As we head into bird nesting season, our first piece of advice has to be to ensure you exercise effective bird proofing methods however, if you are reading this after the fact, all is not lost. While prevention is better than cure, there are ways to get rid of those nuisance birds without breaking any rules. We take a look at how to scare birds away by using a licensed professional with the right tools.
Crows
Unlike seagulls and pigeons which will more than likely end up on your roof or other sheltered area, the crow will build it’s nest in the fork of a tree, a cliff edge or similar or even on electricity pylons. Not ideal for the electricity companies, and the landowners where they are nesting. The crows work together to build the nest with the female usually laying a single clutch of eggs in or around the month of April. The incubation period is around 18-20 days with fledging around 28-35 days.
While you may not have as much of an issue with crows nesting on your property as with other nuisance birds, they do pose another set of problems and that is their foraging for food. Crows can be a real problem for the agricultural industry, eating freshly planted crops and being the bane of many a farmer’s life. It’s no surprise that the term ‘scarecrow’ is one we associate with more traditional (and not entirely sophisticated) bird control measures.
The most effective method of crow control and protecting crops is BirdAlert. BirdAlert is a highly effective bird scaring system that uses species specific techniques to scare birds away, avoiding the same old calls that will cause habituation, and ‘mixing it up’ to pose a threat to the birds and scare them off for good. You can discover more about this superior bird control service here.Â
Flocking in large numbers, crows can also spread disease through their faeces, another problem for land owners that are subject to regular visits from these noisy, nuisance birds. While not all farmers and commercial businesses will have success with their own methods of how to scare birds away, professional measures like BirdAlert can make a huge difference.
Starlings
You may have noticed murmurations of starlings and marvelled at the site as they flock in staggering numbers but many homeowners will be oblivious to the fact that starlings are a real problem for many landowners and commercial organisations. Â They cause untold damage to agricultural crops and urban areas and are a real nuisance for farmers trying to grow crops. The mess that results in them roosting in large numbers can also cause issues. Imagine a murmuration of starlings near an airport runway and you start to understand the ramifications that this could cause and why starlings are a huge problem for the aviation industry and other large commercial concerns.
Usually laying their eggs in April, a clutch of starling eggs will comprise of between 4-6 with the chicks hatching 12 days later. A colony of starlings nesting together will produce a large number of young. They fledge at 3 weeks old at which point, you are likely to have a huge number of starlings to contend with.
As well as exercising good housekeeping which includes cutting back trees, stopping water from pooling in gutters and covering up any food sources, there are other preventative measures that can be offered by professionals. After the fact, when the birds are already nesting, it is more a case of using bird scaring techniques to manage the issue.
Pigeons
In urban areas, especially city and town centres, pigeons gather in large numbers and cause damage to property, leaving a mess with their droppings. They are also a nuisance to the agricultural industry eating grains and potentially spreading disease amongst livestock. Living in the rafters of barns, as an example, is a huge problem for farmers who use these barns to store their crops and rear their livestock.
While pigeons will breed all year round, they usually have peak seasons in spring and summer. The pigeon tends to breed from 6 months of age with eggs incubated by both parents for 17-19 days. Fledging takes place at around 30 days. They will build their nests anywhere away from predators which can be on the rooftop of your home (favouring solar panels and chimney), in the rafters of barns or warehouses, on the ledges of buildings to name but a few.
There are many preventative methods that can be exercised to prevent pigeons nesting on your home or business. If they have already taken up residence, it is a lot more difficult to intervene. All birds are protected under the The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, meaning it is illegal to interfere with the nests. Instead, you need to look at effective bird scaring measures including the very popular BirdAlert which avoids habituation and encourages birds to move on and look for other places to build their nests. When it comes to how to scare birds away, it’s a very successful method.
Seagulls
We have already written rather a lot on seagulls and everything you need to know about this familiar bird that populate in both urban and coastal areas. They are a common nuisance making noise, causing damage, threatening passers by, stealing food and generally making their presence felt. They are much more prevalent during the summer months as they tend to lay their eggs in April to May. The first chicks are born at the beginning of June with the chicks fledging the nest in August.
Seagulls often build their nests on roofs, in rafters, on the edge of properties and other spaces where they are protected from predators. While some may not understand the potential issues, there are numerous reasons why you don’t want seagulls choosing your home or business as their nesting spot. Not only do they make a racket with their squawking, they also make a mess with their droppings which can cause damage to facades, paint work and the cars that they poop on. This faeces can carry disease which can find its way in through chimneys, air vents etc.
Again, prevention is much better than cure and there are many effective bird proofing measures, the most successful of which has to be bird netting. Using bird netting, on the areas you are trying to protect, stops birds having a surface that they can land on and encourages them to find somewhere else to nest. If it’s too late for bird proofing, then there are methods of bird control such as BirdAlert which we mention above, a more foolproof method when it comes how to scare birds away.
Professionals who Know How to Scare Birds Away
As all birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981, it is important that you do not disturb their nests or try and deal with the issue yourself. Instead, contact the experts who can offer you solutions to deal with your nuisance bird problem. we have extensive experience when it comes to how to scare birds away, using the most up to date technology for a positive outcome. Call us on 01752 929292 to discover more.
