How to keep Birds out of the Garden. No matter what you can do nature always seems to be one step ahead. And in the eternal fight to keep things out of your garden birds seem to be the number 1 offender. Here’s a quick strategy guide.
First you can try to scare the birds away. This will work on some birds but not all, especially after the smarter birds learn its not a threat. There are three ways to do this, by sight, by sound and by smell. Smell isn’t really a great way to keep birds away like it is for a rabbit or deer. You may try pungent odors or human hair but it will probably not work. Sight on the other hand may offer more results. Just place a rubber snake or other predator such as an owl (can be found in many garden supply stores) in plain sight. Every week or so move it to a different location to make it seem like it is moving. Also flashy pie plates and other things can be attached to a string and allowed to flutter in the breeze, this flash will scare away some birds.
Now sound can be accomplished by many ways and just as effectively scare away the birds. Humming strings, aluminum pie plates (server a two fold purpose) and transportable radios all work for this purpose.
Another effective control for your garden is your favorite pet. A dog, while hardly ever able to actually catch a bird will keep the birds away easily. And a cat after several weeks will teach the dumber birds to not come near the garden as they are actually capable of catching and eating birds.
Next we have to eliminate nesting sites close by to the garden. Look for the nests and simple remove them to discourage your visitors from your property. If you don’t want to do that then you can further annoy the birds by coating where they like to land with a thing called Bird Tangle foot. This is a sticky substance that coats the perching site of birds and annoys them so they will not land there again. This can be found in your local garden store or online.
Also you may want to look into providing the birds with an alternative feeding source. This is best use in conjunction with something else above. This method will dissuade the birds from your garden and over to your bird feeder or other food source.
Still looking for a solution? An actual physical barrier may be your last resort. Floating row covers will keep the birds away from the plants physically and will not allow them access to eat them.