Birds need water for drinking and bathing. Water is particularly important during the winter when natural supplies may be frozen, and in dry, hot weather during the summer when water can be hard to find. There are many ways of providing water in the garden, but the simplest way is a bird bath. Here’s how to make your own.

Illustration by Alan Batley

Remember to change the water regularly especially in winter, and you must make sure the bird bath is kept clean. This is what the RSPB have to say about birds and water.