RSPB Bird bath

3.63 out of 5

50

Had this for over a year and never seen one bird bath in it ever. We think it might be too deep but disappointing as we’d love it if birds used it

This is an excellent birdbath. I wanted to stand it on paving, so filled the column with pea shingle, and it is stable, even in windy weather. It is also easy to empty and clean, any grime or algae wipe off easily. Most importantly, the birds use it every day, both for drinking and bathing. I have put a stone in it for small birds to perch on as it is difficult for them to drink while perching on the rim.

When looking for a new bird bath/drinker this took my eye, but I noticed some mixed reviews. By coincidence, from a public footpath later the same morning I passed close by one in a garden. I knew immediately that it was the identical item and thought how attractive it looked. I ordered mine, filled the stem with sand (as I wanted to mount it on a slab and couldn't use the ground pegs). Be patient as you put on the top as it can be cross-threaded.
It is a great price. It looks attractive. It is very easy to clean as it is so light to tip over, empty, brush and refill. The birds took to it in days and use it all the time. I started with a piece of slab in the top, but the profile, depth and foot-holds round the sides all suit the birds and I took it out. If I ever needed to, I would not hesitate to replace like for like. Buy it. You will be thrilled with it!

It didn't look great in photos, but thought we'd take a gamble. It's the cheapest, nastiest plastic. Fairly quickly returned, had to chase for refund. Will pay more for a better product. Avoid.

Delivery was next day, amazingly quick. Excellent value for money, 24 hours after setting it up birds were drinking from it and within 48 hours bathing in it, has been lovely watching the birds enjoy it in the hot weather.

Having read the reviews here, I too filled the column with sand. The result stands proud on our paving, with some big pebbles and a solar fountain. It's lovely. I'm back to buy another one as a present.

We’ve had this bird bath for about a year now and love it. It has survived the full force of the wind, snow and ice with no problems and the birds love it - lots of regular visitors every day.

I was dubious to buy this after reading other reviews but I shouldn’t have worried.
The birdbath is light, but for me this is a good thing. It can therefore be easily moved for mowing/cleaning etc. It came with three stakes to keep it in place, because of other reviews I did get some more from our local shop so mine is secured with 5 and has never blown over yet. I’ve had it for almost a year now and I love it. It’s perfect for us and the birds love it!!

Easy to put together, I filled the base with stones to give it a bit of weight as it’s sat on solid ground so we can’t use the pegs. Birds visit our garden often and were using it within a week. Excellent value for money.

I have the green version and it’s really nice quality. Nice wide bowl. Great tip from another reviewer to put gravel in the upright stand and I also wedge a large stone over the foot for stability. I put some medium sized stones in the dish. I wouldn’t be put off by the negative views as I looked extensively at other options and this is excellent value, looks really good (not cheap looking) and was delivered promptly.

Purchased in July this year, within hours the birds were using it, we think it’s really good value, not sure why some people have given negative reviews because the birds aren’t using it

I was a bit put off by bad reviews but ordered anyway and have been absolutely delighted with this! It’s very easy to assemble and is tough, strong plastic (with a pretty verdigris-effect finish) that will clearly last for many years. The stem is hollow, I filled it with gravel for stability (in addition to the pegs). It’s very easy to tip and clean just by pulling out the pegs. I placed a large flat stone in the bottom (like a piece of slate), and within a day the birds were already arriving. Every day now they come multiple times through the day - to drink, and to bathe. I get tits, starlings, a robin, collared doves, wood pigeons, magpies, and the occasional blackbird. The best shows are when 5 to 8 starlings all descend at once and splash around together! So glad I bought this, it has made my garden a haven for dusty, thirsty birds.

