How to Make a Birdbath

Birds rely on water for drinking, grooming, and staying cool. But during hot summers and extended droughts, water can be hard to find. By adding a simple birdbath to your yard (you can make one from a cake pan!), you can help birds now and into the future as climate change makes summers in many areas hotter and longer.

Materials:

• One shallow pan such as an old cake pan, not more than 2 inches (5 cm) deep. Or, use a flower-pot tray: the flat, shallow tray or pan that's used under a flower pot so it won't drip when watered. This should also be less than 2 inches (5 cm) deep.

• A few large pebbles or a flat rock

Steps:

1. Choose a good site to place the bath. The ground should be level. There should be some evergreens or other shrubs nearby. Pick a site where you can easily watch the birds from a window.

2. Set the pan or tray down and fill it with water. Be sure the water is only about an inch (2.5 cm) to an inch-and-a-half (3.8 cm) deep.

3. Toss in a few large pebbles or a flat stone. These will give the birds confidence to enter the water because it will help them judge how deep the water is.