Whether you’re reluctant to share your home garden produce with the local wildlife, or facing serious financial losses due to birds, crop protection is likely high on your list of priorities.
Environmentally-unsound methods like poison and traps are not an option nowadays. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to keep birds off your plants without resorting to violence.
Here are 5 of the best ways to make birds change their mind about making a meal out of your daily bread.
1. Scarecrows
Scarecrows are a centuries-old method used to keep birds away but they lose their effectiveness if you don’t move them around often.
It’s a good idea to change your scarecrow’s attire every so often too, birds are smarter than you think. They soon realize that static deterrents are fake.
2. Decoys
Placing fake birds of prey or snakes in prominent positions can do a lot to keep birds at bay – for a while. Again, unless you move these decoys often, birds will soon figure out that they aren’t real.
For a less labor-intensive approach, a falcon or hawk kite can work wonders to make birds think twice about snacking on your crops. You don’t need to move these realistic-looking predators around, the wind will do that for you.
Few birds will take risk approaching close enough to discover your ruse. If the customer testimonials on supplier websites like https://www.falconcropprotection.com/ are anything to go by, these work well.
3. Spinners
Sudden movements frighten birds so bird deterrents that move randomly are always effective. That’s why gardeners are fond of placing streamers and plastic bags to flap in the wind near their gardens.
The drawback of these is that they can easily become dislodged and blow away, littering your environment. They don’t work unless there’s a wind to power them and they look messy.
Most garden stores sell brightly colored spinners on spikes that you can place among your crops. Be sure to move these to different locations every so often or they’ll lose their effect.
4. Flashes of Light
Although birds are often attracted to mirrors, they aren’t partial to blinding flashes of light.
Strategically hung mirrors or old CD’s catch the sun’s rays as they move around and cause flashes of light that frighten birds away. Metallic wind chimes have the same effect, and their noise acts as an extra deterrent.
5. Barrier Methods of Crop Protection
Physical barriers like netting and chicken wire work well when placed over your vegetables or summer fruits like strawberries.
You can attach your barrier to frames made of wood or metal to prevent damaging your plants. Hula hoops with mesh fastened to them work well for small areas.
Unfortunately, these barrier methods are too expensive for large expanses of crops. Birds and animals can also become trapped in them and get hurt.
Mix It Up
Crop protection is a delicate art, and different things work for different types of birds. Don’t give up until you find the right combination of deterrents for the birds in your ‘hood.
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