There are all sorts of ways to get rid of pest birds. Some are lethal and not recommended for most situations; others are simply ineffective. Fortunately, bird control experts have come up with some pretty ingenious ways to keep birds from ruining your property and frazzling your nerves. A sampling of the top 5:

Bird Spikes

The granddaddy of pest bird deterrents, Bird Spikes will get rid of larger birds—like pigeons, crows and gulls—from your roof, patio cover and other elevated areas of your property. Bird Spikes won’t harm birds or pets. They simply won’t allow birds to land or perch. The spiked strips come in rigid unbreakable polycarbonate (plastic) or durable stainless steel. Each two-foot long strip can be nailed, glued or screwed to most surfaces. There’s also the Mega Spike, which has large 7-inch spikes for keeping vultures from perching. And Gutter Spikes if you have a problem with birds nesting in your rain gutters.

Bird Slope

Blending in architecturally with your home or business, Bird Slope consists of slippery PVC panels that prevent birds from getting a solid footing under eaves and other elevated 90-degree nooks. Birds may be stubborn critters, but they soon give up after loosing their grip on these panels. The best bird slope panels are UV protected and sun- and weather-resistant to remain attractive and effective for years. Bird Slope is an effective way to get rid of many different types of birds—including swallows, starlings, pigeons, crows and more.

Garden Bird Netting

Working on the principle of denying access, Garden Bird Netting is lightweight and easy to handle. It comes in 14 x 100-foot and 14 x 200-foot rolls and can be cut to the size needed for various applications. Choose the mesh size that gets rid of the birds that cause you grief--1/4", 1/2" or 3/4". Bird netting clips are available to keep the netting conveniently in place. Look for netting made of durable, UV-protected polypropylene. It will last longer.

Copper Stuf-Fit Mesh

Perfect for keeping smaller birds out of all those little crevices, holes and nooks, Copper Stuf-Fit mesh is easily “formed” into the shape needed to get the job done. The mesh comes in 20-foot and 100-foot roles. It’s also rust-proof and stain proof (steel wool will rust, run and stain your property). Copper Stuf-Fit even keeps birds from working their way under roofing tiles, retractable awnings, and where pipes enter your siding or foundation.

BeakGuard Woodpecker Deterrent

Ideal for getting rid of woodpeckers, BeakGuard is easily applied to latex-painted surfaces, wood, fiber-cement, stucco, aluminum or vinyl. The specially designed finish warns woodpeckers that the surface is to be avoided. BeakGuard is harmless to woodpeckers or other birds. It leaves a vapor permeable, flexible membrane that is durable, color fast and resists dirt pick up. BeakGuard goes like paint—with a brush, roller, paint pad or spray equipment.

Many homeowners have problems with birds around the outside of their garage. That’s because, if a garage is not attached to the home, you won’t hear birds pecking and nesting on rooftop areas, or even the gutters of a garage. 

Bird droppings, debris and other nesting materials can accumulate to do long-term damage to the roof and other areas of your garage.  Unless you deter them with effective bird control devices, birds will eventually consider your garage a safe haven and gather in increasing numbers.  Keep in mind that it costs just as much to repair a garage  roof as it does the roof on your home. And cleaning bird nests and debris out of rain gutters around your garage is no less of a chore than it is for gutters that surround your home

Fortunately, there are a number of humane and effective bird deterrents that you can use to keep birds away from your garage. Here's what the pros recommend.

They’ll slip ‘n slid on Bird Slope

Easy to install, Bird Slope consists of slippery PVC panels that won't allow birds to get a solid footing under the eaves of your garage.  After a few frantic tires to land or perch, birds give up and move on to your neighbor’s garage. The best bird slope panels are UV protected and sun- and weather-resistant to last longer--a good idea if you live in a severe weather area. Bird slope works against all types of birds--swallows, starlings, pigeons, etc. The panels blend in with most architectural styles and even come in two colors--stone and grey.

They can’t penetrate Garden Bird Netting

Drape this lightweight, easy-to-handle mesh along the sides of your garage and forget about pest birds. Garden Bird Netting comes in 14 x 100-foot and 14 x 200-foot rolls and is easily cut to the size you need. It comes in three "mesh" sizes--1/4", 1/2" and 3/4". Use the bird netting clips that the manufacturer recommends to streamline installation. The best netting is made from durable, UV-protected polypropylene.

Copper Stuf-Fit Mesh—for small holes

If your garage has lots of little crevices,  holes and nooks where birds can settle in, Copper Stuf-Fit mesh is what you need. The mesh comes in 20-foot and 100-foot roles and can be easily “formed” into the shape you need to block out even the most determined bird. This handy mesh is also ideal for keeping birds from working their way  under roofing tiles, retractable awnings, and where pipes enter siding or foundations.

