Birds in the roof

[imdying]

I have a Starling family in the roof of my house, in the corner, I assume they're getting into the soffit through the guttering area. I've seen the mother dart in and out, and I found a piece of flax sticking out past the guttering (which is how I noticed them in the first place). I stood outside for a while, and I can hear lots of chirping, and she'll fly away and come back

So basically they're not hurting anyone at the moment, but after this spring I'd really rather that birds weren't living and presumably crapping in the roof of my house.

What's the recommended method of keeping birds at bay? I could get a cat I guess, but they're pretty harsh on birds. Perhaps some sort of gutter guard? Although they must be getting between the tiles and the gutter, so maybe that's not quite the perfect answer unless it has been developed with this aim in mind?

Suggestions?

Any idea if they'll vacate at some stage, or maintain the nest till next years breeding commences? Would prefer to prevent access in the future rather than forcibly evict.

[ManDownUnder]

Possibly pay to move them on sooner because rats can find them and it's ebnough to encourage them to move in too.

Keep an eye on where they are getting in, block it off and remove the nest by hand. Leaving it to die means you hae rotten eggs in your roof...

[Sidewinder]

go to the spca and get a cat and leave it up there and problem gone!

[imdying]

Possibly pay to move them on sooner because rats can find them and it's ebnough to encourage them to move in too.

Keep an eye on where they are getting in, block it off and remove the nest by hand. Leaving it to die means you hae rotten eggs in your roof...Great, hadn't considered those possibilities. I suspect I'll have to put the mother down before I can get in there if I attempt it at this time of year. I will if I have to, but I suspect she'd put up a fight to the death which would be a little tragic for the little ones chirping away inside.


go to the spca and get a cat and leave it up there and problem gone!Birds get a pretty hard time from cats, I'd rather solve the problem without 'force'.

[ManDownUnder]

Great, hadn't considered those possibilities. I suspect I'll have to put the mother down before I can get in there if I attempt it at this time of year. I will if I have to, but I suspect she'd put up a fight to the death which would be a little tragic for the little ones chirping away inside.

Oh shit - I thought it was eggs, not baby birds. Makes it all the more difficult... I must admit I'm inclined to say let them grow and fly away now... if it was only eggs then not such a biggy (yes - I'm a softie... like that's a secret...)

[sinfull]

Slug slam the snails and WAM ! Chirping stops !

Ok Ok you could always set up some beer traps for the snails and marinate them for the birds and the mother will forget her way home ! Chirping stops slowly

Or put up with them for this season and enjoy the chirping while it lasts ! Birdshit up in the eve wont bother ya, not like it will be a health hazzard

[Cheshire Cat]

Let the cat loose up there! :devil2:

[ManDownUnder]

Just checked - the young leave the nest at about 3 weeks old. If you can stand it for 3 weeks...

[Sidewinder]

Let the cat loose up there! :devil2:

yeah the cheshire cat!
<img src=http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/19383.jpg>

[sinfull]

Let the cat loose up there! :devil2:

You that skinny ?

[Cheshire Cat]

You that skinny ?

you saw me at taupo didnt you?

[imdying]

Oh for sure, I've never noticed them till the flax sticking out and the following observations. If it was a rental, I'd just ignore them, they're just doing their bird thang up there.

Maybe I should build a bird house in the backyard. Not sure how'd you'd build one that cats wouldn't use to their advantage though.

[sinfull]

you saw me at taupo didnt you?
Drool sluurrrp hehe yeah snigga !

[sinfull]

Oh for sure, I've never noticed them till the flax sticking out and the following observations. If it was a rental, I'd just ignore them, they're just doing their bird thang up there.

Maybe I should build a bird house in the backyard. Not sure how'd you'd build one that cats wouldn't use to their advantage though.
Possum Guard ! Sheet of that wrapped around the poll will stop a cat !

[vifferman]

Leave them there until the chicks are fledged and leave the nest, then clear the nest and assorted crap out. Make sure you block up the hole where they're getting into the roof, or they'll be back next year. Use some fine bird netting or the like.

[EgliHonda]

We're semi-rural and have a lot of birds on the roof, not inside it, just bloody noisy hopping about in the mornings. Went to great effort and mounted a magpie decoy on an aluminium post, swivels in the wind and supposed to scare starlings away.
:sweatdrop :done:

Bugger me if the sods don't sit on it, tried to take a pic the other day of 4 of the bastards on it, deterrent my arse...
:confused:

[Cheshire Cat]

Oh for sure, I've never noticed them till the flax sticking out and the following observations. If it was a rental, I'd just ignore them, they're just doing their bird thang up there.

Maybe I should build a bird house in the backyard. Not sure how'd you'd build one that cats wouldn't use to their advantage though.

starlings are the worst for nesting in your roof!:bash:

put the bird house on a metal poll away from trees or anything cats can climb to get to it

[Sidewinder]

starlings are the worst for nesting in your roof!:bash:

put the bird house on a metal poll away from trees or anything cats can climb to get to it

its worse when you have josph starling in ya roof

[imdying]

Possum Guard ! Sheet of that wrapped around the poll will stop a cat !Neat! Sort of thing Goldpine or similar would have I presume?


Leave them there until the chicks are fledged and leave the nest, then clear the nest and assorted crap out. Make sure you block up the hole where they're getting into the roof, or they'll be back next year. Use some fine bird netting or the like.That's the plan, just need to find something that will actually prevent them getting in the gap that I assume is there.


Bugger me if the sods don't sit on it, tried to take a pic the other day of 4 of the bastards on it, deterrent my arse...
:confused::laugh:


starlings are the worst for nesting in your roof!:bash:As I understand it, this is true in residential areas.

