Birds ripping up your lawn?
Why do they do it, and how do you stop them?
We get this question all the time, especially from people with kikuyu lawns. Whether it’s galahs, cockatoos, or any number of other birds ripping up your lawn, this can be an immensely frustrating problem.
So why do they do it?
It’s quite simple – they’re digging for food.
Magpies, crows, and some other omnivorous birds feed on beetle larvae, better known as grubs, within the soil. Grubs eat lawn roots and other organic matter in the soil, which can ultimately do quite a bit of damage – much more than the birds themselves. So in these cases the birds are actually doing you a favour, as they will help to keep grub numbers under control.
Herbivorous birds, on the other hand, may be more interested in eating the lawn itself. In particular, cockatoos and galahs love to feed off seeds and vegetation. They consider the starchy underground runners beneath the lawn surface quite the delicacy, particularly in kikuyu lawns. And to get to them, they are more than willing to dig around and rip at the grass roots!
What to do?
Well, if the damage is not too bad you can certainly just leave them be, and that would be our recommendation. Rest assured, your lawn will survive and recover just fine! But if the birds have become more than just an inconvenience and are starting to destroy your lawn, here are a few tactics to keep them at bay.
Fake Owls or Hawks
Many people put fake predator birds, such as owls or hawks, in their yard to deter smaller birds. This strategy can be somewhat effective, but only if you do it right! Birds are smarter than you might think, and quickly figure out that a completely motionless bird is not something to be feared.
To improve the deception, move the owl at least every few days. Also, make sure you don’t put it right out in the open, as a real owl would always seek out a more covert position. For even better realism, invest in a fake owl like this one, which has eyes that flash and makes a hooting sound when the motion sensor is activated.
Motion Sensor Irrigation
Motion-activated sprinklers can detect bird movement on the lawn and quickly jet a stream of water at the target area. The sound of the sprinkler turning on combined with the impact of the water itself will frighten birds away quickly and harmlessly. And there’s no unnecessary water wastage, as the sprinkler only uses a couple of cups of water per jet.
Bird Repellent Spray
Try spraying your lawn with a product that the birds won’t like the taste of. Birds hate aluminium ammonium sulphate, which is the active ingredient in many repellent sprays, including Scat by Multicrop. This strategy is perfectly humane, as the product is completely non-toxic to birds.
If you want to try making up your own bird repellent spray, source some alum and add one teaspoon per litre of water. Other spray mixes we have seen people try include weak black tea and wasabi in water, but the results seem to be mixed!
Birds are persistent creatures, and no one method is 100% effective. But by experimenting with the strategies we’ve covered here, hopefully you’ll find a combination of methods that works for you.