How To Get Birds Out Of Garage: Get A Bird Out Of Your Garage
This post contains affiliate links.
This post contains affiliate links.
Birds may not be as terrible as insects or other vermin in your garage, although they pose their own problems. If your garage has birds nesting in them, you may want to get rid of them. How to get birds out of the garage?
You can get birds out of the garage by:
- Guiding them with lights
- Nudge gently with sticks
- Catch and release
- Install deterrents
This post explores how you can get birds out of the garage. We also look at why your garage attracted them in the first place and how you can spot if you have a bird problem in your garage.
Why Birds Love To Nest In Your Garage
Birds are naturally drawn to garages for a myriad of reasons, transforming these spaces into their unexpected sanctuaries. For you, you get headaches instead:
Shelter and Safety
The garage offers birds a safe harbor from the elements and predators. The quiet and secluded nature inside the garage, especially around the rafters and shelves, provides ideal spots for birds to build nests.
When the garage door is left open, it acts as an invitation for birds seeking refuge.
Birds may become trapped if they cannot find their way back out, leading them to fly around in confusion. To prevent birds from entering, keeping doors and windows closed when not in use is crucial.
Open Access
An open garage door is like a welcoming sign for birds. They see the open door or window as an entry point to a potential nesting site.
Once a bird flies into your garage, leaving might be difficult, especially if the door closes behind it or you get disoriented.
To help a bird stuck in your garage, gently guide it towards an open exit, avoiding sudden movements or loud noises that might startle it.
Attraction to Colors and Materials
Some bird species, like the hummingbird, are attracted to bright colors. If you have painted the garage door or have colorful items inside, these could entice birds to enter.
They might mistake these visual cues for flowers or natural habitats.
Once a bird is inside and cannot leave, it might seek out corners or rafters to build a nest, thinking it has found a safe spot.
Disorientation
The vast, open garage space can disorient birds, making it hard to find their way back to the open door. Birds stuck in your garage may fly towards light sources or reflections, mistaking them for a way out.
In such cases, opening all doors and windows to create a clear exit path can be an effective way to help the bird find its way outside without causing harm.
Nesting Sites
With its high rafters and secluded corners, the garage structure is an attractive bird nesting site. If birds find materials inside the garage to build nests, they might see it as a suitable habitat.
To prevent birds from building nests, keeping the garage tidy and free of materials that could be used for nesting is essential. Installing screens on windows and keeping the garage door closed when not in use can also deter birds from entering.
Signs Of Birds Nesting In Your Garage
When birds decide to make your garage their home, they leave behind telltale signs that are hard to miss if you know what to look for. Here are some indicators that birds may nest in your garage, bringing with them the need for gentle eviction strategies.
You Spot A Nest
The first sign is the most obvious: you spot a nest. Birds can be quite creative with their nesting locations, often choosing rafters or shelves that are out of direct sight.
If you see twigs, leaves, or other nesting materials gathered in a corner, there’s a good chance you have new tenants.
Bird Noise Coming From Your Garage
Birdsong is beautiful, but when it’s coming from inside your garage, it’s a clear signal that birds have settled in.
Chirping, especially during dawn and dusk, can indicate that birds are active and possibly nest within your garage’s confines.
They Fly In And Out
Another clue is an increase in bird activity around your garage. Suppose you notice birds frequently flying in and out or seem particularly interested in certain areas of your garage. In that case, they might build a nest or feed their young.
Keeping the garage door open only invites these winged visitors to explore and possibly decide to stay.
Bird Droppings
Unexplained droppings inside the garage are also a giveaway. Birds, especially when nesting, will leave droppings in and around their nesting area. Finding droppings on your car, tools, or the garage floor can indicate that birds spend significant time overhead.
Damaged Or Misplaced Items
Damaged or misplaced items can be a subtle sign of nesting birds. As they gather materials to build their nests, birds may pull at insulation, wiring, or other soft materials found in the garage.
If you find items out of place or notice bits of material strewn about, it might be the work of a nesting bird.
Suppose you find evidence of birds nesting in your garage. In that case, removing them carefully is essential to avoid harming the birds or their chicks.
How To Get Birds Out Of The Garage?
