How to Keep Birds Off a Trampoline? [Simple and Effective Methods]

It’s a bright and sunny morning. You are enjoying a cup of hot coffee and looking outside into your backyard when suddenly you see a bird sitting on top of your trampoline. Within a couple of minutes, another bird decided to join it. And after a while, about five or six birds are sitting on top of your trampoline.

You might be thinking – it’s fine. But when you finally go out and look at your trampoline, you will find it covered with bird droppings and feathers. If that sounds like something that you would rather avoid, then you need to figure out a way to keep birds off your trampoline. Let me give you a couple of ways to deal with it.

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How to Keep Birds Off a Trampoline?

For people with a backyard trampoline, it almost always seems like a never-ending battle to keep birds off of it. But the truth is, there are plenty of effective ways to deal with bird issues once and for all.

When I first faced such problems, I decided to stand guard from time to time and run outside whenever I saw birds trying to perch on top of it. While it definitely works, it is not very practical for me to run out every time.

Needless to say, I wanted a permanent solution. And after talking to a couple of friends and doing some research, I ended up going with a scarecrow.

Did that fix the issue? – yes. But it turns out there are other ways to handle it, too, if you do not like that idea. Other methods include but are not limited to –

1. Trampoline Cover
2. Sound Repeller
3. Makeshift Predators
4. Cat
5. Cable Ties
6. Spikes
7. Reflective Surfaces
8. Wind Chimes

Don’t worry if all of this seems a bit overwhelming now. I will give you a complete rundown of the things that you can do to keep birds off of your trampoline so that you can figure out which method suits you.

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What is the Best Thing to Keep Birds Away?

Birds can be a nuisance, sure, but there are plenty of different ways to keep them away from your backyard trampoline. But if you ask me, the best way to do that is to get a scarecrow. Farmers use them all the time to keep birds away from their harvest.

And it also works wonders when you are trying to keep your trampoline free of bird invasion. Now, you always have the option to go out and buy a scarecrow for your backyard. But if you really want to have some fun, I would recommend making one yourself.

Making a scarecrow is pretty easy, and there are plenty of guides online to help you figure it out. You can also enlist the help of your kids and make this a fun bonding experience for your family.

When you have your scarecrow, just place it in your backyard, and it should keep away most birds. So, your backyard will be free of bird droppings, and you can enjoy your trampoline without any hygienic concerns.

How To Keep Birds Off Trampoline Net? (A Few Handy Methods)

While the best way to keep birds away is using a scarecrow, not everyone wants to have one in their backyard. Some people don’t like the aesthetics. And let’s face it – a scarecrow is not always a pretty sight.

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But does that mean you have to put up with birds sitting on your trampoline and creating a mess whenever they want? Not necessarily.

If you do not want to use a scarecrow, there are plenty of other ways to prevent birds from sitting on your trampoline. And a lot of them are less invasive to your backyard compared to setting up a scarecrow in your backyard.

Here are a couple of easy yet effective ways to keep birds off your trampoline net.

1. Use a Trampoline Cover

Using a tarp or a trampoline cover is a surprisingly effective way to fend off birds from landing on your trampoline. Keep in mind that when one bird sees your trampoline and perches on top of it, more will follow in no time. However, if your trampoline is covered, they will find no ledge to perch on and go elsewhere.

If you do not use your trampoline frequently, keeping it covered can protect it against more than just birds. It will also keep your trampoline dry.

Most trampoline manufacturers also design trampoline cover to go along with their trampolines. So, I would recommend getting a specifically designed cover for your trampoline. That way, you will be able to put it on or off quite easily with minimal hassle on your part.

2. Use a Sound Repeller

If the bird problem is quite severe, you can consider investing in a sound repeller to fix the problem. This is a small device that emits an ultrasonic pulse to keep animals away from you. And you can install it on your trampoline to keep birds off of it.

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However, if you have pets such as dogs or cats, this would not be the best way to go. Not only does a sound repeller scare off birds, but it will also keep your dogs or cats away from the trampoline.

Another issue with using a sound repeller is that it does not work on every type of bird. Still, if you are having bird issues and do not own a pet, this might be worth a try.

3. Use Makeshift Predators

Birds may be stubborn creatures, but they are just as scared of predators as any animal. The main enemy of most birds is snakes and owls. So, placing a plastic snake or owl somewhere in your backyard close to the trampoline can be useful for keeping birds away from sitting on it.

