Ultra Outdoors
There’s nothing worse than trying to enjoy some time on your balcony only for a bird to swoop in and disrupt you. The only thing worse is finding bird poop on your balcony floor.
Birds can make it hard to enjoy your balcony because sometimes they take over completely. Depending on where you live, common birds that you’ll find pestering your balcony include:
- Pigeons
- Sparrows
- Blackbirds
Luckily, there are a few ways that you can keep them away and take back control of your favorite outdoor sanctuary.
Keep reading to learn how to keep birds off your balcony so that you can spend time on it stress-free.
How to Keep Birds Off Your Balcony
There are many reasons why you may want to keep birds off of your balcony. Some of the most common reasons for bird control include the following:
- They keep getting bird droppings everywhere in your outdoor space, including on your furniture.
- They’re noisy in the morning and throughout the day.
- They create bird nests.
The good news is that there are several ways to go about keeping birds off your balcony, including:
- Keeping your balcony clean
- Bird spikes
- Hawk decoys
- Reflective ribbon
- Adding a bird feeder to your yard
Let’s take a closer look at each of these deterrent options.
Keeping Your Balcony Clean
One reason why birds may be attracted to your balcony might be because it’s full of debris, crumbs, and dirt. So your first step in keeping birds off your balcony is to ensure it’s clean.
If debris from your yard blows onto your balcony, cleaning it off as soon as possible is essential. If you keep plants on your balcony, ensure they are neat. If not, you may find insects making their way to your balcony, which will attract the birds.
Crumbs are also very attractive to birds. If you’re in the habit of eating on your balcony, make sure to clean up after every meal and remove the crumbs from the ground before the birds can get to it. Having a broom ready to sweep away any crumbs or other debris is a good idea.
Bird Spikes
If the birds that come to your balcony are in the habit of sitting on your balcony railing, bird spikes may be the solution.
Bird spikes are made from either metal or plastic and are meant to be laid around your balcony to discourage birds from sitting on it. The best placement for these spikes is on your balcony railing, which prevents birds from getting any closer.
These spikes won’t hurt the birds, as they won’t even attempt to land on them. For smaller birds that may find room between the spikes, you may need to add more spikes or spikes closer together to discourage them.
Nonetheless, this inexpensive yet effective solution is sure to keep the birds away from your balcony.
A Hawk or Owl Decoy
Most birds you’d find in your backyard are smaller birds; therefore, they will likely be afraid of a predator bird. Take advantage of this by placing prey decoys on your balcony to keep the small birds away.
Most backyard birds are afraid of owls or hawks. You can find inexpensive decoys of these birds that look real enough to fool the other birds. Place the decoy somewhere visible on your balcony or patio to ensure all the birds see it.
The only downside to this method is that birds are quite intelligent and will eventually catch on that the hawk or owl decoy isn’t real. You have two options to fix this: move the decoy around from time to time to further fool the birds, or purchase a decoy that moves to make it seem more like a real bird.
Reflective Ribbon Tape
Birds generally don’t like flashy, reflective light. You can use this fact to your advantage by adding reflective ribbon tape to your balcony.
It’s a good idea to add this reflective ribbon to the outside railing of your balcony so that birds can see it from afar. While this method works better for some birds than others, it is still an effective way of minimizing the number of birds on your balcony.
Adding a Bird Feeder to Your Yard
Adding a bird feeder or bird bath to your yard may seem counterproductive, as it will attract more birds to your yard. However, if the birds love coming by your house anyway, you can redirect them somewhere as far away from your balcony or patio as possible with a bird feeder or bird bath.
When you strategically place these things in your yard, you give the birds a destination where they know they will find food or water, making it more attractive than your balcony. You’ll see the number of birds on your balcony reduce, allowing you to enjoy it in peace.
Make sure to place any bird feeders somewhere far away from your balcony, so the birds don’t disrupt you.
Wrap-Up: Keeping Birds Off Your Balcony
Birds can be pesky, especially when they go to your private spaces, such as your balcony. However, there are ways to deter them and keep your balcony bird-free.
With these five options for how to keep birds off your balcony, you’ll be able to reduce the amount of bird poop on your balcony and increase the amount of time you can spend on it enjoying a meal or reading a book in peace.
