Birds around your swimming area can be a big nuisance, especially if they are continually leaving droppings in the pool water. Most birds do not carry serious diseases, but some species can carry dangerous germs, and it is important to keep their poop out of your pool.
To prevent birds from pooping in your pool, you can place deterrents in the swimming area. The best deterrents are shiny or sharp objects placed on the deck and the landing spaces around the pool.
It is illegal to remove some species from your property, so it is important for pool owners to understand how to keep birds away from their property and pools. Some common bird deterrents can be found around your own home, and others can be purchased. We’ll give you a list of tools and materials that should keep the pests, and their droppings, out of your pool.
Why Birds are Pooping in Your Pool
Birds are naturally attracted to bodies of water and maybe attracted to your swimming pool. Some species of birds specifically aim for pools and other bodies of water as a defense mechanism. Droppings in water are harder for predators to trace and therefore protect the bird from being tracked. Also consider if the environment around your pool may be attracting birds.
How to Keep Birds Away from Your Pool
The best way to prevent birds from pooping in your pool is to keep them out of the general swimming area in the first place. There are some easy modifications you can make to your pool area that will make the space less attractive to birds. Some of these basic modifications include:
- Remove food: Move or remove bird seed and bird feeders so as not to attract birds to the pool.
- Neaten up the wildlife: Trim back trees and bushes that hang around the pool area to eliminate roosting areas
- Look out for edible plants: Remove any edible plants and berries that might attract birds to the pool area.
Types of Bird Deterrents
Like any creature, there are certain things that birds are scared of or bothered by that will deter them from roosting in an area. The key when choosing a bird deterrent is to find one that will scare away the birds without causing harm. There are two main types of bird deterrents that you can try:
- Visual deterrents: Anything that might scare birds away from the area, including flashing lights, scarecrows, or rough and spiky landing spaces, are an inexpensive way to deter birds.
- Auditory deterrents: Any sound that mimics a bird’s predators will prevent birds from coming into the area. You can also find mechanisms that sound like a bird’s distress call, which will indicate to the birds that the area is not safe.
Bird Deterrents You Can Find in Your Own Home
If you are hoping to find something at home to keep the birds away from your pool, you are in luck. There are many things that you can find around your house or make from homemade ingredients that will help you drive the pesky birds away without harming them. These include:
Use Shiny Material to Scare the Birds
Reflective objects create confusion for birds and discourages them from landing or nesting in the area. Hang some shiny objects near your pool to keep the birds away. You can create shiny, reflective areas in your yard by using:
- Old CDs
- Empty soda cans
- Shiny paper
- Mirrors
- Garden balls
- Tinfoil
Create an Uncomfortable Place to Land
Birds avoid any sharp areas because they make it hard for them to land and roost comfortably. Creating spikes and placing them along edges, branches, and windowsills will deter birds from the area around your pool. These spikes can be created out of:
- Nails
- Cut tin cans
- Broken mirrors
- Barbed wire
- Cut plastic bottles
Spray the Area with Bird Repellent
Birds have strong senses and will be driven away by any strong, potent smell. You can make bird repellent sprays at home, and then spray the mixture near your pool to keep the birds at bay. You can also hang containers of the spray around the area in shiny bottles. The best ingredients for bird repellent sprays include:
- Vinegar
- Chili powder
- Crushed hot peppers
Best Products You Can Purchase for Bird Prevention
If home remedies aren’t keeping the birds away from your pool, there are a wide variety of products you can purchase that are highly rated as bird deterrents. They range in price from $10-$200 and use a variety of techniques to drive the birds away. Some of the best products you can buy to keep birds away from your pool include:
- Stainless steel bird spikes: Bird spikes like the OFFO Spikes prevent birds from landing in their usual spots and leaving droppings behind.
- Plastic predators: There are a wide variety of bird predators that will drive birds away, and fake decoy versions, like the Besom Owl Decoy, are sure to scare them.
- Shiny tape: Reflective tape like the Gold Scare Tape can be taped around your pool to confuse and frighten birds.
- Round eye deterrents: Bird repellent discs, like these from SLMEN, mimic predator eyes and frighten birds away.
- Repellent spray: Spray some Repels All around your pool and swimming area to keep birds far away from the water.
- Ultrasonic repellent: The MoreStar animal repellent emits a frequency that will frighten and irritate birds and keep them from settling around your pool.
- Laser repellent: The LaserLands diode laser may have a slightly higher price tag, but its flashing lights are proven to frighten birds, and drive them away.
How to Keep Ducks and Geese from Swimming in Your Pool
Deterring larger birds like ducks or geese from swimming in your pool might need another type of tactic than a regular garden bird. There are some things you can do to modify the area around your swimming pool that will keep these birds from taking a swim. These include:
- Food: Do not feed or provide food for ducks or geese. This will encourage them to come back.
- Grass: Limit the amount of grass in the area, as some ducks and geese feed on grass.
- Removal: Ducks and geese flock together, so removing the offenders will lessen the likelihood of returning birds. You will need to contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture to learn about removal.
What to Do When Birds Poop in Your Pool
Bird droppings in your pool should not be ignored as they can lead to disease. Pool owners should know the proper steps for removing bird poop from their pools in order to responsibly operate their pool. These steps include:
- Evacuate swimmers from the pool
- Put on latex gloves
- Use a net to remove the bird droppings from the pool
- Clean and disinfect any affected surfaces
- Check the filtration system
- Remove and properly dispose of your gloves
- Wash your hands
- Disinfect the water by raising the chlorine concentration to 2 parts per million for 30 minutes
- Check the pH level and ensure it is 7.5 or less
Is Bird Poop in the Pool Dangerous?
As you might imagine, bird droppings are full of germs, many of which can be dangerous for humans. Most bird poop will be disinfected by the pool chlorine if owners have maintained the proper chemical levels. Pool owners should be aware of duck and goose poop specifically, because they are more likely to have E. Coli or Salmonella.