Birds and gazebos, both are two of the most blissful things to enjoy about. They both possess parallel characteristics towards making our surroundings an oasis. But all of this is only possible when they are placed separately. Because, although birds are beautiful to watch and charming to hear, they can become a problem when they start to place foot on the gazebo. They make a mess all around the gazebo facility and that too with great numbers sometimes. That’s how the blissful experience becomes one of the biggest nightmares over time.
People with a gazebo or any other structured patio setup, then you will find this problem relatable. Now if you are facing such a bird problem in your backyard and wondering how to keep birds away from the gazebo then you have come into the right place. In this article, you will find some of the finest methods on how to keep birds out of gazebos, reasons for their coming, some pros and con side, preventive measures you can take to reduce their coming, and many more.
Key Takeaways
- Birds come to your gazebo thinking as a shelter, food & water source, and nesting.
- By using physical barriers, noise, and chemical deterrents, and building separate shelters for them.
- Cleaning all the surrounding nesting elements can demotivate birds from nesting.
- Use humane measures only to prevent the birds from coming to your gazebo.
Reasons For Birds In Gazebo
Before going to the ‘keep out’ process, you have to understand why birds love gazebos and similar structures too much. Birds are wildlife animals. They have the right to roam wherever they want. Here are a few particular reasons for birds messing around in the gazebo.
Nesting site
Birds use gazebos as a private, secure location to lay and hatch their eggs. Backyards are somewhat quieter than the rest of your household. There is not much human presence throughout the day and night. That makes the gazebo a suitable place to build their nest. Also, birds find a large supply of materials, such as twigs, leaves, grass, and other natural waste, around gazebos to construct their nests.
Food & water
Human has a humane instinct to feed wildlife living organisms. That’s why many people, especially the kids tend to provide food to the birds. Also, the leftover food particles that you enjoyed while seating on the gazebo attract the birds. Another source of food is; many people have their pet housing installment in their backyard. The food you provide to your pets is also edible by the birds. That’s why the presence of people and the possibility of receiving food attract birds, making porches and gazebos an ideal location to gather frequently.
As shelter
Birds constantly seek safe places to sit and roam within. They do it for various purposes: resting, looking for food, shelter themselves from the extreme weather of daytime. Gazebo provides a cozy shelter for the birds to get rest, and look for food in the surrounding plants and grass. Also gazebo shelters the birds from extreme heat, snowfall, rain, etc. like natural anomalies. It is the same reason why birds come to your balcony and porches.
5 Effective Ways to Keep Birds Out of Gazebos
Birds will come to your gazebo from their natural habitual instinct until you stop their coming for their peace. Some of the effective ways to keep birds out of the gazebo:
1. Physical barriers
Physical barriers are the most effective method to keep birds out of the gazebo. Usually, birds enter the gazebo by flying through the upper portion. Use bird netting barriers to cover those areas for the birds not to come. You can use copper mesh netting with narrower holes than the usual nets for preventing insects along with birds to enter the gazebo structure. Another useful utensil is bird spikes. Place them in sufficient numbers where perching or nesting is common, such as ledges, railings, and eaves. This will make it difficult for the birds to seat or nest.
2. Light and noise deterrents
Birds fear any sudden movement and are prone to fly away after hearing loud sounds. There are several custom build small machineries that can create all of these separately or at the same time. These gadgets can flash intense but short interval lights and selective frequency sounds that can disturb the birds easily. Some of these sounds resemble bird prey or bigger animals like a cat, dogs, other birds of prey, etc. These noise deterrent gadgets can be programmed to act at frequent intervals, discouraging birds from nesting. Along with the physical barrier, these noise deterrents create a successful approach to keeping the birds out of the gazebo.
3. Bird repellent
You can use certain chemical deterrents like bird repellent to prevent birds from coming into the gazebo. Bird repellents contain special odorous contents for the birds to smell. Apply such chemical deterrents frequently over the designated areas that are usually visited by the birds occasionally. These smells will not affect you or your pets so they are relatively safe when applied correctly.
But before applying these chemicals, you are suggested to read the user manuals thoroughly and if possible, take advice from a professional.
4. Clear all the nesting elements
Eliminating as much potential nesting materials from the gazebo is one technique to effectively stop birds from nesting. When it is nesting season, birds roam for looking at all the possible nesting elements such as twigs, leaves, grass, and other plant life. They are normal to be found in any backyard area. Along with other bird-deterrent processes, keep your backyard clean, especially the gazebo structure. After a while, birds will get demotivated for selecting the gazebo for nesting. This method works especially well for smaller birds like sparrows and chicks that construct their nests out of natural materials.
5. Remove food & water source
Apart from the food you had enjoyed previously on your gazebo, your pet food, grass insects, patio plants, pool water, and many other things are bird’s food. If they find any of these in your backyard for once, they will visit again with a companion. Keep your patio area clean from mentioned food elements above.
Pick up any fallen fruit or seeds to stop them from attracting birds if there are any fruit trees or plants nearby that generate seeds. To get rid of any debris or clutter that may have formed, sweep or rake the area frequently.
