How to keep pest birds off your property

What types of birds are causing you problems? Are they making a mess of your property, or simply being a nuisance?

‘Pest bird’ is a term we use to describe any bird that makes itself a nuisance by perching on balconies, swooping in open skytrain stations, or roosting inside warehouse environments.

Pest birds will scavenge through bins and garbage areas, they’ll poop on your balcony, or they’ll hammer the side of the home with their head! (we’ll talk about woodpeckers later on)

It’s important to note that all bird control solutions at Westside Pest Control are humane, meaning they are simply deterrent solutions to keep birds away from a designated area. 

Let’s look at the types of nuisance birds in the Metro Vancouver region and what we can do to get rid of them. 

Pigeons 

Nuisance level: high

Yes voted no1 most annoying bird 4 years in a row! Only kidding 😂 .. but if there was an award, we think these guys would win it.

Credits 

One of the most prolific birds in Vancouver and other urban areas, pigeons come in a variety of colours based on their age. The older pigeon’s head and neck are darker blue-grey than the back and wings, while the younger pigeon’s feathers show little luster than the older, mature pigeon.

They’ll perch almost anywhere; ledges, gutters, awnings, railings, fences, structural beams, and utility & electrical lines. Luckily there are a number of bird control solutions for each scenario.  

Modern architecture designs with beautiful arches, protruding features and angles, create an ideal perching environment for birds. Not to mention those buildings with walls of glass.. they can quickly be ruined by bird droppings. 

Any dangers?

Health concerns: Pigeon poop is in fact harmful and can carry diseases such as salmonella, meningitis, and histoplasmosis. Learn more about other health concerns on Health Canada.

Pigeons droppings are corrosive and can strip paint from buildings, as well as damage wood, metal, and composites surfaces too. Aesthetically speaking, a big splatter of pigeon poop can make your property look pretty ugly and run down. 

In the warehouse setting, think about a food storage facility that has a ton of packaged product and machinery.

Product contamination and machinery damage is a big concern here. We have commercial grade bird control solutions to help in these environments. 

Balcony solutions

Here Westside bird control team installed a custom-sized bird netting to cover the entire balcony and prevent pigeons from entering and roosting above the patio.

Rooftop solutions

Pigeons can make an incredible mess on the outside of a building if they can perch on the exterior ledges, HVAC units or other areas. Bird spike and netting are effective, permanent methods to keep pigeons off the outside of a structure for good.

Getting rid of pigeons 

Old prevention methods such as trapping and shooting though legal, are not a long term solution to nuisance pigeons. Pigeon control is best accomplished by permanently excluding Pigeons. 

Here are some methods you can try to keep them away; 

1. Keep areas clean and dispose of leftovers where pigeons cannot access. Over time, you will notice these birds will move on to other areas and settle elsewhere.
2. Sound or reflected light – You can achieve this with a wind chime, aluminum foil pans or even hanging CD’s. The reflected light disorients the birds. 
3. Bird Wires – You can try using stainless-steel wire, or wire coil to deter pigeons landing on rails. Landing on the wire is an uncomfortable feeling for them
4. Bird spike – Can be applied to almost any surface in almost any location of a structure including ledges, signage and rooftops.

Skip to the end for a complete list of bird control solutions ->

Top tip:

“Pigeons imprint pheromones at nesting site locations. In addition to control methods such as bird netting, bird spikes and bird gel, using correct products and cleaning methods is key in removing the imprinted pheromones to prevent future pigeon infestations.”

Seagulls

Nuisance level: high

Our next favourite and a very popular pest bird, the Seagull. In coastal areas like Vancouver, seagulls are frustrating for many homeowners often ruining that perfect beach day. 

Rooftop patios near the ocean are a favourite seagull nesting site, and as you probably already know, they eat almost anything! These large birds can become very aggressive towards people during their nesting stage.

The seagull is a much bigger bird than the pigeon, so when we’re looking at prevention tools like bird spikes, Seagulls spikes need to be much thicker and more robust than pigeon spikes. 

And they’re annoying for your property manager too. 

