Do Wind Chimes Keep Birds Away? (Tips to Make It Work)

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If you’re asking the question, do wind chimes keep birds away, then you are probably having issues with some pesky birds invading your space and creating extra work or stress for you. Or maybe you love the peaceful sound wind chimes make but don’t want to scare away your garden guests.

The Size and pitch of a wind chime could scare birds away at first. As they become habituated (the process of getting accustomed to something) to the wind chime and its sounds, most of the birds will return, making the wind chime redundant in its effect to scare birds away.

There is no scientific evidence that wind chimes scare birds away. It may work initially only to find that the birds get habituated to the new item in their environment and come back. But let’s dig deeper and look more carefully at what you are trying to achieve.

Why Do You Hang Wind Chimes?

I think the first thing to decide is the reason why you want to hang a wind chime in your garden.

Do you want to deter birds or attract them to your garden? Do you want to add a wind chime to hear its sweet relaxing twinkling music? Or maybe you want to use it for feng shui?

Do Wind Chimes Attract Birds?

While birds can be curious, they can also be easily scared by noises. Depending on the size and noise level of the wind chime, they could attract some species of birds.

Small wind chimes that emit soft, sweet, chiming music may deter some small birds as they get frightened by the new noise and item that is now placed in their surroundings.

But eventually, they will get used to the item and its sound and flock back to your garden, especially if an easy food and water source is attracting them.

But if you are looking for a wind chime to hang near your home or in a relaxing part of your garden, just for relaxation or for some feng shui to attract good spirits and bring peace and harmony to your surroundings.

Remember to use small wind chimes for this purpose and keep them out of drafty areas where they may be more of a nuisance than a relaxation tool.

Can Wind Chimes Scare Birds Away?

Do wind chimes scare birds away? In short, yes, the long version, no!

Your wind chime will have to be big or loud enough to scare away birds, depending on the size and the species of birds you want to eliminate from your garden or patio.

But wind chimes alone will not scare the birds away for good. Taking away their easily accessible food and water sources will help deter them from coming back to your garden.

Maybe you planted some new seeds to grow a colorful bed of flowers to bring brightness to your sanctuary, but the birds are having a field day feasting on the newly planted seeds and think it’s Christmas.

Maybe you are planting a new area with grass seeds, but your heart sinks only so see a flock of birds devouring the seeds that would once have been your prize lawn.

It’s enough to enrage anyone when you see your hard work eliminated in a short space of time. But we can’t blame the little critters. For them, it is an easy ticket to food after all.

Another real health issue is pigeons and swallows nesting in the rafters of your house or making their nest under the roof of your patio.

In the beginning, it may seem cute and sweet, but after a while, there may be so many of them moving into the neighborhood. Now imagine all the birds pooping and messing your space. You’re bound to get fed up and want to do something about it.

Just the mess you have to clean up every time would be daunting enough. Not to mention the disease birds bring to your animals and toddlers if they accidentally ingest the droppings.

Let’s face it we all love having birds in our garden and listening to their sweet chirps and melodies, but some birds can make a real nuisance of themselves.

So assessing which birds and where in your surroundings you want to deter them from coming will then determine what type of wind chime you should use.

Also, removing their easy access to food and water sources will help in making it less attractive to invade your area.

Where to Place Wind Chimes to Scare Birds Away?

Placement of wind chimes for maximum effect is important if you want to deter a pesky bird. There is no use placing the wind chime on your patio if the bird is eating up your seeds in your garden.

Place wind chimes on your patio to help eliminate birds making your patio their home and pooping grounds.

Try to place the wind chime near their nesting area on your patio and ensure that a soft breeze is drafting through. Your wind chime would be an absolute waste of time if there weren’t any breeze to help it chime.

Also, if you have any reflective trinkets on it, or if the wind chime is made of metal, it may be good to place it where you have maximum sun exposure to add to the wind chime effectiveness.

A well-placed wind chime in a tree where the birds may have flocked in by the dozens to nest may help to scare them off. But I would probably add something reflective to shoo them away.

The chiming of the wind chimes may not be enough on its own, as over time, the birds will get used to the noise and the presence of the wind chime and not associate danger with it.

What about your lawn and garden seeds that are being devoured by the second? Place wind chimes in strategic places above, around, and smack in the middle of the affected area.

If you don’t have a branch or nearby pole to attach the wind chimes to, then plant a small iron or wooden pole in the desired location to hang your wind chime.

