Do IT

YOURSELF

in a world of dIY-ers, we Are here to help you accomplish Smaller Bird solutions yourself while saving you the expense for the next unexpected event in your life.

WE WANT TO HELP

While there are many different bird invasions that require a qualified professional to evaluate the problem and solve it with tools not readily available to your average Jill or Joe, there are some circumstances that don’t require much effort to be solved and we’ve broken down those situations below!

Do-It-Yourself Bird Control:

Bird Nesting Behind Shutters

Birds on Your Boat Dock

Birds in the Vegetable Garden

Birds on Your Deck or Pool

Birds Eating Pond Fish

The Bird Problem

For homes that have a stone or brick façade, shutters provide an excellent place for smaller birds to nest behind. When the stone or brick façade surfaces are not even, this allows provides larger gaps for the smaller birds, typically sparrows, to gain entry and nest behind the shutters. The birds will continue to back nesting materials behind the shutters. In some cases, the nesting will become so extreme that the shutters may bulge out.

BIRDS

NESTING BEHIND SHUTTERS

DIY Solution

In most cases, these shutters are either attached with nylon screw plugs or may be manually screwed into the shutter cleat. The spacing around the outside between the shutter and the façade surface need to be closed off. The first step is to remove the shutter to clean all the nesting materials out from behind the shutter. Be extremely cautious with any bird droppings you may encounter during cleanup and ensure proper disposal.

Please take all safety precautions when cleaning out nesting materials and possibility relocating any eggs or active nests. If you find babies or eggs, best to wait until the baby birds can fly before starting the project. If you must relocate any eggs, don’t touch the eggs with your bare hands. Use gloves when handling any birds or nesting materials. Try to keep the eggs and nesting materials nearby to that the mother bird can easily find the eggs. You can use a hanging planter to place any nest and eggs and then hang the basket in a nearby tree.

Now that the bird nesting has been cleaned up from behind the shutters, you can buy foam strips from local hardware store. You can trim the foam strips down to fit them in the gap between the structure façade and behind the shutter. Note not to have the foam strips too think or back too much in this gap as it will start to press the shutter out with too much pressure on the attachment points.

AviAway Professional Solution

At times, the bird pressure may be too extreme for DIY solution. In these cases, you need to use a steel mesh wrap around each shutter to ensure that the gap is closed off. AviAway Steel Shutter Mesh Solution will permanently resolve the sparrows as well as any other wildlife, including bats, from nesting behind the shutters. Our steel mesh is custom fabricated to fit around each shutter to ensure tight fit between the shutter and each raised section of stone. The steel mesh is then attached to edge trim of the shutter for a tight wrap that will exclude all birds from gaining access to nesting behind the shutters.

If you have a boat dock, you will typically experience a problem with birds at some points. Seagulls or pigeons will drop shells and bird droppings all over docks. In addition, the birds will most likely be on the piling tops roosting in search of food. The bird droppings and source debris can damage the deck and be an overall nuisance.

BIRDS ON YOUR

BOAT DOCK

The Bird Problem

DIY Solution

Depending upon how severe the bird infestation, you may be able to try various types of effigies or visual deterrent type of products. In some cases, if you have a water source on the deck, you may be able to use motion activated deterrents that will activate when birds are active. Check out different types of bird repellent reflectors that spin to deter the birds from landing on treated areas. Note depending upon how severe the bird infestation is, you may need multiple deterrent devices.

AviAway Professional Solution

In cases where the bird pressure if extremely heavy, a bird grid wire system must be used to deter the larger birds from landing on the open deck areas. The grid wire is a landing deterrent system. Seagulls and other larger birds can see the grid wire and are afraid of having their wings get caught up in the grid wires and are deterred from landing on treated areas.

The AviAway grid wire system solutions are installed with either aluminum poles that are either attached to the dock or secured with our nonpenetrating paver block system. In some cases, we are able to install the grid wires to the pilings or building structures.

Birds in the vegetable garden are never welcome, with how much hard work it takes to grow your own food and herbs, you don't want birds coming in and eating everything, causing all your hard work to go to waste. If you find you have birds eating your vegetables, while we could resolve the issue, it is also something you can resolve yourself if you like.