I was nearly put off buying this because of several negative reviews but, thankfully, went ahead with my purchase. For this price the bird bath is excellant value. It is a good size and is nice and solid and though plastic from a distance it has that rustic metal look which fits nicely in the garden. Some reviewers knocked it because no birds used it, which seems unfair to the product. All bird baths are much the same, even expensive stone ones so I imagine there are other reasons why, for some, birds aren't using it. Within days I had a number of birds using mine, which is great to see. However, some days few birds use it. This is the same with my feeders, somedays they're fighting on it, others none are using it. I loved this so much I bought another one. Don't be put off by the negative reviews, this is a solid, quality product that I imagine will last for years and whether birds use it or not, it forms a nice decorative feature in the garden (though, of course, it is a bonus if the birds do use it!)

looks far better than in the listing, Easy to put together, i'm really pleased with it

The sloping sides are a bad idea as, unless the water level is full to the very brim, the little birds cannot sip without falling in. We have several bird baths, but this one is ignored by the birds, despite a nearby, very popular, feeding station.

At least four starlings splash around at once in this; joyful to see. I’ve also seen sparrows and black birds enjoying it for a bath and both small and larger birds perch on the edge and have a drink. I previously owned an Echoes ceramic birdbath which lasted 9 years but then sadly something blew on top of it and the top smashed. I replaced it with this resin one and I must say I’m very pleased as, because it’s deeper and a bit wider, the birds can have a proper bath – the previous one was more a drinking place So this one is giving me and the birds a lot of pleasure thank you. It’s also easy for me to tip it over to put clean watering every day but study enough. Easy to assemble, even for non-techno me. I’ve only had it a month but watching birds delight in it has helped me in lockdown! I supplement it with dog bowls of water nearby for birds that prefer to land for water and the water is as popular if not more than the daily food I put out.

I bought this a year ago to encourage birds into the garden of our new (to us) house and it was purchased with a retirement gift to go with our bird table. It is a narrow garden of a terraced house. I wanted something I could move about fairly easily as it has to stand on grass and I want to be able to move it around a little. I included some small stones as suggested. The sparrows which are the predominant species of visitor loved it over the summer. Unfortunately whilst we were away last month a strong wind blew our fence down and the bird bath is no more but I am considering buying the same one to replace it

Supposed to be made of weatherproof resin but despite having had it for less than 2 years it is already cracked and starting to fall apart. Expected it to last longer than that!
Agree with others that the depth in the middle can cause issues - if you put stones in it they all slide into the deepest part of the bath as the sides are steep & slippy. Pigeon seems to like it (so it gets dirty quickly - we too have trouble with red sludge) and occasionally a goldfinch will drink from the edge if desperate but none of the other birds in our garden will go anywhere near it.
Such a shame as it looks great!

We have only managed to attract pigeons for bathin as it’s too deep, smaller birds only come for sip of water. Also in the summer the plastic bends in the hot sun and the pedestal has gone sideways. We can fill it with sand as it’s to heavy to move to clean it and refill. I would t recommend it.

I bought this bath to replace a pottery bath which had cracked in the hard frosts. My previous RSPB bath was very popular with small and medium birds for drinking and bathing. After 6 weeks, I have not seen one bird bathing in this one and only occasionally drinking. I have tried putting in stones to lower the depth, but to no avail. This design just does work, birds don't like it.

I've never had a bird bath before, and bought it for the birds to enjoy, not for the pleasure of watching them. however, the water in it keeps filling with reddish sludge, and I am intrigued to find out what causes this. It is used by sparrows and blackbirds, but the main user is the wood pigeon who spends long periods of time relaxing in it as if it were a nest. Is this the cause of the sludge?

RSPB response: Thank you for your review, it is pleasing to hear that your bird bath is being used by various species and you are providing the water they need to wash. In regards to the red sludge please contact our wildlife enquiries team who will be able to help with this query.

This bird bath is without doubt the best thing we have bought for our garden. It is greatly enjoyed by the blackbirds and pigeons. As some people have commented, it is possibly a bit deep for the smaller birds, but we have given them a ceramic dish at ground level for a bird bird, which they enjoy.

This bird bath is attractive, well designed (the central column can be filled with stones for extra stability) and easy to clean. Much as we would have liked one, we couldn't have afforded a stone bird bath. This was cheap, but cheerful.

...for some reason the birds don't like it. Apart from an occasional pigeon I have not seen a single bird using it since I purchased it in several months ago. I have tried adding some pebbles to it, thinking that maybe the steep sides were the problem - still no interest from my feathered friends. I have now put it in the shed and reinstated the rusty old one I intended to replace it with. For some reason the birds love that one. All very puzzling. I just assumed that as I was buying it from the RSPB it would be fit for purpose. Sadly this was not the case.

