Seagull Season is looming!

Did you know that nesting season for birds begin as early as February and can last all the way to August? Sometimes it can start even earlier or last for a prolonged amount of time.

When birds look to nest, they are seeking a safe, undisturbed and quiet area to raise their chicks. More often than not they will return to the same nesting ground year after year - and this is almost always true if we are talking about Seagulls. If you have had a problem with nesting birds for a while you may have noticed that over time nesting birds attract more birds to the area. This means the bird nesting will continue to worsen. 

Birds generally and seagulls especially are unwanted guests because the can cause damage to your buildings,  they create a lot of mess, are unsociably noisy and raise concerns about safety.

I have seagulls, sparrows or starlings nesting what do I do?

If you are unlucky enough to have birds nesting on your buildings, then the best and only solution is to prevent them choosing to nest there. Since you are not allowed to remove them, or re-home them you should try to deter them a few months before they make themselves at home.

Are birds/seagulls protected?

Yes, birds are a protected species. This means in simple terms it is against the law to trap, kill or remove nests during nesting season. This makes the solution to your problem a bit trickier.

When is the best time to install bird proofing systems? 

January, or as early as possible in the year to have it in place before nesting begins!

There are many systems you can implement to encourage birds to select an alternative nesting ground. You can position spikes to prevent the birds being able to land, netting will help prevent the birds from getting under your tiles and bird scarers will make them think it’s too dangerous to nest on your roof.

When should I call in an expert pest controller?

If seagulls nesting has become a real nuisance, or the starlings are damaging your roof it is always a good idea to get some advice from the experts. If you know you have a recurring problem and are scared of heights or are unable to clamber on the roof to fit the pest deterrent, then it’s definitely time to call an expert. You can attempt to fix the problem yourself; our only advice would be - don’t leave any gaps!

The best time to call us would be early in the year so that we can actually do something to assist the situation. Birds are protected by the 

My neighbours have just fitted their property with bird proofing, do I need it too?

Birds can nest elsewhere at any time. Even if you have not had issues with birds previously – it doesn’t guarantee that you won’t this year. If your neighbour has had issues, talk to them about it. Whilst you don’t necessarily need protection because your neighbours have it - you could find that if they are prevented the blighters from nesting on their roof, they may find your building suddenly very attractive.

Is bird proofing a good investment?

Finally, if your problem is not domestic and it’s causing damage to your business, you should seek advice from an expert as soon as you can. There have been cases where birds have cost business owners thousands in roof repairs simple bird proofing measures could have prevented them arriving in the first place and saved them a whole heap of cash.

If you decide you require advice or assistance with those pesky birds, get in touch. We have a range of bird prevention systems available and we can discuss these with you.