How To Get Rid Of Owls In Your Yard

While owls are amazing creatures and can help to function as natural pest control, they are not a bird everyone wants on their property. Fortunately, when it comes to how to get rid of owls in your yard there are quite a few things you can do to deter them. Here’s what you’ll need to know.

Why Get Rid Of Owls?

Owls are birds of prey and once they have moved into your yard they will feed mainly on small mammals. However, if they are given the opportunity they may also kill and eat poultry and smaller-sized pets. And that may include cats and even small dogs. Owls cough up pellets that contain undigested parts of their food.

And both their pellets and feces can be offensive to the nose and contain potentially harmful viruses and bacteria. In addition, some species such as the great horned owl may attack when they feel that their nest is threatened. And don’t forget owls can be noisy. They make a range of sounds and calls during the nighttime hours.

Use Owl Decoys

Owls are solitary hunters. And these predators will usually stay away from areas that are being claimed by another bird of prey. For this reason, both owl and hawk decoys can be used as visual deterrents. However, keep in mind that like with most decoys you will need to move them every few days so that the owls don’t catch on to the fact that they are not real birds.

Get Rid Of Rodents

Rodents make up a large part of an owl’s diet. And they are much more likely to stick around if they have identified your property as somewhere where they can snag an easy meal. However, the opposite is true as well, without a food source the owls will typically leave. So you will want to get rid of any rodents you have in your yard.

Rodents can be killed using snap traps, trapped and relocated using live traps, or deterred by using ultrasonic devices. You’ll also want to make sure your yard is unfriendly to rodents. For example, keep all trash inside sealed garbage cans, and if you feed your pets outdoors throw away the leftovers when your pet is finished eating.

Remove any existing brush piles so rodents don’t move in. Also, cut back any long grass and keep your lawn well-trimmed to discourage rodents from using it to travel. Rodents feel much more comfortable and less exposed in long grass.

Stop Attracting Songbirds

In addition to eating rodents and other prey items, owls also feed on birds. If you have spotted an owl in your yard and you have a birdfeeder and or birdbath it may help to stop feeding and providing water for the songbirds until the owl is gone. In addition, keep in mind that uneaten birdseed which has fallen to the ground will likely attract rodents which in turn may attract owls.

Exclusion

If you have backyard chickens, ducks, or rabbits, be sure to keep them in covered pens or coops that are secured with poultry wire so owls cannot get in. Having an enclosed structure for the animals is also ideal.

Bringing the animals into the structure each night and confining them there will help prevent owls from ever seeing them in the first place since they are nocturnal hunters. By routinely feeding or watering the animals at dusk you can condition them to move into the structure on their own.

Keep Your Yard Well-Lit       

Owls hunt in the dark. They do not feel comfortable in areas that are well-lit at night and will avoid them. By using outdoor flood lights or other outdoor lighting options you can help to deter owls from your yard during their nightly hunting sessions.

Use A Flashlight

If you are able to spot where they are perched you can sometimes get rid of owls at night by shining a flashlight directly on them. This may require several nights of harassment with the flashlight but if you’re lucky the owl will feel uncomfortable and find a new place to call home or hunt where it won’t be bothered.

Get Rid Of Perches

When hunting, owls will sit on horizontal perches and wait for prey to come by. If possible cut down any potential perching sites such as tree horizontal tree branches or old snags that are within a hundred yards of your property to help ensure owls won’t have anywhere to sit and survey your yard. If removal of potential perches isn’t an option you can always place bird spikes on them to deter owls from using them.

Block Nesting Sites

Be sure to block access to any possible owl nesting sites. For example, you can use wire mesh to cover any hollows that you find in the trees in your yard. Wire mesh can also be placed around chimneys since owls will sometimes nest in chimneys as well. And be sure to fix any existing holes where owls could get into roofs, sheds, barns, or exterior walls of your home.

Use Noise

Owls dislike loud noises and human contact. Oftentimes you can use noise to drive them away once they have been spotted on your property. Yelling and clapping can be used to chase off owls. Extremely loud noises such as firecrackers can be used to startle and scare off owls as well. The sounds of power tools, lawnmowers, and grass trimmers will usually work to deter owls too.

Call A Professional

If the above methods do not work, or in certain instances such as if owls have already established a nest, you may need to call a professional to trap and relocate them. Keep in mind that in many places around the world owls are protected. For example, in the United States owls are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act which makes it illegal to trap or kill them without a permit.

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