Stop Starlings Nesting in your Roof Eves in the UK
Starlings are prolific across most of the UK and especially in Southern England.
Starlings love to nest in any small gaps the find around the eves of house roofs, and being large flock birds the number of birds can be very high around these roosts or nesting sites.
A signature tell tale sign starlings leave is white guano stains under their entry point into the nest, often leaving large unsightly stains down house walls as seen below.
How can I stop Starlings nesting in my roof?
Starlings are still one of the most common pest bird species we get called to help proof against, however they are no longer covered under general license.
So we have to wait until all of their chicks have fledged and the nests are vacated before any bird proofing can be carried out.
This means that quite regularly we will get called while the starlings are nesting in the roof rearing chicks and causing a nuisance, but we won't be able to help for a number of weeks until the chicks have fledged. This can be annoying for some clients but there's nothing we can do until we can ensure the nests are empty.
One the Starlings have vacated the nest, there is a range of bird proofing solutions to help stop starlings nesting, roosting or perching on sensitive areas of the property. Starling proofing needs to be restricted to a maximum hole size of 28mm or less to ensure they can't gain access.
There are bird proofing strips that go under the bottom row of tiles on the roof which aren't always installed when the property is built. The installation of these strips does require the bottom tiles to be removed so although it's a simple fix, it can be quite an expensive job.
Starlings often like to nest in roofs of properties with open eves, this usually requires the gaps the starlings are entering be sealing with bird proofing mesh or spikes.
We tend to wire the whole open Eve with very discreet black coated galvanised wire mesh as seen below.
If the starlings are entering via a broken tile or hole in the cement/brickwork then this is a simple case of replacing the tile or cementing the hole.
The installation of bird spikes on ridges, ledges, guttering or pipes can really help stop all pest birds like pigeons and starlings from perching above sensitive areas. This can really help to reduce guano build up on patios, paths or window sills.
We cover most of Central Southern England for bird proofing installations.
We are based in Berkshire & Hampshire, if you'd like a free quote call 01189680841 or email us here Bird Proofing Quote Request