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Lyall's Copper Bird Bath
Lyall's Copper Bird Bath
Dispatched within 2–3 working days
30-day money-back guarantee
Free tracked shipping New Zealand-wide
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Lyall's Copper Bird Bath
Lyall's Bird Bath
A shallow hanging copper bath for the small birds — waxeyes, fantails, grey warblers, tūī and this spring's fledglings. Off the ground, in the shade, out of reach of cats. Water in the warm months, a bit of fruit the rest of the year.
Please note: this is the last batch. When the current stock is gone, there won't be another run. Dispatched within New Zealand in 2–3 working days.
Every garden on our street has a concrete bath out on the lawn, and the blackbirds and the mynas own them. The little ones — the waxeyes, the fantails — sit in the hedge and never get a go, and the cat sits by the bath waiting for them. I wanted something small and shallow I could hang in the shade of the kōwhai, where the big birds can't be bothered and the cat can't reach.— Lyall Ruddock, Waipawa, Central Hawke's Bay
What arrives at your door
One piece. No assembly.
Seven things that separate this from a concrete bath
Each one changes which birds come and whether they're safe while they're there.
Small birds can drown in a few centimetres of water. About 2 cm at the rim, 5 cm at the centre — a fledgling drinks from the edge, a waxeye bathes in the middle, nothing goes under.
Dinner-plate size — no room for a myna or a pair of blackbirds to spread out, so the big birds mostly leave it alone. The waxeyes and fantails that get chased off the big bath finally have their own.
Birds choose baths in dappled shade, and water in full sun goes warm and green by lunchtime. A hook means you put it exactly where the shade is.
Nearly half of New Zealand households own a cat. Hanging, the bath gives birds a clear view all round and water where no cat can crouch beside it. Hang it near a dense shrub so they've got cover to dart back into.
Lift off, tip out, rinse under the hose, hang back up. The copper also resists the algae film that turns a concrete bath green in days.
Go away for the weekend and a shower refills it. Not a substitute for topping up on a hot nor'west day — but most days it looks after itself.
Water through the warm months. As a second bowl in spring, or over winter when the waxeyes come into town, tip it dry and add half a mandarin or a slice of apple. Never bread — it brings the sparrows and mynas and does the small birds no good. Most people hang two: one water, one fruit.
Why most people hang two
Because of how garden birds actually share water — and because one can hold water while the other holds fruit.
A tūī or a myna will chase every smaller bird off a bath it has claimed. A second bath across the garden gives the waxeyes one nobody is watching.
Several water points let birds always pick the one that feels safe — a cat appears, a harrier circles. Two small baths beat one busy one.
Morning shade on the east side, afternoon shade under the tree. One in each means cool water somewhere all day.
With two you rotate, and on the first hot nor'wester there's never a dry hook when a fledgling needs a drink.
Forty-eight years I put copper spouting on other people's houses. Copper doesn't cook in the sun like steel and it doesn't grow green slime like concrete. That's why the first one I made for Lois's birds was copper, and every one since.— Lyall on why it's copper
Concrete pedestal bath vs Lyall's copper bath
Same job, very different birds.
| Depth | Concrete: 6–10 cm, too deep for fledglings · Copper: 2 cm at the rim, 5 cm at the centre |
| Where it stands | Concrete: open lawn, full sun · Copper: hanging in dappled shade |
| Cats | Concrete: a cat can sit right beside it · Copper: nothing to sit on, clear view underneath |
| Cleaning | Concrete: heavy, scrub on your knees · Copper: unhook, tip, rinse, 30 seconds |
| Algae | Concrete: green in days · Copper: resists the film |
| Who uses it | Concrete: blackbirds, mynas, sparrows · Copper: waxeyes, fantails, grey warblers, fledglings |
From the workshop
"Hang it in the shade, within a couple of metres of a bush, and change the water every day when the nor'wester's blowing. That's all it needs. Mine hangs off the kōwhai next to the feijoas, and the waxeyes are in it before I've finished my cuppa."
"If you've only got a balcony, hook it over the railing a metre or so from the window. They'll find it."
30 days, no argument
Hang it, fill it, watch who turns up. Not happy with it within 30 days? Send it back for a full refund. No forms, no questions.
Product details
| Material | Iron |
| Design | Inverted umbrella bowl, hanging, eight ball finials, teardrop centre finial, one sculpted bird on the rim |
| Bowl diameter | 22 cm |
| Water depth | Approx. 2 cm at the rim to 5 cm at the centre |
| Total height | 28 cm including spiral hook |
| Weight | Approx. 550 g |
| Hanging | Integrated spiral hook — branch, pergola, verandah bracket, shepherd's hook. No tools. |
| Intended use | Hanging bird bath for small garden birds — fill from the hose, or let the rain fill it. Doubles as a feeder: half a mandarin or a slice of apple for waxeyes and tūī |
| Care | Change water daily in hot weather, rinse and scrub weekly, no detergents |
| Dispatch | Within New Zealand, 2–3 working days |
The Spring Lois's Umbrella Blew Over
The Spring Lois's Umbrella Blew Over
A note from Lyall:
One October a nor'wester turned my wife Lois's old umbrella inside out on the lawn. The sprinkler filled it, and two days later a family of waxeyes was bathing in it. Then the neighbour's cat found it too. Forty-eight years I bent copper spouting for other people's roofs. That week I made the first bowl you could hang where no cat can sit.
My hand has done enough hammering. These are the last 84 bowls I shaped. When they're gone, there won't be more.
Free Shipping Across New Zealand
Free Shipping Across New Zealand
Free tracked shipping New Zealand-wide
- Dispatched within 2–3 working days by NZ Post / courier
- Every bath is checked and boxed by hand, ready to hang
- Bowl 22 cm across, 28 cm tall including the spiral hook, approx. 550 g
- Hooks straight over a branch, pergola beam or verandah bracket, no tools needed
- 30-day money-back guarantee: just email info@cedarandtinco.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
My granddaughter Kenzie and I personally answer every email, as quickly as we can. Whether you have a question about your order or about where to hang your bath, we're here.
You can reach us:
- Mon – Fri: 9:00 – 17:00 (NZ time)
- Saturday: 10:00 – 14:00 (NZ time)
Email: info@cedarandtinco.com
Can I return it if it's not for me?
Can I return it if it's not for me?
Of course. If the bath isn't right for you, for any reason, email us within 30 days and you get your money back in full. No restocking fee, no fuss.
How are your products made?
How are your products made?
Every bowl is worked up from flat sheet on a steel stake in Lyall's shed in Waipawa, Central Hawke's Bay. The hook is bent hot, the little bird is riveted to the rim, and the copper finish is burnished and sealed at the bench. It is iron with an applied copper coating, so it has weight and hangs still in a nor'wester.