The warm weather and soft breezes lure us outside in the early summer and beg us to take advantage of our patios, porches and outdoor living spaces. But things take a frustrating turn when you see that your friendly local birds have left some not-so-friendly marks on your patio furniture.

Attracting birds to your backyard is a wonderful way to support wildlife and add beautiful birdsong to your environment, but finding bird doo on your patio or porch is less than ideal. Of course, you could cover your porch furniture (Amazon has a surprisingly good selection of covers!), but there are a few easy steps you can take to protect your patio from bird droppings in the first place.

Let’s explore five ways to bird poop-proof your patio to keep things clean this summer.

1. Sparkle and Startle

Birds are flighty little creatures (pun intended) and are easily startled by moving objects. Add a little sparkle and they really take off. You can use DIY methods like hanging old CDs or strips of aluminum foil around your patio that will spin in the breeze and flash startling reflections. There are also reflective mylar ribbons, available from Amazon, that will startle birds away from your porch or any vulnerable parts of the garden.

2. Predator Decoys

Decoy predators are another bird deterrent. A hand-painted fake owl with glass eyes, available from Amazon, will make birds think twice about coming near your patio. Owl decoys work best for bird and pest deterrence when they are moved around every couple of days. If the decoy is stationary, the birds won’t be fooled and will carry on as normal.

3. Trim Limbs

Another easy way to keep birds and their poop off of your patio and outdoor furniture is to trim back any overhanging tree limbs around the area. A stray branch provides a perfect perch for our feathered friends to sit on and poo from. Even a brief visit to the branch can result in messy splatter on the deck below. June is a great time to prune trees and shrubs that have already bloomed so it is a win-win! Our editors love Fiskars 28” loppers lower pruning jobs and Fiskars extendable tree pruners and pole saw for the hard-to-reach limbs (both are available on Amazon).

4. Relocate Feeders and Baths

In addition to the finding the perfect perch, birds might be gathering around your porch because of feeders or bird baths nearby. Creating a bird sanctuary in your backyard with bird feeders and bird baths is great, but you may want to consider relocating these elements. Find a location in your yard for the bird bath and feeders that is away from where you and your family gather outdoors. A simple move can make a massive difference. However, you should relocate them thoughtfully to avoid any bird bath placement mistakes like moving them into full sun or too close to dense shrubs.

5. Move Fruiting Shrubs

If you have tried all the other ways to keep birds from pooping on your patio and they are still going at it, it might be time to make some landscaping changes. Planting berry-producing shrubs helps give backyard birds a wonderful feast, but it might also be making your patio messy. We’ve all seen it; berry-filled bird poo is not only gross but it stains everything it touches. Transplanting that wonderful serviceberry away from the patio should help reduce the amount of droppings you’re cleaning up. Just be sure to water your transplanted shrub or tree regularly and apply mulch to help retain moisture and reduce transplant shock.

A few simple changes like trimming your trees, relocating the bird feeder, and placing reflective ribbons around your patio will help to stop birds from pooping on your patio. I hope you have a bird poop-free summer!