No Nasty Nest—for Swallows

If you’ve got swallow nests covering the sides of your garage,  you need No Nasty Nest. This hanging "twine" bird deterrent makes it a real chore for birds to gain access to nesting sites. Installation is a snap. Each strip of No Nasty Nest features a self-adhesive back for fast installation on eaves, entryways and other elevated exterior areas of your garage.

by Alex A. Kecskes

A beautiful garden can be a joy to behold. It reflects the hours of work and care you put into it—the feeding and weeding and spraying for bugs. But unless you exercise some form of effective bird control, your well-tended garden can quickly be ruined by pest birds. Vegetable and fruit gardens are particularly vulnerable. While a few songbirds can add a certain ambiance to a garden, gathering flocks of birds—like crows, pigeons, finches—can destroy ripening fruit and vegetables. They can leave droppings everywhere, turning your garden into a smelly, disease-carrying mess.

The only way to protect your garden is with proven effective bird deterrents. And the best way to ensure your garden won’t be attacked by flocks of pest birds is to implement these bird deterrents before your fruits and vegetables ripen.

Here are three of today’s most popular and effective pest bird deterrents:

Plastic Bird Netting

Creating a physical barrier that denies birds access to specific areas of your garden, Plastic Bird Netting offers a humane, low profile bird deterrent. The netting usually comes in 14 x 100-foot and 14 x 200-foot rolls and three different mesh sizes. There’s a 1/4-inch mesh for smaller birds and a 1/2-inch mesh and a 3/4-inch mesh for larger birds. The best plastic bird netting is fabricated from durable, U.V.-protected polypropylene. This netting is strong, light, easy to handle and virtually invisible.

Install bird netting before your garden bears fruit or vegetables. Suspend the netting over your bushes or vines by at least 6 inches. Protect vegetables by wrapping individual plants in netting or suspend the netting around an entire garden area. To safeguard fruit trees, measure the circumference of the tree and cut the net to size (allow at least one foot extra around the circumference). Secure the netting with twine, zip ties, or hog rings.

Sonic Bird Deterrents

These devices broadcast bird distress and predator calls that make birds feel too uneasy to stay in your garden. The sounds resemble normal bird sounds, so they won’t irritate your pets, friends or neighbors. One highly versatile sonic system can emit distress and predator calls for 22 different species of birds. This unit covers up to an acre of land and can be programmed to turn on or off at night.

Visual Bird Deterrents

Ideally, you would want to use Visual Bird Deterrents in conjunction with the two deterrents mentioned above. These consist of Flash Tape and Reflective Banners, which reflect sunlight and snap in the breeze to make birds too nervous to feed. Also included in this category are Scare Eye Diverters and Bird Scare Balloons—both feature large predator eyes to intimidate pest birds. Visual bird deterrents attach easily to patio covers, gazebos, tree branches, or any elevated area in your garden. Just remember to move them around frequently to convince birds they are “live” threats.

by Alex A. Kecskes

As a homeowner, you know that pest birds can cause considerable damage to your garden. Fruits are especially vulnerable and can be quickly ruined by even a few birds.

Today, 95 percent of all American gardens grow tomatoes. One woman in North Texas suffered extensive damage to her tomato plants by mockingbirds. As soon as her tomatoes got red, ripe and ready to pick, the birds would take bites out of them. They would continue to nibble on her tomatoes all day long. A great-looking tomato, almost ready to pick in the morning, would be ruined with bite marks by late afternoon. Effective pest bird deterrents would have saved her tomatoes.

A sure sign that birds are attacking your fruit is the presence of holes throughout. Starlings and blackbirds can eat the fruits and vegetables you worked so hard to grow. Canada geese will munch on your grass and leave nearly a pound a day (per goose) of droppings. Birds can also damage your favorite trees. They’ll rip through bark searching for bugs. Few plants are safe from pest birds. They’ll use their beaks to rip, tear and tug your plants pieces.

The temptation is to resort to lethal bird control measures—like BB guns and poisons (avicides). But if you have pets or children, these methods are highly undesirable as well as being inhumane to birds. Fortunately, there are a number of bird deterrents on the market that are both effective and humane. They’re ideal for keeping pest birds out of your garden.  Here are three proven bird control measures:

Lightweight Plastic Bird Netting

Plastic bird netting lets you exclude pest birds from garden, enclosed courtyard, patio or similar area. The netting comes in various mesh sizes to block out pigeons, sparrows, starlings, seagulls and other birds. The best high quality bird netting is available in various colors to blend in with your garden’s décor. One manufacturer offers a bird netting kit for fast, easy installation. The kits include perimeter cable, cable crimps, turnbuckles, intermediate attachments, hog rings, and accessories and tools.

Sonic Deterrents

These devices generate distress and predator calls that make birds too scared to hang around and feed. One commercially available system can generate such calls for 22 different species of birds. The calls, repeated every 10 minutes, resemble natural birdcalls to humans and won’t irritate pets. You can set a volume control to generate from 65-105 decibels, and you can program the unit to turn on or off at night. The best bird sonic units come with a built-in speaker that protects gardens up to an acre.

