I bet you didn’t wake up today thinking, “Gee! I sure hope I get to scrub bird poop off of my sign!” That’s because dealing with the mess birds leave outside your business is the pits. You might even say that it’s for the birds (badum tssssss . . . sorry that I’m not sorry for using puns). A lot of companies have problems with birds building their nests in the channel letters of their signs. There’s even a Tumblr feed about it called Type Nesting. It’s a common problem because signs are high enough to give the birds a good vantage point for hunting and safety from predators. Although we may normally love our fine feathered friends, you don’t want them damaging your signs and turning your storefront into a Jackson Pollock painting. No one wants to patronize a store with a grody sign! Thankfully, there are preventative measures you can take to humanely keep birds from nesting in the channel letters of your sign.

See why you always put faces on your channel letters? Little birds are scrappy and will make a home in even the smallest holes.

• Bird Spikes: Spikes? Doesn’t sound very humane you say? Well, there are companies that sell dulled spike options that you can place in the crevices of your sign letters or on top of your roof. The bird (or any building maintenance workers, for that matter) won’t accidentally hurt themselves on the spikes, but it will prevent any birds from landing or nesting.
• Transparent Bird Gel: Bird gel has been used in the industry for decades but it’s not perfect. Bird Gel is a clear, sticky gel that you can spread on ledges or in the crevices of your signs. The idea is that the bird will land in the sticky stuff, hate the way it feels, and fly off to less-sticky pastures. The problem is, the gel can quickly collect dirt and pollution and make the sign look dirty. You also can’t legally use it to ward off protected bird species, so if you have a particularly exotic breed of pest you might not be able to use this option.

Obviously this bird is a genius: he's hanging out where people are accidentally dropping french fries on the ground!

• Bird Coil: Basically, this is like a giant slinky that you can stretch across your ledge or in the little nooks and crannies and fasten on with clips. It does the same thing as bird spikes by preventing the birds being able to land and nest in the space, but there are no pointy bits so it’s even safer for the birds.
• Visual Deterrents: You’ve probably seen big plastic owls posted on top of buildings or in parking lots to deter birds from hanging out. Many companies will put up a decoy predator like this to scare off small birds. Visual deterrents like these have been proven to only work for a little while if used alone because birds quickly realize that, “hey . . . that owl hasn’t moved for, like, three hours!” When using a visual deterrent, make sure that it occasionally moves or makes noise.

Little bird, surveying his kingdom.

• Sound Deterrents: You can purchase sound machines that periodically make noises that scare birds off and prevent them from landing on your sign. The most common ones are dog barking noises and the calls of predatory birds. You can set the device to go off on a regular schedule—for example, every ten minutes—so you won’t have a constant sound machine outside treating your customers to the weirdest playlist ever. The downside to sound deterrents is that, like visual deterrents, they often quickly lose their effectiveness if used alone.
• Motion Deterrents: There are various devices that will spin or move to discourage birds from landing on your sign and roof. Most of them are visual deterrents that also move, like a plastic owl that will occasionally twist. Some are really high-tech—like this solar powered propeller by Bird-B-Gone. These can be really effective at keeping the birds at bay, and you generally only need to place them in one area near your sign. 

Sign maintenance is critical in keeping up the appearance of your store. The condition of your sign immediately lets customers know what to expect when they enter your business, so let it make a good first impression! For more sign maintenance tips give us a call at 615-595-6564. Click the button below to get a free quote on channel lettering for your business.