How Do I Keep Birds Out of My Water Fountain?

Water fountains are absolute beauty, whether you have it at home or in the office complex. It’s a natural decoration that springs life into the environment and filters it with its pure smell. It is the nature of the water fountain that attracts birds to it. However, if you find birds pestiferous, you may have to find ways to keep it away. I’m sure many of you will ask, “How do I keep birds out of my water fountain?”

What you must know is birds like water naturally, especially fresh water. Once they sense the presence of fresh water in your water fountain, it becomes a habitat for them. They drink water from it and poop inside so that the water starts to smell and breed germs and bacteria. Not to talk of the fact that it would become unattractive and less pleasurable.

So in this guide, we are going to show you how to keep birds away from your water fountain.

What Attracts Birds to Water Fountains?

Before we move to the steps to take to keep birds out of your water fountain, it’s essential that you understand the things that attract them in the first place. Taking this step will give you a hint on how to keep birds away from your water fountain. This is what we call bird control practices.

  • Food

You might say that birds eat a lot of things and that there is nothing you can do about it. Well, what about those little peanuts and grains that you leave outside while feeding your pet? Yeah! In case you don’t know, pet foods are one of the things that attract birds. If you happen to feed your pet near your water fountain, just know that you will be having a lot of birds perching on your water fountain.

Birds like robins and crows are attracted to food sources like corn, vegetables, seeds, etc. If these are contained in the Food that you leave outside, you are indirectly inviting birds to your water fountain.

Also, if you are fond of eating near your water fountain to enjoy the beautiful flow of water, chances are that some food particles will be dropping from your mouth, your hand, or the plate. Birds take advantage of picking those food particles to perch on your water fountain.

  • Type of Water

There are three things that are prerequisite for the survival of birds – food, water, and shelter. If they can’t find any of these, they are as good as dead.

Like we earlier stated, large and smaller birds are attracted to water. They live and survive in water. In this case,  if your water fountain has fresh water, be assured that the birds will turn it into a birdbath.

  • Grasses

Tall grasses around the water fountain can serve as a breeding ground for birds during a stormy or rough weather. Trees that are planted around water fountains can provide enough coverage as well for birds.

These birds will attempt to build nests in the tree and will eventually get down to drink water from the fountain.

How Do I Keep Birds Out of My Water Fountain?

There are many methods you can implement to keep birds  away from your water fountain. However, it should be clear that using one method alone will not be that effective. You should adopt a proper defense mechanism of combining two or three methods. This way, your chances of getting rid of the birds are maximized.

  • Substitute Your Fresh Water for Salt Water

One of the reason why birds love your water fountain is because they love the smell of fresh water. Because they love the smell, they drink it. But if you replace it with salt water, they will smell the salt water and be deterred by the smell. So they fly away, looking for fresh water.

  • Remove Any Food Sources Within the Water Fountain

Never leave any food or pet food outside. Once your pet is done eating, clean up the place and take the dishes away. Close garbage cans properly and if there is need to store pet foods outside, ensure that you keep them in an airtight containers with lids. This way, birds will have no chance of eating them.

And if it’s possible to stop feeding your pet outside, it would be a good idea.

Tall grasses should be mowed so that their cover will reduce significantly. You should prune tall trees from time to time to block any chances of the birds building a nest.

If there are any dead trees around, make sure you take them away. It can become a habitable ground for woodpeckers. Even after pruning the trees, once you notice any nest around, use a long stick to destroy it.

  • Use Ultrasonic Deterrents

Auditory deterrents work just fine in controlling birds. Once you have set them up on a pattern or motion, they can chase any bird away.

Example of this ultrasonic deterrents is Bird B Sonic Deterrent. This detergent create sounds that broadcast like predator growls that scare the birds away.

If you wish to set the detergent with motion detection, make sure you face the sensor out. Build a face or a wire gauze around the water fountain and install this detergent on top. Once a bird flies into the zone, the sensors will get activated and starts to make noise. The noise will scare the birds away for good.

  • Build Spikes

Building bird spikes around the fence is a great way of keeping away birds from your water fountain. These are wires with small spikes that will prevent the bird from roosting or landing. They are effective against larger birds.

  • Setting up a Decoy

Birds hate predators and that is exactly what you are going to use against them – by setting up a fake replica. Decoys can take the shape of any bird but the most popular one is that of an owl. Once you set it near your water fountain, it will act as a scarecrow to drive the birds away. You should avoid keeping it on one spot, else the birds will think that they are not predators.

If possible, have like three to four decoys of different bird predators. Rotate them everyday to sustain the originality.

Conclusion

I’m pretty sure that you all now have the answer to the question, “How do I keep birds out of my water fountain?”.  A combination of two or three methods discussed here will do just excellent in putting birds at bay.

There are so many birds in the world and it’s natural for them to keep coming back to your water fountain. With some discipline, efforts, and proper implementation of the steps discussed here, you are just a step away of keeping your water fountain bird-free.

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