At this time of year in early January, you may be forgiven for thinking that you don’t have to worry about nuisance birds such as seagulls and pigeons. The only bird sounds waking you up are probably the lovely bird song of the wrens, sparrows, blackbirds and finches that can start as early as 4am. You can’t hear the squawking of seagulls and you certainly don’t see them circling above, leaving mess on your car. Out of sight out of mind is very much the case at this time of year but don’t be fooled. These birds are coming and it won’t be long. We take a look at bird proofing for chimneys, solar panels and other areas of your property where birds like to nest.
Nesting Season is Almost Here
You may be forgiven for thinking that you are safe from the nuisance of seagulls and pigeons. The skies and rooftops are clear and quiet and there are no sign of these pests. Don’t be fooled though. Seagulls in particular tend to start the nesting process in March which is just a few weeks away.
The first step is to find a mate. Then the pair of gulls will find a safe place to nest, away from the threat of predators, and then lay their eggs. The trouble is, once they get to this stage there is very little you can do. It is illegal to interfere with the nests of birds – even those big old gulls that you will swoop down and steal the food from your hands. You may not think it’s that much of an issue but if you’ve never had a bird problem before, you will soon discover it is far from an ideal prospect. You see, these birds build their nests in “safe” places, away from predators. This is usually a ledge, a roof, a chimney or somewhere else where they can take cover from potential threats.
Bird Proofing for Chimneys
Pigeons and gulls love to build their nests in or around chimneys. This presents more than one potential hazard, the biggest of which is the risk of fire! The twigs and debris that they use to build their nest make excellent kindling. Imagine having a fire burning below and a nest falling in on your fire while you are quietly watching the TV one night! Even worse if it helps to ignite a fire you’ve not long considered burnt out!
It’s not just the nests that pose a threat either. It’s also the mess that they make. Once bird guano dries, the bacteria in the poop can become airborne and you, or your family, could inhale it as it finds its way in to your home from inside the chimney. Birds, especially larger ones, can also cause damage to your chimney and the roof.
You also have to consider that young birds that are just learning to fly could fall in. If the fire is out they will end up flying round your lounge – if not, it could be a horrible outcome. Bird proofing for chimneys is something that will stop the birds getting too close or flying into your chimney.
Solar Panels
It’s not just bird proofing for chimneys that you have to consider either. Pigeons love a solar panel. Look up at your neighbours roofs! No doubt you have seen them perched up there on the roof ridges in quite large numbers. You may not be able to see birds but instead you see a kind of wire mesh around the edge of the panels. This represents a roof that has already had solar panel bird proofing carried out.
As with chimneys, solar panels are another favourite spot for birds to make their nests. The trouble is, as well as causing damage to your panels, the bird mess can get into your roof and spread disease. If you don’t have your solar panels proofed, you could end up with unwelcome visitors that leave mess all over the roof, the ground and gardens below and the cars of you and your neighbours. If they make a lot of mess, it can reduce the effectiveness of your solar panels. It’s safe to say that once these birds are on your roof, they will make their presence felt around the neighbourhood.
Property Ledges and Other Hospitable Spots
If you have ledges that are wide enough for birds to perch and roost on, they make the ideal place for birds to build their nests and lay their eggs. In addition to the mess they create, they also pose a threat to passers by and the inhabitants of the property. Seagulls especially can become aggressive and attack when they are protection their young so you want to discourage birds from building their nests on any area of your property.
Prevention is Better Than Cure
Don’t wait for these birds to get their feet under the table (or up on the roof to use a better expression). ACT NOW.
There are all sorts of preventative measures that you can take to protect your property and ensure that your property isn’t vulnerable to nuisance birds including:
- Bird netting
- Bird spiking
- Bird lasers
- Bird scaring
- Bird hawking
- Different scenarios require different solutions with some methods being more effective than others.
Introducing New Bird Control Measures
As well as many traditional forms of bird proofing, at Falcon Environmental Services, we make sure that we stay up to date with the latest technologies and advances in bird control measures. We are delighted to be able to offer a bird detection and scaring device that has been specifically designed to recognise and scare off nuisance birds. BirdAlert® detects and immediately reacts to certain problem birds, scaring them off with species-specific scare programs.
Unlike traditional scaretools, which can be weakened by habituation, BirdAlert® has been developed to meet this challenge and can variegate the order and intensity of the actions so that habituation can be avoided entirely!
When BirdAlert® registers one of the injurious species it is set to “guard” against, it immediately launches a scare programme aimed at precisely that species. The programme will variegate the order in which the connected scaretools are activated.
Augmented by the large built-in library of sound recordings in BirdAlert®, the “yellow brain” thus radically improves the effect of any and all connected scaretools.
Contact Us
To discuss your bird control options, including bird proofing for chimneys and solar panels, simply give us a call on 01752 929292 and we will arrange a bird proofing inspection where we will advice you of the best solutions for your potential bird issues. If you have had previous nuisance bird issues, we also offer a bird guano cleaning service which will professionally remove any trace of bird mess and the threat of disease.
