Physical bird barriers are used to keep pest birds from landing and roosting on flat surfaces such as ledges, window sills, parapet walls, channel letters and other surfaces you do not want birds. This type of bird barrier keeps pest birds away by creating a physical deterrent; they can not land on or enter the area protected. Physical bird barriers include bird spikes, electric shock systems, bird netting and bird spring wires.

Bird spikes are the most common bird barriers in use today. When a ledge is covered with bird spikes, it makes it impossible for pest birds such as pigeons and seagulls to land, so they will move on to a more hospitable area. Bird spikes are easy to install, economical and require little to no maintenance.

Electric shock systems are extremely low profile bird barriers that will work with all pest birds. These systems give the birds a slight shock or ?jolt? that quickly changes their habits and desire to land in the area protected.

Bird netting is used to completely exclude birds from areas such as under loading docks and eaves, airplane hangars, warehouses and other enclosed areas. Once installed bird netting is a practically invisible bird barrier. It has a long life with little to not maintenance required.

Visual Bird Barriers are those that cause some sort of visual distraction to the birds. The birds will become confused or agitated and move on to a more suitable area. Ideal places to use visual bird barriers are in trees, on boats, in vineyards, and other outdoor areas you want to keep pest birds from. Visual barriers include, flash tape, scary balloons, bird diverters and even such items as hanging cds. Visual deterrents are effective if they are moved around so that the birds do not get used to them.

Sonic or Sound Bird Barriers are devices that create a sound that scares the birds away. These units will usually play some sort of predator call and target bird distress calls. Sound deterrents are best used out of doors in wide-open places. Being heard for over an acre of land; they are very loud. They make the ideal deterrent for use on orchards, vineyards, landfills and electrical substations; open areas where it is impossible to use physical bird barriers.

The time and money spent to install some type of bird barrier is well worth the investment. In the long run it will save you all of the time and money spent each year on clean-up and repairs to the damage left behind by pest birds. Some bird barriers are easy to install while others may require a professional.

Many bird lovers visit pet stores or hardware stores to purchase specialty bird seed mixes to attract specific types of birds. They buy cardinal food to attract cardinals and special finch food to lure finches. People understand that certain birds like particular types of food, but what most don’t know is that the food a bird prefers has a lot to do with its bill (also referred to as a bird’s beak).

The bill is one of the most significant and defining characteristics of a bird’s appearance. Like feathers, bills are unique to birds, and their shape and size are often used by bird watchers to identify them. The bill serves a number of purposes, from communicating and cleaning to mating and gathering nesting materials. More importantly, it’s a highly useful tool used to accomplish a bird’s most important function — feeding.

Birds use their bills as dinner utensils to crush, crack and snap shells off of seeds. They chisel, peck, poke and drill tree bark for insects, and they sip, suck and probe flowers for nectar. The kind of bill a bird has usually allows it to utilize a particular food source and is a very good clue to its diet. Many birds have a specialized bill which limits the food it can eat. That’s why specialty mixes exist. Mixes like Wild Delight’s Cardinal Food contain premium nuts and seeds that cardinals’ bills were designed for.

Birds’ bills come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Conical bills, like those found on cardinals, finches and grosbeaks, are thick and sturdy — great for cracking and shelling seeds like Nyjer and safflower seeds. In fact, these birds have bills that are strong enough to crack seeds as hard as cherry pits.

However, not all conical bills are the same.

Some are more slender, as on the goldfinch and pine siskin, which allows them to probe deep to extract seeds. Crossbills have the most specialized bill of all the finches. Their “crossed-over” bill allows these birds to remove seeds from cones, pry bark from trees to uncover hidden insects and split open fruit to extract the seeds. In fact, the red- and white-winged crossbills are the only two birds in North America to have crossed bills.

Other birds such as woodpeckers have strong bills that taper to a tip and are ideal for chiseling through wood for insects or sap. The downy woodpecker has bristles around its bill, protecting its nostrils from sawdust, while the yellow-bellied sapsucker drills holes in trees to access the internal river of sap.

Besides insects and sap, woodpeckers prefer fruit and tree seeds. Specialty mixes like Wild Delight’s Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Chickadee Food contain real fruits such as cranberries, apples and juniper berries, and a premium blend of hulled seeds that are great for woodpeckers as well as chickadees and nuthatches.

Birds like warblers have thin, slender beaks to pick insects off of leaves, twigs and bark. Tiny bills, like those on black-capped chickadees, are able to get into small places to eat insects that are hiding. Chickadees also open seeds by jamming them into tree crevices and then hammering the seeds with their bills. They even break open seeds by holding them in their feet, pecking their bills against them.

Generally, birds are quite practical. They will choose the best food available within the limits of their bill size and shape. Waste-free mixes like Wild

Delight’s Deck Porch N’ Patio contain seeds that are already shelled, making it a great choice for feeders because birds with a variety of bill sizes and shapes can eat it — and it keeps outdoor living areas free from shells and leftovers.

Birds’ bills come in all shapes and sizes, just like the birds themselves. In one way or another, what they eat simply depends on what they can eat. By providing food like specialty mixes that are made to include nuts and seeds that fit the bill, bird enthusiasts can better attract and enjoy their favorite outdoor pets.