Tips & Tools To Keep Unwanted Birds Away From Your Mailbox

Many of us search for ways to attract birds to our garden or yards, but there is one place where you don't want birds flocking — your mailbox. Having birds around is great for many reasons, but when they nest on or near our mailboxes they can cause damage and leave unwanted droppings in a place we need to touch to retrieve mail. If you have birds finding solace in your mailbox, you can keep them away by creating a physical barrier, using noise or visuals, using a decoy, or applying a repellent or another bird-deterring product.

There are many reasons birds keep coming back to your mailbox and attempt to make their nest there. The metal that makes up many mailboxes is a heat source that birds search for in colder months; in warmer months, the mailbox can feel like a safe haven for birds trying to avoid predators. Still, the mailbox is not a place for birds and it doesn't help you at all if they try to rest there. We rounded up the best tips and tools to use to keep birds away from your mailbox and closer to your backyard.

Even the biggest bird lovers know that when birds nest near your home, it can become an issue for the homeowner. There are a lot of clever ways to keep birds from nesting around your home, including installing screens, removing old nests, and providing a different, nest-friendly site in your backyard. Though if you're dealing with a smaller backyard area, you might have to get a bit more creative. A great way to deter birds from nesting in your mailbox is to scare them away using a statue of an owl or other predator. Adding a reflective surface, like placing a mirror on top of your mailbox, can confuse the birds, which encourages them to seek somewhere else to land.

Birds can also be sensitive to sound and a mailbox that consistently makes noise will be deemed unsafe and, therefore, unworthy of nesting. Adding a wind chime to your mailbox is an easy way to keep them away. Placing things like spikes and mesh on top of your mailbox will also keep the birds away, but spikes and mesh aren't usually considered very pretty and may not be allowed if you have a homeowner's association. If you are limited in terms of physical items, there are also products marketed strictly for deterring birds.

If you are tired of constantly cleaning bird droppings off your mailbox, there are a few recommended products that can help stop the birds from coming back. Some bird repellents on the market may seem inhumane, but there are options that can help you settle your bird debacle without hurting them or the environment. The Flock Free Bird Repellent Spray from Home Depot for $25 is nature-friendly and non-toxic. It works by creating a clear film on the mailbox that will irritate a bird, but not harm them if they touch or taste it. After a few encounters with the product, birds will realize that your mailbox is not a good place to land. Similar products include the Bird-X bird repellent, also found at Home Depot for $10.

If you want to avoid sprays, reflective tape, which disorients the birds, is a good option. Bird-B-Gone flash tape bird repellent can be found at Lowe's for under $5 and is an easy and effective way to say goodbye to unwanted birds nesting in your mailbox. No matter what you choose to use, don't feel guilty about implementing these measures; instead, create a safe space for feathered friends to nest in your backyard or other bird-friendly area of your home by adding a bird feeder.