Birds can be the cutest creatures to have around your home. Hearing their sweet songs, watching them fly, and seeing them perching in tree branches can be very relaxing.
But sometimes birds can be a little too friendly and make your patio furniture their personal playground. They can leave behind bird droppings that are unsightly, dirty, and even harmful.
And cleaning up their mess is no fun.
So, if you’re so done taking care of their birdie business, here are some ways you can keep them off your patio furniture.
How to Keep Birds Off Your Patio Furniture?
Visual Deterrents
There are different things that you can do to keep birds away from your patio furniture. The first is visual deterrents. These include things that will scare the birds away from your patio.
Here are some ideas for visual deterrents:
Predator Decoy
A predator decoy is a fake animal accessory designed to look like something that birds do not want to mess with.
Any animal will naturally stay away from their predators, so adding some fake predators as decoration on your patio will scare birds away. These can be sculptures, toys, or even prints on fabrics.
So, what are the natural predators of birds?
The most common are the following:
- Bats
- Crows
- Eagles
- Owls
- Snakes
- Foxes
- Falcons
- Hawks
- Squirrels
Cats can also be a predator decoy. You can place a fake cat on your patio. Or bring your pet cat to your patio from time to time if you have one.
Lights and Reflective Surfaces
Birds don’t like reflective objects. This is because when they fly past these surfaces, they see a reflection of themselves. Although, they don’t know that it is just a reflection.
All they see is an intruder or an enemy. This is why some wild birds attack your windows, mirrors, or even your car’s side mirrors.
They can spend hours driving away the ‘intruder’ from their territory.
You can use this to your advantage by hanging reflective surfaces like mirrors. These reflective bird diverters will scare away the birds, and they might not come back.
Additionally, bright lights and shiny objects can also deter birds from your property as it can be too intimidating for them and interfere with their navigation.
Some shiny surfaces or light sources you can use are the following:
- Mirrors
- Strips of aluminium foil
- Old CDs
- Crystals
- Light fixtures
- Reflective pinwheels
- Bird-repelling flashing tape
Here are some visual bird deterrents that you can use on your patio:
Audio Deterrents
While you can use a visual method of bird deterrence, they may not be enough. You can also use audio deterrents, which are devices or sound systems that produce annoying sounds and high-pitched noise to scare away birds.
Some birds are sensitive to sound, so you can use this to your advantage.
Wind Chimes Or Bells
Wind chimes or bells can both attract and deter birds.
The deep and loud sound can scare birds away. You can get these kinds of sounds on large wind chimes or bells. These sounds are also unpredictable as the wind blows. The sound can be persistent, which is unpleasant for birds.
However, small wind chimes or bells that produce soft and melodic sounds may attract birds because they produce sounds similar to bird songs.
Wind chimes or bells have three benefits on your patio:
- It produces a sound that keeps birds at bay.
- Some are made from reflective surfaces that can reflect light and act as a visual deterrent.
- It serves as a decorative piece in your outdoor space.
Bird-repellent Sounds
You can also use bird-repellent sounds to deter birds. These kinds of sounds are often recorded or generated using an electronic device.
The two main bird-repellent sounds are sonic and ultrasonic.
Sonic sounds are usually recorded predator sounds or bird distress calls. Predator sounds are the kind of sounds that a predator makes when it’s hunting its prey.
Bird distress calls, on the other hand, are usually made by birds in distress, danger, or injury. These are sounds of pain or asking for help. It will warn other birds to stay away from your property so they won’t get hurt.
Ultrasonic sounds are high-frequency sounds that are not audible to human hearing but are heard by birds or other animals. These sounds from ultrasonic devices irritate birds’ ears and make them uncomfortable hanging out on your outdoor furniture.
Physical Barriers
Physical barriers are another effective deterrent to keep birds off your patio furniture. These can include bird netting or other types of physical deterrents that you can place around your patio to keep the birds away.
Nets, Screens, and Fencing
Nets, screens, and fencing can limit access to your patio and keep birds from landing on your outdoor furniture.
