Forget Standard Birdbaths: Attract Hummingbirds With This Easy DIY Setup They'll Love

Are hummingbirds not stopping by your traditional birdbath? While many birds are perfectly content with sitting in still water to wash up, hummers prefer moving water features that produce a refreshing spritz. Rather than going out and buying a regular bath, you can make your own fountain instead to attract more hummingbirds to your yard. 

On YouTube, the fun garden DIY channel, Robbie and Gary Gardening Easy, posted a video on how to make the simplest and cheapest hummingbird bath with a plastic container and a basket. With a reusable plastic food storage container, a woven plastic basket, a straw, a silicone waffle mold, and a solar fountain pump, Robbie crafted a stunning fountain that will recycle its own water once filled.

To make the bath even more enticing to hummingbirds, the DIYer decorated the exterior with fake flowers. This adds color and texture to your garden decor that could help catch the eye of nectar-seeking hummers as well. She noted that using plastic flowers ensures the decorations won't get damaged by water from splashing birds and will be easier to clean. Since you can reuse a plastic container or find some of the supplies at Dollar Tree, this project shouldn't be too expensive. On Amazon, a solar fountain pump kit costs about $12, keeping this DIY fountain affordable. With this genius way to use old plastic containers in the garden, hummers and other flying friends will flock to your yard.

While the plastic basket will simply decorate your fountain, the food storage container will hold the water and pump. In the video, Robbie used the silicone waffle mold as the bath, allowing the water to run off and refill the container below. A pop-it toy would also work as an inexpensive perch for the bath. 

To start making the fountain, poke a hole in the center of the container lid and silicone mat, sticking a wide straw through both. This will connect to the pump later. Make several more holes all around the lid so that the water can flow off the mat and refill the container. Connect the end of the straw to your fountain pump and set it inside the container. Now, fill it with water and pop the lid back on to attract birds with an easy DIY bath they'll love. If the straw sticks out too far, trim it to be closer to the silicone mold. Alternatively, cut the end of the straw into several sections and bend them outward to resemble a flower with petals.

To decorate, stick the stems of artificial flowers between the weaving of the plastic basket. Use zip ties, string, or glue to secure them in place. Consider tying a few flowers to the straw of your birdbath as well. Finally, set your fountain container inside the basket and place it on your patio or in your garden for a stunning hummingbird show.