Sparrows are opportunistic nest-builders.

I know it doesn’t feel like it yet, but spring truly is just around the corner. It won’t be long before we hear spring songs from birds, followed by nest building. Some birds, sparrows for example, are especially opportunistic and will build a nest wherever they can find (or create) a cavity. Sometimes that nest cavity is in your dryer vent, or window A/C unit, behind shutters, or in roof gutters. Once a bird’s nest is completed, with eggs or young, it’s much more difficult (and sometimes illegal) to remove it.

If you’ve had a problem before with birds nesting in or on your house, now is the time to make sure that it doesn’t happen again this year. Birds will often re-use the same nest sites that they used before. Unless you managed to close up the openings or block the nest sites that the birds used last spring, you may be in for a repeat performance very soon.

It’s Time to Disappoint Some Birds

“Bird-proofing” your home means taking measures to permanently eliminate bird nest sites. Such measures can include screening of vents or gutters, blocking openings near the roofline or behind shutters, blocking bird access to ledges, caulking or sealing holes in wood siding, trimming ivy, or installing netting or metal bird barriers. At Colonial, our specialists have many years of experience in bird-proofing, also known as bird exclusion. We use special techniques and quality materials to repair and close up openings that birds use for nest sites. We can inspect your home for cavities and openings that are attractive to nesting birds, offer proposed solutions, and then do the dirty work for you.

Unless your nesting bird is a house sparrow, starling, or pigeon, it’s probably illegal for you to remove that nest once it is constructed. Most birds are protected by federal law. You will have to live with the nest, and the noise, and the mess until those bird babies fledge and leave the nest. That will take weeks. That’s why we say there is no time to delay. Bird-proof your home now! Give Colonial a call.

Photo credit: stephenshellard / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)