Bird Control⎥Bird Controls⎥Bird Pest Control⎥Pest Bird Control⎥Pest Bird Control

I grow strawberries in my garden, and unfortunately, the birds love it.

A few years ago, I learned a hard lesson about sharing with the local wildlife. What I learned is that wildlife doesn’t like to share. It was a warm day in June, and I had set aside my Saturday to harvest my annual strawberry crop. I’d had a busy week at the office, and hadn’t been in the garden for a couple days. Big mistake on my part. I put on my gloves, picked up my basket and headed to my backyard garden.

The strawberry plants were there, but most of the berries were gone.

My neighbors informed me that I had a bird problem. Apparently I had a neighbor problem, too (because why didn’t they do something?), but I was more concerned with my uninvited feathered guests. Sure, I’d lost a berry or two to the birds over the years. But nearly an entire crop? I was furious.

To prevent that from happening again, I began to research ways to keep birds off of my property. There are several bird control methods on the market, ranging from sonic bird-repelling devices to large, plastic owls. Now, whenever June rolls around, I know how to protect my berries against feathered invaders.

In this site, I’ll walk you though some of the types of bird control available on the market. The last thing I want is for your crop to suffer the same fate mine did three years ago.

What brings birds to the yard?

Using netting and other deterrents is only part of protecting your yard from birds; the other part is understanding what brings birds to your yard in the first place. Birds tend to flock -- pardon the pun -- to areas that provide everything they need. They want nesting trees that provide safety and shelter near a plentiful source of food. Depending on what you have growing in your yard, you may be providing the perfect habitat.

Now, I'm not saying you should cut all your trees down, dump pesticides on your garden and scorch the earth so nothing can grow there again. However, upon analyzing what it is birds are after, you may be able to make some changes to your landscaping that leave your property slightly less attractive to our troublesome feathered friends.

Birds eat the fruit, buds, flower and nectar of plants. How many types of plants do you have, and are any specific types especially attractive to birds?

Birds can only eat what they can swallow. How big are the fruits in your garden? Maybe there's something larger you could plant that couldn't be relied upon as a perennial food service?

Try planting non-native plants in your yard. Birds are more comfortable landing on (and eating) what they're familiar with.