We all love birds, or at least most of us do, but if we’re honest, no one wants to deal with bird droppings in their mailbox. If we were to do a poll on how many mailboxes have been littered with bird droppings, almost no mailbox would be spared from bird poop.
Birds regularly undergo bowel movements, mainly because they need to keep their weight light for flight. We can’t stop them from pooping all the time, but we can prevent them from pooping on mailboxes.
However, Don’t worry! Preventing them from pooping on the Mailbox isn’t hard work. Here are a few ways to keep birds off from Mailbox. The good thing is you can easily deter birds just by following a few tips below.
6 Ways to Keep Birds from Pooping on Your Mailbox
1. Introduce Bird Feeders
Do you like to watch birds? If yes, then the most simple solution is to introduce bird feeders in your backyard or a suitable place in the front garden. You’ll notice that birds will spend more time in the feeder, and your Mailbox will be safe from birds pooping. For the most part, if a bird feeder is around, the birds would have no business pooping on your mailbox. You could get a small bird feeder, put a little bird feed, and place it at a distance from your mailbox.
However, you must first notice which type of bird is often present near your Mailbox. For example, If you find that peanut lover birds mostly come in your area, place a good quality peanuts feeder. Opt for feeders that have built-in shades, this will make the birds more comfortable as they are protected from the sun and even the rain. This option is the most appealing if you still want birds around, but you just need them to stay away from your mailbox. No bird would opt for a mailbox when there is a feeder loaded with treats nearby.
2. Use a Decoy
Fake Owl Decoy and Bird Deterrent
Set of 3 Plastic Owl to Scare Birds Away
Very effective Bird Deterrent Scarecrow decoy to place on your mailbox to prevent birds pooping.
A great way to prevent birds from pooping on your mailbox is by using a decoy. The most ideal decoys used are predator birds, including hawks, eagles, owls, and so on. Placing any of these predatory animals would scare the birds off, and if the birds aren’t coming anymore, you can be sure that the bird poop would simply be a thing of the past. So, the next time you walk past a mailbox and see a fake predator bird on it, you’ll know that it wasn’t placed there just for aesthetic purposes; it might also be to keep the birds away. So, Bring a hawk, eagle, or owl decoy and place it near the bird decoys. When birds watch the predator bird sit beside your Mailbox, they definitely keep them away from your area. Generally, Owls are most helpful for this purpose.
3. Use Bird Spikes
ASPECTEK Stainless Steel Bird Spikes kit
The best selling Bird Spikes
10 feet Pre-Assembled Bird Spikes comes with transparent silicon Glue.
This option might cost a little more than others, but there is no question at all of its effectiveness. You can purchase them from hardware stores. These spikes are closely spaced, and when you place them in your mailbox, the birds would have no place to sit to do their business, it becomes too uncomfortable for them, and eventually, they flutter away. People see this as a drastic measure because it changes the overall appearance of the mailbox, but if it helps keep the bird poop away, it just might be worth it. Of course, this all boils down to individual preference. Check this REMIAWY Bird Spikes, which is easy to install in your Mailbox.
4. DIY Scarecrow
This is a very creative and fun option to significantly reduce bird droppings in your mailbox. Like every other animal, birds get scared when they see a figure that seems frightening. It doesn’t take much to construct a scarecrow.
Constructing a scarecrow
You simply need a cross frame and one that is firmly rooted to the ground so it doesn’t fall when it gets windy. Once you have erected your cross frame, the next thing is to add on some clothes. Typically, this should be done with clothes you no longer need; the clothes shouldn’t be too small, so you can stuff them with materials like hay or other organic materials to give the scarecrow a puffier and fuller figure. Here is an interesting video of How to Make a Scarecrow – Step By Step Craft Project.
Even if it’s not Halloween, you could still use a pumpkin as its head or you could find some other round material that looks like a head. At this point, you are basically done. You could still add more minute details but as long as you erect it properly, scarecrows are a very effective way to keep the birds at bay.
5. Use deterrents
Flock Free Bird Repellent Spray
Natural ingredients that does not harm birds
The best repellent to keep away Pigeons, seagulls, ducks, geese, sparrows, crows, jackdaws, rooks, magpies, starlings, swallows, blackbirds, woodpeckers, and many more.
Coating your mailbox with chemicals that birds find offensive keeps them away; you could also use bird-repellant sprays. Other chemicals that birds find offensive include vinegar, ammonia, peppermint oil, citronella, etc. Some people spray oil on their mailboxes, making it very slippery for birds to perch on them. This isn’t particularly a bad way to keep birds off, but the downside of coating your mailbox with oil is that it is bound to cause it to attract a lot of dirt and particles; this makes a mailbox look very untidy, and this is why it isn’t the best way to go.
6. Holographic Tape
Holographic Tape is another good way to deter birds. These Tapes are also known as “Scare Tape.” Generally, Commercial grade mylar is used for designing those Tapes. They are shiny and highly reflective. Those scare the birds by producing visual disturbance.
So, When birds notice flashes of reflected sunlight near the Mailbox, they’ll easily be scared of it and keep them away from your Mailbox. But, This method is less effective compared to bird spikes and decoys. You can use the Gold Silver Reflective Tape near your Mailbox to keep them away.
Why is Bird Poop White?
While scrubbing bird poop off your mailbox, chances are, you have wondered why the poop has a whitish color and is so hard to scrub off. We’ll tell you why that is. Birds differ from mammals in several aspects. One of them is that, unlike mammals, they do not produce urine. They excrete nitrogenous wastes in the form of uric acid, and this presents itself as a white paste. Regarding the stickiness of the bird poop, this is due to the fact that uric acid does not dissolve in water, so it sticks strongly to the surface of mailboxes, windshields, and other surfaces, making it very hard to wipe off.
Final Words
If you have spent hours scrubbing bird poop off your mailbox, you already know how frustrating and disgusting it is. Preventing them from coming around your mailbox is your best chance at having a bird poop-free mailbox. The methods listed above are very effective ways of preventing birds from pooping in mailboxes.
If you aren’t too sure which one to try, you can start with the simplest one, or you can just pick one that is most suited to your tastes. For example, not many people are keen on placing a scarecrow near their mailbox simply to scare off birds. If you are one of such people, you can opt for using a decoy. A fake eagle or a hawk can scare off birds while adding elegance to your mailbox.
OMG for one alot of that is criel to the birds. How about put a cover over the mailbox. God dont like ugly n bn mean to birds is mean!
Used bird spikes on my mailbox and post and also on 3 down spouts where birds build nests every spring. Works like a charm. No it does hurt the birds, it simply forces them to find another place to land to do their business. All my neighbors have poop covered mailboxes and posts.