RSPB response: Thank you for your review. This is strange as our bird baths are usually enjoyed by garden birds, particularly when pebbles are added creating a shallow pool. It may be that they need time to get used to it, as wild birds are naturally apprehensive of new items.

My garden birds will not go near this bird bath. The water in it turns rusty red.

Cant go wrong no complaints

I use a feed from my automatic plant-pot waterer to keep this topped up, so the water is always up to the edge. This appeared to put off the birds (particularly young ones) from bathing, presumably because it was difficult for them to judge how deep it was. I fixed this by adding some gravel at one side, forming a sloping platform. They now love it and take great delight in walking down into the 'deep end'!

The birds just love their new bath. I have filled it half full with water and Wood Pigeons to Blackbirds to Sparrows use it daily. You can't argue with that!

I was concerned by the low reviews on here, however I decided to try it anyway with the plan to add pebbles if the birds had difficulties. I have found that there are no issues whatsoever, I have a wide range of birds happily using my bird bath on a regular basis within only a few weeks of putting it in the garden - I have seen sparrows, other small birds, and starlings all having a party in there, happily flinging water around and a pigeon pops in for a little soak each evening. I have found that the pegs have been adequate in holding the bath steady and even with a party of 8 splashing water around it has remained stable. Very pleased with this product and enjoying watching the birds enjoying themselves :-)

This was delivered to us in France in a week and being well packed arrived in excellent order. Birds love it and so much better for them than drinking water from chlorinated swimming pools. The collared doves drink from the edge and for the smaller birds we have put a earthenware plant pot saucer in the centre for them to perch on and drink from while still leaving room for them to splash. Being in the heat the water needs changing daily due to a build up of green algae but a small price to pay for the delight of seeing the large variety of birds using it. Birds & humans love it!

I bought this birdbath in defiance of all the negative reviews. It is brilliant.
My woodpigeons love it. My Robins are there periodically, my starling family fight and bathe in it and my thrushes and blackbirds all use it.

It needs a couple of small stones in it for the smaller birds and it needs sand or something in the stem for stability, but that is not original, it applies to all you buy of this nature.

For the price (and you gets what you pays for!) this is unbeatable.

I cannot understand the comments of those who say this bath is not suitable. I have had one for years (now replaced with same ). All birds use the facility. Starlings usually use it two at a time with much splashing while the sparrows sit underneath and have a shower! Pigeons often SIT in bath, while smal tits and sparrows sip from the sides with no trouble. It gives the grandchildren hours of endless interest when thy visit

This bird bath looks very pretty, and is cheap, but the birds in my garden did not like it at all. It is too slippy. Some of them even fell in! After early adventures they shunned it. Much better to get an old and ugly concrete one on which they can get a grip.

This bath is too deep and very slippy for the birds. I have put large stones in mine so that they can get a grip when trying to bathe, but of course you then have to regularly scrub the stones as well as the bath.

RSPB response - please be assured that the depth of this bird bath is safe for birds.

Buying this bath was my husband's idea - he thought we might get more of his favourite small birds in the garden if we had a bath that wasn't at ground level. Up unitl recently it saw some use, though mainly by blackbirds, doves and pigeons. All that changed when the young starlings fledged. It's now quite unusual to see the bath empty! They absolutely love it and it's like there's an all day pool party going on in the garden - totally brilliant. Other positives are the attractive design, the weight (or lack of it) and the fact that in all these high winds we've been having it's been rock solid. Great buy!

not used by birds bowl shape somehow wrong

I am so disappointed with this birdbath. It has been in the same position as my old very well used stone birdbath for over a month now and the birds just ignore it. A sparrow and a robin have been seen taking a brief drink but no birds have bathed in it at all and most seem to prefer to go elsewhere for their water. I even tried feeding the birds in the birdbath to convince them it wasn't so bad and they reluctantly did land on it for food but now it is filled with water it is unused again. Really surprised that the RSPB should sell something so unpopular with the birds!