Seagulls can also cause trouble on building rooftops where they like to nest in HVAC and mechanical units. In these cases we like to install a bird netting solution, which blocks off access to that area entirely. 

How to deter Seagulls

1. Bird Spike – we use fully stainless steel spikes and wider at the mouth, around 8inches
2. Bird Netting – exclusion netting closes off areas to prevent nesting
3. Motion activated sprinklers – can be purchased at your local hardware store.
4. Bird Spiders – Bird spiders resemble an umbrella without fabric that can spin, making it difficult for birds to land or take off.
5. Fake decoy birds – try a plastic Owl, or Hawk. Unfortunately it’s not often successful or a permanent solution, birds will become wise to it. Move the decoy frequently for better results

Crows

Nuisance level: Mid

Crows are extremely intelligent and resilient birds, and often hard to get rid of.

Aside from their persistent and head-numbing cawing, these birds can also ruin crops, flowers, and foods growing in local community gardens.

Crows typically hide their nests in a crotch near the trunk of a tree or on a horizontal branch, generally towards the top third or quarter of the tree. They prefer trees, but might find a nice spot on the underside of your roof, or soffit.

Crows are very sociable creatures.. a single crow can quickly turn into a mob of threatening swoppers. I think most of us have been dive-bombed once or twice in our lives, and there’s even an app to track that! Check out Crowtrax

How to deter Crows

1. Fake decoy birds – you can hang a fake owl to scare them away from your yard, balcony.
2. Shiny objects – they don’t like shiny objects; aluminum foil pans or even hanging CD’s.
3. Bird Spike – apply bird spikes to most common perching areas. Railings, ledges, fences. 

Skip to the end for a complete list of bird control solutions ->

Starlings & Sparrows

Nuisance level: Mid

Sparrows are generally small, plump, brown and grey birds and the most wide-spread bird in the world. House sparrows are actually not really sparrows, but originally called Old World Weaver Finches – a certain family of birds known for their unique nest-building talents.

Most sparrows are non-native and for this reason, not protected in BC and can be removed from homes and businesses.

These birds feed off crops like seeds, flowers, buds, fruits, and vegetables outdoors, a nightmare for any community garden. Aside from the damaged vegetable patches, they also leave fecal matter that contaminates the edible foliage.

How to deter Sparrows

1. Bird spike – a suitable solution and flexible enough to be applied to most surfaces to prevent small birds from landing; fence, chimney top, balcony railings, and roof etc.
2. Scaretape – they dont like the shiny reflective objects that move in the wind. Buy at your local hardware store

Skip to the end for a complete list of bird control solutions ->

Woodpeckers / Flickers

Nuisance level: Mid – high

These guys really are a nuisance. If you’ve ever been inside when they come drilling on your home’s siding, you’ll understand how annoying it is and appreciate how nice it is when they’re gone! 

In BC we have a variety of woodpeckers; Downy Woodpeckers, Northern flickers, and the Pileated Woodpecker to name a few.

Northern Flickers are wonderfully handsome birds and relatively common in British Columbia. These birds are a mid-sized woodpecker reaching approximately 32 centimetres, about the size of an American Robin and feature a black bib and spotted belly. 

Image credit – wikicommons

What’s with all the drilling? 

So at this time of year a flicker counting on the side of the house can actually mean one of three things. 

1. They can be trying to establish a nest and there’ll be pecking away to try and find a soft spot to create a hole to do that as they would in a tree. 
2. It’s possible that there’s an underlying issue. Again, it’s usually moisture ingress, which has created the perfect environment for some insects to be residing in that area. 
3. And the third one is it’s mating season. So they will just hammer away on objects, especially aluminum metal. You’ll often hear them on chimneys to try and attract a mate.

How to stop them from banging

One option is actually to do nothing, and it may just go away in the next few weeks. 

