Bird Control For Homeowners

While birds can be enjoyed at times in the park or on the beach, when they get too comfortable where you live, bird control becomes necassary.

Our intentions are not to harm the birds, but rather just control the areas we don't want them living in.

Reasons To Control Birds

• Diseases being passed to employees/customers/residents.
• Money spent on cleaning.
• Damage to building or equipment.
• Dangerous, unsanitary droppings.
• Parasites like mites, fleas, and ticks are getting into the building.
• Drains and gutters are clogged with droppings, nesting materials.
• Health inspectors have issued/may issue us a warning.
• Complaints by customers or tenants.
  

Bird control

Many birds are friends of mankind. You might even build them houses and baths. In exchange some birds eat mosquitoes and other harmful insects. But when birds congregate on buildings, they become nuisances.


Their droppings are not only unsightly, but can harbor bacteria or corrode roofs. Nests can block air vents or present fire hazards.


A professional pest control service can provide products which discourage birds from gathering where they're not wanted. Or, if necessary, they can be trapped and relocated to a more suitable area.


Woodpeckers are a special case. Besides the annoying sound they make, they can destroy wood shingles.


Again, a pest control service is your best bet. They have products which are odorless and invisible, but taste terrible to the woodpeckers. If a woodpecker is attacking your home, it's most likely trying to get at the insects that are inside the wood. A professional pest control service will be able to inspect your home for these pests as well.



HOUSE SPARROWS

House Sparrows are the most abundant songbirds in North America and the most widely distributed birds on the planet. House Sparrows are not actually sparrows, but are Old World Weaver Finches, a family of birds noted for their ingenious nest-building abilities.

STARLINGS

Starlings were brought to North America from Europe in the late 1890s. Since that time, they have greatly increased in number and spread across most of the continent.

Adult starlings are chunky birds the size of robins. In summer their plumage is glossy purple-green with numerous white markings; the bill is yellow.

During the winter, the back feathers are much darker and edged in light brown. The bill also darkens to bluish-black. Color is identical for both sexes. The starling's most prominent feature is an unusually short tail.

Favorite foods include fruits and seeds, both wild and cultivated. Insects and other invertebrates make up about half the diet, especially during the spring breeding season. Wintering flocks often concentrate in great numbers at feedlots and livestock shelters. They consume and contaminate livestock feed and water, and "whitewash" buildings, facilities and animals with their droppings.

In winter, flocks of up to 2,000 birds can consume 1 to 2 tonnes of feed in a month and contaminate or spoil an additional 500 to 1,000 kg of feed. Starlings can also transfer many diseases between livestock animals, particularly swine.

PIGEONS

Pigeons have become an urban bird, and highly depended on humans for food, roosting and nesting areas. Pigeons are most commonly found around feeding areas, parks, schools, city buildings, bridges, homes, and many other structures.

Prevention

The removal of roosting niches and the sealing of any crevices, large openings, and entrances in high areas aids in effective control.

Available water sources, such as rooftop air conditioners, should be eliminated by screening.

Never leave food or water sources exposed outdoors.

Keep garbage containers closed.

Dispose of garbage on a regular basis.

Control

Physical Exclusion:

Netting is the best single method of reducing bird roosting, nesting and feeding. not subject to bird acclimation (i.e. they can't "get used to it") It is economically feasible over life of netting; best of all neighbours love nets compared to other bird scaring methods; There is significant cost outlay at first with on-going operating and maintenance costs.


Spike strips and wires are popular methods to prevent bird roosting on ledges. The are relatively inexpensive and not difficult to install but if not properly located they are useless.

Sound Devices:

Propane cannons, whistling or pyrotechnic pistols, predator mimicking sound generators can be effective for farm crop and fruit damaging birds , but not suitable in urban applications.

Visual Devices:

Streamers and flashtape, Scare-eye balloons

These devices can be effective on some species but not effective on robins or waxwings; cheap, relatively easy to install but are useless if not installed and maintained properly.

Hawk silhouettes, stuffed owls, etc: more realistic units on market now; cheap and easy to deploy but areonly effective for a short period of time and require very frequent moving.

Flashing Lights And Mirrors:

These are effective against starlings; solar powered units are available that require little maintenance besides frequent moving around. Lights are good at dusk and dawn only; mirrors are only good in sunshine

Trapping:

Traps can be made or purchased. Although trapping is a slow and expensive process, it is an effective means of controlling the pigeon population in a given area. Rooftops, common roosting areas, and feeding areas are generally good places for trapping.

Small traps are effective, but large walk-in types are better. It is important to bait the traps with the kind of food the birds are eating. Whole corn and grain sorghum are generally good baits.

Nearly constant maintenance of traps is needed to separate and release within 24 hours all migratory birds and non-nuisance birds.

The responsible person must understand and comply with applicable directives under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

American crows, brown-headed cowbirds, red-winged blackbirds, common grackles, starlings and house sparrows may be trapped and killed but it will not greatly affect local bird numbers.

Falconry:

This is an effective control if there is sustained activity in a large area. It is not suitable for most urban bird pest problems.Birds of prey are not pets and require significant investment in time and training for falconers. If hiring a service a long-term commitment is necessary and can be expensive.