How to Keep Geese Off Your Dock

Summertime is for kicking back, relaxing, and spending time with friends and family. When entertaining visitors, it can be frustrating to find unwanted guests. Birds are often invading your space, making a mess, and causing danger – especially geese. Geese love to be by the water and will hang around waterfront property including docks, beaches, and more. Here are some tips on how to keep geese off your dock. 

What Attracts Birds to Docks

Unfortunately, geese have plenty of reasons to hang around a boat dock. They’re seeking basic survival elements such as food and shelter, but also bonus features like waterfront property and open spaces. Geese are typically on the hunt for:

• Water
  Geese prefer waterfront property with easy access for bathing and playing.
• Food
  Sources of food are a sure way to attract any animal. Make sure to clean up any loose scraps or food sources that may attract birds to your property for easy snacking.
• Shelter
  Birds are often looking for shelter to set up a nesting area to call home. If your dock has an awning or other features that create a sheltered space for birds, they might attempt to nest there. 
• Open space
  Clear views allow geese to see all the action and the ability to keep an eye on their surroundings for any potential threats. You can interrupt this by planting tall grass or shrubs near your dock.

Understanding what is attracting these birds to your dock or property will determine deterrent methods. First, block off these ideal resources and interrupt their ideal open space environment. If the problem persists, there are many other tactics for deterring birds from your property. 

How to Keep Geese Off Your Dock with Physical Deterrents 

Whether your dock is for accessing your boat, lounging, as a jumping platform, or all of the above, you need access to it. Don’t let the geese claim your dock as home, take it back with these physical deterrents. 

• Flags
  Tall flag poles can cause a commotion when the flag blows in the wind, this can confuse birds and deter them from your dock.
• Bird spikes
  Making birds uncomfortable is a sure way to keep them away. Bird spikes, wires, or nets will create traps or make geese uncomfortable, ensuring they won’t want to stick around. 
• Decoys
  Doubling as decor, decoys scare birds off. Swan statues are an effective illusion of geeses’ main predator. Other statues can also make the space look claimed by another bird. 
• Lights
  Geese hate bright lights, especially in their sleeping areas. Beacon or strobe lights will enforce the disruption bright lights cause. Some lighting options provide the bonus of giving off sound to further deter birds.

How to Keep Geese Off Your Dock using Reflective Items

Reflective surfaces are confusing and scary for birds. Take advantage of this fear by placing reflective items on your dock to keep geese away.

• Reflective tape
  Lining the edges of your dock with reflective tape can keep birds away. The thin material of tape is convenient and won’t get in your way or disrupt the look of your dock. 
• Old CDs
  If you aren’t using your CD discs anymore, they make cool decor. Try breaking them down to pieces and using the shiny side up to scare birds off. 
• Reflective streamers
  Streamers are another reflective item you can display to deter birds. The higher you hang them, the better. Try hanging them from an awning, flag pole, shepherd’s hook, or other tall items on your property.

How to Keep Geese Off Your Dock with Avian Control

When trying out different deterrents, you must continuously update them to keep birds from adapting to any decoys. To avoid regular maintenance and skip to an effective result – try Avian Control.

Our easy to apply, long-lasting, liquid bird repellent can protect your dock through any weather without harming humans or pets. Our product is EPA-registered and non-toxic. 

Birds will learn to avoid your dock from just one spray that lasts up to 14 days! Shop today or contact us at 888.868.1982 to talk with one of our experts today.