Category Archives for "Birds"

0 Pigeon Deterrent Sprays, Spikes, Ultrasonic Sounds, Hawks & More

Pigeons are a terrible nuisance once they decide your home or place of business is a good place to roost. Pigeons tend to travel is large numbers, and a significant amount of any bird is going to produce unwanted smells and attract bugs. According to Bird Busters, pigeon droppings are so high in uric acid they can corrode metal building material; flocks of pigeons produce enough droppings to clog gutters and drains along your roof. Getting rid of pigeons can be incredibly difficult, especially since trapping isn’t effective and it may be against the law to disturb an area where they are currently nesting.

Pigeon deterrents are probably the most effective line of defense against pigeons. In most cases, they can chase off your flock of regulars and should be useful for keeping future groups of birds from hanging out on your property. These deterrents include:

• Netting or fencing materials
• Metal or plastic spikes and nail strips
• Electric shock strips
• Stainless steel coils
• Slanted molding for ledges
• Fake Owls (which also work for crows and other birds)

Netting, Spikes, and Coil

Netting is usually used as a temporary deterrent for pigeons. If you need to keep pigeons and other birds off a building project temporarily, this is a cheap and easy to install option. If you don’t mind the way it looks, netting can keep pigeons from landing on your property long-term. Pigeon netting is usually made of vinyl string or plastic.

You may have seen spikes lining the tops of fences or ledges around buildings. Homeowners and business owners can install spikes to deter pigeons as well. They are either made of metal or plastic and come in a variety of sizes and arrangements. A less expensive option is to make your own spikes with nails and strips of lumber. According to The Review Journal, however, pigeons are often able to stand around the spikes anyway. Sometimes they even use the spikes as the upright posts of their nests.

A similar strategy to spikes, stainless steel wire coils are supposed to take up any space on eaves or ledges where pigeons try to land. The key to coils working is proper installation. If the coils are too far apart, pigeons can simple roost around the wire; if it doesn’t reach the edge of the space in question they can simply stand off to the side. Installing this kind of deterrent is supposed to be simple and less expensive than other options.

Shock Strips, Slanted Molding, and Plastic Owls

Electric shock strips may not be the most humane way to keep pigeons off your roof but the reportedly work. These strips are typically flexible and come with an adhesive backing. You lay the strips down on the area where pigeons are roosting and the next time they land they’ll be greeted with a mild electric shock. This should be enough to keep them from stepping wherever the strip is applied. You can either plug the strips into an outlet or use a charger to power them. The only problem is if your power source fails the pigeons come back.

A more architecturally attractive option is tilted molding. This deterrent is simply a piece of metal or wood that sits on top of existing ledges, leaving no place for a pigeon to perch. It can easily be painted and matched to your existing building material, making this option the least disruptive to the aesthetic of your property even if it is not the most affordable.

If you have ever wondered why someone would place a large, plastic owl on top of a building, wonder no more. Those owls are placed to scare away pigeons and other birds. The idea is that pigeons know owls are a natural predator and will stay clear of anything that looks like them.  Product reviews indicate these plastic predators do not work very well, likely because birds eventually see that the “owl” never moves.  Some people periodically move their owl decoys in order to maximize their effectiveness.  Maybe their best use is a backup for one of the other deterrents listed here.

Pigeons are fairly stubborn pests stubborn to get rid of.  The best deterrent is the one that works for your building; figuring out which option that might be is the hardest part of the process. Consumer reviews and advice from a pest control expert might help you determine which pigeon deterrents are right for.

 

0 Safe Pigeon Poison – Pellets, Corn & Legal Considerations

Pigeons are well known for being pests in the city. The pigeons roost on or even inside buildings where their nests become a huge problem with all droppings, nest materials and feathers. With the likelihood that they will spread diseases the pigeons have to be removed from where people live. They carry a surprisingly large number of diseases that they are able to transmit to humans. With very few predators their numbers are able to increase rapidly so the chance of diseases spreading grows. The droppings are what cause the biggest danger of diseases spreading; the worst ones are:

Cryptococcal meningitis

This is a fungal infection of the tissues covering our brains and spinal cord. It can cause; fever, hallucinations, headaches, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light and stiff neck.

Salmonella and Listeria

Normally associated with food, salmonella can also be transmitted by pigeons. Listeria is particularly dangerous to pregnant women and babies.

Viral encephalitis

The pigeon is the main carrier of the West Nile virus, which is a variable disease causing temporary illness to permanent nervous system damage. This is particularly dangerous to children and the elderly.

E. Coli

If you are ever in a pigeon infested area; make sure to wash your hands thoroughly. They are better transmitters of the E. Coli infection than under-cooked meat.

