The Birds, Revisited (help)

MoochNNoodles

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Help! :fear::lol2: I need advice on how to deter birds from nesting in a bad place. For now I have a blow up snake meant for a garden.

I have a pair of Barn Swallows trying to build a nest over my front door. Most places I would leave them be; but we kind of need to use the door! The other day I went out from the garage and they took off from the porch and started swooping at me. :paranoid:

I wasn't sure that they were trying to nest there till yesterday. So before the nest got bigger DS and I went out with a couple long sticks to knock it down. I didn't think DS really needed a stick but kids like to be involved. ;) It turned out to be a good thing!! He stood at the bottom of the steps waving his stick while I worked at the mud and DD swept it up. They were NOT happy! Such BOLD little birds too!! They alternated between sitting on the power line watching and swooping around to defend their territory. They kept trying to come on the porch and sitting on the light fixture!

I hope the snake helps. I want them to have their babies somewhere safe; but a door we use isn't it! Any other ideas? My mother said to get a smaller rubber snake and put it on the light fixture. (And then I need a camera to record the UPS and FedEx guys reactions! :crazy:

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Willowy

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I found this product called No Nasty Nest, it has good reviews (well, only one on Amazon, but I looked at some other sites too):
No Nasty Nest Swallow and Bat Deterrent

Make sure you knock down the nest every day so they don't get too far along; once there are eggs it's illegal to mess with the nest.

I love the little guys and they have full use of my outbuildings. But I wouldn't want them by the front door!
 
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verna davies

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Someone told me to tie a CD or something reflective to the spot. The sun reflecting off it is supposed to put birds off settling there. I havent tried it so dont lf it works.
 

babiesmom5

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Swallows are "cavity nesters". Their preferred nesting site is a nestbox with a 1 1/4"- 1 1/2" opening.

Give the swallows an "alternative" nesting site. Hang a nestbox in a tree somewhere away from your front door. Meanwhile keep taking any startup nests down over the door. This should entice them to the nestbox.

I have two pairs of swallows in nestboxes on my property now. Never have they tried to nest elsewhere.
 
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MoochNNoodles

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I found this product called No Nasty Nest, it has good reviews (well, only one on Amazon, but I looked at some other sites too):
No Nasty Nest Swallow and Bat Deterrent

Make sure you knock down the nest every day so they don't get too far along; once there are eggs it's illegal to mess with the nest.

I love the little guys and they have full use of my outbuildings. But I wouldn't want them by the front door!
Thank you that site was helpful! I don't mind birds on the property; but that's really a bad spot. :sigh:

I have the Audubon app on my phone and it played several of their calls. One was the warning/distress call. I might go out and play that a few times if I see them around. Maybe use a bluetooth speaker so it's louder.
Someone told me to tie a CD or something reflective to the spot. The sun reflecting off it is supposed to put birds off settling there. I haven't tried it so dont lf it works.
I have some flash tape and bird netting that I used in my garden when the starlings were pulling up plants. I might try installing that for a while. :agree:
Swallows are "cavity nesters". Their preferred nesting site is a nestbox with a 1 1/4"- 1 1/2" opening.

Give the swallows an "alternative" nesting site. Hang a nestbox in a tree somewhere away from your front door. Meanwhile keep taking any startup nests down over the door. This should entice them to the nestbox.

I have two pairs of swallows in nestboxes on my property now. Never have they tried to nest elsewhere.
Hmm. I have 4 birdhouses up in the backyard. One occupied by a bluebird family at the moment. The other bluebird house has house sparrows in it. I can't see if anyone has been using the chickadee houses in the back. They are too far back with some trees kind of in the way. I'll have to see if I can come up with something for the front yard. We took down our big tree a few years ago and the newer trees are stout enough yet.
 

weebeasties

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I have heard that birds do not like the sound of wind chimes. Not sure if it's true, but it sounds logical that they wouldn't want something noisy masking the sound of a predator. It could be worth a shot to hang a wind chime to see if they relocate to a quieter spot.
 

Tobermory

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Hopefully they won’t try again since you’ve knocked down their efforts. We had the same thing happen. I came home from work and they had a big start on building a nest over my front door. We took a broom handle and chipped off the mud while they frantically dive bombed us. I felt bad but, like you, we couldn’t have a nest over the front door! Fortunately, they didn’t try again. I think if you’re persistent in removing their half-built nests, they’ll move on. But they do build fast so if they come back, you’ll have to stay on it!
 
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MoochNNoodles

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Wind chimes are worth a try! My inlaws had a set ILOVED! They were big and had a nice mellow sound. :cloud9: They were probably expensive though. lol

Hopefully they won’t try again since you’ve knocked down their efforts. We had the same thing happen. I came home from work and they had a big start on building a nest over my front door. We took a broom handle and chipped off the mud while they frantically dive bombed us. I felt bad but, like you, we couldn’t have a nest over the front door! Fortunately, they didn’t try again. I think if you’re persistent in removing their half-built nests, they’ll move on. But they do build fast so if they come back, you’ll have to stay on it!
Oh I hope not! I will have to make it part of my watering routine I guess! :rolleyes:
 

Kflowers

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Amazon has a lot of wind chimes for under $25. If you get the metal ones and put them near your door one set ought to do. That is if it works. Will be watching to know. Of course the mocking birds would probably just imitate it as they killed it.

Amazon.com: windchimes outdoors
 
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