The birdball is the brainchild of designers Gavin Christman and Kate Knapp who met whilst working at Dyson. Their first prototype was a coil pot, which they suspended from a tree in their garden in Cornwall. It was an instant hit with the birds but laborious to make.

The birdballs are manufactured in the UK using the traditional process of slipcasting. The clay is mixed with water then poured into a spherical plaster mold. As the clay dries it forms a smooth layer on the inside of the mold. After 30 minutes, a hole is made in the sphere and the remaining liquid poured off. When the mold is taken away, a spherical clay ball is left with a hole large enough for a blue tit!

Only natural ingredients are used. No bleaches, glazes or chlorine, so when the birdball finally reaches the end of its life, it’s disposal does not present a hazard. Fragments of the ball can even be used at the bottom of your pots when you repot your houseplants to help drainage.