However, just placing a plastic animal in your backyard is not enough to keep them away for good. Birds can be pretty smart, and if they detect no movement from your makeshift predator from time to time, they will figure out that it is not a threat.

The workaround to this dilemma is to simply move them around every now and then. You can also toss them on your trampoline when you are done jumping on it to prevent birds from perching on top of the trampoline enclosure.

To make this trick even more effective, you can switch between a plastic owl, snake, or even a hawk every few days. Change up the angles of placement or positioning from time to time, and you should not have to worry about birds sitting on your trampoline any time soon.

4. Get a Cat

If you are a cat person, then why not use this as an excuse to get yourself a new pet? Cats are a natural enemy of birds, and if you have one in your backyard, birds will not dare perch on top of your trampoline any time soon.

It is a win-win situation for both you and your cat. On the one hand, you get to enjoy the company of a new pet. And on the other hand, your cat will be able to have a good time hunting birds and keeping them away from your trampoline.

So, whenever you are done jumping on your trampoline, you can let your cat out in the backyard to play and chase down birds. And as it gets dark and birds go to their nests, you can let your cat back in the house. This is a fantastic solution for cat lovers.

5. Use Cable Ties

Cables ties are an essential component of most trampoline installations, especially when you are setting up the netting. But did you know that they are also quite efficient at keeping birds at bay?

The idea is simple; when you are setting up the net using cable ties, instead of cutting off the pointy ends, stick them up so that they are pointed upwards. This will make it difficult for the birds to perch on top of the safety enclosure.

It is a simple solution that works wonders at keeping both large and small avian creatures off of your trampoline.

6. Use Spikes

If you would rather not use cable ties to prevent birds from landing on your trampoline, you can consider investing in bird-proof metal spikes. The idea is pretty much the same as using cable ties with the ends pointed upwards.

Just make sure you are going with rust-free metal spikes as they last longer. To mount them on your trampoline, you can either use zip ties or outdoor glue.

However, this method only works if your trampoline has a top ring enclosure system. That way, you will be able to secure it to the top ledges of the enclosure, keeping them out of reach of the jumper. The last thing you would want is to place it around the edges of the trampoline where someone can land on them.

7. Reflective Surfaces

There is something about shiny reflective surfaces that messes with the birds’ navigational capabilities. I mean, you must have seen it, right? Birds tend to avoid glass windows as the light can bounce off in their eyes. Well, as it turns out, you can use this to your advantage.

You can strategically place shiny and reflective surfaces around the trampoline to fend off birds. For best results, I recommend going out and buying reflective scare tapes easily available in your local store. You can also use tin foil but make sure you place it in a way that it catches the light.

Lastly, you can hang reflective discs like CDs or DVDs around the edges of your trampoline. If they catch the light, they will be able to distract the birds and keep them away from sitting on your trampoline.

8. Use Wind Chimes

Birds are scared easily and usually do not like sudden movements or loud noises. And that means wind chimes work quite effectively at keeping them away, albeit for a short time. However, this is not a permanent solution as you rely on the wind to make the noise.

Still, for what it’s worth, installing a couple of wind chimes around the trampoline can distract and keep away birds to some extent. If the wind picks up, the chimes will make loud noises which will scare off any birds in the vicinity.

How to Keep Pigeons Off Trampoline?

Of all the creatures in the avian family, pigeons are the most destructive. And if you have a pigeon problem, then you are in for a tough time. Getting pigeons to stop perching on your trampoline is difficult since they do not scare as easily as other birds.

Pigeons typically hate the presence of other predators in the vicinity. So, the best way to deal with this issue would be to get a cat that will keep them off actively when they try to perch on your trampoline.

They also hate the smell of hot pepper spray or cinnamon, so you can try spreading a bit around your trampoline when you are done using it. Other effective ways to get rid of pigeons include using bird spikes or bird gels which can make it impossible for them to perch on your trampoline.

Some Parting Wisdom

If you want to stop birds pooping all around your trampoline in the backyard, you need to tackle it head-on. Sure, you can clean the bird poop off a couple of times, but you need to figure out how to prevent birds from sitting on the trampoline once and for all.

Of course, getting a scarecrow is a foolproof way to stop the bird issues, but not everyone wants to commit to it, and I get that. That is why I also talked about several other options that work just as well.

I hope my tips and tricks can help you keep birds off your trampoline and make your backyard mess-free. Good luck!