How to Keep Birds Off Deck Railing? – 5 Effective Methods

Clinton-Atkins-thayer

Written by

Clinton Atkins

George-Dukes-thayer

FACT-CHECKED BY

George Dukes

how to keep birds off deck railing

If you are here looking for an answer to how to keep birds off the deck railing, you are probably dealing with a nuisance on your deck. You cannot reclaim and enjoy your outdoor space like before unless you find a way to stop the birds from coming to your deck.

This article was written to help you with these situations. We’ll help you find out why birds hang out on your deck and find a solution to keep birds off the balcony railing that works. Let’s get started!

Ways To Keep Birds Off The Deck Railing

Having too much bird activity around your property is not only running your pavement, porch, and railing. They are also very noisy especially in the morning when you want to sleep in.

If you have fruits and vegetables in your garden, they are most likely feeding off of them. Plus, their nests can cause potential damage to your home. How do I stop birds from pooping on my deck?

I used various items/methods to keep birds from pooping on my deck. You can prepare several of the following to ensure your deck is clean. 

  • Chili pepper and apple cider
  • Aluminum foil
  • Reflective tape
  • Twisting spiral rods
  • Old CDs
  • Fake Predators
  • Wind chimes
  • Tin Cans
  • Bird spikes or baking soda
  • Bird screen or netting

Try the following bird deterrent for railings!

1. Liquid Repellent Spray

keeping-birds-off-porch-railings

Liquid bird repellents can be spritzed on trees and bushes around your home to keep birds away from the patio, yard, and railings.

If you want to make your own, use red chili peppers and apple cider vinegar.

  • First, combine a dozen chili peppers with a quart of water and leave it under the sun.
  • Then, mix it with ¼ of apple cider.
  • Transfer to a spray bottle and spritz every corner of your porch.
  • Reapply it every few days to be sure.

2. Shiny Things

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Fast-moving colors and lights are uncomfortable and unwelcoming for birds. You can make use of any reflective items, such as aluminum foil, old CDs, reflective tape, and twisting spiral rods that dance in the wind.

Hang these on your deck posts or in corners where you notice bird flocks hanging around. It will prevent bird poop on the balcony as it is annoyed by the reflective and shiny things you hang up.

3. Scary Decoys

keep-birds-off-balcony-railing

Strategically place faux predators around your yard. Opt for hawks and owls, which are the common predators of many small birds. Other options you have are cats, foxes, and snakes.

By putting scary decoys, you are making your space unsafe and will discourage birds from coming to your deck. Just make sure to move your fake birds of prey or switch them with other fake predators once in a while. Birds are often smart and will figure out that what you have in your yard is phony.

4. Noises

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Wind chimes are one of the best and most used auditory bird deterrents. The sound it makes can easily startle and scare away birds. Metal wind chimes are ideal since they have reflective surfaces. Tin cans work similarly if you want to DIY.

The perfect placement for these sound deterrents is on porch corners or over deck furniture. If you have a larger area, place them up to 15 feet apart.

5. Barriers

preventing-bird-poop-on-decks

Bird spikes are tactile deterrents that can stop birds from landing on your railings. Place bird spikes around your home in gutters and your deck railings.

For your information, baking soda is another great option and works well with spikes.

Furthermore, bird screens or nettings can physically stop birds from coming to your deck. It will keep off the bird but still allow light to your outdoor space. These materials are strong and are often used on the balcony.

You can mix and match these things to make your bird deterrent solution more effective. Use what is suitable for your space and based on the bird species visiting your property.

Why Do Birds Keep Pooping on the Deck Railing?

Birds poop a lot, from every 15 minutes to once each passing hour. The smaller the bird, the more frequently it’ll poop. Just imagine, if birds hang around your deck most of the day, it will leave tons of bird poop everywhere!

Another reason they poop a lot on your deck is that we scare them too suddenly. Birds poop when they hear any sudden noise that scares them.

They also tend to poop when flying away from where they are perching like your railings or on your car. At night, birds poop less, but they make up for it in the morning after waking up. 

By keeping birds off porch railings you can stop stressing about birds pooping on your deck and railings. We have some effective methods in the previous section.

Read more: Tips to keep birds from pooping on my porch.

Tips to Clean Bird Poop on the Deck Railing

keep-birds-from-pooping-on-my-deck

Preventing bird poop on decks is the first line of defense. If this is breached, then you need to get rid of birds pooping on the patio. Here are some effective tips on how to safely clean bird poop and leave your deck squeaky clean.

  • Use rubber gloves, a filtering mask, closed-toe shoes, and long-sleeve pants and sleeves before dealing with bird droppings.
  • Dispose of bird poop properly since they carry harmful pathogens that are dangerous when ingested.
  • A putty knife works best in scrapping bird poop.
  • Vinegar can remove tough and yellow poop stains on concrete.
  • Wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning bird poop.

With the right cleaning tools and these tips, you are ready to take on bird poop-cleaning duties! But if you are not confident enough to deal with the droppings, you can always contact a cleaning professional.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to keep birds off the deck railing, you can enjoy hanging on your deck and having guests over. No need to worry about surprises falling from the sky or spending hours scrubbing bird poop every day. You can also sleep in whenever you want without bird noises waking you up earlier than intended.

We hope you found all the information we have here as helpful and effective. If you know someone struggling with birds on their decks, share this article with them! Do you have another trick to keep birds away? We want to hear it! Leave your comments below!

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