[cuemaster]

Hi All
Anyone got any ideas how I can stop birds nesting just under the eaves as they are covering the front of the house and any plant under in poo. They also nest in my garage and cover the floor as well

[Foxylock]

Hang a cd, a piece of mirror or a piece of plastic under the eaves, this will scare em off. Alternatively put a large shelf under the nest to catch the pooh and clean it regularly. Actually thats a crackpot idea!! Scare em off !!

[dinahdabble]

If you think that a shelf is a crackpot idea you are going to love this one. I learnt this way of sending starlings off about 20 years ago. It can have extraordinary and visually spectacular results and is not destructive. I don't know how long it takes for them to get used to it and start ignoring it because they are very, very cheeky birds, but... deep breath before I sound completely crackpot with brass knobs on...
Find a paving slab or piece of ground a short distance away from the problem, not too close because you need to be in full view, preferably on a nearby hillock for maximum effect. Make sure in advance that the ground is hard, so that it makes a good harsh echoing thump when you stamp on it. Wait until the starlings have mustered together and are all out chattering on the roof (works just as well if they are chattering in a tree). You will have heard the noise I am talking about many times if they are living on your roof! It is when they are really rattling away to one another that they are most excitable and tuned in to reacting to sounds. OK, now you have to stamp as hard as you can on the ground (three times should do it) to get the flock's attention. You'll know if you have their attention because they all stop chattering. Now be quick, because you only have a moment or two before they realise that there is nothing important or dangerous happening. Now you must do a very unusual thing: suddenly put your arms up high in the air, and bring them down simultaneously in a classic "I am taking to the air and coming to get you" gesture while giving a lurch and leap (maybe several if you feel up to it) in their direction. If you have their attention they will all suddenly take fright together - actually a sort of supper-fright more akin to mass hysteria. From then on they will have you permanently marked out as a demon in human clothes and will be watching you. You can get them so nervous by repeating this ocasionaly, that you'll only have to twitch at them a bit, and off they'll go. They no longer feel comfortable around you, especially not to nest on your roof.
The down side of utilising this ancient art, however, is that neither will any of your neighbours, especially the local children, and you'll get called strange names (so try not to do it when there are also people mustering).

Oh and if you want to turn a crow around in the sky when it is doing the "as the crow flies" thing, lie down suddenly just before it passes above you. It will not be able to resist the temptation to come back for a second look (goodness knows why - likewise, goodness knows why you would want to turn a crow in the sky unless you were demonstrating bird psychology to the local children, perhaps in order to explain your recent behaviour with the starlings...???
Good luck, have fun.

[Foxylock]

And I thought I had problems

[hitbit]

Blow up a few balloons and hang them where they tend to roost/nest. They don't like this and tend to stay away.

hitbit