How to deter birds pooping on your deck

How to deter birds from messing up your deck

Take back your weekends spent cleaning up their dirty business - by Livia Gamble

Getty images

There are many benefits to attracting wildlife to your yard, but in some cases, the cons outweigh the pros.

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.

Bunnings

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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Livia Gamble

Based in Sydney, Livia Gamble will not sleep until she has discovered every possible use of bi-carb soda and vinegar. When she isn’t reporting on ways to improve your home and garden, she can be found knitting socks (by choice) and will never say no to pizza.