Birds like to make themselves comfortable in our garden or balcony. Their happy chirping cannot be forgiving if they leave behind a lot of bird droppings. A scarecrow works wonders. Creative examples can be made cheaply from old materials.
How can I make a scarecrow myself?
To make a scarecrow yourself, you need a long and a short wooden slat, a saw, a hammer, nails, burlap, straw, twine, old clothes and a hat. Attach the wooden slats crosswise, drive them into the ground and shape the head, body and arms with straw and clothing.
Deterring properties
Birds avoid anything that can try to kill them. These include people, birds of prey and cats. When they spot this danger, they give it a wide berth.
To be on the safe side, they also keep their distance from things that they cannot accurately assess. Things that move, light up or make any sounds.
A good scarecrow takes advantage of the above, ideally combining several frightening aspects.
Human-like scarecrow
Everyone probably has the image of a human-looking scarecrow in their head. It is placed in private gardens and fields to keep birds away and not cause damage. Now you can make your own custom creation. You will need the following materials and tools:
- a wooden slat (€57.00 on Amazon) 2 m long
- a wooden slat (€57.00 on Amazon) 1 m long
- rough sawn and approx. 3 x 5 cm thick
- Saw, hammer and nails
- Burlap, straw
- Scissors and string
- old clothes, hat
Craft instructions
- Sharpen one end of the long stick so that the scarecrow can be hammered into the ground later.
- Attach the shorter batten crosswise to the long batten, about 1.5 m from the pointed end. She forms the outstretched arms.
- Choose a suitable spot in the garden and use the hammer to drive in the wooden frame to a depth of about 30 cm.
- Form a head by wrapping straw around the slat.
- Put linen over it and tie it at the bottom with twine.
- Dress the scarecrow in old, colorful clothes if possible and put a hat on him.
- If you feel like it, you can also make hands out of straw.
Tip
Attach the hat tightly so that the next breeze doesn't blow it into the neighbor's garden.
Sparkling scarecrow for the balcony
A small balcony usually doesn't offer enough space to set up a large scarecrow. But you can always find a place for a small scarecrow. Old CDs are ideal because they shimmer in the sun and therefore irritate the birds.
- provide several CDs
- draw a human face on each CD
- Stick on straw or wool threads as hair
Attach CDs
Put a nylon thread through the hole of each CD so that it can dangle in the wind after hanging.
You can put a wooden slat in a flower box and screw two smaller wooden slats onto it to form a cross. The CDs are attached to the four ends. You may also discover other suitable hanging options on your balcony.