This Garden Decor Staple May Be The Key To Keeping Unwanted Birds Out Of Your Yard

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Birds might be fun to watch when you're out on a hike or even sitting on the patio. But when you're overseeding your lawn, or planting seedlings, you may not be so thrilled about these hungry creatures. You probably also don't want to spend your days chasing birds out of the yard or off your patio furniture. Fortunately, there is a better way: Wind spinners can keep those pesky birds at bay, at least when there's a breeze. Pinwheels, hanging reflective materials, and other types of garden decor that spin or move in the wind can be alarming to certain birds, sending them flying. In all fairness, these distractors don't always work. The most effective wind spinners should be reflective, spinning and flashing enough that it can startle a bird.

A wind spinner is a loose term describing just about any device designed to spin, sway, or twist in the wind. It includes hanging beads and twisted metal strips, propeller-style pinwheels, and complex, elegant sculptures and objects like the Fonmy stainless steel wind spinner. Many of them, such as pinwheels and rainbow-colored spinning decorations, are often used as garden decor, even without birds in mind. Some are better than others at deterring birds.

Even if your wind spinner moves freely and easily on a windy day, that might not be enough to stop some birds. You may need to use several spinners, move them around regularly, or try different types to banish those birds. A lot of it comes down to understanding specific birds and their behavior patterns — where they feed, how they rest, and which predators scare them off.

The size of a wind spinner isn't necessarily what keeps birds away. Specific movements, paired with flashes of light are most effective at distracting or confusing to the birds. This is why holographic flash tape strips are sometimes used to deter birds. A highly reflective wind spinner, such as the Bird B Gone Reflect-a-Bird, offers fast flashes of light on a sunny, windy day as the device spins around. This particular deterrent, resembling a cup anemometer found spinning at small airports, is made up of highly reflective cones attached to an axle that spins from a central post. It can be mounted on a fence or porch railing, rooftop, or just about anywhere you'd like to be relatively bird-free.

Whichever design of wind spinner you choose, it'll be most effective at banishing birds if you place it in an area where birds can see it easily, and where the wind will catch it freely. Placing it in a protected alcove won't do much good. Placing it where they feed, rest, and congregate helps. Continual, intermittent movement is the thing that bothers the birds and encourages them to stay away, especially when they see flashes of light emanating from the area. Wind spinners can be key to protecting your seedlings from birds. A similar technique can banish birds from your fruit trees, too. 

Over time, birds may get used to seeing your wind spinners and they might no longer be scared by them. Move them to other locations every few days. If necessary, incorporate a few other bird-scaring devices such as wind chimes and netting.