Though people tend to like birds and sometimes keep them as home pets. On the other hand, birds can become a real problem, especially if one has a garden. There is a very fine line between the moment when you are a lover of birds and the moment when they become a real nightmare.
Likely for us, there are a lot of different technologies that can help to get rid of them very quickly. As you might have guessed, today I will talk about how to choose the best bird deterrent, what types of them exist on the market, and how long your garden will be safe from birds.
Fowls can damage your crops and eat the seeds. And I’m not even mentioning that your garden will be full of bird droppings. It is very easy to fright them, but the difficulty is that the birds learn very quickly and understand when they are being deceived.
But do not worry, modern science does not stand in one place but is always moving and improving. In this article, you will know how to protect your garden against the damages caused by birds.
Top 5 Best Bird Deterrents: Comprehensive Reviews
- Chephon Upgraded Bird Repellent Discs Set
- Bird-X Extra Wide 8-inch Stainless Steel Bird Spikes
- Bird-X 54-1 Proof Bird Repellent Gel
- Dalen Natural Enemy Scarecrow Great Horned Owl
- De-bird Scare Tape – Reflective Tape Outdoor to Keep Away Woodpecker
In this section, I want to describe TOP-5 the most effective bird distractors in detail. We will look at the advantages and disadvantages of each repellent, talk about the manufacturer, and discuss the situations the product suits the most.
1. Chephon Upgraded Bird Repellent Discs Set — One of the Best Bird Deterrent Products
Specifications:
- Contents: 24 Mirrored Discs, 24 Easy Rings, 8 Rotating Swivels, 8 Hooks, Instructions
- Work Clevetly: Scare birds away without anyhharm to them
- Item Weight: 4.8 ounces
- Product Dimensions: 3.8 x 3.8 x 1.5 inches
- Target Species: Birds
According to the Urban Dictionary, “chephon” is “the person with a beautiful heart”. In our case, Chephon is the brand that produces effective things to scare birds away. They are one of the most well-known companies operating on the American market.
Personally, I have tried several of their products and was delighted. Therefore, you can be sure that all their anti-bird devices are high-qualitative and safe for use.
This upgraded bird repellent discs set can help you to prevent the crops and garden from the damages caused by birds. In addition, they can become a great accessory for the garden. Each pack consists of three double-sided mirrored discs that are very easy to install. You can hang them on tree branches, a terrace, or other buildings that you will find in the garden.
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2. Bird-X Stainless Steel Bird Spikes — Best Bird Spikes That Are Keeping Birds Away for a Long Time
Specifications:
- Material: Aluminum
- Exterior Finish: Stainless Steel
- Thread Size: 1-1/2″-12
- Item Weight: 1.73 Pounds
- Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.5 x 5 inches
Bird-X is a large American-based company that manufactures various things for home use, including the rodent and bird control remedies. I have tried the company’s products to get rid of both pests and birds. In both cases, they worked perfectly: pests disappeared quickly and for a long time.
Today, I decided to look closer at these spikes. They are made from stainless steel. Unlike the anti-bird discs described above, Bird-X’s bird deterrent can scare even the large birds. But you need to know that they can wound pests as the spikes are long and sharp.
In addition, if you have pets, then watch them so that they do not go into the garden because this bird deterrent can injure your pets too. The spikes can be installed everywhere: on the roof, grass, or trees.
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3. Bird-X Bird-Proof Gel Bird Repellent — Best Bird Proof Gel
Specifications:
- Active Ingredient: Polybutylene
- Application Type: Gel
- Item Weight: 9.6 ounces
- Product Dimensions: 2 x 2 x 10 inches
- Target Species: Birds
If you want to find a more humane way to get rid of birds from your garden, then I advise you to look closer at this gel from Bird-X.
This company specializes in the manufacturing of various pest control remedies. Also, it is worth saying that all their products are completely harmless to animals, including this gel.
The principle of gel working is the following. Firstly, you need to apply it on any surface. The gel has a unique formula that does not damage the buildings, so do not worry about it. Then, when the birds land on the surface with gel, they will notice that it is sticky and uncomfortable.
After several landings, they will learn it and will not come again. One tube covers around 10 linear feet. Also, it is very easy to remove the gel in the future regardless of the type of surface you apply it.
