How to Get Rid of Pest Birds Once and for All

by Alex A. Kecskes

Are you tired of all those bird droppings around your backyard? Wish you could get rid of those birds attacking your fruit trees? Or how about those birds pooping on your boat or RV in your side yard? 

Seems every few months, you have to spend hours scraping bird droppings off your boat cover or RV (not to mention, the nests and bird debris all over your RV’s AC unit). Then there’s cleaning your driveway and scrubbing bird droppings off your fence and gate. All that time wasted. If you’re lucky, you removed the bird droppings in time—before they permanently damaged anything. 

The question you have to ask yourself is, how long are you going to put up with the nuisance of pest birds? You tried hosing the birds away—but they just came back. You tried using your pellet gun, but that just sent pellets into your neighbor’s yard and caused arguments.

Speaking of your neighbor, you noticed that he doesn’t have any pest birds around his yard or home. And you wonder , why is that? Maybe he did something to keep his home and yard pest bird free.  Maybe he consulted a bird control expert who advised him on how to get rid of pest birds.

Here’s what the bird control expert might have advised your neighbor (and you) to do to get rid of those annoying pest birds:

Hang up Some Visual Bird Deterrents

The experts refer to these as Bird Scare Deterrents and they'll uses phrases like “create a visual distraction zone” or “bird intimidation.” But all you need to know is that they’re inexpensive, effective and easy to install. The best of breed in this category are the Scare Eye Diverters and Bird Scare Balloons. They feature a big, scary “mock” predator eyeball that birds think is a huge predator sizing them up for a meal.  You can hang these on the back of your boat or RV, in trees, patios, fences or any highly elevated area around your home. These balloons and diverters bob and weave in the breeze, which makes them look alive. Of course, birds may eventually get used to them,which is why you need to move them around from time to time.

Set Up a Sonic Bird Deterrent

Pest birds are ever vigilant when it comes to imminent threats. They detect sounds faster than humans. Sonic Bird Deterrents exploit these characteristics by broadcasting the sounds of distress and predator calls. Birds hear their compadres being attacked and they beat wing away from your home and backyard. The sounds resemble normal bird squawks to humans, so they won’t bother you, your neighbor or pets. One popular sonic bird deterrent unit covers up to one acre, comes with a volume control, and you can even pre-set it to turn on or off at night.

Keeping Your Patio & Patio Covers Pest Bird Free

by Alex A. Kecskes

Birds like to perch on patio covers to get the “lay of the land” of your patio. They’ll loiter there and wait to see what you’re BBQing or serving for your outdoor breakfast, lunch or dinner. And the minute the opportunity presents itself, they’ll dive bomb your patio table for any uncovered, unguarded food. The worst part is, they’ll also leave bird droppings on your table and (heaven forbid) on any uncovered food.  So needless to say, you want to keep pest birds away from your patio covers and patio area. One way to do that is with effective bird deterrents. Here are just a few of the most popular bird control measures:

Creating a Visual Distraction Zone

Birds, in general, are easily shooed away—either by noise or a moving object that makes them too nervous to stay. Bird scare deterrents do just that. They include Flash Tape and Reflective Banners, which reflect sunlight and crackle in the breeze. Equally effective are Scare Eye Diverters, which are large teardrop shaped plastic panels with a large “mock” predator eye and shiny reflective surface.  Many homeowners also like to use Bird Scare Balloons, which are beach-ball size deterrents covered with large predator eyes. These visual deterrents are all fairly economical and easy to attach to various areas of your balcony, patio, or gazebo. The one thing to keep in mind is that birds are not dummies, so you’ll need to move these deterrents around from time to time to prevent birds from getting used to them.

A Sound Investment in Bird Control

They’re called Sonic Bird Deterrents and they’re easily set up on your patio cover or under the roof of your gazebo. They emit bird distress and predator calls that sound just like normal bird sounds to the average human. But the sounds are threatening to birds, and they would much rather leave than stick around. One popular bird sonic system can emit distress and predator calls for 22 different species of birds. It comes with a built-in speaker and covers up to one acre. With a system like this, your patio will be protected from pigeons, crows, starlings, swallows, gulls, woodpeckers, sparrows, grackles, cormorants and many other types of birds. The system can be programmed to turn on or off at night and your can adjust the volume of sounds emitted.

Hawk Decoys, the Decorative Deterrent

Red tailed hawks are the natural predators of most pest birds. And unlike owls that hunt at night (when most birds are sleeping), Hawks hunt during the day. The key thing to remember about hawk decoys is they have to be realistic and of high quality. They should be fabricated of heavy-duty plastic to maintain their appearance after several seasons of harsh weather. A couple of hawk decoys, strategically placed around your patio can be an effective pest bird deterrent. Just remember to move them around and reposition them from time to time for best effect.