While most of us enjoy watching a few birds around our home, once they become overpopulated they can become quite a nuisance. Birds can damage your home, build nests in unsightly or inconvenient places, leave droppings around that can trigger serious health issues for you and your family, and can devastate the fruits and veggies in your garden. While you may be inclined to get rid of these birds or their nests yourself, this is illegal in most cases. Because of this, natural repellents are a good option for deterring these nuisance birds from your property in the first place. Here are some natural remedies for keeping birds away:

• Reflective objects: Shiny, reflective objects make great deterrents for problematic birds. The reflection of light off of these objects discourages birds from returning to these areas. These shiny objects, such as old CDs, aluminum cans, tin foil, small mirrors, or even metallic wrapping paper, can be hung near nesting or landing areas frequented by the problematic birds.
• Natural predators: Birds have many natural predators including cats, owls, and larger birds of prey. Placing objects in the shape of these predators around areas frequented by nuisance birds can deter them from nesting or landing near them. These objects can be made of wood, metal, or any other material that can withstand the outdoor environment. Make sure to move these objects around every few days or the birds will get acclimated to them and begin to ignore them.
• Garden balls: Round garden balls, which are large colorful balls that can be placed in your garden or hung from trees, fence posts, and stakes are a natural bird repellent. Birds will confuse these spherical orbs with eyes and try to avoid them. They also can be great decorations for your yard or garden.
• Bird spikes: Bird spikes are  long, needle-like rods used for bird control. These spikes can be made of tin or plastic cans and placed in the dirt or attached with wire to window sills and overhangs. They can also be made by hammering nails into wood. Birds find these spikes uncomfortable and won’t land on them, keeping them away from problematic areas around your home.
• Repellent sprays: There are several versions of bird repellent sprays you can make at home but the most popular is a concoction of chili peppers, water, and vinegar. To make this spray, crush dried red or green chili peppers into a mixture of water and vinegar. This mixture can either then be heated in a crock pot for a few hours to infuse or placed in a clear glass in the sunlight for a natural infusion. Once finished, place the repellent in a plant mister and spray any areas where birds are causing problems.

If these home remedies don’t work or if you already have an established bird control problem, contact a professional pest control company who specializes in wildlife exclusion who can help determine the species of bird you have and help provide an appropriate and legal method of removal.