If you didn’t think you had reason to remove the pigeon before, just knowing about these four diseases should convince you that you need to remove them from your housing area as soon as you can.

Poisoning  Pigeons

It may be illegal in your area to poison pigeons. You must check with your state or city regulations before actually using this as a means to remove pigeons from your home. The reason for this is that a poisoned pigeon will become a serious threat to household pets that may eat it or to the wildlife in the area that may also find the dead bird and eat it. It can also result in the city you live in to spend money to discover why all of a sudden a large number of pigeons are dying. When any number of deaths start showing up they will first suspect a disease has broken out and want to study the dead birds to discover the reason for their death.

Poison Alternatives for Pigeon Control

A better solution to getting rid of the pigeons would be to reduce their numbers with wildlife control and still provide you with a permanent solution to your problem.

1. Ovocontrol is a chemical bait that will render pigeon eggs non-viable. Once you get the pigeon eating this “free” food, they will stop having babies. It’s basically a birth control for the pigeon population. It will take about six to eight months before you start seeing results, but they will be obvious.
2. Pigeon repellents can make it uncomfortable for the pigeons to roost. You can find this in gel or liquid form and can be either soft or sticky. This repellent can even be purchased as a hot substance. The birds are not going to like landing in it and will find a new area to roost. While it is not a poison and will not harm the birds, it will encourage them to find a new home away from you.
3. Pigeon scare balloons that have a few reflective surfaces on them and predator eyes will put the fear in the heart of the pigeon and send them away from your building. The balloons are brightly colored and can be hung in tree branches or on the eaves of buildings they are entering to ensure the pigeon flies away in fear and doesn’t want to return. Put these balloons in your balconies, patios, and boats or anywhere the pigeon is roosting on your property.
4. Motion detectors can repel pigeons by creating sounds that will annoy them and make them choose another route. These detectors use ultrasonic sounds which are only heard by the pigeon when it flies into the area and activates it. Place the detector on the ground about three feet from the ground and aimed where you know the birds are going to fly. You may have to change location occasionally to make sure you keep the bird confused and annoyed and not wanting to return to your building.

The pigeon has an incredible homing ability; so trying to trap them and relocate them will pose a very difficult task. They have been known to find their way back to a location hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Your best chance of success for getting rid of the pigeon by your home is one of the tips we have listed here.

 

0 Sparrow Deterrents & Repellents – Keep Sparrows Away with Sparrow Sprays, Spikes & Scarers

Sparrows may look innocent when they land on your feeder or take up residence in one of your bird houses. They can, however, become a terrible nuisance for people and other birds. The house sparrow in particular can wreak havoc on the rest of your backyard bird population. They bully other birds by:

• Breaking apart eggs
• Eating their young
• Trapping and killing adult birds
• Excluding other breeds in the cold, killing them by exposure
• Dominating feeders other birds once used as a food source

Once they move in, sparrows are difficult to chase away. While the Humane Society claims house sparrows are not to blame for a decline in native bird species, they can still cause a lot of trouble for the other bird breeds around your home.

Preserving your preferred bird population in the face of sparrows means using a deterrent that will keep house sparrows at bay without affecting their fellow birds. If you have them in your house or other building, it will take some work to get the sparrows out and then to prevent them from returning.

Deterrents that Work on Sparrows

There are a number of general bird deterrents that should work to keep sparrows away. This is a good option if you need sparrows and other breeds out from under your eaves or out of your vents. Gel is a common suggestion; bird gel is a sticky substance uncomfortable for birds to stand on. The issue with gels is they can gum up a bird’s feathers or even trap a bird altogether. If you decide on a gel, simply pump it out onto the areas where sparrows tend to roost.

Another overall deterrent is a sonic system that plays both bird warning calls and predator sounds. These devices scare birds off by replicating a situation where one bird warns others about an owl or hawk. Other options commonly suggested for sparrows as well as other birds include electric shock strips and netting. If you have a house sparrow infestation somewhere in your house, like the attic, you will need to perform an “exclusion”, a process of sealing off their living spaces while the birds are gone.

Evicting Sparrows but Not Other Birds

A few deterrents should work specifically on sparrows. If you want to keep them out of your backyard birdhouses, the first step is to move the houses further away from your home. Sparrows need heat to stay alive in winter and are always more likely to stay near a heated building when possible. Other bird breeds will be more comfortable a little further from your house. You can also devise a string system with thread and thumbtacks around the entrance to each birdhouse. This simple method, recommended by Outlaw Garden, makes sparrows treat houses like they are guarded by an electric fence; it is not a noticeable deterrent for other birds.

