Although birds are good companions, they can be quite a nuisance if they nest in places where they are not supposed to. They will not only cause damages to your home but also pose a health risk to you and your family, especially when they leave their droppings all over the compound.
So, how do you prevent birds from nesting in the wrong places? In this article, you will learn how to keep birds from making nests in unwanted places.
How Do Birds Choose Where to Nest?
While birds help us to keep pests and parasites away, they can also become a nuisance, especially when they start leaving their droppings all over your property or damaging your crops in your garden.
So, if you are looking for easy ways to prevent birds from nesting in specific parts of your property, you need to start by understanding how birds choose where to nest. This will help you to identify the places in your home where you could be providing a haven for problematic birds. Here are some of the factors that birds consider when choosing a place to nest.
1. Inaccessibility
Since birds have many predators, they are always looking for the safest places to hide. Female birds want to nest in a safe place where they can lay eggs and care for them without being harassed by opportunistic predators.
That’s why most birds nest up in the air where few predators can reach them. Therefore, any corner, crevice, or sill on your house can offer birds a nice place to nest.
2. Concealment
Although birds have the advantage of flying, they can’t fly over all of their predators. For instance, owls, hawks, tree squirrels, and other flying predators can easily snatch eggs from their nests. Therefore, birds are always looking for concealed places that can hide them and their hatchlings away from the flying predators.
That’s why you will find birds nesting inside your plumbing ventilation shaft, garage, chimney, damaged shingles, and gutters. The more concealed a spot is, the better it is for birds to nest.
3. Food
Like any other living thing, birds have to eat and feed their hatchlings. Plus, they want to nest in a place where they can easily retrieve food and bring it back to the nest as frequently as possible. Therefore, birds will always nest close to their source of food. If you have a garden full of grains, berries, fruits, worms, nuts, seeds, and other types of foods, it will attract more birds.
How to Keep Birds Away: 5 Home Remedies
Since it’s illegal to poison most species of birds, then you have to figure out the most effective ways to prevent birds from nesting in the wrong places. Here are the best home remedies for discouraging birds from nesting where they are not supposed to.
1. Shiny Objects
If you are tired of chasing problematic birds from your property, you should consider using shiny, reflective objects. These objects have proved to be very useful in making great deterrents for nuisance birds. When sunlight reflects off the shiny objects, it discourages the problematic birds from coming back to these areas.
Fortunately, there are many shiny objects that you can use to deter birds from your property, including old CDs, tin foils, aluminum cans, small mirrors, and even metallic wrapping papers. You just need to hang these shiny objects near the nesting or landing areas that are usually visited by the nuisance birds. This method works within a very short time.
2. Fake Predators
Birds are prey to many natural predators, including cats, snakes, owls, and other birds of prey. Therefore, you can chase nuisance birds away from your property by putting objects that resemble different predators around their nesting and landing areas. That way, you will deter nuisance birds from nesting or landing near your property or places you do not want them to nest.
These scarecrows can be made of different materials, including wood, metal, and other simple materials. But you have to ensure that the materials used can withstand the harsh weather conditions. Remember to move these objects to different parts of your property every few days so that the birds do not get accustomed to them and start to ignore them.
3. Garden Balls
You can place large, round garden balls around your property to deter birds from nesting or landing where they shouldn’t. These colorful balls can be placed in your garden or hung from trees, fence poles, and stakes to act as a natural bird repellent. The nuisance birds will confuse these round orbs with large eyes and therefore avoid them.
You can also use them as décor elements for your yard or property.
4. Bird Spikes
Bird spikes have proved to be quite effective in preventing birds from nesting or landing in the wrong places. They are elongated, needle-like shafts used for bird control. You can make your bird spikes from the tin or plastic cans and place them in the dirt or attach them with wires to window sills and overhangs.
You can also make spikes by hammering nails into pieces of wood and placing them in areas where you don’t want birds to nest or land. These spikes are quite uncomfortable for the birds and therefore they won’t land on them. It is an easy and cost-effective way of keeping birds away from important parts of your home.
5. Repellent Sprays
If none of the above methods works, you should try using a repellent spray to chase the birds away from your property. Fortunately, there are different types of bird repellent sprays you can make at home. One of the most popular bird repellent sprays is a mixture of chili pepper, water, and vinegar.
Just crush dried red or green chili pepper and add it to a mixture of water and vinegar. The mixture can either be heated in a crock vessel for several hours to allow it to infuse properly. You can also put it in a clear glass and place it in the sunlight to allow it to infuse naturally.
Once the infusion is complete, put the repellent in a plant mister or spray it on the areas where you don’t want birds to nest or land.
4 Harmless Ways to Prevent Birds from Nesting in Unwanted Places
A bird nest built in your home’s vent, roof, chimney, or gutter can cause serious damages in the long run. So, you have to find a way to keep the birds away from these areas humanely. Here are some of the harmless ways to prevent birds from nesting in unwanted places.
1. Porcupine Wire
You can use a porcupine wire to prevent birds from nesting or landing on your rafters. This wire is designed to create an uneven surface, making it uncomfortable for birds to land on. A porcupine wire has heavy prongs that stick out in different directions. Just lay it out over your rafters and it will keep the birds away.
2. Use Bird Netting
If you want to keep birds away from your garden, you can cover it with mesh bird netting. As long as the wire mesh is in place, birds won’t be able to access the area. You can keep the net firmly over the protected area by hammering it into the ground. If you are protecting your house, you can place spokes on the roof to prevent birds from landing on it.
3. Protective Covers
If you want to prevent birds from nesting in your vents, you should use a vent cover or a wire mesh. Place the cover over the vent openings outside. It will make it difficult for birds to access the vents.
4. Use Wooden Boards
You can prevent birds from nesting on your ledges by covering them with wooden boards. Just put the wooden board over the outdoor ledges at an angle that is greater than 45 degrees. This will make it difficult for birds to land or nest on the ledges.