These barriers may not be pleasing to the eyes and will not fit your outdoor aesthetic. However, there are decorative barriers that will blend in with your patio and still provide the protection you need from birds.
Bird Spikes
These bird-proofing spikes keep birds away from your patio furniture. Bird spikes have sharp metal or plastic points that you can glue into the common landing areas of birds.
These spikes can prevent birds from landing because they can pierce their feet or body. However, they are not the most attractive option for your patio.
Furniture Covers
Furniture covers can also serve as a physical barrier. These covers protect your patio furniture from bird droppings, dirt, and dust.
They are a lightweight material that is easy to clean, and you can quickly remove them when not needed.
Apart from furniture covers, you can also cover a significant area of your patio using parasols and canopies.
Natural and Olfactory Deterrents
While birds are more visual creatures and may have little use for smell, they still have the ability to detect odours. And any creature who doesn’t like the smell of something will instinctively stay away from it.
Bird-repellent Scents
While there are many chemical solutions and products on the market that claim to be bird repellents, I still prefer using natural repellents to keep birds away.
After all, they are much safer for our environment and are not harmful to you or your family —and even to the birds.
So, what smell do birds hate?
Here are some of them:
- Vinegar, including apple cider vinegar
- Peppermint
- Chili or Pepper
- Cinnamon
- Garlic
- Essential Oils
- Lemon Oil
You can spray these around your patio occasionally to keep the birds away.
Now, I know that you don’t want to spray these on your outdoor furniture. But I have a brilliant solution for you.
Get some artificial plants for your patio and spray these scents on them. Birds love to hang out near plants, so if these artificial ones get sprayed with these same scents, they’ll stay away from it.
Bird-repellent Plants
Bird-repelling scents will eventually wear off, so you must keep reapplying them. But if you want a long-term solution, you can plant bird-repelling plants around your patio.
Here are some great ones:
- Garlic
- Onions
- Citronella
- Mint
- Daffodils
You can grow these directly on the ground around your patio, or you can use pots, planters, and troughs to spread them around.
You can also grow thorny plants; birds wouldn’t want to land in them.
Other Methods
If any of these deterrents don’t work or if they are not possible to implement, here are other effective approaches that you can try:
Remove Items That Birds Like
There must be a reason why birds love to hang out on your patio. So, find out what that reason is, and remove it.
- Relocate or remove bird baths and fountains: Your outdoor space or patio may be one of their water sources. If this is the case, relocate your bird bath or fountain to another area of your property or remove them altogether.
- Eliminate food sources: It’s also possible that your property is their food source. If you have bird feeders or any potential food source around, like fruit trees, try to do something to eliminate this food source.
- Close off any openings: If there are any holes or potential nesting sites in your walls or roof, close them up immediately. They might nest in these holes and become a permanent resident in your home.
- Trim bushes and trees: Birds love to hang out in nearby trees and thick bushes. If you have any greenery on your property that seems like a good bird hangout spot, it may be time to give them a trim.
- Keep your outdoor space tidy: If your outdoor space is full of clutter and food scraps, cleaning up might be a good idea. They may see your patio as a good place to make a nest if there is a lot of mess. Also, if your patio furniture is full of bird poop, birds may think that your property is an excellent place to hang out since other birds are going there.
Add in Items That Birds Don’t Like
- Bird gel or baking soda: You can put some baking soda or bird gel on the expected landing area of birds. Since birds can see UV light, these bird gels will look like fire to them. And birds don’t like the feeling of baking soda on their feet.
- Seal your furniture: Seal the nooks and crevices of your outdoor furniture to prevent birds from nesting.
Conclusion
If birds still hang out around your patio furniture, maybe sticking to one solution won’t do the trick.
Why don’t you try to use a combination of these solutions? Experiment with a few of these ideas and see what works best.
And if you successfully drive away all the birds, don’t forget to pat yourself on the back. And let us know which strategy worked best for you so others can try it, too!
