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Build a Backyard Bird Pool

In the early spring of 1998, my husband John, my daughter Chanda, and I decided we needed a pool for the birds. Our birdbath, complete with a dripper, never seemed large enough for the many birds attracted to it. That is when we formed the idea for the Droske Bird Pool.

We used our current birdbath by placing the bird pool beneath it. That way, we used both baths -- the traditional above ground bath for the birds too wary to bathe on the ground. We tilted the basin to run water out into the ground pool. The dripper keeps both baths fresh and full at all times, and the birds are attracted to the sound of running water.

What you will need for your bird pool is eight bags of cement, water, a hoe, one wheelbarrow, a cement trowel, a shovel, and small rocks.

My husband began by digging out the dirt to the size of the desired pool; our pool dimensions are 4 feet x 5 feet and oval shaped. The dirt was at a slight angle to accommodate the different depths of the pool, which range from 1/4 inch at the shallow end to 1-1/2 inches at the deepest end. Around the edge, he dug a deeper trench. Then we mixed cement, only two bags at a time because we wanted to shape the pool by keeping the cement workable. We poured the cement into one corner of the dirt and began to form the desired design with the trowel. We continued to mix cement and form the design of the pool for approximately two hours. At the deepest portion of the pool, we made a section in the cement wall lower for runoff. More cement was poured into the deeper trench dug earlier for pool support and to prevent cracking. After the cement began to set up, we added the stones Chanda collected for roughness over the bottom of the pool. We let the pool dry for 72 hours before adding water. Our little pond has been active for two years. When fall arrives, we sweep out the water and leave the pool stand empty throughout the winter. It has not cracked or deteriorated during northern Wisconsin winters.

There have been as many as seven different bird species in the pool at the same time. Last summer we had a male northern cardinal, male Baltimore oriole, gray catbird, male eastern bluebird, black-capped chickadee, chipping sparrow, and a male eastern towhee all bathing together!

We are pleased with our Droske Bird Pool, and the birds are, too!