Know Your Enemy

I've been watching our neighbour who is having quite the time with birds wanting to nest over his awnings that were installed last year.  Now nesting birds can be a problem anywhere but when you live near the water's edge it can be even more problematic.  We have a pair of nesting Mallards each year that always make their nest under our hedges so we know that area is off limits until the ducklings old enough to leave the nest.  Last year we had a nesting morning dove right over our main entrance that apparently liked my husband and I but no one else.  We have sat on the dock several times to have the swallow on attack because they were nesting.  So being neighbourly I asked my neighbour what birds were causing the problem.  He didn't know.  Yet he had hung red streamers followed by crinkly paper and he still didn't know what birds were causing the problem?  The first rule to battling any enemy inside or outside of the house is to know your enemy!

I was sure it wasn't swallows as they won't come that close to the house.  I doubt it would be robins so suspected the culprits to be morning doves or sparrows.  I suggested a trick the marinas use and that is fishing line.  At the marinas they string the line from tall pole to pole.  What I don't like about this method is without any background the line blends into the sky causing some birds to get entangled.  On the small scale, household use stringing fishing line about 1 - inch above where you don't want the birds to nest is quite effective.  They are going very slow trying to get into a nesting site so recognize the barrier the fishing line presents and will move elsewhere.  This is an inexpensive, almost unnoticeable way to solve a problem without causing a problem.  And that is rule number to for battling any enemy inside or outside, do no cause a greater problem!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
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