Passive Sparrow Repellents

Another “passive” deterrent option is eliminating what sparrows eat from your feeder mixture. Sparrows are attracted to sporso millet and cracked corn, according to Sialis.org. You should also not put out bread for birds to eat as this, too, will attract sparrows for feeding. Without a close and regular food source, sparrows are likely to move on with regards to their living situation.

You don’t need to wait for sparrows to leave while you watch other bird populations die off and run away, nor should you tolerate these birds clogging up your outside vents and gutters. Take action by selecting a deterrent you think will work to make your house bird free, or use one of the passive measures mentioned here to boot the sparrows out of your birdhouses so other breeds can nest in peace.

 

0 How to Keep Birds Away from Car, Garden, House, Pool, Trees & More

Birds sing sweet songs, show off their lovely feathers, and keep down pesky insect populations. That, however, is only half the story. Birds can also be annoyingly noisy, carry diseases, make their nests where they are not invited, and leave droppings all over the place. From afar we tend to see the better part of birds; once they are using our house or property as a nesting and feeding ground their negative attributes become all too apparent.

If you are wondering how to keep birds away from your house or business, have no fear– you can definitely take control of the situation and evict any and all birds who have decided your attic is a cozy place to winter or that your gutters are an ideal spot to raise their young. Before you get started, consider these main categories of bird control and the approach you would like to take:

• Deterrents are used where birds perch or roost; they scare, annoy, or irritate bird into leaving.
• Passive measures, including removing food sources and nesting locations
• Chemical repellents, both synthetic and organic
• Exclusion (process of expelling birds from a building and barring future entry)
• Integrated pest management (IPM), which combines many pest control measures into one plan

Knowing how to keep birds away isn’t so difficult once you understand the habits of the bird you are dealing with and the options available to you as a home or business owner.

Deterrents and Repellents

Deterrents are often used when birds are settling in on your property in flocks. Spikes for pigeons, electric shock strips for seagulls, and sticky gel for smaller birds are all examples of commercial deterrents you can try. Netting is helpful if you have birds landing over a large area like a rooftop. Deterrents are installed or applied where your problem birds tend to hang out such as ledges and the tops of fences. Some deterrents are particular to the bird breed– woodpeckers don’t appreciate flashy strips of mylar, whereas sparrows are terrified of string rigged up like tripwire. Learning a little about the bird breed bothering you is useful for picking the best deterrent.

There are pros and cons to every bird deterrent. Some professionals claim stainless steel coiling works better than spikes because it takes up more of the birds’ perching space when properly installed. Electric shock strips take time to install, are pricier than other options, and need to be constantly charged or plugged in to work. Bird Busters, a commercial bird control company, features a long list of deterrents you can peruse.

There are a lot of bird repellent formulas on the market, though manufacturers tend to be vague about what they contain. Many are designed specifically to keep geese away, while others are for birds like starlings that try to nest around your home. These chemical products are labeled “non-toxic” but at the same time all equipment use with them must be washed immediately. They cannot be used on building surfaces, only on the ground, and come with very careful application instructions.

Passive Measures

One of the first defenses against any pest is cutting off sources of food and shelter as much as you can. In the case of birds, stop all intentional efforts to feed them. Even a small feeder for one type of bird can encourage half the bird neighborhood to come by for a look and then decide to move in. Any unintended food sources, like animal feed, should be properly sealed and contained. Fruits and vegetables in the garden that attract birds may be covered with netting.

Blocking birds from potential nesting sites is a bit trickier. You can start by sealing off any open spaces in your roof eaves and soffits where birds tend to nest. Remember to do this in the off season when birds are gone; trapping baby or adult birds, or disturbing the nests of protected species, is illegal in most places. This Old House recommends hardware cloth for blocking vents and pipes where sparrows and starlings like to roost.

Exclusion

When birds make it into your home– living in your attic, walls, garage, etc.– it is usually time for an exclusion. This pest control term refers to the process of removing the animals from your home or waiting for them to leave then sealing up their exits and entrances. For some bird breeds, trapping is necessary; this is not, however, safe or legal in all situations, so consult animal control or a pest control expert before setting traps for birds in your house. Most of the time you can simply wait for when birds leave seasonally and safely remove any traces of their nests before sealing up the area in question.

If you have birds living in your vents, chimney, or other space that must remain open, netting or wire mesh is needed. When securely installed, a screen of some kind should be sufficient for keeping out birds while allowing air or smoke to pass through freely. Again, just be sure any birds who were living there are gone before sealing up a space with mesh or netting.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

If you want to know how to keep birds away for good, you should look into IPM practices. This method uses a variety of the techniques mentioned above to create a comprehensive bird control plan. An IPM expert will consider all environmental factors, from what the bird is eating to what time of year they are on your property, to determine what can be done to make your area less appealing to birds.