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Pros And Cons Of Birds In Gazebo
Birds on your gazebo aren’t harmful all the time, although this is most of the cases. Let’s understand what are the possible advantages and disadvantages of having birds in your gazebo.
Pros:
- Removes Insects: Insects are the most natural food for birds. If birds frequently visit your backyard, it may mean the insect’s number has gone up for some time. Removing these insects is harder than preventing birds from coming. So why not let the birds have some meal before flying them away?
- Feels Closer To Nature: Imagine you are hearing the melodically singing of birds while you enjoy the first sip of morning coffee. Birds’ presence is great fun for the eyes to see, ears to hear, and mind to feel. Their movements make out backyard lived. Many of us created our backyard in a lovely natural decorative way. Birds give all of these a further life with their fickle come and go.
- Gold For Wildlife Lovers: Birds in your backyard can be the utmost fun for wildlife lovers. Apart from the usual sparrow, crow, and pigeon, your backyard can be get visited by some rare birds. Seeing or having the keenness to see new birds above your gazebo can be a nerve-racking feeling to bear within.
Cons:
- Damages The Structure: A bird nest at your gazebo or other patio setup can cause the structure to get damaged. Frequent use of these unintended parts can cause wear and tear on the gazebo over time.
- Plenty Of Debris: One of the base reasons to keep the birds away is maybe the debris they create. Birds are known for their short-interval waste release. Feather, flocks, nest material- all of these altogether do surely make a mess all around the gazebo.
- Noise: Birds chirping is not full of melody all the time. Some birds can create very annoying sounds while you are trying to have a peaceful alone time.
- Reduces Property Value: Excessive amount of birds can be a cause of your property’s value reduction. Their undisciplined mess can create a negative impression on the potential buyer to offer a low price.
- Possible Health Issue: Birds can spread harmful germs as they sometimes live upon garbage as food. Human and their pets can get affected with harmful diseases, if they come in contact with birds’ nests or eggs.
Homemade Measures to Keep Birds Out of Gazebo
Apart from going all out against the birds with heavy resources, you can try these DIY methods for simpler ways to prevent birds from coming.
- Hang Shiny Objects: You can hang CDs, aluminum foil strips, or strings of beads to create a deterrent effect for the pesky birds to fly away. These have additional decorative features.
- Fake Birds Of Prey: Normal birds fear other birds of prey such as owls, hawks, eagles, etc. You can make DIY look-alikes of such birds using waste fabric and wood to keep birds out of the gazebo quite effectively.
- Create A House For Them: Other than forcefully removing them, you can create a DIY house on the other side of your backyard for the birds to stay. It will be a more humane step for you.
- Cleaning: Keep clean your backyard, gazebo, and other patio structure frequently. In a cleaner environment, birds will hardly find any of their essential elements other than resting. Clear the leftover foods immediately and use pesticides to reduce insects.
- Close Their Entries: Even if the gazebo should be a wide-open place to stay, you can always use some porous nets and screens to prevent birds from coming.
Respect The Law and Consult Professionals
You have all the right to take preventive measures to keep birds out of your property if they come in large. But don’t forget that they are animal and has life within them like us. Meaning, don’t take any inhumane measures to take them out. Don’t use any trap to catch them alive or lay any harmful chemical to wipe them out forever. Using unhuman bird preventive measures can lead to legal actions as per your local wildlife preservation law.
If your bird trouble is getting out of hand, it is best to leave it to the professionals. They will know exactly what to do and have their own set of guidelines to ensure that the birds are kept away from your gazebo whilst not hurting them either. That way, you can respect the law and keep your gazebo safe from the terrors of nesting birds!
FAQs
1. How can I keep birds off my pergola?
Pergola doesn’t make any sensible difference from a gazebo to a bird. To prevent their coming, you can use physical barriers, noise deterrents, chemical deterrents, fake bird symbols, and some of the DYI measures mentioned above.
2. How do you stop birds from perching?
Bird perching on the balcony, rooftop edge, and corners are common. To prevent them from perching you can use physical barriers such as bird spikes and bird wires in place. It will create a place uncomfortable for the birds to sit.
3. What smell do pigeons hate?
Pigeons don’t like strong smells, such as cinnamon or hot pepper juice. You can spray and apply these substances on their perching/nesting areas to help drive the birds away.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, yes birds can be sometimes irritating if they come in great numbers and build a nest in your peaceful gazebo. To prevent them from coming you can use several orthodox and unorthodox DYI measures. Using physical barriers, chemical deterrents, and cleaning nesting elements comes to the forefront of that list. You can also fear them away by placing shiny materials, and fake birds of prey icons, and removing all their food and water sources at once. But at the end of the day remember that they are just animals. As a human being, you must act humanly when it comes to the question, of how to keep birds out of the gazebo.
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I am Donald M. Beyer and I am backyard enthusiasts. I am a homeowner who has been doing DIY projects in and out of my house for many years. From simple backyard lunches to making an old-school pizza oven in my own backyard, I have a lot of experience in turning my backyard into my and my family’s personal playground.
