Guide To Controlling Birds

How To Keep Pest Birds Away From Your Property

Birds are fascinating, but if they start to nest on your property, you might be in for a big problem. These pesky creatures can infest your home and garden anytime and cause unprecedented damage. Take proper measures to keep the birds away from your property.

Our bird control guide has everything you need to know. We will tell you the most common pest birds in Sydney, the dangers they can cause, effective control measures, and how to prevent future infestations. Let us get started.

Common Pest Birds in Sydney

Bird infestations are a common menace in Sydney. Myrna birds, starlings, and pigeons are the most common pest birds. Infestations from sparrows and seagulls can also cause extreme damage. These and several other birds are a threat not only to your property but also health and safety.

Dangers Pest Birds Can Bring to Your Home and Garden

When birds begin to nest on your property, you need to take action at once before it turns into a huge problem. Like other pests, birds can multiply quickly and spread over your home or business. Their nesting activities and filthy droppings can damage your house or building and call for serious, costly repairs. Besides, their droppings can be the starting point for many diseases to spread.

Pest birds can bring diseases like Avian Flu. Additionally, they can feast on and reduce the profitability of your various crops in the horticultural, cereal, and aquaculture industries:

1. Starling Birds

They cause damage to vegetables, fruits (especially grapes), and cereal crops. Starling birds are also famous for carrying and transmitting diseases to humans and other animals.

2. Myna Birds

Wreak havoc on grain and fruit crops. Their massive roosting and nesting activities can lead to aesthetic and human health issues.

3. Sparrow Birds

Also cause damage to grain, fruit, and oilseed crops. They compete with native species for nest hollows.

4. Pigeon Birds

Roosting sites lead to fouling damage in urban areas. They also carry and transmit diseases to humans and other animals.

How to Control Birds

The first step to controlling pest birds on your property should be to know where they have taken up residence. Birds will generally flock to areas with reliable food and water or where they can find shelter to hide from predators. We recommend walking around your property and paying attention to some of these areas:

• On ledges and windowsills
• On top or/and underneath the roof
• Near chimneys and HVAC units
• Near walkways and entryways
• On exterior lighting

Look also for signs of nesting, bird droppings and feathers. Finding where the pest birds congregate is essential because you must choose the right treatment option for each location.

What are the Treatment Options?

There are many methods of controlling birds. We can categorise them into two: lethal and non-lethal control measures.

Lethal (Non-Ethical) Control Measures

These methods involve shooting, poisoning, and trapping. They are inhumane and unethical, and in many situations, they have little to no effect on preventing damage. You can use the shooting to directly reduce the pest birds’ number by killing or scaring them away.

As mentioned, shooting and other lethal methods have a short-term effect. They are also opportunistic and labour-intensive!

Non-lethal (Ethical) Control Measures

As much as pest birds are a menace to us, they also have a right to live. Non-lethal control measures allow us to keep them away without denying them this right. They include physical repellents, sound repellents, visual repellents, habitat manipulation, and chemical repellents.

Chemical Repellents

Use chemical repellents to burn and irritate the birds’ feet and force them to fly away. You sprinkle the chemical outside your home, in places where the birds are most prominent. Please note that some types of repellents may only work for certain species.

To be safe, buy products that can cater to an extended group of bird species. Choose products that won’t harm your kids and pets. And before using them, clean the use sites of any excess droppings, dirt, and debris. Apply along roofs and other bird-perching sites.

Physical Bird Repellents

Anti-bird netting and bird spikes are some of the bird control measures that fall under this category. You can use bird spikes to bar birds from nesting on your roof and other places where they might damage with discharges. Place them along the edges and peaks of rooftops, fences, patio covers, and other areas where you don’t want them to find a residence.

Anti-bird netting can also effectively keep birds away from being properly installed. They are good at repelling birds from fruit trees, vineyards, and crops.

You can also turn to bird propellers that use rotating arms to sweep the birds away from a particular area of your property. This equipment can also keep these pesky creatures away from your fruit crops.

Sound Repellents

These repellents use distress sounds that activate the birds’ instinct to fly away. They include:

Ultrasonics

They are best for keeping birds away from your home. The devices use a sonic wave frequency to irritate birds and ward them off your yards, rooftops, patios, and plant and fruit-bearing trees. You can also use these devices to keep away animals like rats and squirrels.

Sonics

They are far superior to ultrasonic ones. They cover a wide area and can divert larger birds from a particular spot. However, use these high-end devices where they are acceptable with neighbours.

Visual Repellents

They are visual triggers to scare the birds away. They include:

Flash tapes

You can use them to keep birds away from your plants, fruit trees and seeds. Place flash tapes in poles where they will flash when the light hits them. These flashes usually distort the birds’ visual perception to divert their direction.

Scare balloons

They also have reflective tapes that work the same way as flash tapes. You place these bird control products near fruit trees or seeds most birds consume. The balloons will scare the birds away.

How to Prevent Bird Re-infestation 

After successfully controlling the bird infestation on your property, ensure they won’t come back. These are some of the things you should do:

1. Don’t feed the birds

Not all time that birds flock to your building because they want to find a place to live. Sometimes they come to eat and leave. You might be attracting them to your home by leaving food scraps unattended. Be vigilant about keeping your trash covered and pick up garbage in your garden daily (at least) until you’ve been able to put the bird problem under control.

2. Ensure regular pest control

Maintaining a regular pest control program can prevent you from suffering a re-infestation of birds. Keep possible food sources away, apply chemical repellents routine around your property, etc.

3.  Seal access points

Seal off access points in the eaves, fascias, soffits, and any small slit where birds would nest. Ensure the chimneys and vents in your house or building have proper screening to prevent birds from residing inside.

Final Word – Seek Professional Assistance

Once the pest birds settle in your house or building, it’s challenging to bring the problem under control. If the above treatments don’t work or you can’t implement them for one reason or another, the best thing would be to engage professional bird control.

Reach out to us, and we will come to your rescue. Birds can cause extreme damage, including bringing diseases to you and your family. Deny them time to find shelter in your home. Take action today!