With summer just around the corner, many gardeners will be thrilled to see berries and fruits starting to appear. However, humans aren't the only ones excited for this time of year, as birds will often find a way to get to the ripe fruit and berries before you get the chance to harvest them for yourself. While this is frustrating, there is a simple way you can help keep birds away from your garden without using any harmful deterrents

Taking to her Instagram, one woman named Brooke Morgan, who often shares her gardening journey with her 139,000 followers, has shared the clever way she's keeping birds away this year, as she's managed to modernise an old trick. "So, a really cool lesson I learned from the elders at my old community garden is that birds will stay away from your fruit and your berries if there's reflective things," she explained.

She went on to explain that people have often hung CDs or DVDs in fruit trees to keep birds away. However, Brooke went on to say that she didn't have any of these, and instead came up with a different solution.

"What I do have is free will and an Amazon account," she said as she revealed her alternative. Brooke explained that, instead of getting some old CDs or DVDs, she opted to buy some small disco balls, which came with string already attached, making them perfect for hanging in fruit trees.

Brooke then showed off that she'd hung several different disco balls in her fruit tree at different heights in order to protect the fruit that was already growing on it. People soon took to the comments section to praise Brooke for her clever alternative, as one person wrote: "I don't know why but this made my day."

"Another reminder I need to enjoy my free will more," a second user said, while a third commented: "This is incredible." Someone else also suggested: "Second hand stores often have DVDs and CDs, you can look for scratched up ones and get them for really cheap."

Reflective objects like CDs, tape, and mirrors keep birds away by creating sudden flashes of sunlight, erratic motion, and alarming visual distortions that mimic predators or danger.

These, combined with metallic sounds from moving tape, trigger a flight response in pest birds, creating a "distraction zone" that prevents them from landing or nesting.

These methods are popular because they are non-harmful and highly effective as a temporary, visual deterrent in gardens, on balconies, and on roofs.