There are many reasons why homeowners should keep birds away from their pools. Birds can cause aesthetic damage and financial headaches, but the most obvious reason is that the bird droppings can cause skin irritation and other health problems, posing a significant safety risk to swimmers.
Birds have been known to carry diseases such as salmonella, leading to gastrointestinal illness among humans. Furthermore, they may leave large amounts of guano in or around your pool area, which will quickly become an eyesore and require cleanup efforts on your behalf.
This poses not only a danger to humans but also to the birds themselves. Pool chemicals can also be a health hazard to birds, so it is essential to keep birds away from pools for their safety.
Bird lovers will know that lethal means of keeping birds away is not an option, and trapping birds requires time and effort which does not guarantee the birds wont come back.
This blog post will discuss tips for how to keep birds away from pools humanely while maintaining a safe environment for all involved parties!
18 Useful Ways on How to keep birds away from pools
- Remove or relocate your Birdfeeders
- Remove or relocate your Birdbaths
- Remove bird-friendly Plants
- Remove overgrown/dense bushes
- Use predator decoys
- Use Predator eye deterrents
- Try a scarecrow
- Make use of reflective devices or objects
- Try a laser bird deterrent
- Go Ultrasonic
- Use predator sounds and bird distress calls
- Use your dog to scare away birds
- Use wind chimes
- Use a pool cover
- Use pool toys
- Use some bird netting
- Liquid/gel repellents
- If all else fails, call the professionals
Why are birds drawn to pools in the first place?
To keep birds away from pools, it’s essential to know why they are attracted to them in the first place.
Birds often mistake swimming pools for natural bodies of water like lakes and rivers, causing them to take refuge near the pool or drink from it.
The chemicals in a pool can also be very toxic for birds. This causes death by poisoning if ingested into their system.
How to Keep Birds Away from Pool
1. Remove everything that attracts birds to pool
If you want to keep birds away from your pool area, you must remove all bird feeders and other objects that may attract them. This includes birdbaths, unsealed trash cans, flowers, and plants that attract birds and provide roosting areas.
Removing anything that provides food, water, or shelter for birds is often an effective way of keeping them away from pools – especially in areas where the weather changes quickly.
Remove Bird feeders
Birds feeders located close to pools will be the main reason why more birds visit your pool area. Birds are naturally attracted to feeders because they provide food.
More birds mean a higher chance that some birds will use your pool for a quick bath or place to rest.
While we don’t recommend getting rid of your feeders altogether, it is wise to move them as far away as possible without sacrificing your birdwatching capabilities.
Remove Bird Baths
Birdbaths located close to pools can also be a contributing factor to more birds visiting your swimming pool.
Birds only have so much space and usually will not accommodate many birds at once, so the birds waiting may instead use your pool for a quick bath.
As with the Birdfeeder, we recommend moving your birdbath as far away as possible without sacrificing your view of your backyard bird friends.
Remove Plants and Flowers
Removing bird-friendly plants close to your pool area can help reduce unwanted wildlife coming into contact with water around your home.
Plants and flowers that attract many types of insects will, in turn, attract many insect-eating birds. More birds equal more traffic which equals more bird droppings in or near your pool area.
Remove Roosting Areas
Roosting areas in or around your pool area could be another factor to look out for. Dense shrubs and Branches are perfect spots for birds to roost for the night.
If these are very close to the edge of your pool, it could mean a higher chance of bird droppings in or around the areas of your pool where humans would typically be.
The best thing to do is to trim branches so they aren’t hanging over your pool and trim back dense shrubs to be at least a couple of feet away from the edge of your pool.
2. Scare birds away from your swimming pool
Predator decoys
Predator decoys are a great way to scare birds away from your pool. They mimic the look and size of your backyard birds, natural predators. These include:
- Owls
- Hawks
- Eagles
- Snakes
- Coyotes
Predator Eye Deterrent
Predator eye deterrents are physical devices that mimic the eyes of predators to scare birds away from specific areas. There are devices to use in the daytime and some to use at night. They are a humane and highly effective bird scare to use.
Predator eye balloons are great to use during the day to mimic a predator’s eyes, colors, and movements.
Use Scarecrows
Scarecrows have been used to scare birds for many years and tend to work just fine, as long as you change the appearance from time to time to keep the birds on their toes.
Use Reflective Devices/bird diverters.
Reflective work well to deter birds because they reflect light which scares most birds. This means that reflective devices like pinwheels work great to scare birds away from areas around your pool.
Pinwheels can also be used to make certain areas less desirable for birds to fly over, like at the edge of your pool, where people may walk.
- Pinwheels
- Shiny Tape
- Reflective rods
- Old CD’s
Laser Bird Deterrent
Laser Deterrent devices use optical lasers to repel birds over great distances. The birds can identify the lasers and see them as a physical threat, causing them to fly away or stay clear of the area.