My bird bath was delivered only a few days ago but already the birds are having a marvellous time bathing in it. It was very easy to assemble. I put sand in the stand as suggested and used the 3 pegs supplied to anchor it. It seems rock solid.

This bird bath looks nice in my garden but I was disappointed with it overall. It is too deep for the small birds, I have only seen pigeons using it as a bath, sparrows only occasionally take a sip from around the edge. A previous shallower bird bath was constantly in use. Also not very stable, could do with more pegs

Delivery was swift. Product was sturdier than expected and looked good. But the birds have totally ignored it.

Ordered on Monday delivered on Wednesday so great service. I'm very pleased with the bath, looks just the part, enhances the garden with plant pots around it. Too early to say if the bird's like it! Hope they do. My only concern is if small birds may drown without a stone in the middle and would this put off larger birds?

This plastic bird bath, though sturdy, was a little lighter in construction than I'd imagined. When screwing the bath onto the base I filled the hollow pillar with wet sand and found that this gave the table more weight. It is supplied with pegs anyway if you're placing this on grass. Birds of all sizes visit to drink and bathe. Wood pigeons seem to love it! I added a couple of flat stones to help the smaller birds as it does have a good depth if filled up. Easy to clean to. The verdigris finish has disappeared in the bath itself over the last year, but it's as new otherwise.
Would recommend!

This didn't work well as a standing item but the top on the ground (steadied by placing on a compliant surface) is quite good and in winter so easy to de-ice that it kept loads of birds in water when nothing else could cope. i am trying to order another one- just for the top part- and for winter.

I was very disappointed in this product. I purchased it to replace my old, large concrete bath and the birds hated it. It is too unstable and they wouldn't use it. I replaced it with a secondhand bath and the birds flocked back, especially the starlings. I use this for drinking only and then only the sparrows use it. Being sold by the RSPB I expected a better product.

its not nearly as good as i thought it would be because the birds rarely use it.

I have had this bird bath for a few months now and am really pleased with it. The photo does not do it justice as when it arrived it was far more sturdy and substantial than I expected, without being too heavy. It is easy to move around the garden but does not fall over or topple in bad weather. The birds love it - we put a stone in the middle for little birds to stand on, but they perch all around the lip too. Cleans easily, and if the water freezes, is easy to lift out the ice by taking out the stone (the ice comes with it). Love it. Excellent product!

I only bought this bath 2 months ago and was really pleased with how I just put the two parts together-no need to pester my husband to put it together for me, and it holds a whole watering can of water, so I've seen the blackbirds have a good bath as well as the sparrows. But the best bit it that over the winter it totally froze solid and I was worried about what to do, when I realised that because it's made of a flexible material I could flex it and loosen the ice and the whole bowl of ice could be slid out and fresh water poured in each morning!! Totally brilliant, really simple to do, and means no messing about with methods to defrost the water.

Whilst assembling, there was a 'crack' and the center of the base unit broke away. This wasn't due to over tightening either. The product is shown as made from resin. Plastic would be a better description. Perhaps the unit was already damaged or the plastic had become brittle, either way, it shouldn't break so easily. RSPB Customer Services could not have been more helpful and I was imediatley offered a refund or replacement. I will now look for an alternative and more surdy product.

This has been a big hit in my garden - all manner of species love it. It is very lightweight so can be re-sited with ease. It is also very easy to clean. Well used for drinking and bathing ever since I got it, also gives a great deal of pleasure to me watching the action!

I am really pleased with this bird bath, it was easy to assemble, and looks really good. The bowl is quite big with a good depth to it so doesnt need refilling too often. I put a few pebbles in it so that smaller birds can use it for bathing. It has been really popular with a range or birds both for drinking and bathing. I have since recommended to others and they also love it.

nice and lightweight without the water so that it can be moved easily. open footing so that it can be pegged down if need be although with water in it ours hasn't blown over even throughout the winter. Takes just under a full watering can of water so no traipsing back and forth to the water butt. More importantly the birds seem to love it, even had a wood pigeon taking a bath and they all get a good drink from it after eating the mealworms and seeds we put out.
Oh and it cleans easily!