For many people, a car is like a part of the family. When birds poop all over it, it is not only unsightly, it can cause damage to the paint. When you have named and truly love a vehicle, bird poop on ‘her’ bodywork is like a personal insult. So do you know how to prevent bird poop on your car?
There are a few ways to stop birds from dropping poop on your lovingly maintained vehicle. But the first thing is to consider where you park the car. Beware of telephone or electrical lines, and especially the street lights in parking lots.
Anything above your vehicle that a bird can rest or roost on poses a poop threat. Air conditioning units and old TV satellite dishes can provide a spot for birds to rest or roost. Even these may protrude enough from the wall for the birds to lay siege to a poor parking spot.
Avoid Parking Under Trees
Trees attract birds. This is true whether providing food, a place for them to build a nest or the materials to build the nest from. Wherever you find trees, you will find birds. And where you find birds, you find bird poop. This is probably the easiest way how to prevent bird poop on your car.
Author Note: Trees that produce fruit or berries are generally the worst to park under. Trees that are particularly popular with birds usually show clear evidence on the pavement beneath.
In springtime, have a quick look on the ground for telltale signs by the parking spot. In some species, parent birds carry away the droppings of their young, but not all. This unsanitary behavior reduces the smell and, with it, unwanted attention on the nest.
Parking the car under a tree on a hot day might help keep the interior cool. The longer you leave it there, the more likely it is to receive incoming fire. For a quick shopping trip, it should be fine. But your luck may run out if you spend all day in the mall.
There are many trees whose leaves have acidic qualities. So, in addition to the birds, the tree’s droppings can also damage automobile paintwork. In a storm, trees can even drop branches. Bigger branches could completely destroy a vehicle, let alone damage the paint.
If there is a tree above your driveway and you cannot avoid parking beneath it, don’t sweat it. There are more options you can try.
Place Decoys
An Owl decoy is often quite effective at reducing the number of birds found in your yard. Birds are clever, so decoys should be moved at regular intervals. Once a bird has realized that a decoy is nothing to be frightened of, you must reposition it.
Over time birds may become so used to a particular decoy that they ignore it, regardless of where it’s moved. If you have birds perched next to your owl decoy, it is time to get a rubber snake.
Remove the owl and let the birds forget it while the rubber snake is at work. Once the snake loses its efficacy, switch back to the owl.
Suppose a tree is too tall to place a decoy in its branches safely. Try placing the owl on the corner of the house, close by the parking spot. Owl decoys generally have a larger effective range than a rubber snake. You can also try using bird scare tape.
Suppose you like songbirds in your yard and have a bird table to feed them. Decoys might frighten away the birds you wish to attract.
Homemade Decoys
A simple decoy you can make yourself uses four old CDs. Use one as a base and glue the other three to it in a pyramid shape. Make sure the silver side of the CDs are facing out. Wrap a magnet in a rag or cloth and glue it to the bottom of your pyramid.
Use the magnet to stick the pyramid to the top of your car after you have parked. The reflective surfaces should deter birds from flying over your vehicle. The cloth around the magnet will prevent it from scratching the paint.
Car Cover Sheets
Car cover sheets are usually specific to the type of vehicle to ensure they fit well. They help by keeping cars free of debris and dust and also keep the rain off. Car cover sheets are usually available through the dealership.
Cover sheets have become less popular due to the inconvenience of removing and replacing them. And they should not be used outside as a long-term solution. Condensation defeats the point of having a cover in the first place. As it builds up inside the cover, condensation can cause rust over time.
Build a Shelter
If you only have a bird poop problem for a few weeks in springtime, it may sound like an extreme measure. But a small shelter to park under can be cheaper than you might expect.
Garden shade cloth is a cheap, loosely woven, hard-wearing nylon fabric used to protect vegetable gardens. There are different colors and densities of weaves available. The lightest provides 10% shade and is usually white. Higher percentage shade cloth is usually darker colors.
If you get more sun than rain, you can save money by using garden shade cloth as the roofing material. This is a good option instead of providing a costly waterproof roof for your car. Shade cloth can stop leaves, bird poop, and sunshine on your vehicle, keeping it clean and cool.
Author Note: A simple, temporary DIY shelter can be completed in a day or just a few hours with an extra pair of hands. Materials shouldn’t cost more than around two hundred dollars.
You may also find planning loopholes by making a temporary structure without a ‘proper’ roof. Shade cloth usually comes on a 10ft wide roll, just about perfect for a car shelter.
Build a Carport
If you live in a colder climate and are likely to have snow in winter, a carport can be a real savior. Not only will you protect your vehicle from bird droppings. But also the wear and tear from the worst of the elements.
A carport makes life a little simpler and saves you time. No need to clear the snow from the windscreen before the drive to work. Imagine just unpacking the shopping in the rain could bring a smile to your face.
A carport can be partially or entirely enclosed in a private yard and turned into a rudimentary garage. A permanent carport is far more likely to require planning permission and will be more costly than a temporary structure.
Build a Garage
Have you always wanted a garage and workshop but never won the argument for it? Bird poop on your wife’s car might be the perfect opportunity to change her mind.
Before building anything, make sure that it is legal to do so. If required, obtain any necessary permits from your local town planning official.
Re-spray or Buy a New Car
I am just kidding, but some interesting information came to light from an informal survey. Results showed that red and black cars are most likely to attract bird poop than other colors. Silver and gray attracted very little, with green receiving the fewest hits.
Author Note: The survey was carried out on 1140 cars, but the data is factually inconclusive. The number of cars of each color has not been confirmed. There may have just been a greater number of people driving red cars that took the survey.
Why is it Always MY car?
It is important for birds to remain light, so much so they have evolved hollow bones to help them. Birds know that it helps to stay light, and as such, they often lighten their load as they take off. So even if you park a few feet away from a roost, you may find the car is still in almost constant danger.
Bird Poop Health Concerns
Bird poop can contain harmful, even deadly human pathogens. Psittacosis is a flu-like illness, which can cause fever, headache, chills, muscle pain, and breathing difficulty, including pneumonia.
Salmonella can also be contracted from bird droppings but is more likely to occur from a contaminated water supply.
Histoplasmosis is a disease contracted by inhaling contaminated dust from dried bird or bat droppings. Histoplasmosis is contracted from fungal spores, which can survive for long periods of time. The greatest risk of exposure is cleaning old dried droppings.
Histoplasmosis symptoms can be so minimal they are unnoticed, but in infants and the elderly severe cases can be fatal without treatment.
Bird Poop Attack
Birds don’t do number ones or number twos. They combine them into a number three that comes out of the same place. Because of this, bird poop contains uric acid, which is found in urine. Uric acid is what causes damage to car paint.
Some birds actually use their poop as ammunition. These birds flock together to launch a concerted attack on perceived threats. These birds are very accurate and aim at the faces of their enemies. The acid feces can cause permanent damage to the eyes.
Conclusion
Birds can be a great pleasure to have in your yard. But they can cause an unsightly mess and damage the paint of your car. We hope these tips help to reduce the amount of bird poop in your life and that you now know how to prevent bird poop on your car.
Fly high friends!
Thank for sharing useful information in your article.
Now that I know why birds poop on my car, the next step to relieve me of my stress is to simply stop these birds.
We all know the frustrations when you just cleaned your car only for it to be pooped on by a bird. It can really get on your nerves, and there’s no doubt about that.