These lasers are harmless to the birds, and they won’t ever get used to the laser, making it a practical option for those with a severe need.
The downside to these optical lasers is that they can be costly and have a vast effect area, which may not work if you want birds to visit other areas of your yard, namely your bird feeders or birdbaths.
Ultrasonic Deterrent
Ultrasonic sound emitters use high-frequency sounds and pulses to repel birds. These can be very effective, but like with most things in this day and age, they come at a cost.
The great thing about ultrasonic bird deterrents is they are a humane and eco-friendly way to keep birds away from your pool or any other area of your home. We, humans, are also not affected by ultrasonic sound vibrations.
Ultrasounds are only effective over a small radius, which means they won’t likely repel any of your feathered friends from your bird feeders and birdbaths.
Sonic Bird Repellent
Sonic bird deterrents use sound frequencies to scare birds away from areas where they are unwanted. The sounds used by sonic devices mimic the distress calls of other animals and can be very effective for keeping birds away from pools, especially when combined with predator decoys.
The downside is that some species of birds may still get used to the noises over time.
Some sonic devices can use batteries or solar panels, which makes them highly versatile.
If you still want to keep birds coming to your bird feeders or birdbaths, we highly recommend checking the effective range of these devices before placing them close to your pool area.
You may inadvertently repel birds from your entire backyard if misused.
Make use of your dog
Just as predators and predator decoys effectively keep birds away from pools, your dogs can have the same effect. An active barking dog can be a nuisance to birds who want to get close to your pool area.
Not all dogs will bark at birds, but they will be a significant presence that the birds have to be aware of.
Use Wind Chimes
Wind chimes can be an effective way to keep birds away from pools because they make noises that scare birds and glint and reflect in the sunlight.
Wind chimes can be hung from trees or fences close to your pool area.
3. Make it uncomfortable for birds to visit
Use a pool cover
Pool covers are a great way to keep birds away from your pool, and they don’t have any negative impact on the environment.
A safety cover can be used when you want to use your pool but not worry about anything or any animals going into it.
Water-filled barriers are another effective way of keeping birds out of an area around your pool, and they require very little maintenance.
Water-filled barriers can be used along the edge of your pool or anywhere else you want to keep birds away from. They are less than an inch tall, and they do not harm any wildlife that may come into contact with them.
Use Pool Toys
Pool toys can be very effective at keeping birds away from pools.
Birds see things like pool noodles as a physical threat, and they will stay clear of the pool area.
Pool balls, pool floats, diving sticks, and various other pool toys can also be used around your pool. Anything that makes noise or is reflective will work wonders at keeping birds from wanting to come near an area where they are unwanted.
Bird netting
Bird netting and other physical barriers can be a great way to keep birds away from pools.
Bird netting works well for those who want to use their pool but need an effective barrier between the water and any wildlife that may wander too close.
Bird netting is best used in areas where you are not planning on using your pool or do not have a safety cover.
It is not always the best option for your birds’ friend as any trapped birds that are not freed quickly can die.
Liquid and Gel Repellents
There are liquid water repellents that you can apply to your pool or any other land area where birds might be a nuisance.
The liquids essentially waterproof the surface and make it very unpleasant underfoot, which means if a bird lands on this spot, it will likely fly away because it is uncomfortable for them.
Products like Duck off can deter ducks and geese from landing and swimming in pools.
There are also liquid repellents that can be applied to the foliage around your pool, which will make it less comfortable for birds landing on these leaves and branches.
Make sure you use Liquid/Gel repellents that are eco-friendly and humane so that you don’t harm your feathered friends.
4. Call the pros
If all your DIY efforts yield no results, you can always call the professionals to help keep birds away from your pool. They will have several ways to keep birds away from pools without impacting the environment or harming any living creatures.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is bird poop dangerous?
Bird poop is a significant health hazard. It can make you sick and even kill you. The main risk associated with bird droppings is that they can carry bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites that are harmful to humans.
So, How Do You Keep Birds Away From Pools?
Keeping birds away from pools is essential to maintain your pool’s cleanliness and safety. Thankfully, there are various ways to do this without harming the environment or birds.
Some of the most effective solutions for keeping birds away from pools are wind chimes, pool covers, water-filled barriers, bird netting, liquid/gel repellents, and calling in professionals.
It is essential to make sure that any methods you use are humane and eco-friendly to keep your swimming area safe while still respecting nature.
Let us know if you have any questions or have used these tips to deter birds from your pool area! We would love to hear from you and provide more information to our readers.
Don’t forget to check out our other blog posts for more information about birds and nature. Also, don’t forget to share this post with your friends and family!