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4. Dalen Gardeneer by Natural Enemy Scarecrow Horned Owl — the Best Fake Owl to Keep Birds Away
Specifications:
- Material: Plastic
- Color: Brown
- Work Clevetly: Scare birds away without anyhharm to them
- Item Weight: 11.2 ounces
- Product Dimensions: 7 x 7 x 16 inches
Dalen is an American company that operates on the market for more than 40 years. It produces innovative products for gardeners as well as the pest control remedies.
Do you know that the vast majority of birds are scared of owls? Therefore, gardeners are used to purchase fake owls to protect their crops and buildings. In addition, these items can become a great accessory for your garden.
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5. De-Bird Scare Tape — the Best Reflective Tape to Scare Birds
Specifications:
- Material: PET
- Work Clevetly: Scare birds away without anyhharm to them
- Item Weight: 0.035 ounces
- Product Dimensions: 96.46 x 92.52 x 107.87 inches
- Target Species: Birds, Pigeon
De-Bird company specializes in manufacturing of the various bird control devices. In their product assortment, you can find the repellent discs, trellis netting, defender spikes, and so on.
These scare tapes act like the discs. Due to the fact that they have a mirror structure, birds are afraid of the light and do not sit on the fence. De-Bird offers the scare tape with the 12-month money-back guarantee if you do not notice the result.
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Buyer’s Guide and FAQ
In this section, I want to tell you more about bird scaring devices, what types exist, and what their advantages and disadvantages are. If you read the previous section, then, you already know some of the effective ways to keep the birds away from your home and garden. Otherwise, there is a time to learn more about the best deterrents.
How to Keep Birds Away Using Bird Deterrents
One of the main questions you need to ask yourself after you face the bird problem is what attracts the pests? Once you find the answer, you can remove this factor or find an effective way to protect your household. Some of the possible attractors are:
- Pets food;
- Fish (for example, if you live near a lake or river);
- Fruits that are grown in your garden;
- Seeds;
- Water. If you like the water sounds, then, you need to understand that they are also attracting the birds. Pests tend to use home water sources as a bath or a place where they can drink.
Another factor you need to take into account is the bird size: whether the intruders are large or small. The larger the bird, the harder it will be for you to get rid of it.
Remember, there is no universal and effective way to get rid of birds forever. Each approach works well only with certain bird types. Therefore, my first recommendation is to purchase several bird repellents. The success formula is very simple: the more repellents and deterrents you buy, the fewer birds you will see in your garden in the future.
To get rid of birds, you can use various methods of bird control. The most popular are deterrents or habitat modification. The last method is much harder as you need to know the birds’ habits, all their potential attractors, and, of course, the behavior. For example, you have a small fountain in the garden, you know that it attracts the birds but you do not want to remove it.
The fountain helps you to relax and enjoy nature. On the other hand, you know that birds like fresh and clean water only, so the exit of the situation can be to add salt to the water. The birds can smell the salt not even reaching the fountain.
Another situation: you have the pets outside, so you need to feed them. As I have mentioned above, pet food is one of the most powerful birds attractors. But you also know that birds are scared of animals. Therefore, you always need to keep an eye on the pets during their dinner. Once they finish, remove the leftovers.
Frankly speaking, deterrents are a much easier way to keep birds away. You can do the mechanical defense. For example, use the wood or metal frameworks around fruit trees, flowers, and so on. As for me, it is not an aesthetic way.
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The next possible way out is to purchase ultrasonic repellents that will scare birds away from the garden by broadcasting the dangerous signals at a certain frequency range. By the way, most of them use solar energy, not electricity. The disadvantage is that the birds are good learners and can quickly realize that sounds are just sounds.
Finally, you can buy the visual repellents that can drive away birds. By the way, I strongly advise you to read the article about how people working in airports solve bird problems.
There are several types of bird repellents:
- Spikes (they can be steel or plastic);
- Predators: fake owls, cats;
- Various shiny objects (for example, disks);
- Sprays;
- Gels;
- Tapes.
In the next paragraphs, we will discuss how to choose the best bird repellent. But, now, I want to explain quickly how the deterrents work. There are three possible ways the deterrents can influence the birds:
- Fright them: in such cases, you need to buy fake owls, cats, foxes, or other things or animals the birds are scared of;
- Force them to fly away: it can be anything that the birds can feel before they reach the place. For example, ultrasonic signals, the smell of salt, glues, and so on. The main condition is to add something that they do not like;
- Physical prevention: these deterrents prevent the birds from reaching the desired place physically. Such deterrents include spikes, nets, windows, and so on.
