How to Prevent Birds From Making Unwanted Nests

Birds are wonderful. Some people even have a hobby of just sitting and watching them. They have beautiful colors, and songs. As a child, it’s always so exciting when you see that a bird has chosen your tree to make a nest. It's also fun to build a birdhouse to encourage birds to make your tree its home. However, as an adult it’s a little unnerving to notice a nest in your rain gutter or porch. Bird nests can keep your house from properly ventilating or can cause fires because they’re made of flammable material. A bird’s nest isn’t always a good thing for a homeowner. Here’s how to prevent birds from making unwanted nests.

Ways to Prevent Unwanted Nests:

Bird Spikes

No, these typically don’t hurt the birds. Birds can see bird spikes and they won’t land there. If they do try to land there, the bird spikes won’t kill the bird. It might scare or poke the bird and then they’ll take off. Bird spikes are cheap and easy to install. This is a very effective way to ensure that there are no unwanted nests in your trees and yard.

Fake Predators

Mount a fake predator to your porch. Maybe a decorative plastic cat or hawk. Birds will see these predators and avoid landing anywhere near them. Make sure you move your fake predator every so often so the birds continue to think it’s real. If the predator is always in the same spot, sooner or later they’ll figure it out and build a nest anyway.

Little Reflectors

Hang little reflectors from your porch from a string. Birds think these look like predator’s eyes. The movement of the reflectors on the string will scare away any birds trying to nest on your porch or gutter. You should hang these reflectors at several different locations just to make sure you have all your bases covered. This will help you avoid unwanted nests.

Image Source: Pixabay

Bird Netting

You can hang a net all around your porch. These nets are good for keeping bugs and birds out. This method is much more noticeable than the others. If you want a subtle way to deter birds this method probably isn’t the best choice. But it is effective. Your porch could be bug and bird free!

Sound Deterrents

You can install speakers around your porch that will deter birds. The speakers play the sounds of predators so birds will avoid the area. An easier sound deterrent is wind chimes. Wind chimes are very noisy and birds don’t like to build nests in places with sudden unexpected noise.

Copper Scouring Pads

Stuff pieces of copper scouring pads where birds like to build nests. If they can’t get into an area, they won’t build a nest there. Copper won’t rust or go bad so they’re good for several years. Birds will avoid settling down in places with no room to settle.

Summing Up

Birds can be great, but sometimes you just don’t want them around. In this case, consider using some of these methods to prevent birds from making unwanted nests. They’re all effective and cost friendly. Don’t feel bad if you don’t want birds around your house, they can cause a lot of damage. Just make sure that you stop and listen to them every once in awhile. Appreciate how beautiful birds can be.