[sinfull]

Neat! Sort of thing Goldpine or similar would have I presume?

. Or a power company ! We used to stock it in our store (sold to public also)

[Sidewinder]

Or a power company ! We used to stock it in our store (sold to public also)

or just burn the house down eh dude

[sinfull]

or just burn the house down eh dude

Ummmm nah !
Had to break out the hole saw the other day, bloody great gaps in our eves ! Enough for a starling to fall down inside the wall and got stuck at ground level !
Only so much scritch scratchin you can tolerate as a semi soft touch and after a day and night of it, meh !
Now have a 21/2" hole in me wall lol Should have seen the welcome that bird got out in the back yard lol, must of been ten of them landed in the trees and chirpin their nutts off !

[XxKiTtiExX]

Be thankful they are alive! Buy some earplugs and hope like hell they move out soon so you can block up their access point. What ever you do, don't let them to die in there though!

We have 3 cats, yet one year we ended up with rats in the ceiling (we live in a rural area and ended up with a major infestation). Could hear them rolling around the rat bait in the ceiling.

Mum would giggle with glee at the sound of the little buggers rolling them back and forth.. The rats had the last laugh however...





About a week later these little things kept turning up everywhere. On the beds.. On the floor, in the shower and bathtub.

MAGGOTS! .......falling through the ceiling.......

And sooooooooooon the maggots morphed into beautiful flies.. So many flies!

And lets not even start on the smell..




And this one time..... A rat managed to get into our water tank and it drowned. We wondered for about a week why our water ahem "tasted strange" but thats another story..!! :Oops:

[sinfull]

And this one time..... A rat managed to get into our water tank and it drowned. We wondered for about a week why our water ahem "tasted strange" but thats another story..!! :Oops:Do you play in a band ?

[XxKiTtiExX]

Do you play in a band ?

Well I ain't joking!

[Cheshire Cat]

just get rid of the stupid animals! dead or alive!

that maggot/rat story is truely disgusting!

[vifferman]

...one year we ended up with rats in the ceiling
A familiar tale.
We had rodents in the ceiling of the basement (where #2Son lives), and under our floor. The made so much racket at night that he couldn't sleep, so he moved upstairs to the lounge.
So, I poisoned them.
Then we had bad smells. :sick:
Then flies startedsoming out of the light sockets (recessed lights, wooden ceiling) at night: big, fat, lazy blowflies.

Eventually, we got rid of them all, blocked all potential ingress holes, and we're OK again.

Dead rat in the watertank? Sounds like my mum: she was staying at my sister's in the country, and said, "This water tastes funny, like something died in it!"
"Don't be dumb", says Sis.
"I'm sure there is!" (Mum's got very sensitive nose and tastebuds).
Turned out there was a big, bloated possum in the tank.
They had to drain it, climb in and wash the tank out with bleach, and buy another tankerload of water.

[Swoop]

Had the same thing a few years back.
Wait until the chirping/scratching stops and they have buggered off (to avoid the stench of rotting bird) then block up the hole using fine wire mesh. Avoid anything like expanding foam as they can peck away at this and it is better utilised in a boi ricer's exhaust...

A birdbox in close proximity will simply attract another family of birds. They will return next year to use the same nesting space if it is left as it is.

[imdying]

Avoid anything like expanding foam as they can peck away at thisAck.

A birdbox in close proximity will simply attract another family of birds.That's ok, they don't cause any trouble, just rather they weren't in the house :)

They will return next year to use the same nesting space if it is left as it is.Yup, that's what I don't want.

[XxKiTtiExX]

A familiar tale.
We had rodents in the ceiling of the basement (where #2Son lives), and under our floor. The made so much racket at night that he couldn't sleep, so he moved upstairs to the lounge.
So, I poisoned them.
Then we had bad smells. :sick:
Then flies startedsoming out of the light sockets (recessed lights, wooden ceiling) at night: big, fat, lazy blowflies.

Eventually, we got rid of them all, blocked all potential ingress holes, and we're OK again.

Dead rat in the watertank? Sounds like my mum: she was staying at my sister's in the country, and said, "This water tastes funny, like something died in it!"
"Don't be dumb", says Sis.
"I'm sure there is!" (Mum's got very sensitive nose and tastebuds).
Turned out there was a big, bloated possum in the tank.
They had to drain it, climb in and wash the tank out with bleach, and buy another tankerload of water.

Sounds familiar! We have to cut any trees/shrubs around the back of our house on a regular basis. Took a while to figure out that the rats were using these as ramps to get into the roof. Never had issues with birds though.



Our water smelt like water that had been sitting with leaves/dirt in it and the closest thing I could compare the taste to would be the same thing. It certainly didn't have an obvious dead smell/taste to it. Rat soup, yummy!

Never again.... Urgh!

[SMOKEU]

Buy a shotgun.

[ready4whatever]

I had them shitting all over my ute it really pissed me off always having to clean it. I waited outside with a shotgun catching them going in and out. problem solved

[ckai]

We're getting to attacked by the bloody things. I tell ya, they've formed an army and are deliberately doing everything to piss us off.

It first starts with our letter box, they nest and I pull the nest out, every day.

This obviously pisses them off because they send in the Storm Troppers into the eaves. These rabbits have the noisy bloody young (that I'm currently enjoying the shrieking too).

If this wasn't enough, they send in the Kamikaze pricks that go down the chimney. Once inside the fire, his job is to tap on the glass at random moments all day. You let him out and all he does is fly to the open window and sit on the sill.

He turns and says "Fuck you beakless freak"

Fucken tormenting bastards. They're driving me nuts. The bird does actually talk though.