Birds
are fun to watch when they are bathing in the back yard birdbath. They love to
flutter their wings splashing a flurry of water. Sometimes they just sit on the
rim dipping their beaks for a drink of water. Birdbaths differ in size and
materials: stone, concrete, ceramic, galvanized metal, fiberglass, or
Terracotta. Birdbaths can be an extravagant fountain or an ordinary earthen
bowl filled with water. this bird bath is made from concrete.
Supplies
Shovel
Gravel
Wire
mesh
Large
trash can lid
Vegetable
oil
Wheelbarrow
Hoe
for mixing
Concrete
mix (two, 90-pound bags)
Instructions
Choose
an area easily seen from a favorite window or sliding glass door. Place the
bath near bushes and trees, giving the birds a safe place to fly to quickly.
Lay a large trash can lid on the bath site. Use yard paint to spray around the perimeter of the lid, marking the area to dig.
Dig out
a circle about six inches deep and two or three inches larger than the lid.
Save
any sod to cover bare areas around the edge of the birdbath.
Place
a two-inch layer of gravel in the bottom of the circle.
Cut a
piece wire mesh the size of the inside circle, and place it on top the gravel.
Spread
some vegetable oil over the outside surface of the lid and its rim. This keeps
the concrete from adhering to the trash can lid.
Mix the
concrete according to package directions.
Pour
the concrete into the circle up to the circle’s rim.
Press
the lid, upside down, into the concrete. Use enough pressure to push the
concrete outwardly toward the edges to form the rim.
Leave
the lid in place. Allow the concrete to dry and remove the lid.
Scrub
and rinse the inside of the concrete to remove any residue from the bath.
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