Asked on Apr 01, 2018

OH NO!!!! MORE BIRDS

Jeanette S
by Jeanette S
A few years back I dressed out my front porch in bright colors and loved it. But I painted up an old wooden bird house bright yellow which I had had for years but which had never been occupied and hung it as a decoration ONLY! Momma bird loved the "flip" (it is certainly not a Flop!) and moved in.

We let her have the porch because she would sit nearby and screech at us every time we went out there!

OK, so I decided to dress out our deck off the porch on the back of the house with explicit orders "NO BIRD HOUSES ON THIS PORCH!" We did not quite get it finished and I was so looking forward to having it finished out as soon as the weather got warmer but not hot.

Well, you all know that saying about "the best laid plans!!" Yep, now a Momma bird is nesting on this porch! Work cannot be done until the babies are hatched and out of the nest...maybe early July???

Hubs had raked up a box of small pine cones for me and put them in a box for me to go through...we had some things come up...like snows and very cold weather in a horrible flu season...so I just let it slide. She found the box and moved in.

We are now expecting "Grandbirdparents" again!!!

We will get our 2 newer chairs painted and porch finished after the babies are gone!!

Here is photo taken through den window of her starting the nest!
Here is the nest just about finished.
Here are "expectant" "GRANDBIRDBABIES!!!"

  24 answers
  • Wendy Wendy on Apr 02, 2018

    Spring is here! How sweet!


  • Penny Penny on Apr 02, 2018

    The birds need a house too...😊 It is lovely you are so kid to let the birds finish their nesting. Something I would do too. I made 4 brightly coloured bird houses, and got no takers.... i must have too fussy birds here...lol 🤣

  • Connie Quine Connie Quine on Apr 02, 2018

    Put up a picture of a chicken hawk! Most birds are afraid of them, and will avoid them at all costs! If you can locate a stuffed or plastic one, that would be even better. The bigger the image, the better to keep them away!

  • Who28586475 Who28586475 on Apr 02, 2018

    I have seen this in some mail order catalogs. A strip which can be cut to size with points on it. It is humane . The points are plastic and will not harm the birds but it is annoying to them.

    • Janet Janet on Apr 02, 2018

      My MIL lives in an apartment and the building management put those on all the sills outside because pigeons were nesting on the sills, especially ones with window a/c unites in them. They'd be cooing all the time and keeping people awake. Not to mention the mess they make. These do work and the birds don't want to sit there.

  • Diane Diane on Apr 02, 2018

    You are so lucky you should embrace your neatness to nature

  • Emmen Emmen on Apr 02, 2018

    I think it’s wonderful you guys are waiting until they leave the nest because song bird numbers are dwindling. We had a Robin nest on our front porch and as long as we were quiet, stayed back, and only went out necessary (not to gawk) the parent birds were fine. I was super surprised how quickly they were grown and gone, maybe one month.

  • Cat Cat on Apr 02, 2018

    how lucky are you!

  • Ro Ro on Apr 02, 2018

    congrats

  • JB JB on Apr 02, 2018

    Maybe when the bird house is empty you can close the opening with something so no bird can go in and you can still enjoy it as a decoration. Maybe glue a fake bird to block the whole?


  • RevDrRon RevDrRon on Apr 02, 2018

    Really?! Those birds and nest would be removed faster than you could say Tweety!


    Unless birds have no other recourse, the poop and disease possibilities are not worth being a B&B for birds.


    In addition don’t make places that are inviting for nesting.



    • See 1 previous
    • Mkc22877128 Mkc22877128 on Apr 02, 2018

      Birds are beautiful God’s Creatures. I really pray you are not a Reverand!

  • 2dogal 2dogal on Apr 02, 2018

    What a cute story - and thank you for letting Momma stay.

  • War15939090 War15939090 on Apr 02, 2018

    At a local feed&seed you can buy either a rubber or blow-up snakes as well as blow up owls, put them wherever you have a problem and immediately no more birds.

  • D fuhrman D fuhrman on Apr 02, 2018

    i have a beautiful large bird house and cannot get a renter. it's waaay up in the air about 10-12 feet and have no idea what the issue is. send your birds my way. i would love to have them.

  • Itsmemic Itsmemic on Apr 02, 2018

    the answer is...remove all nesting material the minute you see them nesting. They have the entire world to nest...trees only feet away..don't feel bad. I have a rose of sharon near my house...hang a few birdhouses in it...and that's where they are welcomed. The ALL pick a house and net there for over 20 years ! It's SO cute to see them choosing...and arguing who will take which.

  • Janet Janet on Apr 02, 2018

    I was under the impression that each species of bird had a preference as to what type of birdhouse they would live in, Or is that just feeders? When you google bird houses, they show different types and tells you which ones are for which birds. I thought the height of each house would matter also. I often wondered why they could be so picky. I used to have a pine tree outside my kitchen window until 2 weeks ago when the nor'easter blew it down. Every spring there was a robin's nest in it. I also used to have several white pines in the back yard that had tons of mourning doves every summer. Now they are gone and so are the doves.

