Bird Repellent Methods

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Cruise
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Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Cruise »

My situation is that I live right next to and above a heavily wooded large park area. My deck overlooks the park with amazing views beyond. Birds of all sorts love to perch on my deck railing, which necessitates periodic detritus removal.

The best solution I have found to keep birds from perching on the deck railing are multi-pronged spikes. While very effective, the spikes are not aesthetic.

I've been searching for other options, including whirligigs and stringing fishing line, but inevitably find reviews that these do not work as the birds eventually habituate.

Has anyone found a great solution for repelling birds,other than spikes, preferably a solution that is aesthetically pleasing?

Many thanks.
jebmke
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by jebmke »

Maybe a cat?
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TomatoTomahto
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by TomatoTomahto »

Perhaps you could make another area more enticing. We have our “giving tree” that has a great variety of different foods available, bird baths, etc., so the birds spend most of their time over there.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
Whitecap
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Whitecap »

Tie very low “test” (thickness) fishing line from vertical upright to vertical upright, so the fishing line extends above the horizontal railing, extended about 2-6 inches above the railing. One horizontal line should be enough. For very tough areas, use multiple lines extending upward every 3-6 inches. Birds are scared of the line because it makes it difficult to land when the line is nearby. They will stay away from it, and the line will look much better than the spikes.


Make sure you have no bird feeders near by. Your goal here is to remove the habitat of the birds, so they will be attracted elsewhere.


We use a combination of both spikes and fishing line in our boat house. They both work like a champ for us.
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FOGU
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by FOGU »

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TomatoTomahto
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by TomatoTomahto »

FOGU wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:14 am Try a decoy scarecrow owl.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R7T12QV?ta ... UTF8&psc=1
Hahahaha. The birds use ours for target practice.

ETA: since we had so much success with our Blue Heron decoy in keeping real herons from eating our koi (herons are territorial and won’t invade another’s territory), we tried the owl which supposedly will keep hawks away. The hawk will walk around the decoy and be entirely oblivious. Unfortunately, our “giving tree” has become a great place for hawks to find prey.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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Sandtrap
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Sandtrap »

Mud swallows annual migrate through our area and we have a very large stream that runs year round. Thus, available mud.
The only reliable deterent has been the bird spikes.

We also live in a wide open area (vast) that seems to attract birds of all sorts on our deck railings, etc.

What has not worked:

Fishing line pulled taught along landing areas.
Fake Owls and predator birds.
Whirly things and tape things, etc.
Etc
Etc.

j :D
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vested1
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by vested1 »

Our owl decoy has a rotating head which changes directions in the wind, and it works pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/Rotating-Deterre ... en&sr=1-20

They make a battery powered one that has a motion detector and when it senses movement it hoots. That would likely be annoying on the deck but could provide some amusement by scaring your friends on their next visit.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=hooting+owl+ ... den&sr=1-6
Seal the Deal
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Seal the Deal »

Scare tape. I had tried for years to keep birds from nesting on the porch light outside the front door, and this finally did the trick. I use it on the deck now to keep birds from crapping all over potted plants.
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Cruise
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Cruise »

Whitecap wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:00 am Tie very low “test” (thickness) fishing line from vertical upright to vertical upright, so the fishing line extends above the horizontal railing, extended about 2-6 inches above the railing. One horizontal line should be enough. For very tough areas, use multiple lines extending upward every 3-6 inches. Birds are scared of the line because it makes it difficult to land when the line is nearby. They will stay away from it, and the line will look much better than the spikes.


Make sure you have no bird feeders near by. Your goal here is to remove the habitat of the birds, so they will be attracted elsewhere.


We use a combination of both spikes and fishing line in our boat house. They both work like a champ for us.
Thanks for the specificity of your recommendation. How would I know if a fishing line were "low test?" Would a particular color work best, or is clear OK?

Thanks all, for your other recommendations!
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Cruise
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Cruise »

Seal the Deal wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:41 pm Scare tape. I had tried for years to keep birds from nesting on the porch light outside the front door, and this finally did the trick. I use it on the deck now to keep birds from crapping all over potted plants.

Thanks for this recommendation. How long do you cut your strips? For your deck use, where did you place the strips?
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Cruise
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Cruise »

Thanks for the recommendations and cautions. I wonder whether decoy owls work better in environments in which owls are endemic vs in environments devoid of owls?
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Northern Flicker »

If living in or near natural or wooded areas but not wanting birds nearby, where do you propose that the birds should live?
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Sandtrap
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Sandtrap »

We have a couple full size Great Horned Owl decoys on our porches.
The birds ignore it.
The “real” Great Horned Owls also ignore it though they prefer the roof.

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Seal the Deal
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Seal the Deal »

Cruise wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:46 pm
Seal the Deal wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:41 pm Scare tape. I had tried for years to keep birds from nesting on the porch light outside the front door, and this finally did the trick. I use it on the deck now to keep birds from crapping all over potted plants.

