subject: Prepare for the Upcoming Bird Season [print this page] Prepare for the Upcoming Bird Season Prepare for the Upcoming Bird Season
To the disappointment of many property owners, most homes and gardens provide the ideal combination of food, water and shelter birds desperately need. After a long, exhausting migration north, birds must stake out a space they can use for mating, construct a home for their eggs, care for their eggs, care for their newborns and prepare for their autumn migration south.
Now is the time to prepare your property for the upcoming bird season. Today's bird proofing technology includes some very effective and humane pest bird deterrents.
If pest birds often make their nests in the eaves or ledges of you property, you might consider installing some Bird Slopes in the exterior 90 degree areas of your house or building. The slippery angled panels fit easily in these niches and they deny pest birds a solid footing. After several tries, birds give up and head for more hospitable landing areas. The panels are easy to install on almost any surface and will discourage a wide range of pest birds. The best bird slope panels are made of U.V. protected PVC to make them sun and weather resistant. And some manufacturers offer them in two colors (stone and grey) to match your home's aesthetics.
Another way to bird proof specific areas of your property is through the use of Bird Gel. You apply a line of this goop on conduit, pipes, ledges, and parapet walls and it stays icky and sticky for several months. Birds hate to land on this stuff because it tugs at their feet and makes them feel trapped. The gel works against virtually all pest birds.
Talk about inhospitable landing zones! Bird Spikes create the ultimate in pest bird deterrence. If you look carefully, you'll notice these porcupine rows of spikes on rooflines, parapet walls, I-beams, window ledges, and many other areas pest birds once claimed as theirs. The blunted spikes are harmless to birds, pets and people. Spikes work so well because birds simply can't navigate their wings and feet around them, so they move on, rarely to be seen again. Bird spikes come in long-lasting stainless steel or rigid unbreakable polycarbonate. Installation is fast and easy on any flat surface or ledge. Spikes often come in two-foot long strips for easier installation.
If giant birds like gulls, cormorants, vultures and raptors invade your property on a regular basis, you can prepare for this year's onslaught by installing some Mega Spikes.
These are the granddaddy of bird spikes with 7-inch tentacles. The best mega spikes are fabricated of marine-grade stainless steel to endure punishing outdoor weather. Other things to look for are crush-proof spikes with a non-reflective metal finish. Spikes with a U.V. protected polycarbonate base can be bent around curved surfaces, making them more versatile than spikes with a steel base.
To keep pest birds from targeting your rain gutters, install some Gutter Spikes. They're designed to keep seagulls, crows, and pigeons from nesting and clogging up your gutters. The best gutter spikes have adjustable clamps at the base that facilitate their easy installation to the lip of any gutter.
Another handy pest bird deterrent is the Bird Spider. If pigeons, crows, gulls, cormorants or raptors come around every year to settle in and dump on your boat covers, awnings, or patio, these handy devices will discourage them from landing. The spider's spindly arms wave menacingly in the breeze to make birds feel unwelcome. Bird spiders come in several arm lengths to scare away a wide range of pest birds.
While you can't use lethal chemicals to deter pest birds, you can use non-lethal irritants to discourage them from invading your property. That's where Bird Misters come in. These systems effectively bird proof an area by releasing a fine mist of food-grade methyl anthranilate. This grape extract won't harm birds, pets or humans, but it sure bugs the heck out of pest birds. One currently available system features a central control unit to which you can attach up to 64 misting "drop" units. Each drop unit can be individually controlled to cover an area of about 7,000 square feet. And they can be programmed to go off simultaneously or at alternating times.
To physically exclude pest birds from your property, consider using barrier bird proofing methods. One of the most successful barrier products is Bird Netting. It has proven highly effective in bird proofing groves, vineyards, enclosed courtyards, patios and similar open or semi-open areas. The netting comes in various mesh sizes to exclude pigeons, sparrows, starlings and seagulls. For lasting durability, choose bird netting that has been U.V. stabilized, and is rot and waterproof.
Even the most stubborn pest bird will yield to our next bird deterrent: the Scarecrow. This clever device employs a motion-activated sprinkler to produce a startling blast of water whenever a pest bird enters its protected zone. It's an ideal way to bird proof gardens, backyards, pools, spas and many outdoor areas. Once blasted with water, birds seldom return for a second "reminder."
Finally, if you're on a limited budget but you need to prepare for the seasonal onslaught of pest birds, consider Bird Scare Deterrents. These devices create an "Optical Distraction Zone" to scare pest birds away. They consist of reflective foils, shiny tape banners and balloons that are inexpensive to purchase and easy to install. Ideal for protecting your home, boat, patio or other outdoor area, they simply need to be changed every so often so birds won't get used to them. Some balloons have giant predator eyes to give birds that hunted feeling. Balloons can also be filled partially with water to skim the surface of swimming pools, spas and Koi ponds.
