How do i keep birds from nesting in my hanging baskets? ughhhh
tlbean2004
8 years ago
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Mentha (East TN, Zone 6B-7A)
8 years agoUser
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Getting birds not to build in my hanging baskets
Comments (31)This is the first time I found a nest in my hanging basket. I wasn't sure how to manage watering it, I don't want to disturb the mother and her eggs but I don't want to dry the basket out and have the flowers die. And I am sure Mama Bird doesn't want that either, right now the flowers and leaves conceal the nest well. I've been using a small watering can and carefully placing the spout in the rim of the pot and watering. It seems to work out well, the flowers are fine. I don't know what will happen to it as the babies hatch and grow, probably then it will take a beating. But, after all, this is just a mother trying to raise a family, I guess losing one basket is not that big a deal. But next year I may use the skewers or plastic knives to prevent it....See MoreGetting birds not to build in my hanging baskets
Comments (5)Hi! I posted this in an area that was asking how to keep dogs from lying in flower beds, but originaly I did it to keep the morning doves out of my hanging baskets. They are a pretty, but very stubborn bird when it comes to getting them to stay away from your baskets. They do not scare easily if at all. I finally tried this, after trying unsuccessfully to get rid of them for years and have not had a problem since. Buy bamboo skewers (like the kind you use for shish-ka-bobs) cut to length for whatever type of flowers are in your baskets, so the skewers don't show. Space them close enough together so the bird cannot sit it's plump derrier in the basket to nest. You won't even have one of them try it, they seem to see the stakes and realize FINALLY! that this is not a place for them. Good Luck....See MoreBird Nesting in my Hanging Flowerpot
Comments (7)Actually, I got a better look at mother bird from across the yard. She seems to be a dull-colored robin. While she was away from the nest, I got up on a ladder to look and see what I was dealing with, and she has already hatched some baby birds. I have been regularly watering the nest out of ignorance until yesterday, and so far the babies seem to be breathing but not chirping. Also so far, I have not accidentally drowned them. I have a friend that has an extra shepherd's hook, and I may move the nest to under a tree next to my garden in a protected area, so that the birds can develop without all the comings and goings of my house. Also, if they fall out, they will land on soft dirt and not the hard cement of my porch. This just feels so unnatural and a little strange to me......See MoreRevisiting How to Keep Swallows From Building Nests...
Comments (114)I just stumbled upon this post as I try to prevent the recurring problems from Barn Swallows again this year. Unfortunately, the image is no longer available and I cannot see how you hung the netting. We have a colony of Barn Swallows that roost at our apartment building each year. The landlord hates them, but a former tenant had posted signs everywhere about how it was illegal to remove the nests. It was only through my own research that I realized it was only illegal while eggs or babies were in the nests, and those tenants moved out this winter. In addition to nesting on top of our buildings lights, covered walkways, and eaves, my apartment and the one next door have outdoor entrances from our gorgeous courtyard and patio which have covered stairwells. Each year, the swallows fly through these two stairwells like its the Lincoln Tunnel, dive bombing anyone who tries to walk on the stairs. They build their nests on the outlet boxes or porch lights. The first summer we lived here, I thought it was really neat to have such a close view of their lives, as I would often sit on my steps and could watch the babies as they grew, taking great care to be quiet and non-threatening. However, I also found that my porch steps and exterior wall were covered with bird droppings. They are also very very noisy when there is an entire colony of them outside of your windows. All of the "teenage" birds hang out in one of our courtyard trees outside of my window, which my cat loves but can actually drown out any conversation or television in our living room. Then I experienced what I thought were bed bugs in our house. I had tiny bites head to toe and could constantly feel them crawling on me despite rarely being able to see anything. It got so bad that I was getting the bites infected from itching all the time, and I couldn't sleep because I could feel the bugs crawling on my skin as soon as I tried to relax. I finally captured a few and took them to the University's Department of Entymology, who identified them as bird mites. That experience was HORRIFIC. I was ready to burn our entire building down after reading that the bird mites multiply much more quickly than bed bugs and are nearly impossible to remove. Luckily, the mites died off when the birds finally left for the season, but I can no longer sit outside on my wooden stairs because I fear contracting them again. The next spring, I tried the knock-down method, just on my own stairwell. I would open my screen door 2 inches and use a broom handle to knock down the nests up to 7 times a day. The swallows became very agitated, and and two attacked my daughter's head when she got home from school one of the days. I couldn't sit inside and repeat this process forever, though, and they got their nest up one day while I was off at a 12 hour work shift. The outlet covers they use are too high up to see into, and I knew that some other nests already had eggs, so I couldn't knock it down, more out of compassion than fear of charges. This will be our third summer here. Our elderly landlord has given up trying to prevent them from nesting even in the building entryways. I have removed my porch light cover so there is no solid surface to nest on, but the outlet box cover is too high up and I can't put a ladder on the stairs to reach it. I have considered trying to throw a cotton ball soaked with peppermint oil up there (it has worked in the past for mice and spider problems), or hanging a bunch of cut aluminum as a mobile at the top of the steps (I have heard that the reflections off the metal scare birds off), but I simply can't go through another year of this if those methods don't work. I saw that I could use something to create a 45% slope where the nest to prevent them, but again... getting up there is an issue. I am curious to see how you used the mesh. Could you please share the picture again?...See Moretlbean2004
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