Unwanted feathered friends

[Lacan07]

Hi all

I got some unwanted friends visiting the house. There's a small hole at the end of the guttering that allows access into the 'box' guttering, I've seen birds come and go and indeed when I insulated the pitch roof in the upstairs rooms last year I managed pull out a few old nests so I knew that space had been used in the past. I was planning to get up a ladder to block access but now feel like an ogre, what if they got eggs on the go?

What would you do? Part of me thinks I should wait until August and the nesting season is over.

 

[housewinnie]

Hi all

I got some unwanted friends visiting the house. There's a small hole at the end of the guttering that allows access into the 'box' guttering, I've seen birds come and go and indeed when I insulated the pitch roof in the upstairs rooms last year I managed pull out a few old nests so I knew that space had been used in the past. I was planning to get up a ladder to block access but now feel like an ogre, what if they got eggs on the go?

What would you do? Part of me thinks I should wait until August and the nesting season is over.

Wait.. On another note when doing my recent roof renovations removed 3 sack fulls of nests.

 

[noj]

I'd wait.

Probably about 18 months, because I'd forget to do it this year once the birds had left!

Squirrels are a different matter...

 

[Cubist]

Depends.

The feathered visitors here are positively encouraged and soon leave after the young have fledged but we do frequently get repeat visitors - theres a blue tit labelled 'Tweet' that takes up residence in an old knot hole by our front door every year. There's also a family of starlings that take up residence in one of our outbuildings and the parents will swoop close to your head if you go in there while their young are still around.

Those furry flying creatures called bats, we get no choice about as they are protected.

Wasps, bees and hornets are evicted asap.

Squirrels, the grey ones, are shot on sight.

 

[Lacan07]

Thanks guys, I can't really see that they're doing much harm other than the fact I won't be able to get access to any nests again, until perhaps I come to cut vents into the sofitts or just replace the box guttering completely (which I want to avoid). There is some wood fibre insulation between the eaves but I doubt theyre using that for bedding. I did find a bird in the house a few months back as they can access the loft.

 

[RBailey]

I know you can't cut hedges this time of year because it is an offence to disturb nesting birds. I assume that something similar will apply in this case.
Wait for the winter then go for it, being cognizant of roof ventilation needs though.

Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 - The RSPB

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is the primary legislation which protects animals, plants, and certain habitats in the UK. Find out more

www.rspb.org.uk

Cheers,
Richard B.

 

[Cubist]

Forgot to add that here there are three pheasant shoots in close proximity to us. The local landowners that operate these re-new the stocks each year and their birds are frequent visitors to our little patch. If you disregard the damage caused when they root for seeds and other tasty morsels near the birdtables their nuisance value is mostly restricted to their relentless clucking and the aggressive attitudes of the males. Their most annoying behaviour though is to choose night-time roosting sites among our trees, which is also when they seemingly vacate their bowels over anything that may happen to be below. Part of my 'gardening' duties (delegated not voluntary) is to patrol the area to remove unwanted guano from garden furniture, cars and other equipment. Sadly, I'm not allowed to shoot them on sight.

I'm reminded too that on one occasion I discovered a peacock that had strayed from a neighbours house four miles away!

I wouldn't worry too much about the old nests Lacan, mostly the construction materials degrade quite quickly and will have been constructed out of the way of any water in those box gutters.

 

[ElectronicFur]

Their most annoying behaviour though is to choose night-time roosting sites among our trees, which is also when they seemingly vacate their bowels over anything that may happen to be below. Part of my 'gardening' duties (delegated not voluntary) is to patrol the area to remove unwanted guano from garden furniture, cars and other equipment.

We had this problem with wood pigeons, but I found that if you give the trunk of the trees they are roosting in a good kick, they move elsewhere. After a couple of nights of tree kicking they avoid those trees.

 

[mattyb]

Unless there is a negative impact on your property or wellbeing I would simply wait until they are are no longer nesting, then get up there, block access and remove the nests.

That is probably the most ethical method.

