Many years ago, I was approached by a Client with a bit of a dilemma.
They had a number of birds that seemed to like to hang around their property.
While they may have been pleasant to look at and sweet to hear their voices, the stuff that they left behind was not as pleasant to look at and certainly was not sweet smelling.
Short of doing something detrimental to the birds, the Client was a bit stumped as to what they could do to keep the birds away, but in a manner that was not harmful to them.
Enter ‘Birdguard’.
We had the perfect solution for our Client stemming from a company that makes this product.
What ‘Birdguard’ is, is metal strips of spikes that you strategically attach to whatever property you are attempting to keep birds away from.
Because of the height that is involved in the process of installing the Birdguard product, as well as the fact that the edges of the spikes are razor sharp, the average homeowner should probably not venture out to begin to attach them to their home.
Instead, a qualified contractor who is experienced in working with heights as well as (ideally) the Birdguard product itself may be the more preferred approach.
Once the strips are properly anchored in place and the spikes are set up, no bird in their right mind would aim to return to the area where they are placed and sit on the spikes.
One of the challenges is setting up the spikes in such a way that there is no room for the birds to sneak behind them (in areas that may be susceptible to allowing these types of open spaces) and continue to hang out.
While Birdguard may look archaic or perhaps even barbaric, it is extraordinarily effective and actually quite humane.
The metal strips themselves are made out of stainless steel, they will not rust, corrode, etc.
They are typically not visible (unless of course you are intentionally trying to see if you can see them).
The best part about them is the naturally innate savviness of the birds in general who want nothing to do with these spikes.
In fact, after one install, I happened to glance up and just happen to catch a glimpse of a bird that normally would land in the place where the Birdguard had recently been fastened to, and I watched in amazement as the bird, literally, slammed on the brakes in mid-air (flapping its wings really quickly to do so) and flew off to someplace else where the super sharp spikes in its landing area may not be as much of an issue to contend with.
There are few things more frustrating to a property owner who takes pride in their property than having to deal with bomb-dropping birds congregating on and around their home on a daily basis as if it were the most popular watering hole in town.
Fortunately for these types of overly annoying circumstances, there are solutions that are long lasting, aesthetically non-intrusive, and super successful with their intent!