Thanks for this recommendation. How long do you cut your strips? For your deck use, where did you place the strips?
I cut about 6 inch strips and use a small piece duct tape to attach. Space them every 8-10 feet along the deck rail. It's a cheap and easy solution. Sometimes one will blow off in the wind and rain but easy to replace.
JS-Elcano
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by JS-Elcano »

I have a seasonal bird "problem" when they are attracted to ripening tomatoes and peaches. I hang old CDs and DVDs in the trees and around the tomato plants. Costs nothing. Maybe not be the most aesthetically pleasing solution, but it works great, especially in the tomatoes.
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Cruise
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Cruise »

Whitecap wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:00 am Tie very low “test” (thickness) fishing line from vertical upright to vertical upright, so the fishing line extends above the horizontal railing, extended about 2-6 inches above the railing. One horizontal line should be enough. For very tough areas, use multiple lines extending upward every 3-6 inches. Birds are scared of the line because it makes it difficult to land when the line is nearby. They will stay away from it, and the line will look much better than the spikes.


Make sure you have no bird feeders near by. Your goal here is to remove the habitat of the birds, so they will be attracted elsewhere.


We use a combination of both spikes and fishing line in our boat house. They both work like a champ for us.
Well, I've just repainted my home. Since the original post, we tried aluminum foil as a repellent. Worked for a bit, then the birds just squatted on the foil strips.

I'm ready to try fishing line. 2-6 inch height was recommended. Anyone care to propose an exact height to try?

Many thanks!
Whitecap
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Whitecap »

Let’s say you have a banister or railing that the birds are landing and defecating on. You want your railing to be used as a hand-hold as you walk to your garden. You can’t grab your railing for balance as you walk because it’s covered with bird poop. Just tie the fishing line horizontally over the top of the railing. Clear fishing line works great for us. Tie the fishing line a few inches above the area where the birds sit. Then attach another line a few inches above that. The goal is to mess up their sitting area, and equally important, to disturb their flight approach to land. They won’t come in for a landing if they believe they will get tangled up (my theory anyway). If you have a narrow area where birds are landing and sitting, one line a few inches off the ground, with successive lines above it should be fine. If you have a very broad sitting /landing area (say three feet wide) then a couple of lines, side by side, every six inches should work nicely, I would think.

You can always use the bird spike strips as your nuclear option. Once you put down the spikes, the birds will relocate away permanently. I’d use the fishing line first.
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by jebmke »

I use the fishing line to keep migratory geese from walking up onto the lawn from the creek. For some reason the "golf geese" don't come up. I run a line between two trees at a height just above the ankle. They don't cross it.
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retiredjg
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by retiredjg »

Cruise wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:44 pm I'm ready to try fishing line. 2-6 inch height was recommended. Anyone care to propose an exact height to try?
I have not tried this myself, but I did see it at a condo/resort in a seaside town a few years ago.

They had a long walkway/deck/boat launch out over the inland waterway. All of the hand railing had a single strand of fishing line on/over it - seems it was about 1 -2 inches above the railing, held in place with i-hooks from one upright piece to the next upright piece.

I didn't see a single bird on the railing and there was little to no bird poop to indicate they did spend time on the railings. It seemed effective and was not unattractive.

Simple and cheap solution although putting it in may require a little work.
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Cruise
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Cruise »

OP here, with an update: Three days ago, I strung clear 25-lb fishing line 5 cm (2 in) above the railing, using brass "screw eyes" as anchors. Not a bird in sight (or onsite) since then! In fact, I have not seen a bird even attempt to land. It is like my nature park has moved to another vicinity.

OK, I know I just screwed myself and the Poop Spirits will seek their revenge. We shall see.

Seriously, I'm wondering whether the fresh paint is so shiny that the birds are repelled by the sheen.
retire2022
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by retire2022 »

TomatoTomahto wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:25 am
FOGU wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:14 am Try a decoy scarecrow owl.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R7T12QV?ta ... UTF8&psc=1
Hahahaha. The birds use ours for target practice.

ETA: since we had so much success with our Blue Heron decoy in keeping real herons from eating our koi (herons are territorial and won’t invade another’s territory), we tried the owl which supposedly will keep hawks away. The hawk will walk around the decoy and be entirely oblivious. Unfortunately, our “giving tree” has become a great place for hawks to find prey.
+1 they don’t work from experience.
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by snackdog »

Decoy owls work great. We have had them in Texas and Oregon and they keep all the birds at least ten feet away.
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Topic Author
Cruise
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Re: Bird Repellent Methods

Post by Cruise »

Cruise wrote: Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:06 pm OP here, with an update: Three days ago, I strung clear 25-lb fishing line 5 cm (2 in) above the railing, using brass "screw eyes" as anchors. Not a bird in sight (or onsite) since then! In fact, I have not seen a bird even attempt to land. It is like my nature park has moved to another vicinity.

OK, I know I just screwed myself and the Poop Spirits will seek their revenge. We shall see.

Seriously, I'm wondering whether the fresh paint is so shiny that the birds are repelled by the sheen.
OP here, with three month update: For whatever reason, whether fresh shiny paint or the fishing line, the birds seem to have found other places to land. It is remarkable how little evidence there is of bird incursions. Truly remarkable.

Thanks everyone!
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