How To Keep Birds Off Your Porch (10 Ways To Do It!)

Birds are an attractive part of nature’s wildlife. They can provide a little bit of color and vibrance to any setting. But they can also bring with them quite a bit of nuisance and damage. The droppings, the pecking, and the chirping can all be major detriments.

So, what can you do to keep those pesky little critters away from your porch?

Thankfully, there are quite a few things. You should try to remove any nestable materials and don’t put feeders in the area, for starters. There are plenty of other things that you can do to keep them at arm’s length and away from your porch as well.

Birds are generally looking for two things in a space: ample food and a safe place to build their nest. When they find an area that offers plenty of building materials, that is basically an invitation for them to hang out in the area.

Even the smallest and most inconsequential of things may be an inviting building material for birds. Things like leaves, twigs, and loose debris can be more than enough material for them to build with. Check to see if there are any overhanging trees as well. The easier the access they have, the more likely they are to stay.

You may like to feed the birds, attracting them to your yard to see all the different types that there are. But if you aren’t happy with the results that their visits produce, here’s a simple method: stop feeding them.

Move any bird feeders out into your yard or remove them entirely. It may take some time for the birds to realize that their food source is gone, but it should prove to be an effective deterrent. If you want them to stay in a specific area, try keeping your feeders in an open backyard space away from your house.

Birds are looking for a secure place to spend their time. They are constantly on the lookout for potential predators that could do harm to them or their young. So, they tend to be on alert for sudden movement or flashing light.

Try to get some of those spiraling, shiny hanging decorations. You can place them around your porch without it becoming noticeable to anyone other than the birds. Even better, you can implement this method for relatively little and keep the birds away. Keep in mind, however, that they may get used to these reflective items and eventually determine that it is okay to come back.

If you are looking for a quicker remedy and don’t have the patience to simply divert the birds, you can install a device that repels the birds. There are generally two types: electric and battery-powered. These devices work by giving off a high-frequency sound that the birds find annoying.

The downside here is that other animals, particularly cats, can also hear that ultra-sonic sound. So, if you have pets in your home, consider that before using one of these high-frequency repellents. If you have problems with other critters, though, this can make for a quick, effective method for keeping those buggers away from your porch.

Birds are looking for a safe place to build their nests. Anything that may potentially compromise that safety will result in them fleeing and looking elsewhere. Predators are their main threat no matter what area they are living in.

So, if you have any dogs or cats, let them roam the porch from time to time. With regular visits, the birds will soon come to realize that one of their natural predators is in the area and not going anywhere. It may take a little bit of time and patience, but the presence of a dog or cat should be enough to make them look elsewhere.

While real predators are certainly effective, not all of us have a pet or want to bring an animal into our homes. So, without a real predator, what are we to do? Thankfully, there are fake predators that can be just as effective.

Owls in particular are an effective replica predator since they don’t make a lot of movements. Other fake predators can prove ineffective since the birds will pick up on the fact that they are not real. With fake owls, you can change their position and give the birds the impression that there is a predator constantly in the area.

Using something like a pet to get the job done can be effective, but you also don’t want your pets to be outside all of the time. So, you will likely be left to fill in the gaps if the birds only tend to show up when your pet is inside.

Birds hate naturally citrus fragrances and spraying that scent around your porch can be an annoying deterrent. The great thing about this is that you can get a beautiful, fragrant smell on your porch without anyone knowing the real reason behind it.

Part of the process of getting rid of the birds on your porch is by making the area as annoying and inconvenient as you possibly can. One way to do that is by making the surfaces on which they land as sticky as possible.

There are even sets of strips specifically designed to deter birds. For the most part, they are colorless and are built to withstand even the harshest of weather, so you don’t have to worry about them becoming an eyesore on your porch.

The birds will get stuck on the strips, allowing you to release them later on. Eventually, they will figure out that they will get stuck and move on to another place.