How To Bird Proof Your Garden

Protect Your Plants And Property With These Helpful Tips

By Richard Worden

Sadly, birds don't always appreciate the hard work you've invested in your stunning garden. They steal seeds, destroy flowers, pluck fruits, and cause all sorts of damage. Therefore, you must provide some protection for your plants against them. Read on to learn how to bird proof your garden…

You can bird-proof your garden by covering it with suitable netting. A good net will deny avians access but allow beneficial insects like bees to pollinate your flowers. Moreover, you can use fake replicas of predators to scare them away by placing them all around. Even scarecrows can do the job.

Birds won't simply admire your garden and move on, especially when they sense some food present. Hence, you should employ creative ways to deter them, and I will discuss everything you need to know in this article.

How Do You Stop Birds From Eating Your Garden?

There's always a lot to worry about when growing a garden - irrigation, sunlight, disease outbreaks, etc. However, nothing can be more upsetting than birds eating your plants. What are the best remedies to stop them completely? how to bird proof your garden

You can stop birds from eating your garden by hanging shiny objects. These will reflect sunlight into their eyes, which is annoying and will discourage them from returning. Yet, don't shade your plants too much, as they also need sunlight for development. Also, enclosed garden beds keep birds out. 

I'll elaborate on these methods below:

Hanging Reflective Objects

For humans, sunlight can be too bright and damaging to stare at, but only the reflection is enough for birds.

If you strategically hang shiny items around the garden, the reflected sunlight will be too bright for them to ignore, and they'll fly away. Such objects can include:

• Old CDs
• Small framed mirrors
• Foil strips
• Scare tape
• Aluminum pie plates
• Small Disco Balls (yes, Disco Balls)

While hanging these objects, you may block your plants' reach for sunlight, so don't over-complicate it.

Rest assured, the birds' eyes won't hurt because they can't remain too comfortable eating and will leave asap. 

Plant in Enclosed Garden Beds

Birds can't eat what they can't reach, so protect your plants by enclosing them in garden beds.

DIY lovers will enjoy building them at home, but you can easily buy them if you don't have any.

The holes will allow pollinating insects to do their job, and enough sunlight will reach the plants for photosynthesis. However, the covering will deny birds and other larger pests access effectively.

How Do I Stop Birds Digging Up My Soil?

Many bird species dig up the soil, searching for worms, insects, and grub. Although no one's saying the birds shouldn't feed & get healthy, they can indirectly compromise your garden's growth. You must arrest them before the damage becomes vast.

You can stop birds from digging up your soil by having a bird feeder to distract them. Fill the feeder with desirable foods that keep hungry avians busy enough to leave ground foraging. Alternatively, install sprinklers and occasionally turn them on to deter them from the area entirely.

People may argue that their soil-digging activity is beneficial, but there are also downsides. Hence, I'll explain the techniques to stop them below:

Prepare a Bird Feeder

Birds are just hungry and looking for food whenever they dig your lawn. They'll likely find enough from insects like bugs to worms because of the flourishing greenery.

However, if you're uncomfortable with their activity on the soil, you can provide enough food in bird feeders to distract them.

The species mostly visiting you will guide you on the suitable bird feeder to buy. Fill it with high-quality mealworms or insects purchased from any pet store, and there'll be no need for them to peck on the garden ground anymore.

Install and Turn On Sprinklers

Water quickly drives birds away, so installing sprinklers around the garden won't grant them enough time to dig out your soil. 

Turn them on whenever you see them around, and they'll be off the ground immediately.

Besides, it is also an effective irrigation technique as it will water your plants, which is vital for their growth.

What Is the Best Bird Deterrent for the Garden?

It's understandable to consider bird deterrents for your garden because wild avians never know when to stop ruining your hard work. However, since many types of bird deterrents exist, it may be challenging to determine the most effective. how to bird roof your garden

The best bird deterrents for the garden are visible ones, such as toy predators and scarecrows. Birds don't like physical activity from other creatures, especially not the ones that can feed on them. Moreover, audio deterrents from speakers or other devices scare them enough to avoid your lawn.

If you have enough time and resources, invest in these kinds of deterrents, as they can save you from much loss in the long run:

Visual Bird Deterrents

Birds come to your garden because they feel safe and to feed, so scaring them off with visible deterrents is highly effective.

Some examples include:

• Plastic predators, such as hawks, snakes, & raccoons
• Scarecrows
• Scare balloons

Placing these items around your property will make it naturally undesirable to birds.

However, birds adapt to non-moving objects, so purchasing high-tech moving ones is better. Alternatively, manually change their positions from time to time to fool avians that they are real.

If you have a pet cat or dog, allow them to police your lawn occasionally.

Audio Bird Deterrents

These deterrents are sounds that deceptively convince birds to stay away from your garden. They work even better when used with physical ones.

It can be a regular speaker playing sounds mimicking bird distress calls to keep off your lawn. Go online to download the sound most similar to the species visiting and regularly play them throughout the day.

Wind chimes also work well in windy areas. They'll just be frightened by the sudden but not loud sound and will fly away quickly.

What Can I Put Outside To Keep Birds Away?

Birds can make the most adorable pets, especially when they seem responsive with their vocal abilities. However, as pests, wild ones are one of the worst if you have a garden. You must place objects outside to deter them, but what?

You can put plastic predators such as owls, snakes, and raccoons outside to keep birds away. Birds instinctively avoid such creatures, so they won't come close as long as they don't find out that they are fake. Also, bird netting effectively denies them access, ultimately keeping them away.

If you don't take quick measures to ward them off, they can not only destroy your garden plants but pose health risks through droppings.

Ensure you strategically place the fake predators where you've found the most birds. They will adapt to them when they don't move for a while, so ensure you change their positions regularly to trick the avians for as long as possible.

As for the bird netting, you can place them around your property or on poles just over the plants. They are different netting sizes, so choose the best ones depending on the size of the species you're repelling.

Do Wind Spinners Keep Birds Away?

Wind spinners or whirligigs have become popular because they embellish the yard well, but how practical are they for their primary purpose?

Wind spinners keep birds away because of their motion. They are faster and most effective on windy days, but even a slight breeze can move their blades. As they spin, most wind spinners also produce a buzzing sound, which scares and annoys avians enough to keep them at bay from your garden.

Aside from birds, other destructive animals like rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks don't like wind spinners.

Also, try to position them in various places in the garden.

Best Bird Deterrents for Gardens

Various bird deterrents exist, but visual and audio ones are the most effective for gardens. If you don't yet have a favorite that works, consider the following from Amazon.com:

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How To Bird Proof Your Garden...Conclusion

It is crucial to know how to bird proof your garden, as birds can destroy most of it. 

A good netting of appropriate size and fake predators will keep them away. Also, consider hanging reflective objects and gardening inside enclosed beds.

If you don't have any bird deterrents, consider the ones I've discussed above.

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Hi! I'm Richard Worden, the author and founder of We Know Birds.

Over 20 years ago I developed a keen interest in birds and birdwatching, and it has been my passion ever since. I am committed to spreading useful knowledge about birds to others so we might all enjoy them to the fullest.

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