Birds may be an essential part of nature, and they may be nice to listen to and watch from a distance. But when they start to get too close to your home, they can cause issues.
Not only will they become noisier the closer they get to your deck, patio, or porch, it will even mean you have to clean up after them. If you don’t clean away any bird excrement, it could lead to an abundance of disease.
Thankfully, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to deter them from your porch. The best method for getting rid of birds from your porch is to switch up the deterrent methods you use, otherwise the birds will get used to their surroundings and won’t be put off by your efforts.
Make Your Garden Less Bird Friendly
If you have any bird feeders or bird baths in your garden, you will need to remove these. The birds will have less of a reason to come to your garden if there isn’t a food or water source for them to use.
If you’re reluctant to do this, you should ensure that they are placed as far away from your home as they possibly can be. Anything that’s at least 30 feet away from your porch should help to deter them from coming too near.
Visual Deterrents
A visual deterrent can fool the birds into thinking that there’s something dangerous on your property that is best to be avoided. There are two main methods you can use: reflective light deterrents and a scarecrow style ornament.
Reflective light deterrents aren’t going to be the most visually appealing, however, it is one of the easiest and most effective ways to encourage birds to stay away from your home. This will involve unwanted CDs, foil, frying pans, or small mirrors.
You will then need to hang them up around your patio, porch, or deck. It will be important to choose objects that are shiny and reflect the light at the birds.
If you live in an area with an HOA, you may need to check the rules regarding this style of deterrent. Especially if you live on a main road where the light could also distract drivers. Your backyard will be the best place for this particular method.
The scarecrow deterrent is another effective method to use. This won’t even need to be a traditional scarecrow - you can use something such as a fake owl ornament.
It’s best to opt for a fake owl that looks as realistic as possible so as to fool your birds. Place this around your property, and the birds should mistake it for the real thing. As a prey species, they won’t want to come anywhere near it.
However, it’s important to remember that seeing as the ornament is likely to be static, the birds won’t be fooled for extended periods of time. So it’s best to switch up your methods to get the best results, or move where you’ve put the owl every couple of days.
Alternatively, you can also look for fake owls that have bobbing heads. This will make them look more alive and therefore more intimidating to the garden birds.
Audio Deterrents
Another popular method for deterring birds is to use audible deterrents. These will of course use sound to discourage birds from coming too close. Wind chimes are a great option, as they will move with the breeze and create a gentle tinkling that won’t be too irritating.
There are also plenty of colors, styles, and sounds to choose from. Metal wind chimes will also serve as a reflective deterrent.
Sonic deterrents are another popular choice. These can mimic the distress noises of certain birds, which will encourage birds to stay clear of your home.
Tactile Deterrents
Two of the main tactile deterrents that you can use are bird spikes and baking soda. You can place the bird spikes along your porch railings or near gutters to prevent birds from nesting or perching. This is also one of the more humane methods for deterring birds, as they won’t hurt them.
Pouring baking soda along your porch railings should also deter birds from perching there. Birds don’t like how baking soda feels on their feet, so it should prevent them from sticking around for too long. You will need to replace the baking soda after it rains, snows, or if there’s a lot of wind.
How do I keep birds off my deck?
The great news is that you can use all of the above methods for discouraging birds from coming near your deck. This should mean that you won’t have to deal with any loud, noisy birds, and you won’t have to clean up after them.
It’s best to use a variety of methods so that the birds don’t get too used to one particular deterrent. Otherwise, the birds will ignore your preferred method of choice and flock back to your deck.
How do I stop birds from pooping on my deck?
There’s nothing worse than having to clean up the poop from your unwanted visitors. We’d suggest using a combination of the methods we’ve mentioned above to deter them from your deck. If they’re put off from approaching your deck, you’re less likely to have to clean up after them.
How do you keep birds from pooping on your patio?
Just as you can use the above methods to discourage birds from coming near your porch or deck, you can also use them to prevent birds from pooping on your patio. If the birds aren’t encouraged to come near your home, you won’t have to worry about cleaning up their poop.
In Summary
It may be frustrating to have to constantly clean up after the birds on your property, but you should now know there are a couple of methods to discourage them from visiting your porch.
Remove any bird feeders and bird baths, and make sure to use a variety of deterrents so the birds won’t get too comfortable with your outdoor environment.
