by Alex A. Kecskes

Summer’s finally here and you’re ready to invite friends, family and neighbors to your patio for a fun-filled BBQ. The last thing you need is bird poop all over your BBQ, patio cover, balcony and walkways. Or to have annoying birds dive bomb your gests and kids as they try to enjoy their outdoor summer treats.

Yes, there are bird poisons and you could whip out your trusty BB gun. But do you really want to subject kids and pets to such extreme, potentially hazardous measures? Also keep in mind that in many states and municipalities, it’s against the law to kill or harm certain birds. Banging pots and pans and shooting off firecrackers will scare birds away—but only for a little while. Unless you use permanent and effective bird control measures, they’ll come back in droves when they get a whiff of your outdoor cooking.

Fortunately, there are a number of effective bird proofing devices that will keep pest birds away from your patio and balcony. Measures you can employ without risking injury to kids, birds or pets. They include:

Visual Scare Deterrents. These are fairly economical and easy to attach to various areas of your balcony, patio, or gazebo. They include a variety of flash tape and reflective banners that reflect sunlight and crackle in the breeze. The audio/visual elements combine to create a distraction that makes pest birds feel uneasy. You can also get Bird Scare Balloons—beach ball sized bird deterrents emblazoned with large predator eyes. Birds really feel uncomfortable with these. Likewise for Bird Scare Diverters, which are bladder shaped deterrents that have a large eye on them.  Remember that birds are not dummies, so you’ll need to move them around occasionally to prevent the little critters from getting used to them.

Bird Sonics. These time-proven bird deterrents can be discretely installed on patio covers, under eaves or and inside gazebos. They can keep pest birds away from large outdoor areas by emitting predator and distress calls that birds instinctively hate. They capitalize on a bird's innate fear of predators, as well as their acutely sensitive hearing (birds can process sounds in 1/200th of a second; humans process sounds in 1/20th of a second).

Sonic devices will guard your patio and balcony against pigeons, crows, starlings, swallows, gulls, woodpeckers, sparrows, grackles, cormorants and many other types of birds. One of the most effective sonic systems broadcasts the sound of Peregrine falcons (a pigeon's dreaded enemy) defending their territory. Other systems will deter starlings and seagulls with the sounds of predator hawks screeching and gulls under attack. Try to get sonic bird control systems that alter the pitch, frequency, timing and intensity of the sounds they emit. You don’t want pest birds to get used to hearing the same sound over and over. One highly regarded system emits distress and predator calls for as many as 22 types of birds. The calls are cycled through every fifteen minutes. One thing to keep in mind is that sonic bird deterrents will not harm birds, pets or humans. The sounds they emit are normal bird sounds.

Scarecrows. These ingenious devices are basically motion-activated sprinklers that give pest birds a hefty blast of water the second they enter the preset radius of protection. The sudden blast of water, alarming sprinkler sound and realistic looking bird head is enough to convince most birds that this is not a hospitable area. Scarecrows connect to almost any garden hose, yet they consume just 2 to 3 cups of water per blast. They cover about 1,200 square feet with a stream that reaches out 35 feet and 45 feet wide. They stand guard 24/7 for up to 6 months and deliver over 1,000 "firings" on a single 9-volt battery. You can even fine-tune their sensitivity and coverage distance. By the way, kids and dogs love to play with these devices.

Hawk Decoys. Get one or two of these decoys, strategically place them around your patio or balcony and pest birds will stay away. You’ll need to move them around and reposition them from time to time for best effect. Hawks are the natural predators of most pest birds and they hunt during the day. Be sure to get the most realistic looking bird available.  And make sure they are quality fabricated of heavy-duty plastic so they stand up to the elements. Some decoys have a hollow bottom that allows them to be filled with sand for greater stability on windy days.

Many homes in the South and mid west are graced with beautiful wraparound front porches. They serve to draw friends and neighbors for long hours of conversation and relaxation. They’re also ideal for parties and other informal get-togethers. 

Trouble is, these attractive gathering places also draw pest birds. Now, most people enjoy the sounds of birds in trees, but without proper bird control, birds can take over a veranda or front porch. These architectural features often have seemingly endless nooks and crannies where birds can roost and build nests. Nothing is more irritating than discovering bird droppings on a table, chairs or glider you’ve set out on the porch or veranda. Attract enough birds and you’ll face a daily cleaning chore getting rid of bird droppings.

If you’re like most nature loving people, you won’t want to harm these birds. You just want to keep them out of your front porch and off your tables and chairs. That means you naturally object to using bird poisons and other harmful bird deterrents. The good news is, there are a number of humane and highly effective bird deterrents you can use to keep birds away from specific areas of your home.  These include:

No Nasty Nest

These hanging "twine" deterrents are ideal for keeping swallows away from common nesting areas. Birds of any kind will be reluctant to work their way past the twine strips and simply move on. If you've encountered swallow mud nests under the eaves and sides of your porch or veranda, this deterrent will keep them out. Every strip of No Nasty Nest features a self-adhesive back for quick installation on eaves, gables, entryways and other areas.