Guide Them With Lights
One tried and true method involves using natural light as a guide. Birds are instinctively drawn to bright areas, so opening all doors and windows to create a well-lit exit path can be incredibly effective.
Turn off the garage lights and any outside lights that might confuse the bird, and patiently wait as the bird finds its way toward the light. This method leverages the bird’s natural inclination to fly towards open, bright spaces.
Guide With Gentle Care
If the bird seems hesitant or disoriented, creating a more direct route can help. Sometimes, opening the garage door isn’t enough, especially if the bird is perched high in the rafters or stuck in a corner.
You can gently encourage movement using a broom or a long stick to guide the bird without touching it. The key is to be gentle and avoid sudden movements that might startle the bird, causing it to fly erratically inside the garage.
Time For Some Deterrents
Consider deterrents for more persistent cases where a bird repeatedly enters the garage or seems particularly drawn to it.
Reflective tapes, bird-repellent decals on windows(paid link), or even painting the garage door in less attractive colors can reduce the visual appeal of your garage to birds.
These measures don’t harm the birds but discourage them from seeing your garage as a potential nesting site.
Catch And Release
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, a bird might become trapped or too disoriented to find its way out. In these cases, using a towel or a soft blanket can effectively catch and release the bird safely.
Gently throw the towel over the bird to calm it, then carefully pick it up, ensuring its wings are not harmed. Carry the bird outside and release it, allowing it to fly away when ready.
Patience and a gentle approach are key in dealing with birds in your garage. These methods help remove birds safely and ensure they are not harmed in the process, respecting the delicate balance between human habitats and wildlife.
How To Prevent Birds From Entering Your Garage
Preventing your garage from becoming a desirable bird nesting site requires a blend of vigilance, simple modifications, and, sometimes, creative thinking. Here are a couple of ways you can keep our avian friends at bay, ensuring your garage remains a bird-free zone.
Keep The Doors And Windows Closed
Maintaining a routine of keeping the garage door closed whenever possible is crucial. An open garage door invites birds to explore and potentially decide it’s a safe place to build a nest.
If you need to keep the door open for extended periods, consider installing screens blocking entry while allowing air and light to flow through.
Examine For Cracks, Holes, Gaps
Next, examine the exterior and interior of your garage for any cracks, holes, or open windows that might serve as entry points for birds. Birds can squeeze through surprisingly small spaces, so sealing these gaps prevents birds from getting inside and improves energy efficiency.
Installing screens over windows and vents can provide ventilation without giving birds a way in. You can also seal up holes and cracks with sealants. Weatherstripping may be a good idea for larger gaps, such as on the side and bottom of your garage door.
Keep Your Garage Food And Water Free
Another effective strategy involves removing attractions that might draw birds to your garage in the first place. Ensure there are no readily available food sources in or near your garage, such as:
- open trash bins
- spilled birdseed or
- open water tanks/containers.
Similarly, remove any standing water and keep the area clean of insects, which might also attract birds looking for a meal. If you have insect infestations in your garage, deal with them, as these are bird food sources.
Repel And Disorient
Visual and auditory deterrents can also play a significant role in keeping birds away from your garage. Consider having these taped or hung around your garage:
- Reflective tape,
- wind chimes, or
- old CDs
These things can disorient and discourage birds from approaching. Some homeowners succeed with ultrasonic bird repellents(paid link), which emit sounds unpleasant to birds but not humans.
Get Professional Help
If your garage has become a repeated target for nesting birds, professional bird control services might be worth considering.
These services can offer more permanent solutions like structural modifications or the installation of professional-grade bird deterrents.
They can also safely remove existing nests, ensuring no birds or eggs are harmed.
Get A Bird Out Of Your Garage
Getting a bird out of your garage requires patience, understanding, and a gentle approach. By using natural light, employing gentle guidance, and utilizing safe capture methods when necessary, you can effectively guide birds back to their natural habitat.
Remember, prevention is key to avoiding future avian intrusions. Keeping your garage secure and minimizing attractions will ensure that these feathered visitors remain outside, where they belong, preserving the harmony between your home and nature.
Check out comprehensive guides on how to get rid of other garage pests here!
