Swallows and Crows

Hunter Mahan

I have two swallows living in my porch and another few have nested on my garage. They are a nuisance.

When is the right time to power hose / destroy the nests?

Birdnuts

Hunter Mahan wrote: »

I have two swallows living in my porch and another few have nested on my garage. They are a nuisance.

When is the right time to power hose / destroy the nests?

Mid- September unless you are sure all the young have left the nest since Swallows can have multiple broods.

For next year put up some netting or use a raptor cut-out so that the problem does not arise again

Hunter Mahan

Thanks, I actually like watching the swallows swoop, but in both cases the nests are over doors,which is why it's a nuisance.

The other problem I have is crows, they are interfering with my hens especially at feeding time. Put up a scarecrow but it's ineffective.

Any suggestions on how to get rid of them? (poison not an option)
I'm getting desperate and just short of going out to shoot them...

swifts need our help!

the simpler answer is to put up a small board to catch the droppings

kildare.17hmr

if its safe to shoot the crows go for it

swifts need our help!

How do they interfere?

Hunter Mahan

They actually bully my hens and rob their food. I've tried to tell the hens to man-up but that didn't work

Birdnuts

Hunter Mahan wrote: »

Any suggestions on how to get rid of them? (poison not an option)
...

Thankfully poison is banned now for birds, foxes etc. , in fact for everything except as covered bait for rodents so as to protect non-target wildlife:)

Your best bet for getting rid of said crows is what Kildare said - plus you could also use a crow trap. Check out the Hunting forum on boards for some advice on this if needed:)

Traonach

Hunter Mahan wrote: »

I have two swallows living in my porch and another few have nested on my garage. They are a nuisance.

When is the right time to power hose / destroy the nests?

Barn Swallows are decreasing in numbers across Europe. Lack of suitable nest sites also contributes to the decline. They come all the way back from Southern Africa and expend much energy in building nest and you want to destroy the nests. Nests are often reused and swallows will save alot of energy not having to build a new nest.

Is it so difficult to sweep up a bit of swallow dropping ever day?????????:mad:

littlebug

OP- I don't think you can get much more advice than that already given... ie a board to catch droppings and/or wait to mid Sept to do anything about nest site should you choose to go that route.
Any further comment on shooting crows should be taken to the shooting/ hunting forum.

Mothman

This is not the forum for discussing shooting etc.
The hunting forum has already been advised by Birdnuts

I will clean up some of the posts above.

Edit
Oops, both mods on the ball here,

Get out of my way

Mothman

BTW, I had swallow nest over my door (none this year ) and put up a board above the door to catch the droppings. Worked a treat , then I had guano for the veg patch

Mothman

Another BTW (By The Way)

Thread reopened

Hunter Mahan

Traonach wrote: »

Barn Swallows are decreasing in numbers across Europe. Lack of suitable nest sites also contributes to the decline. They come all the way back from Southern Africa and expend much energy in building nest and you want to destroy the nests. Nests are often reused and swallows will save alot of energy not having to build a new nest.

Is it so difficult to sweep up a bit of swallow dropping ever day?????????:mad:

Thanks for all the help..

Just to clear something up, my username, Hunter Mahan, is actually the name of an American golfer. I am not big into hunting or anything. Just realised that people who don't like golf might have taken my name up wrong, especially in this forum.

I didn't know that Barn Swallows were on the decline, there are no shortage of them here and I actually enjoy watching them as previously said.

I don't have a problem with droppings strangely enough, they're obviously well trained
There are 4 other nests around my house and garage (that I can see) and it's just the ones over the door that are a nuisance. Both of these nests are on the outside lights and when I come home from work late and turn on the outside lights, they go fricking mental.

Traonach

Hunter Mahan wrote: »

it's just the ones over the door that are a nuisance. Both of these nests are on the outside lights and when I come home from work late and turn on the outside lights, they go fricking mental.

In one of the sheds at work there are swallows nesting on one of the lights. At night when you turn the light on they fly around for a bit. They quickly settle down. I can't see why it's much of a problem.

Hunter Mahan

Traonach wrote: »

In one of the sheds at work there are swallows nesting on one of the lights. At night when you turn the light on they fly around for a bit. They quickly settle down. I can't see why it's much of a problem.

It scares the "crap" out of them, on anyone who's under them. I'm not putting a board under them in my front porch, if there are droppings I'll clean them off, thankfully that hasn't really been an issue, but they do crap themselves when I get home late or if I go to the garage late at night.

