Birds are lovely creatures, and they’re an important part of nature’s ecosystem. However, the droppings they leave behind are certainly not pleasant. Not many of us have time to fully pressure wash our deck and patio before spending time outside on a nice day. And if you’re a pool owner, you don’t need me to tell you that seeing bird droppings float on by as you’re swimming is unsavory.
If you’re wondering how to keep your outdoor spaces clean, check out these 12 tips for keeping birds from pooping on your deck, porch, patio, and pool!
How to Keep Birds from Pooping on My Deck, Porch, Patio and Pool
1. Plastic Predator Birds
Robins, sparrows, crows, blackbirds, starlings, and mourning doves are the types of birds you’ll most commonly see around your outdoor spaces.
These bird species know to keep their distance from predator birds – mainly hawks and owls – which is something you can use to your advantage.
You can buy a plastic owl or hawk from most hardware and home stores. Place the predator bird on your fence or on a visible branch of a nearby tree.
Birds will see these fake predators and know to stay away from the area. Just be sure you’re moving the location of the predator bird on a semi-regular basis so other birds don’t get comfortable with seeing it in the same place all the time.
2. Ultrasonic Sound System
There are multiple types of sound systems designed to deter birds from hanging around your yard. One such type emits an extremely high-pitched noise that is undetectable to humans but will scare off birds. Most systems of this type are motion-activated, so they’ll start working when they sense a bird flying by.
There are also sound systems that emit sounds from predator birds or sounds of birds in distress. Both of these will signal to birds that the area is not safe – another tactic for keeping them at bay.
All of the systems mentioned above can range anywhere from $30 to $200, depending on what you’re looking for. Some of these sound systems are so sophisticated.
You can program the specific type of bird you’re trying to keep away.
3. Hanging Mirrors
A cheap, DIY option for deterring birds is to hang a few small mirrors from tree branches or your fence. This method works in two capacities.
Firstly, birds generally don’t like shiny, moving things, and they’ll continue on their way.
Secondly, mirrors can trick the bird into thinking there is already another bird there when they see their reflection. This tells the bird that the food source has already been depleted, so they leave.
You can buy small, cheap mirrors at any dollar or craft store. Hang them using rope, ribbon, or fishing line.
This is a super inexpensive option that’s quite effective. So if you’re not looking to spend a ton of money on bird deterrent efforts, I’d start with this one.
4. Spinning Pinwheels
You know those shiny, colorful pinwheels that are a popular children’s toy? Well, those pinwheels are a great tool for scaring off birds.
When the wind hits them, they spin frantically, which causes motion and noise that birds are frightened of. The light reflecting off the metallic material the pinwheels are made from also scares away birds.
Secure the pinwheels to the top of your fence or deck railing, depending on where you’ve noticed the bird droppings are the worst. You can buy these cheap little pinwheels at the dollar store or a children’s toy store.
While the plain colorful ones will do, opt for the ones made of a shiny or metallic material if possible. This is another super inexpensive option that will also delight your kids if you have them!
5. Wind Chimes
Wind chimes are probably the most aesthetically pleasing bird deterrent on this list (and also pleasing to your ears!). The power behind wind chimes is also two-fold.
Birds don’t like the shiny, reflective light that shines from the metal pieces. They also don’t like the sound, as it’s not a sound they’re familiar with or understand.
Hang wind chimes from trees, your fence, the overhang of your porch, or one of those metal hooks that they often come with. The nice thing about wind chimes is that it won’t be obvious you’re using them to scare off birds – they’ll simply seem as though they’re part of your garden or patio decor. Plus, the sound they give off is pretty darn relaxing.
6. Reflective Bird Diverters
Now, reflective bird diverters aren’t the nicest things in the world to look at, but they are quite inexpensive and get the job done. Reflective bird diverters are small, circular tags that you hang from tree branches, your fence, and other surrounding areas. There’s an image on each tag that’s meant to imitate a predator bird’s eye.
Other birds will see these “eyes” and be tricked into thinking predator birds are in the area. The wind will also blow the tags back and forth, which gives birds the impression that the predators are moving.
You can buy a pack of bird diverters for around $20, and they can generally be found at most hardware and outdoor stores. This is another quick and cheap solution.
