Birds are such majestic little creatures. They always remind us to just take things slow and go with the flow.
But as much as we love seeing them fly freely into the sky, we hate having them in our patio. Cleaning up after them day after day can be quite exhausting. And the worst part is that they often leave permanent stains on your patio furniture.
Luckily, there are several ways to keep birds away from patio and porches. Here are nine of the most effective tips to drive birds away.
1. Consider What Birds Can Land On
One of the easiest ways to keep birds away from your patio is to make sure that it doesn’t contain any structure which is attractive to birds.
Maybe, at one time, you thought that a birdbath would make a great centerpiece for your patio. Unfortunately, birdbaths and other basin-like structures can easily attract birds.
In case you do have a similar piece lying around in your patio, your best option is to remove it. But if you don’t want to completely take it off of your backyard, you can also consider moving it by the fence – or to any other spot that will discourage birds from further exploring your patio.
2. Deter Birds with Faux Predators
By nature, birds are peace-loving creatures. So as much as possible, they try to steer clear of any competition – especially as against bigger birds or potential predators.
Using this information, you can consider using faux birds as decoration for your patio. It is for this reason that some hardware and garden stores sell fake owls.
When you’re buying these decorations, make sure to look for one that looks as realistic as possible. I would recommend buying those with a bobblehead, so it would appear like they’re carefully surveying the area. You can find one on Amazon here with a 360 degree rotating head.
You can place these faux birds where they can be easily seen by birds. Try perching them to a step on your patio, or on tabletops, or other exposed elevated areas.
If you’re not keen on buying realistic faux birds, a much cheaper alternative is to use rubber snakes. The ones you can buy at toy stores often look like the real deal, so you can also use them to scare off those troublesome birds.
3. Repel Birds With Mirrors and Shiny Objects
Birds have sensitive eyes, and it is for this reason that they try to stay away from anything bright and shiny. You should consider this fact when you’re decorating your patio.
Anything that reflects light can be used as a bird deterrent. One alternative is to hang mirrors on your home’s outer walls, and perhaps add some by your fence. You can also attach them to your privacy screen if you have one. These reflective scare rods can be found on Amazon and are inexpensive.
If you don’t want to buy new mirrors, you can also consider using the shiny side of your old unused Compact Discs as an alternative. Additionally, using CDs as décor can also give your patio a nice vintage vibe.
If you don’t want to use your old CDs, another cheap solution is to use foil. If you’re artsy enough, you can create basically any decoration with foil. You can also use paper pie plates and hang them on poles or any other high location.
4. Use Wind Chimes
Just like shiny objects, birds also hate the sound of wind chimes.
However, you have to make sure that the sound it makes is loud enough to scare off birds. Windchimes creating softer pitches can work the other way: It invites birds to your patio instead.
So as a tip, you should look for a windchime that creates a strong brassy sound. Here is a quality set I found on Amazon. Or in the alternative, you can buy a lot of smaller wind chimes and hang them all outside your door. The metal part of the windchimes can also serve to drive them away because of its reflective properties.
5. Electronic Deterrents
If you think wind chimes sound annoying, you can opt to use ultrasonic bird deterrents instead.
These solar and electronic devices use ultrasonic sound waves which birds find irritating. And fortunately for us, we can’t hear anything coming out of the device.
However, this relatively new technology can be quite expensive. But if you love a tranquil yet bird-free patio, this may be worth the investment.
6. Auto Activated Sprinklers
Another device worth investing in is a motion-activated sprinkler. Birds, like all other garden pests, hate being suddenly sprayed with water. This is why a motion-activated sprinkler is a great addition to your patio – especially if you have a landscaped surrounding.
Newer models of these sprinklers are highly sensitive to movement, so it can keep even the tiniest bird away from your patio. The only downside is that you may have to shell out money for its installation.
And the fact that sprinklers only spray water lets you sleep easy at night, knowing that you won’t harm any of our feathered friends.
7. Sprinkle Baking Soda
Another effective method to keep birds away from your patio is to sprinkle it with baking soda. Birds hate how baking soda feels on their feet, so they try to avoid stepping on them as much as possible.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to dust baking soda all over your patio. Just focus on the parts or objects where birds usually perch – like on handlebars, the upper edge of your privacy screen, and other similar structures.
However, this trick is as temporary as it can get. Baking soda gets washed away easily, so you may have to reapply every time it rains.
8. Install Bird Spikes
You can also consider installing bird spikes to your gutter or your railings. Bird spikes are bands with spikes poking out on top of them. Because of these pointed protrusions, birds wouldn’t date to perch on wherever you plan to put them.
You can easily find these bird spikes at your local hardware stores, or you can make them yourself. Keep in mind that the closer the spikes are together, the harder it would be for birds to land – regardless of how small they can be.
Bird spikes can be made of either plastic or metal, but I recommend that you buy those with metal spikes instead. Aside from its reflective qualities, it’s also more durable than its plastic alternative.
9. Keep Your Patio Clean
And finally, you should regularly clean your patio.
Because we live in such a fast-paced world, we often overlook the simple things in life – and this includes having to clean your patio. Sure, patios are meant to be low maintenance, but you have to keep it clean from any fallen leaves or debris.
Keep in mind that these leaves are the favorite habitat of insects and worms, and no one loves these critters more than birds. So to keep birds away, you have to make sure that your patio isn’t a breeding ground for their favorite snacks.