I had no idea where to put this topic but the birds on my solar cover and around my pool are driving me crazy! I constantly have birds around and on my pool and bird droppings all over my cover and concrete. Does anybody know of any tried and true suggestions for keeping the birds away??
Birds!!!
- Thread starter templehb
- Start date
its called the scarecrow
Here's the link, its kinda pricey, but I bought one, and I love to watch those stupid doves get it. I have to shut it off when its windy because it will detect the moving branches on the trees.
http://www.safepetproducts.com/group.asp?grp=37
Here's the link, its kinda pricey, but I bought one, and I love to watch those stupid doves get it. I have to shut it off when its windy because it will detect the moving branches on the trees.
http://www.safepetproducts.com/group.asp?grp=37
A good old plastic owl will do wonders. I think they run around $20. We have had one for years in our entry area. We where just talking about adding some to the back yard area around the pool.
We use the owl too, got it last year. It's working better this year than last, for whatever reason. Got it at Home Depot, I think.
If you can string some fishing line up in the air over where you don't want birds they will generally stay away. They don't like to be in places with too many flying hazards.
- Apr 8, 2007
- 1,616
- Pool Size
- 17450
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Tie some shiney silver or gold ribbon to the trees or something near the pool. The flapping, sparkly thing will make them shy away.
Quarter sticks of dynamite may also help. When you see them, light a stick and toss it out in the yard, then hide under water.
A raptor would work well, too. Ever see a red-tailed hawk catch a mourning dove?
I say this in jest, but it did remind me of a close encounter I had one day with a mourning dove and a Cooper's or sharp-shinned hawk. My back yard is fenced in with chain link fencing, and I have a compost heap in the back right corner. One day last year I was turning the compost heap when I heard a flutter of wings. I turned around just in time to see a mourning dove hit the fence about ten feet away from me, with the hawk right on it's tail. The hawk hit the fence too, and then both of them turned and came flying right by me. I felt the wings of both birds hit me as they went past. Needless to say, I just about wet myself when they came flying past. :lol:
I say this in jest, but it did remind me of a close encounter I had one day with a mourning dove and a Cooper's or sharp-shinned hawk. My back yard is fenced in with chain link fencing, and I have a compost heap in the back right corner. One day last year I was turning the compost heap when I heard a flutter of wings. I turned around just in time to see a mourning dove hit the fence about ten feet away from me, with the hawk right on it's tail. The hawk hit the fence too, and then both of them turned and came flying right by me. I felt the wings of both birds hit me as they went past. Needless to say, I just about wet myself when they came flying past. :lol:
Update.
The owl doesn't work.
That's all I care to say at the moment, as I just spent an hour scrubbing my solar cover after a weekend away.
Stupid Birds.
The owl doesn't work.
That's all I care to say at the moment, as I just spent an hour scrubbing my solar cover after a weekend away.
Stupid Birds.
BB gun works fine here at my house but now i just gotta figure out what to do with the family of bunnies that are living under my shed and decide to jump in the water
MikeInTN said:A trusty air rifle works wonders, too...
Sure does. Bird control by Crosman.
Other suggestions
The owl only works if you move it around every 6 hours. That's a real pain. Try trimming away any branches (aka perches) that hang over the pool. I'm not sure what makes your solar cover so attractive, but you can try offering them an area more attractive elsewhere on your property to lure the birds away from the pool by hanging feeders, setting out a birdbath, etc.
There are a lot of "howevers" -- if you have fruit trees like wild cherry, good luck keeping them away.
That sprinkler sounds like a great idea -- no chemicals, harmless and effective.
Anhinga in NJ
frustratedpoolmom said:
The owl only works if you move it around every 6 hours. That's a real pain. Try trimming away any branches (aka perches) that hang over the pool. I'm not sure what makes your solar cover so attractive, but you can try offering them an area more attractive elsewhere on your property to lure the birds away from the pool by hanging feeders, setting out a birdbath, etc.
There are a lot of "howevers" -- if you have fruit trees like wild cherry, good luck keeping them away.
That sprinkler sounds like a great idea -- no chemicals, harmless and effective.
Anhinga in NJ
It's not really the solar cover that attracts the birds but any type of cover, the birds can walk on it and then they can drink some water, its the water that attracts the birds, the owl thing does not work, at least for me, either the BB gun or the sprinkler, I will never put out a bird feeder or a bird bath, that is just inviting more. I really the piegons and dove that make the real mess
Well, you're all right!! The owl really doesn't work, but he does freak out visitors at the pool with that scary bobble head moving around! 
I live in the desert so we don't really have any trees but we bought the shiny things and the birds are only on the pool before the sun comes up and after it sets which is a great improvement! The flapping of the shiny things can be a little annoying since the pool is outside my bedroom, but it beats all that bird Crud! (Oh, and my husband still gets to shoot his air rifle at the ones early in the morning!)
I live in the desert so we don't really have any trees but we bought the shiny things and the birds are only on the pool before the sun comes up and after it sets which is a great improvement! The flapping of the shiny things can be a little annoying since the pool is outside my bedroom, but it beats all that bird Crud! (Oh, and my husband still gets to shoot his air rifle at the ones early in the morning!)
nikonsal
0
I kept coming home to bird droppings on a certain 36 ft of coping around the pool. I was in the pool with my son and watched as they would fly in and land on the coping and dip their food into the water, eat and then take flight at which point they would leave their present for me to clean off. Decided to try stringing 5 lines from the fascia of the house over the pool and attach to the back fence. Haven't needed to clean off bird poo since.
Update....
I have no trees (don't ask).
There is a nearby evergreen bush and we discovered the nest of babies. The mommy blackbird or whatever it is, I think I had a post last year about them...she takes their poop out of the nest and flies over our pool, like a bomber plane, dropping it next to the owl. Seriously, I think she is aiming for it "Here's more poop, nah nah nah"...
I spend an hour cleaning the pool cover every day since that other post. I wake up, look out side, more bird poop.
Ever go into the bird house at the zoo, where they house the penguins and seabirds...that's how it smells. It's awful. I decided to up my Chlor.
This happens every year, while they are babies. It should end in a few short weeks. Then we have the morning doves that poop on the coping.
We tried my son's cap gun, and the bird didn't even flinch. The only thing that keeps her away is us actually swimming in the pool....
I have no trees (don't ask).
There is a nearby evergreen bush and we discovered the nest of babies. The mommy blackbird or whatever it is, I think I had a post last year about them...she takes their poop out of the nest and flies over our pool, like a bomber plane, dropping it next to the owl. Seriously, I think she is aiming for it "Here's more poop, nah nah nah"...
I spend an hour cleaning the pool cover every day since that other post. I wake up, look out side, more bird poop.
Ever go into the bird house at the zoo, where they house the penguins and seabirds...that's how it smells. It's awful. I decided to up my Chlor.
This happens every year, while they are babies. It should end in a few short weeks. Then we have the morning doves that poop on the coping.
We tried my son's cap gun, and the bird didn't even flinch. The only thing that keeps her away is us actually swimming in the pool....
frustratedpoolmom said:
I hate to sound cold and mean, but have you ever thought about popping mom with a pellet gun, and humanely disposing of the baby birds? Remember, baby blackbirds turn into adult blackbirds. Get rid of them, get rid of the nest, and enjoy your pool.
MikeInTN said:
Um, Yeah....
But I've got little kiddies and they would in turn shoot me for hurting "the sweet babies"
They'll be gone in a few weeks.
Hubby's bb gun is broken, maybe I'll be more prepared next year.... 8)