Repurpose This Vintage Thrift Store Find Into A Unique Bird-Attracting Yard Feature

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The fun thing about attracting birds to your yard is that you don't need to go with traditional store-bought birdbaths or bird feeders to catch their attention. Making your own unique water feature allows you to explore your creativity, and customize a birdbath to suit your outdoor aesthetic. Instead of a typical shallow birdbath that needs to be cleaned and refilled every couple of days, you can DIY a continuous bubbler that adds a calming, auditory ASMR element to your yard. A thrifted or hand-me-down antique crock serves as the vessel for this bird bubbler. It's okay if there's no lid: A hunk of slate or other flat stone easily becomes a natural-looking perch so birds can bathe in the shallows without fear of going in too deep. 

Birds love these sort of bubbling water sources: The rocks and movement mimic a drinking spot along a small stream. Making the emerging water less forceful than regular fountains means it's easier for birds to navigate. One element you'll want for this project is a pump, like the Biling solar fountain, with tubing and a moveable solar panel. This brings the water up from within the crock, and allows it to pour out above the center of the stone for a delightful effect. This type of fountain assembly is perfect for crafting a garden fountain on a budget, too, since you won't need electricity. 

There are a number of variations online of this DIY. You can go fancy, building a reservoir into the ground beneath the crock to create a disappearing fountain. Or go more casual, simply placing the crock-with-fountain on your patio or deck. Any way you repurpose a vintage crock, birds are bound to check it out.

Before you begin, double-check that there are no serious cracks. If you aren't sure, fill it with water past any crack you see, then let it sit for a day or so to see if water seeps out. If all looks good, clean it with a hose, then scrub it well with a plastic dish scrubber, some warm water, and a little dish soap. Avoid harsh chemicals, as there's a chance they could seep into the stoneware then leech into the birds' bathwater. 

Set the crock in the desired location, then place the flexible pump tubing on the short, solid pipe extending from the top of the pump, then set the pump upright inside the crock. Place a few flat stones of the same height around it to keep it centered, but avoid blocking the water intake ports. Set a clean terra cotta pot upside down on top of the rocks, running the pump tube through the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. 

Now it's time for the surface the birds will enjoy. Test-fit your slate piece to ensure it fits over the top of the crock in a way that it won't wobble or fall in (it doesn't have to cover the whole thing). Drill a hole through the center of the slate using a carbide or diamond-tipped bit, keeping the stone wet during the process. Fill the crock most of the way with water, push the tube through the slate so it sticks up an inch or 2, then set the slate back atop the crock. You can even set pebbles around the pipe end to hide it. Position the solar panel so the sun hits it, then sit back and enjoy the bubbling water, and the birds that come to visit.