Previously Asked Questions

Question:

Neighbors feed many birds - have birds flying all over our garden, house, yard, and cars - it's a mess - what can we do to keep birds from pooping all over our property. The birds tweet and sing into the night - it is nerve wracking all the time .

Answer:

Birds flying over yards and gardens shouldn’t be a problem—in fact they probably eat more pest insects than anything else. And that poop is what we call fertilizer when it lands on the yard or garden, and is usually only a problem when it gets in the way of where you want to walk or sit, and a garden hose should take care of any mess you need to clean up. If droppings really are accumulating somewhere and you have areas of the yard where you don’t want the birds, you can use a visual bird deterrent like diverters or balloons with giant eyes to try and scare them away, or if they are regularly perching in a certain place you can use a physical bird deterrent to keep them from landing where they want. Nighttime singers are usually mockingbirds. Male mockingbirds get so ramped up on hormones during the breeding season that they often sing all day and all night! You should be able to block out the singing with good earplugs, and the night time singing should only last a few weeks. You can also try visual bird deterrents like balloons and diverters hung around the tree or nearby to encourage the bird to move elsewhere. These work best during the day, but if you have outdoor lighting they can work at night too.

Question:

What is the best way to protect fruit trees from birds eating the "not quite ripe" fruit? Also, any suggestions to keep the squirrels out of the trees so they can't eat fruit either?

Answer:

Traditionally, bird netting has provided the best protection from birds for fruit trees and berry bushes. If you have a tree full of fruit—which is basically nature’s way of enticing birds to eat and disperse tree seeds—it can be difficult to keep the birds away with anything less than a physical barrier such as netting. If a bird is really motivated to get at the food source, they may ignore visual bird deterrents that might otherwise distract them. In some cases, depending on the bird species you are dealing with, using a bird deterrent sonic system to broadcast species-specific alarm calls may deter the birds for awhile. But once birds decide that your fruit is their food, netting is probably the most effective deterrent you can use.

Question:

How do I keep barn swallows from building their nests on my front porch?

Answer:

Barn Swallows are valuable neighbors that help control flying insects, including insect pests such as flies and aphids. In many areas, their populations have declined by over 40% in recent decades (see for example this report from Canada ), so they could use our help. Some folks worry that the birds will be messy, leaving droppings on their porch, but this usually only lasts for the last 6-10 days that the young birds are in the nest. That’s when the birds start to defecate over the side of the nest. Before that the parent birds will keep the area pretty clean. So as long as the nest isn’t right over your door, consider letting these insect eating birds stay put, and just hose down the area after they leave. If you really do need to keep them from nesting on your porch, you can check out some of my recommendations here to get rid of swallows.

Question:

What is the best way to keep buzzards off your property?

Answer:

By buzzards I presume you are talking about vultures—either Turkey Vultures (in most parts of the country) or Black Vultures in the Southeastern United States. During colonial days, Black Vultures used to get in the way in southern cities, but they were protected by law because they recognized the valuable role that they played in cleaning up trash and dead animals. Nowadays, they are still busy doing the same, but sometimes they choose to roost in large groups in inconvenient locations like power towers or residential trees. If you have a roost of vultures, the first thing to realize is that they have to roost somewhere for the night, and that they generally roost together for safety. They usually roost in a tall tree, cliff or quarry wall, or other structure with an unimpeded flight path around them (they would rather soar and glide than have to flap and maneuver through trees). The most effective way to drive birds from a roost is to hang an effigy—essentially what looks like a dead vulture hanging from its feet—from the roosting area. That will make the birds think the area isn’t safe and they will go elsewhere. After leaving their roost, sometimes vultures spend time perched on rooftops of homes. If birds are regularly perching on your home or buildings, you can use various physical bird deterrents to block the birds from being able to use those areas.

For more information on vulture control, you can contact the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for their Turkey Vulture fact sheet or check out more info from them here PDF. The Vulture Society has additional info, and recommends using a sprinkler system like the Bird-B-Gone Scarecrow . As a final resort, your state wildlife control agency may be able to assist you with additional measures.

Question:

I have this pigeon who hangs around the balcony and I need him gone. I have some very small grandkids and I don't want this bird around. This is new to me but I need to get this under control.

Answer:

The first thing to ask yourself is how important it really is for you to get rid of this bird (or birds, often there are more than one)? Unless the bird is making a mess with its droppings, it isn’t much of a threat, and your grandkids may even enjoy having the bird around. If you do decide that you really need to get rid of it, then you should watch it for a little while and notice what it is doing on your balcony. Is it eating something there like pet food that you need to get rid of? Is it trying to build a nest, or does it just hang out there? If it regularly sits or hangs out in just one or two places, Absolute Bird Control has several products that can keep pigeons from nesting or perching on ledges or other areas. Take a look at the bird deterrents and which ones might best cover the area where the bird likes to hang out.

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