Crows

LizT

Hey, don't know if I should post this here or animal and pet issues, so mods feel free to move if necessary. Since a bypass was built around our town, crows have been coming to nest in the trees in our garden. Every evening, literally hundreds of crows fly into the trees in front of our house. The path in front of our house has been completely destroyed with bird poo and our cars are covered in bird poo every day, so we have to wash them several times a week.

Is there any way to stop them from coming in to nest in the trees. If we clap or shout they all fly away but come back within two minutes. They are completely wrecking the public path and our cars! Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Birdnuts

lizt wrote: »

Hey, don't know if I should post this here or animal and pet issues, so mods feel free to move if necessary. Since a bypass was built around our town, crows have been coming to nest in the trees in our garden. Every evening, literally hundreds of crows fly into the trees in front of our house. The path in front of our house has been completely destroyed with bird poo and our cars are covered in bird poo every day, so we have to wash them several times a week.

Is there any way to stop them from coming in to nest in the trees. If we clap or shout they all fly away but come back within two minutes. They are completely wrecking the public path and our cars! Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

A large raptor cut-out with an accompanying soundtrack placed in a stratigic location

PS: How long is your house built??

LizT

Birdnuts wrote: »

A large raptor cut-out with an accompanying soundtrack placed in a stratigic location

PS: How long is your house built??

The house is just over 100 years old, there are a lot of trees at the front of it. Don't know if it would be possible to place a soundtrack out there, the trees would be far enough away from the house.

Mothman

Moved from Nature & Birdwatching, I think there'll be a better response here

sh1tstirrer

These kites are supposed to keep crows away.
http://www.birdcontrol.net/html/Hawkkite.htm

loser2old4board

They start building nests almost to the day on the first of March.
This goes on for few weeks and I suppose the lay eggs and hatch out etc.
If you can suffer it out for about two months it won't be nearly as bad then.
I have loads of them around the back of my house but I kind of ignore them.
Also the leaves come on the trees so that catches a lot of their droppings.
Occasional direct hits on my car and house windows but I'm not too bothered.
If you need to take drastic action then maybe get somebody to shoot at them
or just near them. ( Assuming you are not in a built up area.) This will frighten them off. Also if you kill one or find a dead one hang that up high where they can see it and that frightens them off.

LizT

loser2old4board wrote: »

They start building nests almost to the day on the first of March.
This goes on for few weeks and I suppose the lay eggs and hatch out etc.
If you can suffer it out for about two months it won't be nearly as bad then.
I have loads of them around the back of my house but I kind of ignore them.
Also the leaves come on the trees so that catches a lot of their droppings.
Occasional direct hits on my car and house windows but I'm not too bothered.
If you need to take drastic action then maybe get somebody to shoot at them
or just near them. ( Assuming you are not in a built up area.) This will frighten them off. Also if you kill one or find a dead one hang that up high where they can see it and that frightens them off.

They come in every year at the end of September and stay until March. There's about 300 of them! It's been the same for the past few years. We're in a built up area so shooting is not really an option. Literally not a day goes by that we don't get their droppings on the car.

Feargal as Luimneach

lizt wrote: »

They come in every year at the end of September and stay until March. There's about 300 of them! It's been the same for the past few years. We're in a built up area so shooting is not really an option. Literally not a day goes by that we don't get their droppings on the car.

You want to get rid of them (crows/nests), because of bird dropping on your car and footpaths:mad::mad::mad: If you had a valid reason like crop damage or sheep being attacked then maybe you would have a valid reason. You just being selfish......

The_Conductor

In Ireland there are few natural predators of crows.
In Australia- this is not the case. You can hop on the internet and download (or order) a soundtrack of one of the natural predators for crows. Apparently its startling how effective it is (I haven't had cause to try it out, so I can't speak from personal experience). As ever- google is most probably your friend on this one.

leg wax

cut the trees down.

Graces7

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

You want to get rid of them (crows/nests), because of bird dropping on your car and footpaths:mad::mad::mad: If you had a valid reason like crop damage or sheep being attacked then maybe you would have a valid reason. You just being selfish......

Actually bird droppings damage paintwork, and the noise alone is high from that number of crows. And the probable effect on songbirds.

And birds are by no means disease free.