Removing any water bowls or feed trays nearby will be an added reason for the birds not to come back.

Again, I would add some reflective wind chimes to strengthen the message you are trying to push across to the birds.

What Types of Wind Chimes Can You Use to Keep Birds Away?

There are so many different types of wind chimes nowadays that the selection can make your head spin.

Should you use wooden chimes, metal, plastic, aluminum, the list goes on. Then there is the question of how big it should be and how many chimes you should have.

With such a wide range of wind chimes, it’s enough to confuse you, not to mention the price that these items can fetch, and there is also the question of, can I make my own wind chimes? For an inexpensive wind chime, try making one at home.

So if you are looking at getting a wind chime to get rid of birds, you first need to understand how birds hear.

Birds generally hear between 1-4khz. Birds cannot hear above the 20khz (ultrasonic frequencies), and there is no scientific evidence to support that noises below 20khz (infrasound) affect or scares birds away.

Ok, I know this still doesn’t answer the question. So, what wind chimes can you use?

You can use pretty much anything, as introducing the wind chime into the birds’ surroundings will initially scare them off. What you add to the wind chimes to increase the effectiveness will determine if they will stay away or be determined to return.

Try adding shiny reflective objects like glass, mirrors, old CDs. Or use reflective tapes and metallic ribbons. The reflections of light make the birds nervous, and if there is too much distraction, it might keep them away for good.

Does the Color of Wind Chimes Scare Birds Away?

If you want to hang a new wind chime in your little corner of heaven but you are worried it will chase the birds away, don’t be.

The color alone of the wind chime will not scare away birds; however, if the wind chime has lots of reflective components, that may be the deterrent that prevents them from making themselves at home and filling your refuge with the sound of twittering birds.

Will Wind Chimes Scare Woodpeckers Away?

In general, wind chimes will not scare off woodpeckers as they tend to keep busy in the higher parts of the trees where it is impossible to hang wind chimes.

Woodpeckers will make the nest high above trees where the sound of wind chimes will not bother them.

Will Wind Chimes Scare Pigeons Away?

Depending on where you are, pigeons can be a bit trickier to get rid of. If you live in the middle of the hustle and bustle of town, then you may find that the movement and noise around them have so desensitized the pigeons.

Getting rid of them may need some extra help from other deterrents, such as bird spikes, reflective objects, and noise.

But we are not talking about pins and razors to keep the pigeons from making themselves comfortable. Bird spikes are molded forms that protrude and make perching or landing on that surface practically impossible.

Living in the calmer and quieter parts of the suburbs, you may find that wind chimes work better as the pigeons are not so accustomed to foreign noises.

But removing their easy access to food and water will go a long way in ensuring they don’t come back.

But again, this may be a temporary solution as they come back after getting used to the sound and movement of the wind chimes.

Will Wind Chimes Scare Humming Birds Away?

Hummingbirds, these tiny marvel birds, can be easily startled and be inclined to be much more nervous than other birds in their surroundings. Their size is also an influence on why they are so wary and flappable.

Loud, deep wind chimes may frighten these little creatures away for good due to the noise and the size of the objects present in the humming birds’ surroundings.

Adding to the scariness of these tubular creations, the reflection of some of them may be just too much for the hummingbird. It will pack up and move onto quieter settings.

But in some instances, they may be attracted to the more delicate tunes of the smaller and finer wind chimes.

Will Wind Chimes Scare Away Scare Crows?

You may find the bigger, and louder wind chimes may do the trick in dissuading the scarecrows from your gardens.

However, this will not prevent them from getting habituated to the sound and coming back to bug you once more.

Keeping in mind that scarecrows tend to have a fondness for shiny things, it may not be the best thing to add shiny reflective objects to the wind chimes.

Try using something more like CDs or laser beams to confuse and scare them away. Long strands of reflective tape may also come in handy to confuse them.

Final Thoughts

Ending off, you see that wind chimes may be a deterrent for a while but won’t be the ultimate way to keep birds away.

So if you’re looking to scare birds away, you may need to look a bit deeper into other more creative options of adding to the wind chimes to keep birds away.

But if you are looking at creating more of a Zen haven to invite good feng shui or even merely to enjoy the relaxing tinkling music of the wind chime. Then it’s worth the trouble. Just as long as you keep trying to keep the wind chimes as least intrusive as possible

Just as you will eventually get accustomed to the sound of the wind chime, so will your feathered neighbors, and you will find that they start returning to your garden, especially if you bribe them with easily accessible food and water source.

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