How to Keep Birds Away From Your Pool?

Last Updated on October 19, 2021

Birds can be a huge problem for new pool owners, so how do you keep birds away from your pool?

Not only do they create quite a mess but they also pose a health risk for you and your family, particularly with their droppings.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bird droppings contain many germs – which can infect humans. 

For instance, dropping from ducks and goose contain e.coli, cryptosporidium, campylobacter, and salmonella.

After spending thousands of dollars building the perfect pool, the last thing you want is for you and your kids to get sick because you came in contact with such germs, right? 

Luckily, there are many ways on how you can keep birds away from your pool – and we have listed them all here. Try any of the following methods and say goodbye to cleaning up bird poop in your pool and its surrounding areas. 

10 Ways On How to Keep Birds Away From Your Pool

1. Remove possible sources of food

Bird feeders or grass (in the case of ducks and geese) are sources of food that encourage birds to return to your property. So to avoid this, remove bird feeders and try to reduce your grass lawn area around the pool. Also, remove plants that bear edible produce such as nuts, berries, and fruits.  

2. Scare them away

Thankfully, birds are easy to scare. This is why scarecrows are a necessity. But don’t worry, you don’t have to create strawmen and mount them on poles. You can buy fake predators instead. A falcon, hawk, snake, or owl can make birds think twice about going near your swimming pool. Just make sure to move your scarecrow now and again to avoid birds from getting too used to it. 

One of the most popular fake replicas available today is owls. To give you an idea, here’s an owl decoy from Amazon. It has a 360-degrees rotating head and creepy eyes, it might even scare your kids. You can put it near a tree or your awning. For some birds, however, they respond better to rubber snakes. If you want to try snakes, just scatter some around your pool. 

3. Prohibit their movement

You can try putting up barriers like hedges and fences between your pool and grass lawn to prevent ducks and geese from getting into your pool. You can also run a fishing line in a crisscrossing pattern over the pool. Tie it between trees or eaves, making sure it’s high enough that you won’t be able to see it. This will serve as an obstruction to birds when flying – which they hate. Thus, forcing them to consider hanging out in someone else’s property that’s easier to get to. 

4. Blind them

When we say blind birds, of course, we don’t mean that you make them blind and hurt them. In the United States, most birds are protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, state laws, and even local laws. So hurting or killing them is not an option. 

Instead, dazzle them with reflective objects such as foils, shiny party streamers, and aluminum plates. The reflection and flashiness of these items, when hit by the sun, bothers the birds’ eyes. As a result, they’d avoid it as much as possible. 

You can hang these reflective items from trees or other high areas in your backyard. You can also try to tape them on the fence posts or around the edges of your pool. 

5. Use pool toys

More than just fun objects to lounge on when you’re in the water, pool toys are – believe or not – beneficial for keeping birds from landing in the water too. Once they see anything that resembles a predator, they are more likely to stay away. 

For example, this inflatable giant gator ride-on will certainly make birds look for another swimming pool to bathe in.

If you’re looking for something more sweet and adorable to float around with, this Intex Whale Inflatable Ride-on is a perfect choice. Aside from an alligator or whale, you can also try sharks, dolphins, etc. 

6. Make them feel uncomfortable

Do birds seem to stay in a specific area around your pool or patio? Try sprinkling baking soda in places they like to perch. Or, you can try using double-sided tape instead. They don’t like the feeling of these two under their toes and it makes them feel uncomfortable. 

7. Cover your pool

Anytime you’re not using the pool, cover it. This is the best way to keep things out of your pool, birds included. With a pool cover, birds will get discouraged to go for a swim. They can’t even stay on top of the cover since it’ll be too unsteady. 

8. Have your dog help you

Having a pet dog certainly has its perks and one of them is having a bird control partner. When you’re in the pool, make sure to have your dog around as it is enough to scare birds away. 

9. Eliminate roosting areas

Try to limit branches that are hanging around or over your pool as birds can use them as roosting areas. We recommend trimming or removing trees and shrubs, whichever works best for you.  This is also a good way to keep bees away from your pool since they don’t have a place to build their nest.

10. Call the experts

If you’re dealing with a major bird problem that any of the other methods can’t solve, then maybe it’s time for you to call the experts. They can install systems that work well with keeping birds away from your property and swimming pool.

For instance, they can install a motion-activated sprinkler. With this device, any bird that moves within the sensor’s range will be squirted with water. Safe, easy, and harmless. But if you know your way around such equipment, here’s a yard enforcer motion-activated sprinkler that you can install on your own. 

Bird control experts may also advise you to get a motion-activated ultrasonic repellent. With this system, birds will certainly avoid your place at all costs. Because if they do enter the sensor’s range, the system will produce an ultrasonic sound that’s just too unbearable for them. Just take note, while this may be the most effective way to deter birds from your property, it’s also the most expensive. 

Now there you have it. These are the best ways to keep birds away from your pool. You can try several ways on this list until you find the one that best works for you. 

Photo by ianpreston