I'm not going to harm the swallows now, but when they are gone I will be getting rid of the nests over the doors and I'll be ready for next year

Traonach

Hunter Mahan wrote: »

It scares the "crap" out of them, on anyone who's under them. I'm not putting a board under them in my front porch, if there are droppings I'll clean them off, thankfully that hasn't really been an issue, but they do crap themselves when I get home late or if I go to the garage late at night.

I'm not going to harm the swallows now, but when they are gone I will be getting rid of the nests over the doors and I'll be ready for next year

Your story reminds me of a similar one an ould lad told me recently. He was talking about the corncrake. When he was young in the fifties the corncrakes were still common. The male with it's rasping call used to often keep him awake at night (The male corncrake calls throughout the night). He used to curse the corncrakes for keeping him awake. He once even got the gun and let off a couple of rounds off in order to shut them up.

However these nights the corncrakes does not keep him awake, because they have been nearly exterminated due to human greed(except for a few areas in the West:(). He longs to be "annoyed" again by the corncrake at night. I hope you don't have the same experience.

Itsdacraic

Hunter Mahan wrote: »

They actually bully my hens and rob their food. I've tried to tell the hens to man-up but that didn't work

I saw my hens batter a crow that tried robbing their food last week, he was lucky to get out alive.

When do swallows hatch their eggs? I've a pair in my shed but there doesn't seem to be any sign of any chicks? I would have thought they would have had them by now.

Birdnuts

Traonach wrote: »

Your story reminds me of a similar one an ould lad told me recently. He was talking about the corncrake. When he was young in the fifties the corncrakes were still common. The male with it's rasping call used to often keep him awake at night (The male corncrake calls throughout the night). He used to curse the corncrakes for keeping him awake. He once even got the gun and let off a couple of rounds off in order to shut them up.

However these nights the corncrakes does not keep him awake, because they have been nearly exterminated due to human greed(except for a few areas in the West:(). He longs to be "annoyed" again by the corncrake at night. I hope you don't have the same experience.

I think your being a bit hard on the man Mr T - As he said he likes the birds and will not disturb the nests till the end of the season. He's also said he doesn't mind them in the shed:).

In contrast I know certain members of tidy towns commitees who think nothing of destroying active nests on Church buildings and the like:mad::(

Birdnuts

Itsdacraic wrote: »

When do swallows hatch their eggs? I've a pair in my shed but there doesn't seem to be any sign of any chicks? I would have thought they would have had them by now.

Probably the bad weather of the last several weeks has delayed laying

Mothman

Traonach wrote: »

However these nights the corncrakes does not keep him awake, because they have been nearly exterminated due to human greed(except for a few areas in the West:().

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was mainly a change of farming practice from hay to silage that resulted in the demise of the Corncrake. I don't call this greed.

Sadly the Corncrake was already gone by the time I came around, but it is missed by the generation above me.

Traonach

Mothman wrote: »

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was mainly a change of farming practice from hay to silage that resulted in the demise of the Corncrake. I don't call this greed.

Sadly the Corncrake was already gone by the time I came around, but it is missed by the generation above me.

Perhaps greed is too harsh a word.

snowgal

I know this might sound abit mental but I think I have a bad fear of these swallows! we have some nesting in our 'smoking area' at work and I swear they're gonna hit me one of the days! I dont even go near the nest area now I try and keep away but they still come and swoop as if they're going for me. I like all birds though admit Im afraid of them too as I was hit once (by accident Im sure!) and my fear is getting worse! please tell me to cop on!!

Cardynal

Cop on !

Hunter Mahan

Traonach wrote: »

Your story reminds me of a similar one an ould lad told me recently. He was talking about the corncrake. When he was young in the fifties the corncrakes were still common. The male with it's rasping call used to often keep him awake at night (The male corncrake calls throughout the night). He used to curse the corncrakes for keeping him awake. He once even got the gun and let off a couple of rounds off in order to shut them up.

However these nights the corncrakes does not keep him awake, because they have been nearly exterminated due to human greed(except for a few areas in the West:(). He longs to be "annoyed" again by the corncrake at night. I hope you don't have the same experience.

I think you are being a tad melodramatic here. If you look through my posts I think you will see that my intention is not to harm the swallows. I am beginning to think you are trying to wind me up.

Thanks to everyone else for the advice, I will get rid of the 2 nests over the doors when I'm sure they are gone next September, I will leave the rest.