Bird Scare Deterrents

These inexpensive bird deterrents create an “Optical Distraction Zone” that makes pest birds too nervous to hang around your garden. They consist of reflective foils, shiny tape banners and balloons that are easy to install. Some balloons have giant predator eyes to give birds that “spied on” feeling. Balloons can also be filled partially with water to skim the surface of swimming pools, spas and Koi ponds.

by Alex A. Kecskes

It’s springtime and you’re ready to reap the rewards of your hard work in the garden. You diligently planted, weeded, and nurtured your garden. You also kept the pests at bay with regular spraying of insecticides. But now there’s a new threat to your garden: pest birds. They’re starting to come in and destroy your flowers, eat your tomatoes, and peck at the fruits ripening in your fruit trees.

You tried squirting these annoying birds with your water hose. But they just came back the next morning. Even your dog was no help, for the birds simply waited till your dog was in the house to feast on the vegetables and fruits in your trees.

You’re at your wits end on this one. Fortunately, your neighbor told you how the professionals get rid of pest birds. They use things that are effective and humane. Here’s what you discovered:

Wrap Up Veggie Plants in Plastic Bird Netting

Easy to use and highly effective, Plastic Bird Netting keeps pest birds from getting at the vegetable plants in your garden. This barrier deterrent is ideal for smaller gardens and small fruit trees. Wrap your plants with the netting or simply cover entire sections of your garden with the netting using poles. To protect fruit trees, measure the circumference of the tree and cut the net to size (allow at least one foot extra around the circumference). Secure the netting with twine, zip ties, or hog rings. Look for high quality plastic bird netting made of durable, U.V.-protected polypropylene. It's strong, light, easy to handle and virtually invisible.

Set Up a Sonic Bird Deterrent

If you have a large garden, or a number of fruit trees spread out over, say, an acre, you’ll want to invest in a Sonic Bird Deterrent. These devices emit bird distress and predator calls that convince pest birds that their natural enemy is hunting them in the area. The sounds resemble normal bird sounds, so they won’t irritate your pets, friends or neighbors. If more than one species of bird is attacking your garden, there’s one sonic system that emits distress and predator calls for 22 different species of birds. This unit covers up to an acre of land and can be programmed to turn on or off at night.

Hang Up Some Visual Bird Deterrents

An economical way to go, Visual Bird Deterrents can be most effective in deterring pest birds from your garden, especially when used together with other bird deterrents. They include Flash Tape and Reflective Banners, which reflect sunlight and rattle in the breeze. There’s also Scare Eye Diverters and Bird Scare Balloons. These bob and weave in the breeze and have huge large predator eyes to frighten birds away. You can attach a number of these deterrents in high visibility areas throughout your garden to spook pest birds.

by Alex A. Kecskes

If you’re growing fruits, nuts or vegetables, you know the kind of care it takes to produce something edible and pesticide free. But now that spring is here, there are things you must do to protect your garden from invading pests. One of the biggest threats today’s gardens face is pest birds. Without effective bird control measures, your garden will have to survive attacks by the following pest birds this spring:

The House Sparrow, an abundant song bird, is a destructive forager destroying crops and gardens as they feed on seeds, fruits, and nuts. Redwings and fieldfares are nomads that will attack your berries. Flocks of invading mistle thrushes will devour your berry-clad bushes in minutes. The siskin, a small green and yellow member of the finch family, which will quickly eat all your seed producing plants.

Another bird to watch out for is the bullfinch, which can rapidly chew away 45 buds off a fruit tree in a single minute, stripping off an entire branch before you spot them and shoo them away. Starlings, common grackles and robins can destroy your blueberries. Cherries fall victim to starlings, robins, orioles and common grackles.
 
The best way to keep pest birds out of your garden is to implement the following, proven effective pest bird deterrents:

Garden Bird Netting

Opt for high quality netting. The best plastic netting for gardens is fabricated from durable, U.V.-protected polypropylene. It’s strong, light, easy to handle and practically invisible. You can either wrap your individual plants in netting or suspend the netting around an entire garden area. For fruit trees, measure the circumference of the tree and cut the net to size (allow at least one foot extra around the circumference). Secure the netting with twine, zip ties, or hog rings.

Sonic Bird Deterrents

These can be extremely effective and they’re preferred by many gardeners and growers because they cover a wide area without a lot of installation labor. Sonic Bird Deterrents emit pre-recorded bird distress and predator calls, which make pest birds feel too threatened to stay in your garden. Consider getting a versatile sonic system that can emit more than one sound—one system currently on the market can emit distress and predator calls for as many as 22 different species of birds. This system will cover an entire acre and you can program it to turn on or off at night.

Visual Bird Deterrents

Birds get real edgy and anxious to leave if they see what they think is a large predator watching them. That’s the theory behind Visual Bird Deterrents. The best of these are Scare Eye Diverters and Bird Scare Balloons, which are covered with large predator eyes. You hang them from a tree branch, patio cover or trellis and they bob and weave in the breeze to give pest birds the creeps.