This is the OP's home, not a bird reserve.

We have crows here too; the house was empty a long while so they were left in peace. They are less keen to stay now as our dogs and cats chase them off thankfully. I am hoping they they choose other trees to nest in accordingly.

There are plenty of tall trees around just as good as ours

We use the same deterrent methods as for magpies; banging pan lids under the trees they are starting to nest in several times a day helps.

Graces7

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

Buzzards, Sparrowhawks and Peregrines will all take crows especially young crows. Our newest arrivals (Golden Eagle, Red Kite, Sea Eagle and Goshawk) will also happily kill cows...........[/QUOTE]


A typo ? or not?;)

Feargal as Luimneach

Graces7 wrote: »

Actually bird droppings damage paintwork, and the noise alone is high from that number of crows. And the probable effect on songbirds.

Wash it off so, don't be so lazy.

And birds are by no means disease free.

The Goldfinches, Redpoll, Greenfinch, Robin, Sparrowhawk, Chafffinch, jackdaw, hooded crow, hedge sparrow, house sparrow, Collarded Dove etc in my garden should all be driven from my garden so:(. Not very Christian of you

This is the OP's home, not a bird reserve.

A mé féiner attitude. If everybody took that attitude, they would be hardly any wildlife left in the country

We have crows here too; the house was empty a long while so they were left in peace. They are less keen to stay now as our dogs and cats chase them off thankfully. I am hoping they they choose other trees to nest in accordingly.
There are plenty of tall trees around just as good as ours

Another selfish reason.

mattjack

what a garden you have with all those birds Fergal..well worth a visit...

Tora Bora

leg wax wrote: »

cut the trees down.

TooManyDogs

It might be worthwhile taking to an agriculture supply shop. I'm living in a rural area where there's a lot of veggie farming and they use crow scarers to keep crows off the crops. It's a hydraulic machine that makes banging noises like a shot gun. The bangs go off at random intervals, I think you buy cartridges for it. That might help, you'll have no other birds in the garden either though......

homerhop

They work off gas cylinders.

ToniTuddle

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

These kites are supposed to keep crows away.
http://www.birdcontrol.net/html/Hawkkite.htm

This looks to be the best option!
Doesn't cause any noise and is pretty cheap.

Only problem is on calm days there may be no wind.

TooManyDogs wrote: »

It might be worthwhile taking to an agriculture supply shop. I'm living in a rural area where there's a lot of veggie farming and they use crow scarers to keep crows off the crops. It's a hydraulic machine that makes banging noises like a shot gun. The bangs go off at random intervals, I think you buy cartridges for it. That might help, you'll have no other birds in the garden either though......

Her neighbours won't thank her for those bangers!
Actually her neighbours might end up calling the council or guards giving out about it :eek: They are fierce annoying and scare the crap out of dogs and cats nearby too.

joyce2009

put up a carport...

LizT

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

Wash it off so, don't be so lazy.

We wash the cars at least 2-3 times a week already because of the bird droppings. I wouldn't call that being lazy.

Everyone else, thanks for your replies, I think we'll look into getting one of those kite things. Our house is in a built up area so I'm not sure if a soundtrack would be suitable.

Baralis1

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

Wash it off so, don't be so lazy.


The Goldfinches, Redpoll, Greenfinch, Robin, Sparrowhawk, Chafffinch, jackdaw, hooded crow, hedge sparrow, house sparrow, Collarded Dove etc in my garden should all be driven from my garden so:(. Not very Christian of you


A mé féiner attitude. If everybody took that attitude, they would be hardly any wildlife left in the country


Another selfish reason.

So what, should the OP also open up her house and possibly allow a family of friendly badgers move in?
Crows have very few natural predators in Ireland and as a result are a pest. The OP is obviously at her wits end with the noise and the constant bird poo. She is entitled to take action to get rid of them and enjoy her home.

Op, how built up is the area? Is it possible to get shots off with a shotgun without putting others in danger? I would suggest getting someone to come in and shoot a few crows and hang up the carcasses to scare off the others.
The repeating shots device is also an option but will be annoying to be listening to.
The kite might or might not have some success.

