Though birds can be gorgeous creatures to watch, there is always the question of the diseases they might carry. Most people don’t have to worry about things like this, but those who have a compromised immune system or other health problems should be aware that birds and their droppings can lead to many diseases – in fact, over 60 different diseases that humans can contract are linked to birds and their droppings. Besides the health risks, too many birds around the house can lead to financial problems, as well as turn your property into an eyesore. If you are dealing with far too many birds near your home, there are ways to get around the problem.
Part 1: Ways to Deter Birds from Your Garden
Annoy them with sound
Birds are very sensitive to sound, and they use it to help them avoid predators. So anything that sounds like a predator will make them hesitate, if not leave the area entirely. Recorded sounds of predators, including larger birds that might feast on the smaller ones, can make them turn tail and fly away.
Mess with their vision
A bird who thinks he sees something moving in his favorite garden spot will probably not fly over to investigate. The more that thing moves, the more annoyed he gets, and eventually he flies off for other gardens. Things that move around, such as a sphere that flashes when it turns in the sun, or strips of foil that catch the light, are enough to make a bird think twice about your garden. Watch the following video to learn how to scare away birds by making reflectors with old CDs:
Upset their taste buds
This is very simple to do and works very well, not just for birds, but for other animals too. Simply spray a methyl anthranilate solution on the garden plants. This has been used for flavoring for many decades, so it won’t hurt you or the environment. But it will make the plants taste very different to the birds, and they won’t want to come back for more.
Make a barrier
Protect your tender seedlings by keeping the birds away from them. How? By building a barrier around the plants until they are sturdy enough to withstand the pecking from the birds. You can do this with bird netting, or with inverted cups on top of the plants with tiny holes cut for air flow. Make sure the cups are clear, so the plants can get the sunlight they need.
Other methods to scare them away
You can also make use of the surrounding trees to help. Hang bells, wind chimes, and even trash can lids so that they bang together and make noise when the wind blows. You can also turn to things like bottle rockets and firecrackers, but be sure that you are very safe when using these things. Fake owls and helium balloons can disturb the birds. Another good option is newspaper – wrap the areas where they usually perch and shred a few inches of the paper so it blows in the wind. This is also a great biodegradable and cheap option!
Take away their roosts
Birds need to have a place to sit. But if the fences are covered in sharp spikes or the garden is covered in bird netting, they can’t relax between bites. This means that they will soon leave your place.
Do not use lethal methods
It is important to never use lethal methods to keep birds away. Not only does this only get rid of the birds you kill, it doesn’t do a single thing to stop the new birds from coming over. Besides that, the birds definitely deserve to live and thrive – just not in your backyard! The goal is to make the area unappealing to the birds, especially by attacking their sense of taste and odor, or making them fear the area.
Part 2: Ways to Deter Birds from Your Balcony and Roofs
Consider bird spiders
These interesting devices attach to the top of HVAC units, roof flashing and the like. Made of very thin pieces of metal, they move with the wind and flash in the sunlight. These creep the birds right out, and they tend to go away rather quickly when they confront one.
Use bird spikes
If there is a particular structure that the birds seem to like, use spikes right where they nest. These spikes can be blended in with the property so that they look like part of the architecture, but they do the good job of keeping birds from resting on your house or outbuildings.
Make a slippery slope
Nothing annoys a bird more than trying to land and then not getting a good grip. Bird slopes attached to the areas of your home where birds can usually find purchase, and it keeps them from being able to sit down and rest. This means that a bird will fly elsewhere.
Apply bird gel
These gel solutions are completely harmless to humans and the environment, but when they dry a bit they leave a tacky, sticky mess that the birds absolutely despise. Once they feel it on their feet, they can’t wait to get away from it.
Give them a jolt
Electric tracks can be added to a structure to do just what it sounds like – give any bird that touches it a small, unpleasant jolt of current. That is enough to make them take flight. If they come back a second time and get the same result, they aren’t stupid! They will continue on their way and not come back.
Misting systems leave them feeling icky
This is simply a misting, such as what you might do to your plants from time to time. Feeling the solution on their wings can make the birds hate your place. This is usually the bad-tasting solution that is harmless but leaves them longing for a nice birdbath.
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