We've had some swifts nesting firstly in the eaves and now slightly further into the loft (I presume they've used some of the membrane as nesting material and made the hole larger), plus some sparrows I think at another point.
What time of year is a good time to repair / block these holes so as not to interfere with nesting? And how thorough should I be about cleaning up behind them?
Cheers!
Matt
After August:
but obviously inside a ridge tile.
Anyone know where I can get one? And apart from bird poo collecting on the ground beneath, are there any good reasons why this might be a Bad Idea?
David
David
Should be pretty much over by now, althugh IIRC some birds produce several clutches a year.
Possibly wait till autumn?
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I can't help but this recent news item might offer something:
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Thanks - I'll dispute the section that says they are quiet though - they screech like, er, a swift in the evening when they are all out insect hunting.
Quite happy for them to nest on the outside of the building, just not in the loft!
Looks like a late August job.
Cheers!
Matt
When I was child my parents blocked the eaves against the swifts who regularly nested there. They blocked them in the winter when the swifts were all away.
We were horrified when the swifts came back the next spring because they obviously knew individually exactly where to go, They flew up repeatedly into the blocked holes knocking themselves out and falling onto the ground. Once on the ground a swift cannot take off again. It was heartbreaking.
In fact it was so heartbreaking that my parents removed all the blockages during the follwing winter. But the swifts never came back. That was 40 years ago.
Robert
We'll be feasting on swift then next spring - nice!
(Sorry, tasteless joke, couldn't resist).
Interestingly I've trawled around a little for the "fact" about swifts not being able to take off again. Apparently its not strictly true - its just that healthy and uninjured swifts don't take to the ground. Sick or injured ones do, and they can't take off again (because they are sick and injured). A healthy one can reflight, and if you really wanted to you could pick one up and throw it in the air to reflight if it was just stunned.
Looks like I might be testing out that theory next year!
Matt
There were several binbags full of straw etc in my roof from years of birds- I dont mind the birds but the straw, droppings, dead meat etc could be a breeding ground for rats and other vermin...
[g]
Thanks - I'll dispute the section that says they are quiet though - they screech like, er, a swift in the evening when they are all out insect hunting.
Quite happy for them to nest on the outside of the building, just not in the loft!
Looks like a late August job.
Cheers!
Matt
The baby swifts make the noise. It is similar to a 3 year old girl throwing a tantrum.
Adam
Interesting. I can definitiely remember picking swifts up of the lawn and throwing them up in the air and seeing them then fly off happily. Perhaps these had 'crash landed' and were a bit dazed, or were young birds.
Robert
You should avoid disturbing breeding birds, and generally this means between June and the end of August. Not doing so, without a proper survey, is against the law. Even for pigeons!
The other consideration is whether you have bats or not - if you've got or think you might have bats, you can land yourself in hot water if you start sealing up holes in your loft willy nilly. However, if you get in touch with Natural England, then you can generally get things sorted for free.
In article , Doki scribeth thus
Pigeons!! about time that law was amended;)
As to all the others don't mind a few nesting at all, its quite sweet hearing yet another generation on the go especially the noise when mum or dad brings home some more grub:))
Got a few of them flitting around too, nice to see so much wildlife in suburbia:)).
I've been on more than one building site that's totally cleared. Apart from one tree. With one pigeon sat on a nest. Bonkers.
Not for pigeons (and a few other species) under the right circumstances.
Andy
Good point. I think both bats and swifts are efficient avian hoovers of such beasties. Certainly seemed to be at our previous abode.
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