7. Fishing Line Trick
Let’s get into discussing ways to keep bird poop out of your pool. This hack is designed explicitly for people with above-ground pools. Secure evenly spaced plastic clips around the top edge of your pool’s perimeter.
Then, string fishing line around each clip, leaving a few inches of space between the top edge of your pool and where the fishing line sits.
Because the position of the fishing line hinders where the bird would normally land, they will no longer be able to land on the edge of your pool. Hence, no more bird poop in the pool!
Buying the plastic clips and fishing line will cost you less than $20, so this is another super inexpensive yet effective hack.
8. Floating Pool Predators
Another great way to deter birds from coming near your above-ground or underground pool is to buy a couple of floating pool predators. Most hardware, outdoor, or pool stores will have an inflatable and plastic alligator, snake, or shark that you can buy for this purpose.
If you have young kids, they’ll think you’re the best parent ever for purchasing all of these exciting new toys.
A bird flying overhead will see one of these frightening predators and rethink landing anywhere near your pool. You can also place some rubber snakes around the edge of your pool as another scare tactic.
Birds hate snakes, and won’t want to come anywhere near them. Just be sure to warn your guests that they are, in fact, fake!
9. Inflatable Beach Balls
If you don’t like the idea of having your aesthetically pleasing pool filled with inflatable animals, floating beach balls are a great alternative. The beach balls are colorful and will move around the surface of your pool with the wind, which scares birds and deters them from landing anywhere close.
Another great aspect of this hack is that inflatable beach balls tend to fit most people’s pool decor a bit better than a plastic shark would. They’re also one of the cheapest options on this list, which is an added benefit.
Plus, your kids and guests can play with them! Although this tip might not be as effective as the floating predator animals, there’s no harm in trying it out first.
10. Remove Bird Baths & Fountains
The following few tips are less to do with scaring birds away, and more to do with making your yard, deck, and pool less appealing to birds in the first place. If you have a birdbath or fountain in your yard, that’s essentially an open invitation for birds to visit the area.
Birds adore water sources that they can not only drink from but bathe in as well.
If you have a birdbath or fountain, you might want to think about removing it – or at least relocating it to a far end of your property where bird droppings won’t bother you as much. If you take away their bathing station, they’ll be on the lookout for somewhere better to hang around.
11. Trim Back Shrubs
Many birds prefer to nest and lay eggs in dense shrubbery with lots of cover from predators and threats. If you have hedges lining your deck or patio, consider trimming them back a little to deter birds from nesting or hiding in them.
Just be sure to carefully check the bushes before you begin pruning – be on the lookout for preexisting bird or squirrel nests.
If you find a nest with eggs or baby squirrels in it, you don’t want to harm them. Leave the nests (and your bushes) alone until the babies have (literally) left the nest.
Once you’re sure the nests are no longer in use, you can relocate them and carry on with your pruning and trimming.
12. Eliminate Food Sources
Unsurprisingly, birds are going to be attracted to the seed in bird feeders. If you have a bird feeder but are also dealing with a bird poop problem, either relocate the feeder to a far end of your property or take it down altogether.
When the birds realize your yard is no longer a 24/7 buffet, they’ll look for other feeders in the area.
Birds are also attracted to trees and bushes that produce fruit and nuts. Before chopping down these trees, you can try hanging wind chimes, mirrors, or bird diverters from their branches.
However, if the bird poop problem persists and it’s starting to bother you, you may have to consider relocating and transplanting the trees elsewhere.
Conclusion
Remember, bird poop covering your outdoor spaces is a problem that can be dealt with. Whether it’s your deck, porch, patio, fence, or pool, hopefully these options have given you some ideas of how to effectively tackle the issue.
If you’ve had success with any of these methods, let us know in the comments below! Don’t forget to share these tips with your friends and family who might also be dealing with a bird poop problem in their yard or outdoor spaces.
Eugene has been a DIY enthusiast for most of his life and loves being creative while inspiring creativity in others. He is passionately interested in home improvement, renovation and woodworking.
I found the foil did not deter pigeons from my balcony. So I am now trying CDs. I want to have ultrasound but do not want to incur too much expense. I will shop around. Thanks for all the tips. I will try them all. The pigeons found a way either side of the fishing line on the railing on my balcony. I will try three lines to see if that works.