Birds are a wonderful part of our ecosystem, but that doesn’t mean you always want them around your garden. Birds are known to create a significant mess and spread disease, which can be a cause of concern for those that keep rabbits, captive poultry, and other pets birds, as wild birds can spread myxomatosis and bird flu.
Finding ways to keep birds out of the garden is important. Therefore, you should have one of the best bird deterrent devices available. So, in this article, we look at why and how we should keep them from gardens.
Why Keep Birds Out of the Garden
Birds can be a significant nuisance in the garden. For one, they can poop all over furniture and other items that need to be cleaned. This is unsightly, not to mention it can be the instigator of disease spread.
In addition, birds can be very troublesome with plants. Some birds can destroy ornamental plants, eat fruit from fruit trees, and eat seeds and other items you’ve planted for yourself.
Birds can also be noisy, disturbing the peace you have tried to create in your garden.
Some birds are also pretty ruthless to other wildlife you might want to protect. Some birds are predators and will attack other smaller birds, lizards, snakes, small mammals, and even the eggs of animals.
For those who want to protect wildlife, keeping out some of the larger birds that might prey on other animals can be a good idea.
Finally, there are diseases that birds can spread. Some of these diseases can be spread to domesticated animals like cats, dogs, chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Birds are known to spread myxomatosis, which can kill rabbits very easily. Likewise, birds can spread bird flu which often results in the culling of the animals. And there is some evidence that suggests that bird flu can be passed on to humans.
The Best Deterrent for Garden
To get a bird deterrent in Australia, you need to consider the various options. Throughout history, humans have developed several means to keep birds away from areas. So here are some of the options you might want to consider and how useful they are.
Scarecrows
Scarecrows, or an effigy in the garden, is one of the oldest tricks to scare birds from an area. And they can be a fun afternoon craft for children. However, as bird deterrents, scarecrows are not always very effective. Normally, birds get used to their presence and sometimes sit on top of the scarecrow in defiance.
Bird Deterrent Products
Numerous bird deterrent products are available on the market. For instance, you can get a sonic bird deterrent system or a bird deterrent spray. An automatic bird deterrent means you don’t need to be around for it to activate.
There are different ways that these bird deterrent products can work. For example, you can have a sonic bird deterrent that emits a sound all the time to scare away the birds. But that might not be as effective as a sonic device activated via movement. There is a sudden change in noise, at a frequency that cannot be heard by you or other pets.
However, an audible bird deterrent is not always effective in the long term. Some birds can get used to the sonic noise and you need another deterrent to work. Therefore a combination of sonic noise and movement detector can be very effective.
Then there is the option to add a bird deterrent spray. These can be activated by movement and spraying the bird. Spraying the bird with water will almost always work. And when combined with the other options, it is pretty much guaranteed that the birds will not stick around in the garden.
Removing Attractants
Another way to deter birds in Australia is to ensure that your garden is as inhospitable as possible to the birds. Remove potential food sources, shelter and even water from the garden can ensure that gardens do not look inviting to the birds.
There is going to be some balance here. You might want to keep a small pond because you enjoy keeping fish. However, you can always install tripwire or add netting over the pond to deter the birds from using it as a bathing spot.
Likewise, you can keep vegetable gardens by using the bird deterrent products on them. Many of these products, like the Envirobug version, can be solar-powered.
Being Active in the Garden
Bird behaviour is really important. Birds don’t like to be around people. And if you are more active in the garden, then you are going to deter the birds naturally.
However, you can’t be in the garden all the time. And some birds, especially in Australia, can become very familiar with human contact. Currawongs, for instance, have been known to create familiar relationships with humans, with some returning to the same family or people for more than a decade.
Therefore, it is important to consider that being active is only so effective. Not only that, you need to add protection for when you’re not in the garden.
Final Word: Bird Deterrent Options in Australia
There are numerous bird deterrent options in Australia. But birds are very clever creatures, not to mention critical to our ecosystem. While one deterrent is not always effective, several other deterrents working together can be very effective.
Using the Envirobug Sentinel system is very effective. It uses a combination of movement, sound, and spray to deter birds from an area. These can be connected in sequence to cover wider areas and are powered by solar energy to make them more environmentally friendly. Therefore, the systems in use can protect your garden while not increasing the impact on the environment.