LizT

Baralis1 wrote: »

So what, should the OP also open up her house and possibly allow a family of friendly badgers move in?
Crows have very few natural predators in Ireland and as a result are a pest. The OP is obviously at her wits end with the noise and the constant bird poo. She is entitled to take action to get rid of them and enjoy her home.

Op, how built up is the area? Is it possible to get shots off with a shotgun without putting others in danger? I would suggest getting someone to come in and shoot a few crows and hang up the carcasses to scare off the others.
The repeating shots device is also an option but will be annoying to be listening to.
The kite might or might not have some success.

It would be quite built up and there's a main road outside the house, although the house is set back off the road a bit! Thanks for sticking up for me!

Feargal as Luimneach

Baralis1 wrote: »

So what, should the OP also open up her house and possibly allow a family of friendly badgers move in?
Crows have very few natural predators in Ireland and as a result are a pest. The OP is obviously at her wits end with the noise and the constant bird poo. She is entitled to take action to get rid of them and enjoy her home.

.

Well if a family of badgers move into my garden I personally would be delighted:D

Baralis1

lizt wrote: »

It would be quite built up and there's a main road outside the house, although the house is set back off the road a bit! Thanks for sticking up for me!

No problem!:) Maybe if you ask someone experienced in such matters, they can tell you if it can be done safely. Maybe a gun club member or a local farmer.

Baralis1

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

Well if a family of badgers move into my garden I personally would be delighted:D

What if they aren't friendly?

biscuiteater

i'd make sure you protect your chimneys if you have any, just in case they decide to make nests in there also.
the bang that the farmers use is very loud, it probably would annoy your neighbours.
would making an old fashioned scare crow be any good or is that a silly idea

ToniTuddle

Baralis1 wrote: »

I would suggest getting someone to come in and shoot a few crows and hang up the carcasses to scare off the others. The kite might or might not have some success.

I'm sure her and her neighbours would love to wake up everyday and see the dead carcasses of the crows hanging around There would definitely be some complaints about health and safety having dead carcasses strung up.

Why not try the kite first it's at least a bit more humane?
Or even attempt to make your own big bird kite if that would be even cheaper just colour it and make it look like the one on the website.

Yeah it's seriously annoying having to clean up bird poo of your car or street we have to do it too as the birds keep coming in to get the cats food but the birds aint doing it on badness!

If you want OP why don't you talk to each one of your neighbours and ask they if they would be ok with you using the banging noise for a few nights?

The noise will of course travel further afield but at least your neighbours will have been consulted and they may not mind it for a few nights. Worth a try.

RosieJoe

Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »

You want to get rid of them (crows/nests), because of bird dropping on your car and footpaths:mad::mad::mad: If you had a valid reason like crop damage or sheep being attacked then maybe you would have a valid reason. You just being selfish......

Reading your post could suggest that you think it is OK to poison Golden Eagles as they might kill lambs! :mad:

Feargal as Luimneach

RosieJoe wrote: »

Reading your post could suggest that you think it is OK to poison Golden Eagles as they might kill lambs! :mad:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056115220&highlight=poisoning&page=3
WTF???
Go to post 31...
I'm an avid birdwatcher and have seen 57 species of raptor. I have seen the Golden Eagles in Donegal. I donate money to the Golden Eagle trust. Need I say more..........

Honey-ec

RosieJoe wrote: »

Reading your post could suggest that you think it is OK to poison Golden Eagles as they might kill lambs! :mad:

There hasn't been a single proven instance of a reintroduced bird of prey taking a lamb either here, or in Scotland, where they've been around a lot longer.

shinikins

Honey-ec wrote: »

There hasn't been a single proven instance of a reintroduced bird of prey taking a lamb either here, or in Scotland, where they've been around a lot longer.

I'm not sure thats true, there were recently photographs published of a Golden Eagle flying off with a lamb on the Isle of Mull, however they do tend to only take dead or weak animals.

OP, crows nest in old trees generally, the chances are they have been nesting in the same trees for many years. My parents live by a wood area that is very old, probably 150-200 years old, and the murder of crows is huge. They are pretty hard to shift as they wil live there year round, but a kite is probably your best option. You can also try a decoy Owl, you must move it around from time to time though. I would imagine that setting off crow bangers or shooting anything but a watergun at them is a last resort