The Clever Chip-And-Dip Bowl DIY Birds Will Absolutely Love

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While a chip-and-dip tray seems like a good idea when planning an outdoor party, let's be realistic: It spends most of its time taking up valuable kitchen cupboard space, perhaps never to be used... until now. Give that old tray a new purpose that's far more entertaining and doesn't require having (human) guests. A chip tray with a built-in dip bowl in the center makes a wonderful bubbler-style fountain birdbath. A simple plastic chip-and-dip tray is ideal, as it'll be easy to create the holes needed for pump tubing, and for water to drain from the basin back to the reservoir instead of spilling over. Since it's a food-safe item, it's ready to go as-is for use with water. This sort of birdbath is a simple way to get birds to flock to your yard. 

Birds are drawn to moving water, so this DIY project potentially attracts more feathered friends than your typical bowl-style birdbath filled with still water. Hummingbirds particularly enjoy moving water and shallow baths, so this could be just the thing needed to enhance your homemade hummingbird haven. A solar fountain pump keeps the water flowing on a sunny day. You'll also need a tall plant pot or a large bucket to serve as both hidden water reservoir and base for the birdbath fountain. Choose a pump that has a movable solar panel so you can set it in the sunshine outside of the birdbath. This Biling solar fountain pump also comes with spray head attachments and an ample amount of tubing to set up the fountain. 

The chip tray needs holes before it can become a fountain-style birdbath basin. The hot tip of a soldering iron melts easily through the plastic without cracking it the way a drill might. Set up in a well-ventilated area, and poke the tip of the hot soldering iron through the center of the tray in what was the dip bowl, creating a hole just large enough for tubing. Melt small holes every few inches around the outside of the dip bowl portion, inside in the tray basin. These holes allow water from the birdbath basin to drain back into the reservoir.

If your pump came with a tube kit, attach one end of the clear tubing to the hollow post atop the pump. Place the black funnel-shaped fountain head so it sits tightly in the center hole of the dip bowl. Next, attach the other end of the plastic tubing to the bottom of the funnel piece. This helps keep the tube from slipping back down into the bucket. 

Place the pump in the bottom of a clean plant pot or bucket, then push it down so its suction cups grab the vessel (a smooth interior helps here). Fill the pot nearly full with clean water, set the tray atop it, then flip the solar panel right side up in direct sunlight. Within seconds, water will shoot from the funnel-shaped piece into the dip bowl. Keep the birdbath as is for a bubbler-style fountain, or attach one of the other spray heads to the top of the funnel so water shoots up in several narrow streams that could keep hummingbirds cool and hydrated on hot days. The shallow plastic basin should be easy to clean as needed, but be sure to avoid these household cleaning staples.

Upgrade your chip tray bird bubbler by adding clean pebbles to the dip bowl or outer basin. In the dip bowl area, the funnel that serves as the water bubbler must be unobstructed, so pull the tubing and funnel up a little bit as needed, surrounding the area with clean, decorative pebbles. To make a more stylish base for the birds' water feature, use an old crock or ceramic vessel instead of the plant pot or bucket.

If you don't have a chip-and dip-tray, no worries: Any shallow, bowl-shaped structure will work to create a splash area for a basic birdbath. Make a hole through the center of the bowl as described above, plus a few drainage holes. Connect the tubing to the pump, push it through the bowl, then add the funnel-shaped top to the tubing. Place the pump in the bottom of a clean bucket or pot, add water, place the bowl atop the base vessel, then add a handful or two of clean stones to create a little traction for the birds.