. Press the cement down evenly on the mound to get an even imprint of the leaf.
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9
Place a wet towel on the cement mound so it takes longer to dry. This makes the bird bath stronger.
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10
Place the board, the cement mound and the towel in a garbage bag carefully so you don't make a mark on the mound. Store it in a cool, dry place to dry for one week.
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Take the bird bath out of the garbage bag, and remove the towel and the leaf. Rinse the bird bath. Fill it with water, and place it in a shady area in the yard.
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