    • Number5 Number5 on Apr 02, 2018

      A little about bird houses. It is all about protecting the young, the size of the hole or entry point is very important. If the hole is too large the babies are in danger of an intruder, snakes, squirrels, raccoons. cats, and other larger birds. Birds are mean to each other. Some species will kill a smaller bird and build a nest on top of the nest already there. What material is the house made of, it is plastic, wood, tin? Will it be too hot or cold - too windy? A house that works in the North probably would not be good for the South. Is the house vented? Can some air get in there? The birds do not want to be baked. Are there bugs in the house, bees, ants, mites? Where you place the house is important. For some - too close to a tree or structure is a threat - for other birds too far from a tree is not good because they want to be able to sit on a branch or fence and watch the house for safety. People buy pretty bird houses without regards to the actual needs of the birds. Just because it is pretty - it may not be a good home to raise a family. A little research about your location - will help with deciding on the type of house and where to place the house for the birds in your location.

  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Apr 02, 2018

    Thanks to all who responded...there are some with differing views. And to be honest, we have plenty of bushes they can nest in...I am at the age my immune system is not so strong so it might be a good idea if I start enjoying them from a distance after this year! LOL


    I will look for owls and chicken hawks on line!!!

    • See 1 previous
    • Laurance Brown Laurance Brown on Apr 03, 2018

      Try hunting supplys for the fake owls and such.

  • Barbara Barbara on Apr 02, 2018

    I would love to become grand bird parents again! You are lucky to be able to watch nature so close to home.


  • Janet Eaton Janet Eaton on Apr 02, 2018

    I have a roll out awning that birds like to nest under , I usually take down the nesting material as they are putting it up . The droppings are messy , and they stain the fabric of the awning . the nests make it difficult to roll out the awning and the nests do get damaged. I think it’s best for all to not allow the nesting , though the birds are very determined and it’s a months long activity to remove nesting material daily .

  • I have nothing to add other than lucky you! May not be convenient, but they know a safe spot when they find one. I have rain gutters and one pair always builds a nest in one of them . . . I spend all my waking hours at home chasing away the squirrels!

  • Lori Gray Lori Gray on Apr 02, 2018

    Every year we hang big ferns on our shady front porch...and every year within the first 2 weeks, the birds would build a nest in them. The ferns would die due to lack of watering because we didn't want to disturb the nests and our porch would be covered in bird poop! Somewhere I read a tip to drop a few golf balls in the ferns and the birds would think there is already a nest with eggs and would find another spot to make their home. This has worked for the last 2 years and I plan to "fake our fern nests" again this year! We are not golfers, but I found a big bag at a local yard sale for $1! Could work in your birdhouse if the golf balls will fit through the opening!

    • Grace Gleason Grace Gleason on Apr 03, 2018

      Lori Gray, I had some in a fern and didn't know it. The fern got watered, and so did the birds I guess! I found them when I took it down for one of our bigger hurricanes. So I put them where mom & dad could get to them, but they wouldn't get blown away. We all lived through it, and the birds grew up and flew away.

  • Rita Rita on Apr 02, 2018

    We r constantly watching for them to just start nesting by wood swing w roof over it and in Gaza I. We knock it down. We do have bird houses father out and bird feeders too. We love birds but not on our deck area where we are out there a lot. My one “ decorative” bird house on deck I put a steel wool pad in. They stay out of that one. The one lady has her bird house too high. Lower it. Put a pile of stuff they like to nest w by it Good luck! I’m so happy your letting babies fly off before you clean up. Birds will next every year in their same spot if they can so be aware. Knock stuff down every day. Mom bird will get the idea and move on.

  • RevDrRon RevDrRon on Apr 03, 2018

    Yes, and God made creatures to live in the wild. I even make homes for them but draw the line in my home. I also take pains not to create places they will try to live in that will make them pests and unhappy.

  • Dawn Palmer Dawn Palmer on Apr 04, 2018

    My daughter allowed birds to nest on her front porch last year because she noticed the nest after it was built and Momma bird had already begun sitting in the nest. In fact her house seems to be a bird magnet. Well, she had a real mess to deal with. Poop all over the front porch and walkway every day. This year Momma bird came again, early, so I helped my daughter install little plastic spiked branches she found on the internet. I glued them all along the ridges of the porch ..... problem solved. While the spiked plastic branches work they can be a pricey solution if you have a larger area to protect. It was sad to see Momma bird looking dejected but she flew away after 2 days and has not been back. Now doves have found an area they like for nesting up on the eaves of the garage! Oh brother ...... I guess we'll have to surround her house with fake owls and snakes!!!! But those may drive the kids away

  • Dsa21885783 Dsa21885783 on Apr 09, 2018

    I didn't like the bird poop on our porch either. I use old CD's and tie a string on them and hang them from the edges of the roof. Don't make the strings too long and no one will hit their heads on them. The wind moves them and the birds don't like them. I've used this idea for a couple of years and it has worked for me. We have plenty of trees around our house and they can make their nest in them.