 

[Stevers]

No doubt the RSPB disapprove, but the 1981 W&C Act excludes domestic hedges, so my boundary privet hedge is cut mid-June and then mid-August. We do have a wonderful, but argumentative little colony of sparrows in the hedge and it doesn't seem to disturb them. Domestic hedges are rapidly going out of fashion, but even a neatly trimmed hedge trumps a fence for wildlife value.

 

[RBailey]

No doubt the RSPB disapprove, but the 1981 W&C Act excludes domestic hedges, so my boundary privet hedge is cut mid-June and then mid-August. We do have a wonderful, but argumentative little colony of sparrows in the hedge and it doesn't seem to disturb them. Domestic hedges are rapidly going out of fashion, but even a neatly trimmed hedge trumps a fence for wildlife value.

Usefull caveat, thanks.

 

[a twig]

No doubt the RSPB disapprove, but the 1981 W&C Act excludes domestic hedges, so my boundary privet hedge is cut mid-June and then mid-August. We do have a wonderful, but argumentative little colony of sparrows in the hedge and it doesn't seem to disturb them. Domestic hedges are rapidly going out of fashion, but even a neatly trimmed hedge trumps a fence for wildlife value.

You'll be pleased to know we planted a new 10m section of hedge last weekend, and have plans for more next Spring - I'm bored of maintaining cheap timber fences, and have a cordless hedge trimmer from DeWalt that uses the same batteries as the rest of my tools, so regular maintenance of a hedge is a lot easier!

 

[RBailey]

You'll be pleased to know we planted a new 10m section of hedge last weekend, and have plans for more next Spring - I'm bored of maintaining cheap timber fences, and have a cordless hedge trimmer from DeWalt that uses the same batteries as the rest of my tools, so regular maintenance of a hedge is a lot easier!

On the theme of "low effort hedge cutting" I tend to just mow up the clippings, even on the pavement. The lawnmower makes quick work of "hovering up the clippings".

 

[Stevers]

On the theme of "low effort hedge cutting" I tend to just mow up the clippings, even on the pavement. The lawnmower makes quick work of "hovering up the clippings".

My hedge is on top of an 11' high retaining wall, so nothing low effort about cutting that. My clippings are shredded and go in my New Zealand Box compost bins, and as you say no need to stress about picking up off the lawn as the mower will do a lovely job of tidying up. Hadn't thought of using the mower to pick up on the road side and will give it a go in about a week!

 

[Cubist]

To all those raising the annual spectre of 'hedge trimming". Thanks, NOT so very much!

Around here either the hedges get tidied before the end of March or after mid-August. Nesting birds are much more important to a special someone than my aching back. By the way, we have something in the order of 800+ metres of hazel, holly, hawthorn, blackthorn and others hedges. Much, MUCH, more bovver than a hover can deal with.

 

[a twig]

There was a machine called a Garden Groom or something similar that was a trimmer with a 200mm dia collector to supposedly collect all the trimmings. Don’t think it ever gain popularity though

 

[Athers1971]

Back on to the subject of feathered (and other) friends. We have at least 3 families of birds that live behind the wooden facia; two at the front and one at the back that is very close to my office window. This one was definitely inhabited last year, and so they do definitely return to previous nesting sites. I can hear and see activity all day long as they fly in and out doing whatever they are doing!

On another note, the "Bat Men" completed their 2nd emergence survey Wednesday evening, they hadn't spotted anything on the first visit a couple of weeks, but lo and behold they spotted a single pipistrelle emerging from the facia but a bit further long from my office.

Yet to receive their report, but I suspect we'll need a licence from Natural England now and they'll also advise against doing any work in the areas during bird nesting season - but not sure whether that is 'enforceable' as they are not protected?

We were considering replacing the facia with rise and fall brackets (when we replace all the guttering) but that may be off limits now given our little inhabitants.

 

[johncraig8229]

I would say wait until they aren't nesting anymore.

 

[Cubist]

In the UK all species of bat are protected. Take care not to leave upper floor windows open after dusk at the latest - it can be a pantomime getting lost youngsters to leave - the bats and your own.