Each spring, I battle the birds. Although we have numerous trees available, someone always decides to build a nest in the swag above our door.
I understand why our feathered friends would prefer raising their young on our porch where it is warmer, drier and safer than a big tree. I love animals and am happy to help them, but must draw the line at welcoming the birds to our porch for two main reasons. There is the safety issue...
Eggs (and baby birds) don't land too softly on hard porch floors.
and the sanitary issue. 😝
Daily scrubbings are necessary when birds reside on the porch. UGH!
Last spring, I found two nests when I switched the swag to summer décor. You can click here to see that old post. I have done everything I can think of to deter the birds from building in the swag, but nothing has been effective. Once a nest has eggs in it, I won't touch it. I allow the babies to hatch and then hold my breath until the nestlings have flown the coop without crashing on the hard porch floor. The key to winning this battle, of course, is to intervene before the eggs are laid. How do you outsmart a bird?Several days ago, I observed a pair of sparrows making repeated trips to the swag. Upon inspection, I discovered a partially-constructed nest perfectly aligned with a large faux leaf. There were no eggs, so I had to act quickly. My mother reminded me of a practice that has worked for her. After reading an article several years ago, she placed some Mylar strips in a hanging basket in which house finches were nesting. Since it works for her, I dug out a bag of transparent "Sparklers" shreds I have.
The light reflecting from the strands plays havoc with the birds' compound eyes. Remember that they have a heightened sense of vision and that their eyes operate differently from that of human eyes. I'm told Home Depot actually sells a product called Bird B Gone. It's a reflective tape that serves the same purpose as Mylar, but I've not used it.
I carefully threaded a few strands into my swag.
See the shreds running through?
Guess what? So far, it seems to be working. There has been no additional "bird traffic" and the nest remains half-done. Could it be that I have finally won this battle? Is it possible that the birds are just waiting for me to relax with a false sense of victory before coming back? I guess time will tell if I have really outsmarted the birds, or not!
Make it a great day!