Bird Slope

These angled, slippery PVC panels deny birds a place to land. They’re easily installed under eaves and are ideal for preventing swallows from building nests. Bird slopes can be installed on almost any surface using nails, screws or glue. Bird Slope comes in a 4-foot kit that contains two 2-foot long sections of slope, two end caps and one tube of glue. Bird slope is ideal for ledges up to 6 inches wide. It also comes in several colors to blend in aesthetically with your front porch or veranda.

Hawk Decoys

Decorative and functional, Red-Tailed Hawk decoys convince birds that their natural enemy is on the premises. Place one or two in “problem areas” and birds will stay away. Perfect for use in porches and verandas, Hawk Decoys are easily placed or hung in conspicuous areas to discourage pest birds. Birds will communicate with each other and spread the word that your porch or veranda is “occupied” by a predator. Be sure to choose a high quality decoy made of heavy-duty plastic, as it will remain realistic looking after years of outdoor exposure. For best results, be sure to move the decoy around often to ensure bids don’t get used to it.

by Alex A. Kecskes

While bird populations in North America have dropped considerably in the past 40 years, birds tend to nest or rest on the nation's coasts where nearly half the U.S. human population lives or works. Most birds serve an important role in the ecosystem, but three species of birds in the U.S. are considered pests. Birds categorized as pests include the pigeon, the house sparrow, and the starling. As pests, they can be legally controlled with no justification other than the property owner's displeasure. Of course, there are many other reasons to scare birds away.

Besides being a nuisance and defacing homes, boats, buildings and monuments, pest birds also pose a serious health hazard. Because of their easy and far-reaching mobility, they can vector an alarming variety of serious diseases. Among these are histoplasmosis (a lung disease that can be fatal if untreated), salmonella, ornithosis (a lower or upper respiratory disease resulting in fever, chills and headache), pseudotuberculosis (causing fever and abdominal pain), and several other diseases, including West Nile Virus via parasites (like fleas and mites) that live on their bodies or grow in their droppings.

If you want to scare birds away, it helps to know a little about the birds we regard as pests. The first of our fine-feathered friends is the pigeon. Initially introduced from Europe as pets, pigeon populations have expanded almost exponentially and are now considered by many to be pests. These birds congregate in huge numbers and contaminate public areas with their droppings. They deface both stone and metal monuments, and present a serious risk to aircraft.

Next up is the starling. An imported species not native to North America, starlings nest in roof soffits, electrical boxes, and structural crevices of buildings. Young starlings often gather in huge flocks where their droppings deface and damage structures and monuments, park benches, playgrounds and other areas.

Finally, there's the sparrow. These small birds build fancy nests in gutters, electrical boxes, roof soffits, door housings, and other man-made openings. Sparrows often create expensive problems when they clog rain gutters and downspouts. Their elaborate nests in electrical equipment can cause electrical shorts and fires.

So how to scare birds away?

For pigeons and large birds, one proven and highly effective bird barrier is the use of Bird Spike strip. They look menacing, especially to pest birds, but they won't harm them. The spikes simply discourage birds from landing. Some bird spikes are made of rigid unbreakable polycarbonate. Others employ flexible stainless steel. Another option is the Bird Spider. The spider arms flagellate with the breeze to scare birds away. Spiders are available in a wide range of diameters to deter different bird sizes and cover wider and wider areas. They require little or no maintenance and they won’t harm birds.

One of the most economical ways to scare birds away is through the use of Bird Scare products. These flashy, twirling objects and banners use iridescent reflective foil and shiny tape to create an “Optical Distraction Zone” that discourages pest birds from landing. An unusually effective bird scare product is the inflatable balloon with lifelike reflective predator eyes. These scare-eye diverters are easily attached in areas frequented by birds. Some even feature glow-in-the-dark backsides to repel birds at night. Bird scare products can be easily set up in and around patios, vineyards, pool areas, overhangs, gazebos, boats and other troublesome areas.

A more technical approach to scare birds away involves the use of Electric Shock Bird Repellers. Ideal for pigeons, seagulls and larger birds, these repellers use electrified tracks to impart a mild electric shock when birds try to land. The pest birds are not injured; the mild “jolt” just changes their roosting habits so that they move on. The tracks are easily mounted on signs, ledges, rooftops, and flat or curved surfaces. Some manufacturers offer low profile tracks that are virtually invisible from ground level. Other manufacturers offer electric tracks with a flow-through design to prevent water from damming up on rooftops and other surfaces.

Imagine the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard and you'll get an idea of what our next category of bird scare products sounds like--at least to a bird. Known as Audio Bird Deterrents, they produce ultrasonic sounds that annoy birds. Ideal for walled-off or enclosed areas like sheds, parking garages, and overhangs, these audio devices will scare most birds away--birds like pigeons, sparrows, starlings or seagulls.

Finally, there's the family of motorized products that work quite effectively to discourage pest birds from landing. These bird repellers utilize rotating arms to scare birds away. Ideal for parapet walls, roofs, signs, billboards, or any flat surface, some are battery powered, others use a plug-in power source. And some are even solar powered.