For apartment dwellers, birds’ flocking to your balcony means weekends spent cleaning up their business.
Thankfully, there’s a really simple solution that will keep the birds at bay – and your balcony clean: a fake owl.
Starting at $10 from Bunnings, the brown owl bird scarer should do the trick.
How does a fake owl scare birds?
Birds are normally afraid of owls, making them the perfect deterrent.
That said, a study conducted at Linfield College in Oregon concluded they only work for a limited time - especially when food is involved.
How to improve the effectiveness of a fake owl
However, there are some things you can do to improve the effectiveness of your plastic owl.
According to Sciencing, placing the owl in a natural setting is likely to be more effective. As owls don’t like to be seen, it's more realistic for other birds.
In addition, moving your owl every day will also help create the allure of a real owl.
This article originally appeared on Better Homes and Gardens.
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