How to Choose the Best Bird Deterrent
There are several things I always advise people to look at while choosing their preferable item:
- The material;
- The manufacturer;
- The ease of use;
- The durability;
- The way the product works.
The Material
First of all, you need to understand where you want to use the bird prevention devices: on the roof, on the car, in the garden, etc. This factor influences the components a bird repellent can consist of. For example, if you are going to use the bird prevention remedies on the roof, you should buy bird deterrents for buildings.
If you are going to apply them in the garden, then, make sure that repellents do not contain toxic components as it can be harmful to trees and flowers.
The Manufacturer
I always recommend selecting companies that are specialized in manufacturing and selling pest control remedies. If you are not sure, you can always read the bird repellent reviews and evaluate the product’s quality based on them.
The Ease of Use
Nobody likes the products that should be installed for a long time. Therefore, before the purchase, find the instructions on how to use the repellent on the Internet, and how to remove it afterwards. It becomes even more important when we are talking about various gels.
The Durability
By the durability, I mean the period of time during which a repellent works. Each garden bird deterrent device or remedy has the concrete expiration date. For example, if we are talking about the ultrasonic devices, then, birds can realize that it is just a fake after a certain period of time. Your task is to understand when. In the case of shiny objects, they usually turn pale.
The Way They Scare Birds Away
I prefer to use humane repellents; therefore, I usually do not buy the steel bird deterrent strips. However, sometimes, it is a necessary measure.
Before purchasing the anti-bird repellent, I advise you to identify the bird type you want to get rid of. Sometimes, it can be a rare wild bird that is forbidden to kill in your country. Therefore, you should read attentively the “General licences for bird control” or something like that issued by the governments.
FAQ
In this short section, I put four of the most popular questions people often ask me and provide the answers to them.
Does Reflective Tape Scare Birds?
Yes, the reflective tapes are an effective way to scare birds. They use a combination of sounds and flashing lights. The first one is generated by the tape vibrations in the wind.
You can place the reflective tapes everywhere but, as for me, the most effective way is to stretch them over the garden beds. By the way, the tapes are completely harmless for people, pets, and provide a humane way to get rid of birds.
Do Fake Owls Keep Birds Away?
Birds are afraid of many objects and animals, including owls. That is why the use of such stuffed animals can scare them. However, you should understand that the effect of decoys is short.
The birds will soon realize that this is just a scarecrow and will stop responding to it. To prolong the effect, you should move the owl regularly around the yard, thereby creating the effect that it is alive.
How to Keep Birds out of Garage?
People are used to thinking that wild birds can only damage your land, farm, fishery or business, but the truth is that they can also damage the buildings like a garage. This is one of the favorite places for birds to build nests. That is why adhere to the following recommendations:
- Always check the door: it should be shut;
- Use the reflective tape to scare birds;
- Put several decoys;
- Take away all food or the materials that they can use for building nests;
- Cover the windows.
Related Post:
- Best Pigeon Deterrents That Work
- How to Get Rid of Geese
- How to Get Rid of Woodpeckers
- How to Keep Hawks Away From Chickens
Where to Place Bird Deterrent?
The good news is that anti-bird devices can be placed everywhere. Most of them are not toxic and harmless to people and pets. But to make them the most effective, identify the places where the bird used to stay and put these items there.
Have You Already Faced Bird Damages?
I hope that after reading this review, you can choose the best bird deterrent by balancing various factors. All of them are organic, eco-friendly, and not toxic.
Have you already faced a bird problem? Where was it? Was it your garage, garden, or car? How did you find out the decision? Write your answers in the comments below. It will be very interesting to read. Also, if you have questions about the article, you can write them in the comments too. I will answer them as soon as possible.
References:
- Methods Of Bird Control: Advantages And Disadvantages (U.S. General Services Administration):
https://www.gsa.gov/node/88368?Form_Load=88558 - General licenses for bird control: major changes to licensing requirements (GOV.UK):
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/general-licences-for-bird-control-major-changes-to-licensing-requirements - Wild birds: prevent damage to your land, farm, fishery or business (GOV.UK):
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-wild-birds-damaging-your-land-farm-or-business
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