Anyone know a way to prevent...

[Rochester]

...birds from building nests in a specific spot?
There's a spot on my front porch that the birds seem to want to claim. I've been knocking down the nests every day when I come home from work. I did battle with one bird for about a week before it gave up, and now another one (or maybe same one) is trying again.
Is there anything I can put there that will stop them from coming back? This something should be cheap, and this means cheaper than my own idea (mousetraps).

[In_The_Wind]

1. Try peppermint or wintergreen.

Potpourri sticks or an air wick type of thing.

[Raffi Ella]

2. Maybe you could put a rock there? or something.

Last year a bird built a nest in clay flower pot on my deck. I didn't notice it until the babies hatched. There are stray cats around here so I was pretty worried for them being in that vulnerable a spot...a few days after I noticed them they were gone. I don't know what happened to them.

This year I put away anything that they could build a nest in.

[Wounded Bear]

3. Is it wood? You could pound a few nails in.....

spaced out about 3-4 inches apart. I've seensimilar things done in bus/train stations with steel wires, but I guess nails would work.

[datasuspect]

4. fire

fire cleanses everything.

god hath ordained it.

the god of hellfire, that is.

[femmocrat]

5. Chicken wire.

Attach it with a staple gun.

[Ptah]

6. +1

Wish I had thought of that.

[kurtzapril4]

7. Chicken wire

in a protective bubble around the spot. If they're songbirds...a mousetrap is illegal. Glad you're looking for another way, LOL!

[olddots]

8. We're kind of in the same bind with a wren banging on our window

The smells and scents option sounds like the least harmful way .

our dogs who will bark at anything just look at the wren and fall asleep .

[Moondog]

9. There are imitation hawks and owls, but

they probably are not inexpensive unless you can borrow or rent one. Or pick one up at a garage, yard or estate sale.

I doubt that a print-out of one, mounted on cardboard would work, except in limited access / lighting situations. But if all else fails, it might be worth a try.

[NV Whino]

10. Google bird spikes

Not harmful, but prevent perching and, one hopes, nesting. Also. Rid netting.

[lastlib]

11. put a rubber snake there.

or a really obnoxious wind-chime.

With some birds, it works to hang up a small mirror. The offending bird will get so busy attacking "that other bird" that it won't build a nest there.

I once had a cardinal that saw itself in my car's outside rear-view mirror, and spent virtually the entire next week fighting with its reflection. It was hilarious, but I finally put a towel over the mirror so it wouldn't see its reflection. It soon left the area.

[Demo_Chris]

12. BB Gun?

KIDDING!!!