I thought putting the fountain a foot away from the feeder would be inviting to birds, but so far I've seen only a robin drinking.  Maybe with hotter weather they'll come.   Maybe if I dropped in some rocks like the picture.  The fountain holds 1 gallon of water, and I keep it filled with pure water.  I had little faith that the manufacturer would supply something in great condition, but I was impressed that the solar plate and pump decided to work the very first time.  Beautifully packaged for shipping  -- highly doubtful this fountain would suffer any chips or cracks because of the custom multi-layers of cardboard and packing straps.  So far I am happy with this purchase.