Blackbird Deterrent Cap

Where I live, there is a huge migration every spring and fall of red-winged blackbirds. Though pretty, they can be surprisingly aggressive when protecting their nesting territory—your entire yard can start to feel like a bit of a war zone. They’ll dive-bomb squirrels, dogs, and definitely people. And if they feel particularly threatened, they may even band together and swoop as a group. As a gardener, this creates a yearly challenge when trying to tend the lawn.

An interesting thing about red-winged blackbirds is that, as bold as they seem, they almost never approach face-on - they come from behind. My neighbors deal with the same issue each year and suggested I try their solution: wearing sunglasses on top of the head so the birds see them as a pair of eyes. I gave it a try, and it did seem to help… but it wasn’t very practical for someone as active as I am in the garden.

Sometimes creativity happens from necessity.

So this is when I said, “There has to be another way.” I knew that many bird deterrents use the color red, so I started with a few blank red baseball caps. I also wanted to add “eyes” that would face both forward and backward. With some fabric paint and a set of googly eyes, the Redwing Deterrent Cap came to life… and it works like a charm! (Click on images below.)