You can create and implement your own IPM plan by researching the birds you are trying to keep away and pairing up appropriate strategies for their removal. The integrated management philosophy is also helpful for ensuring the bird population you expel does not return.
Researching how to keep birds away can feel daunting, but you should be hopeful that with so many options to choose from you can find the right bird control solution for your situation. Just think, the sooner you find the right deterrent, repellent, or exclusion method, the sooner you can go back to thinking of birds as those nice little creatures who fill the air with song rather than the nightmare that is wreaking havoc on your property.

0 Get Rid of Sparrows & their Nests in Home, Roof, Bird Feeder, Barn, or Shed

Sparrows are beautiful round plump birds with a brownish grey color and short little tails with stubby powerful beaks for eating seeds and insects. You can find this lovely breed of birds in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and North America. The birds prefer habitat areas such as grasslands, scrublands, deserts, and woodlands. These social creatures live in loose colonies, but during their breeding season, they live with their mate in solitary pairs until it is over.

After that, it is back to roosting with their mates in all kinds of different tree and bush species that are thick with tons of branches and leaves for bedding reed beds for hiding and nesting. With that said, these birds do love dust bathing in sandy areas within the ground and love scratching dirt with their feet, but they also love bathing in a good watery bath too for some cooling down fun. Unfortunately, some people find these birds to be pests.

Why do people consider sparrows to be pests?

People consider sparrows to be pests because these birds love living in gardens but also love eating crops, already planted seeds, and digging holes within the soil. Other reasons why people do not like these particular birds are that their droppings carry diseases and parasites such as:

• Fungal infections such as Histoplasmosis, Candidasis, Sarcosporidiosias and Blastomycosis
• Bacterial infections such as Salmonella, Paratyphoid, Vibriosis, Listeriosis and Pasteruellosis
• Viral Infections such as Encephalitis, Meningitis, Newcastle’s Disease and St. Louis Encephalitis
• Protozoal Infections such as Toxoplasmosis, Trichomoniasis and American Typansomiasis
• Parasite Infections and infestations such as Bird Mites. Bed Bugs, Round Worms and Tape Worm

Another reason people do not like these birds is that they build their nests within their home, sheds and garages and leave their droppings everywhere, which can in fact cause their dogs and cats to get sick as well. Thankfully, there are useful methods people can use to help get a sparrow infestation under control.

What are some of the methods that are useful for control sparrow infestations?

If you are experiencing lots of sparrows making your home their home there are several useful methods you can try. The first method is to try scaring them off using motion sensor water sprinklers or motion lights around your home or property. Another method some people have found helpful is placing fake owls around their yard among trees since sparrows are terrified of these particular creatures. Sometimes using methods that attract owls into your backyard can be helpful at keeping sparrows away. Some of the ways you can attract owls is by:

• Leaving Grass Uncut
• Placing Bird Baths around the Yard
• Planting Trees that Owls Love such as Conifers and Deciduous Trees
• Placing Nesting Boxes around the Yard
• Leave Dead Trees for Owls to Build Homes Inside

Some other methods that work well for preventing sparrow infestations and getting rid of them are:

• Destroying Sparrow Nest and Eggs
• Using Bird Traps to Trap the Birds to Release the Birds Elsewhere
• Using Sparrow Repellents such as Dust, Liquid Sprays and Gels
• Use Firearms to Shoot and Kill the Sparrows (Only if absolutely necessary)
• Get Some Farm Cats
• Do Not Place Bird Feeders Outside in the Yard
• Rake Up Berries and Fallen Nuts that Attract Sparrows
• Place Netting Around Gardens, Crops, Berry Bushes and Fruit Trees

What are the reasons for keeping sparrows around?

Now that you know some reasons on why people may want to prevent or rid sparrows from their property it is also important to know the beneficial reasons to why sparrows are important to the eco-system. Even though sparrows do cause a lot of destruction to gardens and homes while carrying harmful diseases and parasites, these feather friends are essential for eating insects, which helps keep the insect population down and under control like many other birds do on planet Earth. If you have a huge insect problem in your backyard, you might want to consider leaving the sparrows alone and allowing them to nest away so you will not have to deal with insects creeping you out or snacking on you during mosquitoes season.

Killing sparrows should be a last resort…

Killing any kind of creatures to get rid of them should always be a last resort, which means using methods that kill sparrows should be a last resort you use for getting rid of these birds. If sparrows become a huge problem for you to get under control, using the methods you have just learned about you can always call in some bird professionals or Fish and Game Services to help you get rid of them properly and safely. Otherwise, in instances when this breed of bird is not causing destruction or spreading diseases and parasites it is best to leave them alone to do their part in our eco-system.