The Bird Problem

BIRDS IN THE

VEGETABLE GARDEN

DIY Solution

Making a scarecrow or using spinning deterrents are something that would work for a few weeks, but birds being smart creatures will eventually learn that they aren’t in danger. If you want it to work for longer, move the scarecrow around and change its appearance from time to time. Another more effective route is using mesh netting to cover anything you don’t want birds to be getting at, often these can be found at a gardening center or hardware store near you, or can easily be ordered online. If you are using netting, it is more effective if you get UV protected netting, as it lasts longer and doesn’t break down after extended periods of time.

AviAway Professional Solution

In cases where the bird pressure is extremely heavy, a netting enclosure system can be installed over the entire garden to protect the area. It is very tightly secured and when installed by a professional can last for up to 20 years, with only a little maintenance, like cleaning off leaves in the fall and snow in the winter. Access doors can be installed to enter the netting and related areas, and the netting we use is so secure it protects your plants not only from birds but from squirrels and other small animals as well!

In certain areas of the country, it is extremely common to see ducks hanging out in and around your pool, and some people may welcome them and feed them when they come around. The issue at hand is their droppings, which often go directly into your pool and the deck around the pool, causing a slip and fall risk, as well as risk of illness if you don’t properly clean the pool after visits from ducks and other birds.

BIRDS ON YOUR

DECK OR POOL

The Bird Problem

DIY Solution

Surprisingly, the solution to this if you are only seeing a few recurring ducks or birds visiting your pool, is to add a large pool inflatable to your pool, which will scare the birds away. The plastic reflects light from the sun into birds' eyes, making it difficult for them to land, as well as constantly moves around your pool when winds are active, so the birds don't get used to seeing it in one spot all the time. You can also add other shiny bird deterrents around your pool and deck area, like wind chimes, pinwheels, anything that makes the area appear too active or noisy, and this will drive birds to find a quieter and safer location to frequent.

AviAway Professional Solution

If you are dealing with a large flock of birds that decided your pool and yard is their new home or feeding ground, professional bird control is the best option. Using scare tactics like sound units are often the best way to scare birds away from a yard or property when they don't rely on specific structures to roost on. These sound units work equally well on a variety of bird species and require no modification of any structures on your property. If you are worried about the noise these units will make, we also offer the installation of ultrasonic sound units, created so that only birds can hear the sound that will drive them away.

If you are the type of person to value the environment you live in, and love making updates that turn your home into your own slice of paradise, odds are you either currently have or want to have a pond with goldfish or koi fish. Having an installation like this in your yard can drastically increase the desire birds have to pay you a visit, now that the birds think they have a personal food market waiting there for them.

The Bird Problem

BIRDS

EATING POND FISH

DIY Solution

The first step to prevent birds from trying to fly off with your extremely valuable and beautiful pets is to ensure you have made the pond deep enough that most birds cannot reach the bottom to get the fish. Even if you create a shelf with only a partial deep end to the pond, this step is crucial to ensuring your fish feel safe and lessens their stress levels, since they know their escape route. It is recommended that the deepest part of a fish pond be at least 2 feet deep, 3 feet if you are housing Koi. Add foliage like water lilies for fish to hide under, so birds flying by don't see them.

Even if you have already completed this step, there are still certain bird species that are designed to catch fish that swim deep into the water, the most well-known birds that do this being the Great Blue Heron. Their long neck and beak help them reach down into the water to grab their prey. If you don’t want these birds to have access to ponds with fish in them, it's easiest and most effective to place netting over the top of the pond, physically preventing access to the fish. However, some may find this method to be unattractive, so another option is to buy a type of territorial bird statue, owls and herons are the best options because instead of being flocking birds, they tend to keep to themselves and are territorial. If other birds see these in your yard, they will know it’s probably for the best they find somewhere else to land.

AviAway Professional Solution

We have plenty of experience installing pond netting in both commercial and residential settings, and have the proper materials to ensure that once we install the netting, it won't need repairs or replacement for up to 20 years! The type of netting we use is designed for consistent outdoor use, so it never wears down from weather and can hold its own against other animals such as cats or raccoons as well.