Tuppence For The Birds

In the movie, Mary Poppins, there’s a scene where a lady has a magnitude of birds that she feeds outside of a bank. She cries out to the bank’s customers, “feed the birds, tuppence a bag”. The scene reminds me of a day at the beach where sea gulls will swoop down to gather any food that is given to them by the beach goers. Many people like to watch birds. Birds are beautiful in color and fascinating to watch. Even though birds are awesome creatures to watch at the beach or in a parking lot of a building, they can be considered a pest toward homeowners. They can cost a homeowner a significant amount of money in home damage. Let me explain.

There are many places birds can build their nests around a home.

Chimney Dryer Vent

Bathroom Vent Kitchen Vent

Corner of the Roof Gutter/ Inside the Roof Gutter

Birds will build their nests right in the corner of your gutters which can clog them up so water cannot drain correctly away from your home. The damage can cause the gutters to be detached from your home due to the weight or even make them collapse. Structural damage will start and if not caught will start to rot your home over time. Without the use of the draining system, standing water coming from the gutters can cause foundation damage.

Birds can also build their nests in your chimney or even the vents on the

home. The most popular is the dryer vent. The heat from the dryer keeps their laid eggs warm; however, the nests are very flammable which can cause a house fire. Chimneys that have bird's nest built inside them can cause carbon monoxide inside your home and without the proper ventilation systems could be life threatening.

Not only do birds cause damage, but their droppings can be found all over porches, decks, and any other area they reside or fly over. Their droppings can contribute to many diseases and can contaminate food supplies such as vegetable gardens. The droppings from birds are very acidic which can eat away at certain roof materials which can cause them to leak.

There are bad ideas on why not to feed birds near your home. Birds can settle in an area and become dependent on a feeder but if something happens to the feeder the bird will not survive. Another bad idea is that the feeder can attract unwanted animals. Those animals can attract other animals which can start a chain reaction of unwanted wildlife residing in your home. Once animals know there is abundant food, the animal will build their home nearby which can be your attic or crawlspace. Let me give you a visual... once feed is in the feeder, squirrels can start to appear and since there is a scent of rodents around that will cause snakes to appear. Soon you will learn you have a petting zoo in your own backyard or even residing in your home.

If you see birds flying to and from or hear chirping coming from any of the locations mentioned, give Elite Wildlife Removal a call at 804-867-7184 or 301-848-5048. Or friendly staff with be more than happy to work with you regarding any of your nuisance pest needs.