How to Keep Birds out of Your Tree Over the Driveway

While wild birds are beautiful, there are many cases in which they might become a nuisance. Birds can make a great deal of noise in the morning, waking you up before your alarm goes off. They can also leave a mess on your driveway if they often perch on a tree nearby. To keep birds out of the trees near your house, there are a few things you can do that will not cost a lot of money or cause any physical harm to the birds.

Bird-watching guide book

Visual bird deterrent

Scarecrow

Aluminum pie plates

Twine

Sonic bird repellent device

Identify the birds that are causing the problem. Before you can create a defense against nuisance birds, you need to know what they are. Consult a bird-watching guide book or take a picture of the birds to your local wildlife center to determine the species.

Install a visual bird deterrent in the tree. While you may be able to find a simple black silhouette of a predator, such as a hawk or owl, these items are typically not effective. Look for something that moves with the wind or utilizes a holographic effect to give the appearance that it is actually alive.

Place a scarecrow at the base of the tree. If the birds think a human is loitering around the tree, they may be less likely to visit it. Over time, the birds will become used to the scarecrow, however, so you will need to change its position frequently to maintain the illusion that it is a real person. Keep changing the scarecrow's appearance as well by putting a hat on it or an item of clothing.

Hang aluminum pie plates from the branches of the tree. Drive a small hole through the plate and loop a piece of twine through it to secure the plate to the branch. The plates will move in the wind, catching and reflecting sunlight that will intimidate birds.

Prune the tree, cutting away some of the branches on which the birds often perch. While this may make your tree less attractive, it will limit the places birds will be able to land and they may seek perches elsewhere.

Put in a sonic bird repellent device. These devices produce a variety of sounds, from bird distress calls to predator calls, that will scare birds away from your tree. Sonic bird repellent devices are available in a variety of sizes so check your local home improvement store or look online for the model that suits your needs best.

The best thing you can do to ensure the efficacy of your bird deterrent methods is to try several of them. Different methods will ward off different birds and a combination of deterrents will be much more effective than one alone.

Do not employ any chemical methods of bird repellent. Some bird species such as robins, woodpeckers and cardinals are protected by law and you can be fined, or worse, for harming or killing these birds.