I think this is the right forum, if not, please move.
We have a pair of (I think) chickadees that have built a nest above the storen outside our living room window. The birds seem to have returned for the spring and are banging against the window.
We don't want to the birds to nest there - they pull out the insulation, leave droppings on the windowsill and attract cats (cat will try to climb up the window to get to the nest at the top).
Can we scare the birds, so they find someplace else to nest, or do we need to entirely block the opening? Other ideas?
Thanks.
I sympathise. It can be very messy. We used to get a lot of swifts in the UK but that was under the roof of an outbuilding so we just let them be and cleaned up once the chicks fledged. A neighbour of mine has the same problem above a balcony. She sits one of those pottery ornamental cats on the balcony at the beginning of Spring which seems to do the trick. I guess anything with a silhouette of a cat on the window sill might help as long as you change it's position from time to time. I've also heard a plastic snake has the same effect.
Just another thought. Why don't you simply remove the nest? If they try again keep removing the material. At this time of year birds might make a few attempts at nesting until they find somewhere undisturbed. Better now before they start laying.
Reviving this thread as I have a similar issue!
Just noticed that the shutters of our third bedroom, which we rarely open/ close, are the home of some birds. As we have not noticed this, there is a huge mess (bird poo and twigs that fell off their nest).
Now, my question is who is responsible for
(a) the cleaning; and
(b) making sure the area is not going to become a nest anytime soon?
I am guessing the cleaning duties fall on us (Aye Carumba), but not sure if the rental agency (I think they are also the owner), is the one responsible for putting something which would prevent the birds from coming back. I am thinking like these little spike-thingies.
Have any one had similar issues? How did you deal with it?
If you have that much mess, that means that the nest is in situ, and at this time of year has chicks in it. Just observe and wait until they fledge (eg fly off as the chicks are big enough). the mess is there anyway and a couple of weeks won't make much difference to the cleaning. Clearing away a nest with babies in is not something I personally would wish to do.
Birds are disappearing in their 10000s because they do no longer have suitable nesting habitat, and need our help and tolerance.
But first you need to ascertain which type of bird it is, as some species and their nests are hgihly protected by law and destroying the nest, etc, can lead to all sorts of trouble. Our barn is full of redstart nests, swallows and house martins- I shall clear up the mess when they leave this autumn.
Had the problem of birds nesting behind the shutter mechanism. When they had gone I filled all the gaps with bubble-wrap and haven't had any problem since (2 or 3 years of peace).