[NA]Best anti-bird devices for porches[NA]

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Feb 23, 2005
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west Texas
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Display name:
Dave Taylor
Anyone know of anything that works, won't cost a fortune, is not obtrusive, etc etc for a 50' porch where birds (swallows mainly) fly in, make a huge mess. (yes I am aware of the laws preventing us from interfering with them during nesting season)
I was thinking of plastic streamers which might drop down a foot or so, all the way round the porch.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Anyone know of anything that works, won't cost a fortune, is not obtrusive, etc etc for a 50' porch where birds (swallows mainly) fly in, make a huge mess. (yes I am aware of the laws preventing us from interfering with them during nesting season)
I was thinking of plastic streamers which might drop down a foot or so, all the way round the porch.
Click to expand...

The owl/snake decoys tend to work okay in my experience.
 
I can rent you my 125 pound Lab. She's not fat, agile as a cat, and eats what she kills. Except crows. She won't eat the crows for some reason. I find the heads and carcasses in the yard.
 
30 odd 6?
remington_700_30_06_by_countryboy1860-d5w6mnu.jpg
 
Or better yet get a FPV RC battle tank

JXD801-148-Infrared-Ray-Remote-Control-Battle-Tank-Yellow_800x800.jpg


Guess they work for cats stealing dog food

 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Anyone know of anything that works, won't cost a fortune, is not obtrusive, etc etc for a 50' porch where birds (swallows mainly) fly in, make a huge mess. (yes I am aware of the laws preventing us from interfering with them during nesting season)
I was thinking of plastic streamers which might drop down a foot or so, all the way round the porch.
Click to expand...

Install a small tomcat, a full water bowl and a partial food supply. Dad used to have a cat that would take birds from the 2nd floor deck rail, without ever falling off. The other birds will learn.
 
Ravioli said:
30 odd 6?
remington_700_30_06_by_countryboy1860-d5w6mnu.jpg
Click to expand...

Little birdies are easier to get with a shotgun . . . . Also less likely to cause damage downrange. An ought-six projectile moves fast and goes far, and a swallow ain't gonna slow it down much.
 
I’ve seen one setup where a lawn sprinkler was hooked up to a motion detector to spray at the birds when they landed. It worked well.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Anyone know of anything that works, won't cost a fortune, is not obtrusive, etc etc for a 50' porch where birds (swallows mainly) fly in, make a huge mess. (yes I am aware of the laws preventing us from interfering with them during nesting season)
I was thinking of plastic streamers which might drop down a foot or so, all the way round the porch.
Click to expand...
ddt-spray-beach.jpg
 
That's why you need to keep your Christmas light icicles up all year 'round.

A strobe hooked to a motion sensor but it would have to be very sensitive for small birds.

Our neighborhood hawk gets about one dove a week from our yard so that probably wouldn't work for you.

The best advice I can give is to put bird seed in your neighbors yard
 
Ravioli said:
30 odd 6?
remington_700_30_06_by_countryboy1860-d5w6mnu.jpg
Click to expand...
Hank S said:
Little birdies are easier to get with a shotgun . . . . Also less likely to cause damage downrange. An ought-six projectile moves fast and goes far, and a swallow ain't gonna slow it down much.
Click to expand...

Unless it's on a nest, you're needing a lot of luck nailing a swallow with a rifle and a bullet.

Twice a day, morning and evening, hose down their nest before they can build it much. They'll go elsewhere. Personal experience.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I’d have to have one of these every 20’ or so?

I have seen birds perch on plastic owls so I’m a bit doubtful.
Click to expand...

Parents have one owl on front porch and one owl/one on back balcony. They had an issue with barn swallows making nests up on the corners. They reposition the decoys every few days during nesting seasons and it seems to keep them at bay for the most part.
 
My grandpa strung light fishing line between nails about an inch above anything the birds could sit on...was quite effective. If the birds can't perch, they poop somewhere else. ;)
 
I seem to have a good excuse for not using many of the suggestions as much as they are appreciated, guys.
Swallows are protected so the ballistic projectiles / lame throwers are out.
I really don't want an outdoor cat around here (then I'd have that poop to deal with, not to mention the responsibility of feed & shelter during the off-season).
I really don't have the time to move decoys or spray nests constantly (now that I think about it, there is actually over 100' of porch plus two building entrances).
Anything with water...our water is so hard that a season of spraying anything turns it permanently white with the calcium carbonate build up.

The fishing lines actually sound most promising!
 
1372EC93-DD44-48A5-A8EC-BEC5D96BE50F.jpeg I use these, but makes the surface anti-human too.
Useful for upper cross beams, etc.
 
Hi.
About the only thing that kind of works is a hawk. If can get one that can change positions, head, eyes, with the wind.... Birds are very smart and if it stands in the same position they will figure it out after a while.
 
Springtime will be here before long, high time for nesting birds.

If conditions & location allow I would look to some ‘bird netting’, the thin stuff like you put over cherry trees to keep birds off. Just hang it down over most of the access area. There is a core time in the Spring where birds are hard up to nest, varies some with species. Once you defend during this period, shouldn’t be a problem for the rest of the year.

I never had much faith longer term with decoys & snakes.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Anyone know of anything that works, won't cost a fortune, is not obtrusive, etc etc for a 50' porch where birds (swallows mainly) fly in, make a huge mess. (yes I am aware of the laws preventing us from interfering with them during nesting season)
I was thinking of plastic streamers which might drop down a foot or so, all the way round the porch.
Click to expand...

I suspect it’s a regional answer. My central TX house porch has a fake plastic hawk on the outdoor eating table and has never had a bird problem in that area, even with a fan above. In the connected adjacent space the birds love to perch on a higher ceiling fan. I glued a couple hundred thumb tacks to the top side of the blades and that solved 95% of the problem. During high bird activity times we just leave the fan on low. That takes care of the other 5%.

Plastic owls work well in Alaska. I put owls on fence posts around the garden. Bears ate them. Replaced them. Bears ate them again. Bears love chewing on plastic and rubber. Guys put owls on parked airplane prop tips to keep birds away. It appears to work. Seeing a raven chew a hole in a Supercub makes a plastic owl acheap alternative.
 
cgrab said:
That's why you need to keep your Christmas light icicles up all year 'round.

A strobe hooked to a motion sensor but it would have to be very sensitive for small birds.

Our neighborhood hawk gets about one dove a week from our yard so that probably wouldn't work for you.

The best advice I can give is to put bird seed in your neighbors yard
Click to expand...

Love that pic. Where’d you get it? I want to find more like it.
 
I have a black snake that hangs around the outside of the house. Keeps the rodents and the nesting birds in check (and freaks out my wife).
 
cgrab said:
The best advice I can give is to put bird seed in your neighbors yard
Click to expand...
Da Wife has a couple bird feeders - one thing she liked to watch was the birds going back and forth between the feeder and their nest on the neighbors house.
 
One thing also, bird nesting desires are very species specific. Some like to build in or on buildings, House Sparrows & Starling types.

Certain birds you will never see near the hangar or plane, like a bluebird or blue jay.
 
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