For The Birds: Q & A
WOODPECKER PROBLEMS • BIRD AT WINDOW • ATTACKING BIRD • BIRD IN THE HOUSE • BIRDS ON THE HOUSE • BIRD NEST ON THE HOUSE • ASK A QUESTION
QUESTION? A woodpacker is pecking holes on the side of my house. What can I do to stop this?
ANSWER: Houses or buildings with wood exteriors in suburbs near wooded areas or in rural wooded settings are most apt to suffer pecking and hole damage. Generally, damage to a building involves only one or two birds. Natural or stained wood surfaces are preferred over painted wood, and newer houses in an area are often primary targets. If a suitable cavity results from woodpecker activities, it may also be used for roosting or nesting. Woodpeckers are classified as migratory, nongame birds and are protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. When warranted, woodpeckers other than the endangered species can be killed but only under a permit issued by the Law Enforcement Division of the US Fish and Wildlife Service upon recommendation of USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services personnel. There must be a good case to justify issuance of a permit, otherwise there is a risk of very stiff fines and charges for improperly discharging a firearm near on occupied dwelling.
Solutions: Woodpeckers don't like shiny objects. Shiny silver birthday baloons (Mylar) hug to float at a level near the area the bird is pecking works very well and drawing large eyeballs on the baloon seem to help too. Toy plastic twirlers, Mylar strips or windmills fastened to the eaves, and aluminum foil or brightly colored plastic strips, bright tin lids, and pie pans hung from above, all of which repel by movement and/or reflection, have been used with some success. Loud noises such as hand-clapping, a toy cap pistol, and banging on a garbage can lid have been used to frighten woodpeckers away from houses. Such harassment, if repeated when the bird returns, may cause it to leave for good. There are also automatic commercial devices available to accomplish sonic harassment. Offer alternitive nesting boxes; woodpeckers are primarily cavity nesters that excavate their own cavities, some occasionally use existing cavities or nest boxes. Be sure to put a very thick layer of sawdust in the bottom of the box. Apply netting under house eaves. Cover hole as soon as possible with metal patch. Set up suet feeders tl lure the bird away from the structure. Stationary model hawks or owls, fake and simulated snakes are generally considered ineffective as repellents.
VISIT: www.icwdm.org/handbook/birds/Woodpeckers.asp
VISIT: www.wildlifedamagecontrol.net/woodpeckers.php
QUESTION? A bird keeps attacking my window! What's going on?
ANSWER: Male birds commonly attack windows during mating season. The bird wrongly assumes that his own reflection is a rival bird in his territory! You can prevent this by temporarily hanging squares of aluminum foil outside the window to break up the reflection, or post-it notes all over the inside of the windows.
The good news is that this behavior is temporary and will subside once mating season has ended (usually within approximately 3 to 4 weeks).
QUESTION? A bird keeps swooping at me whenever I leave my home/office. What should I do?
ANSWER: Believe it or not, this is a fairly common occurence during the spring mating season. The (male) bird sees you as competition for the female birds in his territory, and is doing his best to drive you off! The situation is easily remedied by carrying a 12-inch by 12-inch square of aluminum foil with you as you enter and exit your home/office. Birds are uneasy around shiny objects that reflect the sun's light, so you will be able to keep the amorous bird at bay by simply waving the aluminum foil above your head as you walk past.
Again, this situation is temporary, and the behavior will typically cease as soon as mating season is over (usually within a few weeks).
QUESTION? There's a bird stuck inside my house. How do I get him out?
ANSWER: Birds inside buildings can sometimes be gently “herded” out provided that the ceilings of the building are not too high. Turn off all interior lights and open as many doors and windows (preferably big doors) as possible. Then, create a "moving" wall by tying a bed sheet between two broom handles and holding the sheet up so it is flush with the ceiling. Gently herd the bird towards the exit so you do not panic the bird. Panicked birds may fly into windows or other barriers. Also, do not press a bird for long time so he does not become exhausted trying to flee. If the bird is injured contact a local animal rescue service.
SEE: INJURED BIRDS
QUESTION? Pigeons, starlings or sparrows are roosting on my building. How do I get them to leave?
ANSWER: Roosting birds' droppings can be annoying to people. However, poisoning is extremely cruel -- the intent of some common poisons is to cause extended seizures in birds and supposedly frighten the other birds away. Further more, poisoning does not solve the problem because other birds will soon move in to fill the vacancy. A better solution is to make the roosting surface unattractive to the birds, which will encourage them to go elsewhere.
For example, while a flat ledge is attractive to pigeons, a false ledge can be made by placing a board at an angle of at least 45 degrees so that birds will slide off when they land. You can also use bird netting or a stretched out, nailed down "Slinky" from a toy store to prevent birds from landing on your ledges. If you use a Slinky, stretch it so that two fingers fit between the spirals.
A number of companies have created repellents designed to discourage birds from roosting where they are not wanted. Examples of such repellents can be found at www.airepel.com and www.birdbarrier.com.
QUESTION? There is a bird's nest on my house. How do I get rid of it?
ANSWER: Actually, you may not need to do anything. Birds have an incredibly short development period in the nest - just three weeks! And as soon as the development period is over, the birds abandon the nest completely. Furthermore, baby birds are relatively quiet until just before they leave the nest. So while the vocalization of baby birds may be a slight annoyance, keep in mind that it won't last long.
A baby bird's best chance for survival is to remain in the nest with his parents. If baby birds are relocated, the adult birds won't follow! Plus, removing the babies from their protected location will expose the baby birds to the direct sun, wind and rain. So the best course of action is to give the current bird family a grace period of a few weeks, and then seal off any cavities with netting once the current birds are gone, in order to prevent other birds from moving in.
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Disclaimer: RAS seeks to provide accurate, effective and responsible information on resolving human/wildlife conflicts. We welcome suggestions, criticisms to help us achieve this goal. The information provided is for informational purposes only and users of the information use it at their own risk. The reader must consult state/federal officials to determine the legality of any technique in the reader's locale. Some techniques are dangerous to the user and to others. RAS encourages readers to obtain appropriate training and permits, and understand that proper animal damage control involves patience, understanding that not every technique/method works for every situation or every time.
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