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Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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Posted by pinkswine 8-9 oregon (My Page) on Fri, Jan 1, 10 at 12:38
| I know I am going to have trouble with birds eating my fruit next summer (especially cherries and red currants) Is there any bird scaring device (humane) that isn't an eyesore which works well. I would need to put it in the front yard. Thanks much! Jen |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| That depends on what your idea of humane and ugly is. |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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I hung rubber (dollar store) snakes in my trees.
Motion sensor sprinklers work until they get used to them. |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| I just read an article that suggested using a spool of black thread and tossing it back and forth across the tree/shrub and although nearly invisible, really frustrates and deters birds...it's squirrels that stumps me. Best of luck. |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| Tin can tops with a hole punched thru, hung by a short green twine, will twist in the wind. I don't mind the look .... sort of like Christmas tree ornaments :) Whirlygigs might be useful .... depending on how high the tree is. The black thread idea sounds good to me ... will try it on my plum tree ... |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| CD's ! Personally, I am not crazy about the thread idea. There is a danger of harm to the birds. And tin can tops would hopefully not be the sharp ones. Sorry to be so specific - but so important to be careful about the life around us. CD's are great - especially the ones you get for free in the mail. Hang them up, they reflect the light like the tin can tops, have a hole in them already. Good luck! |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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- Posted by scot z5 (My Page) on
Sat, Mar 27, 10 at 20:40
| heres one for the currants, (and anything else with a small bush and berry). go to the craft store and get some beads of similar size and color of the ripe fruit. make little wire hooks kindof like earrings, hang them in the bush as the fruit starts to turn but before it is ripe. the birds will come to eat them, after pecking at the beads for a while, the realize that the "fruit" aint no good, and leave the crop alone |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| Mardi Gras Beads have been known to deter birds |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| I attach two aluminum pie trays to string and hang them from the branches. |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| I've tried rubber snakes, real looking owls, the birds just get used to all of them unless you keep moving them every few days. I think I will try the CDs this year- let the wind move them around for me. |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| I know alot of people around here use CD's. The thread is a very dangerous idea. Birds can get tangled in it. I used to raise finches, one got a thread out of the sheet that was covering her cage to add to her nest, it ended up around her ankle, because she was on eggs,I didn't see it till it was too late. She lost her foot due to the circulation being cut off. So please,no string/thread... I used bird netting in the past for my strawberries, it's grey, (or at least the one I got at home depot was) so it did't stand out too bad. JoJo |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| CDs don't work on my birds. I've watched them sitting among the currants with CDs flashing all around and totally unfazed. And I wouldn't use the thread after seeing birds, particularly pigeons, with their feet deformed by tangled thread. Netting needs to be used carefully. I have found a wing caught in netting with no sign of the bird - which means the bird tore off its own wing trying to escape. Old net curtains work on low berry bushes. Otherwise a fruit cage is the most reliable - and most expensive - solution. |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| Bird didn't tear the wing off - the cat / raccoon that ate the bird did. No bird problem but the squirrels harvest all the medlars and pears just before they are ready to harvest. |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| Well, deer don't like soap, and I just read yesterday that pigeons will NOT visit a balcony sprayed with WD-40. I don't know if it works or not, but I'm going to tie some WD-40 soaked green rags near my figs to see if the birds will stay away. Evidently they don't like the smell. |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| Aren't oil soaked rags a combustion danger? |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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I have found best deterrent of all to be owning a cat. She can't catch the squirrels or birds, but she sure does worry the heck out of them; enough to keep them away. Our property is fenced in. She stays in her yard. But I've noticed that the birds and squirrels now stay on the OTHER side of the fence.
All it costs me is catfood. |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| CDs worked for my 10-yr-old daughter to protect her strawberries. She strung a string around the perimeter with a couple CDS and come windchimes. The birds didn't get used to it. They'd reappear, get scared again and leave. My neighbor uses them on the ends of her clothesline to keep birds away from her freshly washed clothing. I know, I know...what's a clothesline?!? Another cheap solution is to feed the birds something else. We have a bread store where you can buy 4 loaves of bread for $2. Feed the birds, get them full and they won't care about "the good stuff" you're trying to protect. Choose a location away from whatever it is you're saving and be consistent enough that the birds "hang out" in that location, revisit it, etc. |
RE: Is there any cheap device to keep birds away that isn't ugly?
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| All critters just become accustomed to any of the scare tactics, eventually, except exclusion. Therefore, netting is still the most surefire way to protect things from birds. It is hardly visible, and if stretched taught all around, will not entangle birds. Along the lines of xiangirl's advice, planting something inedible to you but prized by birds will take the pressure off your goodies. Of course it has to fruit at the same time as what you're trying to protect. Mulberries work great since they are always at the top of the birds list, and some types fruit alongside cherries. |
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