A headstone's primary purpose is to serve as a marker for the final resting place of a loved one. But what about if it can also have a secondary purpose? If your loved one had a true affinity for the natural world, then you might want this to continue even though they're no longer with you. A birdbath headstone encourages the local bird population to visit your loved one, filling their final resting place with life. Still, there are some serious considerations before you decide to proceed with a birdbath headstone.

Permission

A birdbath is not some mammoth sculpture that will particularly stand out, and it can easily be incorporated into most rectangular headstones and is simply positioned on the top. Despite the fact that it's not going to be obtrusive, you should check with the cemetery before finalising your headstone plans. They might require some degree of uniformity between the headstones onsite, and so any variation (however minor it might seem) won't necessarily be permitted.

Cleaning

Another thing you should check with the cemetery is how much maintenance there will be when it comes to cleaning headstones. Birds aren't going to be particularly fussy with where they defecate, and while they might make use of the lovely birdbath, they will almost certainly just do their droppings over the side, directly onto the gravesite and headstone. If there is periodic washing of the headstones courtesy of the cemetery's maintenance staff, then this should be sufficient. You might need to occasionally clean the headstone yourself, using a scourer designed for cleaning stone without scratching it. Some form of regular cleaning is a must since the acidity in the droppings can cause the stone to corrode.

Water

A birdbath without water is simply an outdoors ornamental bowl. Again, the cemetery staff might be able to regularly refill it, but if not, you will need to make arrangements for this. And unless there is a nearby hose, you will need to carry a sufficiently large container of water with you each time you visit the grave. The interior of the bath will also need to be wiped as the water evaporates. Any standing water might stagnate, and it will need to be cleaned in order to prevent slime from accumulating.

While there is something undeniably lovely about a loved one's final resting place also attracting the beauty of the local bird population, you need to remember that a birdbath headstone requires more maintenance than a traditional headstone.