Consumer advice

How to Keep Your Windowsills Bird-Free with Your Tech

PCWorld senior video producer Chris Manners had a problem—a bird problem. Specifically, a flock of pigeons was roosting on his windowsill. How could he rid himself of these pests using technology? What kind of household hack could banish these feathered fiends? A couple of options came to mind.

Image courtesy of Zero One on Flickr
Recycle your old media: A common method of scaring birds is to attach streamers, or flash tape, to the window ledge or balcony so that it moves in the wind and creates reflections. Instead of running out to your local hardware store and picking some up, however, just hang some CDs out the window on a string. The reflective surface of the discs will function like flash tape, keeping your windowsills and balconies pigeon-free.

Make your own ultrasonic sounds: Another way to scare birds is to use an ultrasonic bird repeller—a little device capable of broadcasting ultrasonic sounds that are between 22 kHz and 30 kHz—beyond the range of human hearing, but audible to animals. Unfortunately, such devices cost anywhere from $50 to $500—and who wants to drop $500 on something they can't even hear?

Luckily, you can find ultrasonic sounds on the Internet—in the form of ringtones. A number of ultrasonic ringtones are available, because sounds between 17 kHz and 20 kHz can usually be heard only by teenagers. Just download one of these ringtones and put it on loop.

The only drawback: Any teens or dogs in your house will suddenly start hearing things.

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