However, Woodpeckers are simple creatures and usually return to the same spot. So if they are persistent, there are a number of safe solutions to deter them from coming back;

1. Fixing wooden panels with metal or aluminium siding, (or vinyl sidings in lighter colors)
2. You may want to investigate to see if there’s an underlying issue and maybe some moisture ingress, which is causing an insect population.
3. Try reflective streamers – the shiny coating and movement in the wind helps keep the woodpeckers at bay. Hang CDs on a string, or grab a reflective pinwheel from your local hardware store. Or try ScareTape

“If you’re looking for some hard evidence, this research study tested six common long-term woodpecker deterrents, and unfortunately found that nothing deterred woodpeckers all the time. The best of the bunch was reflective streamers. They tested; life-sized plastic owls with paper wings, reflective streamers, plastic eyes strung on fishing line, roost boxes, suet feeders, and a sound system which broadcasts woodpecker distress calls followed by the call of a hawk.” 

Bottom line, unfortunately nothing works all the time

Want to learn more? Check out the 12 types of woodpeckers in BC

Learn more about flicker / woodpecker control and deterrents

Best Bird Prevention Solutions

Bird control can be challenging. Ask us a question about these bird control solutions, we’d be happy to provide advice for your specific scenario.

Fake birds of prey

Is it true that fake predator birds can scare away local pests birds? 

And does it work all the time? 

We’re talking about Hawks, Owls, and Eagles typically. Anyone in the raptor family is a good one to try out. There are mixed results when using birds of prey, let’s take a look at these three. 

Hawks can work, but you also need to make sure that your property is free from foods, and other materials that might attract them. You’ll also need to reposition it frequently for best results

Owls, on the other hand are nocturnal and aren’t as easily identifiable as a predator to daytime pest birds. Most Hawks, however, do their hunting during the day, so they make a better option. The large majority of nuisance birds are universally terrified of hawks. 

The best Eagle deterrents are the ones with an open wing posture, demonstrating a more threatening predator in this attack position, while also allowing the Eagle to spin with the wind. 

Sound deterrents 

We have two kinds of sound deterrents: “Ultrasonic deterrents” and “Distress & Predator Calls” 

Ultrasonic deterrents are inaudible by humans but when the birds hear the sound, they become disoriented and irritated by the noise. While there are a lot of ultrasonic devices available on the market, the jury is out on this subject, as there are no studies proving the effectiveness of these solutions.

With the second option these sound deterrents emit bird distress signals and predator sounds that make birds think that the area is dangerous. The sounds are pre-recorded natural sounds, making it unobtrusive to most neighbors. 

It’s also worth noting that there are different sounds for different birds, so it’s important to identify what you are up against!

Bird spike 

Bird spike is an effective solution for managing bird problems. Spikes come in different sizes and lengths, suitable for ledges, gutters, fencing & other similar structures. 

Bird spike also varies in width and thickness depending on the bird. Wide for seagulls, narrow for sparrows, for example. We use a silicon glue to apply them to the surface and they offer a pretty robust all round solution. 

For all you DIYers – You can buy bird spike and install it yourself. We recommend checking out a local company called Rufus Industries for all your bird spike needs.

Bird netting

Bird Netting is a perfect bird deterrent solution and works best when you need to block off access to specific areas. 

Great for:

• Indoor and outdoor prevention – including condo balconies
• Customized challenges – as it can be measured to fit specific environments 
• Preventing roosting on ceiling HVAC and mechanical pipes

Ovo control

Now, this is not for everyone, and this is definitely not a solution for your balcony. But we love it and thought you’d love to see it. 

The Ovo Feeder is a natural and safe method to sterilize target pigeon populations without causing the birds any harm. Essentially, Ovo Control is birth control formulated for pigeons.

Bird slides

Sounds fun doesn’t it? Well it’s not so much fun for the Birds!

Bird Slope / Slide is a simple yet very effective solution, that does exactly what it says. When a panel is installed it creates a slippery surface preventing pest birds from landing and gripping that surface. They simply slide right off!

Need some help?

Westside Pest Control offers a range of bird control solutions for Residential, Strata, Commercial, Industrial, Manufacturing, and Municipal customers. Big or small, we can do it! Contact us today for a free on-site consultation and quote. Call us on 604-559-9060, submit our webform, or use our webchat to speak with a pest expert.

Get rid of your pest bird problems once and for all!