THE BIRD THREAD - Post birds, discuss birds or even sniff birds.

[XYZpdq]

recent work event was at a golf course so there were various birb afoot
this is one of them

he has some crap in his mouth

 

[SuiSui1]

 

[XYZpdq]

"NOOOOOOOOOO YOU HAVE TO LISTEN!!!! IT'S THE FUKKIN JEWS!!!!!!!"

 

[SuiSui1]

"NOOOOOOOOOO YOU HAVE TO LISTEN!!!! IT'S THE FUKKIN JEWS!!!!!!!"

 

[Mister Qwerty]

 

[Botchy Galoop]

Dear Kiwi Farms,

So, until recently, I have had no issue with birbs. An old Native guy told me that the pair of hawks that live on my ridge like sardines, so now once a week they get a can of sardines. I have the requisite hummingbirb feeders, and I keep the cat indoors so our feathered dinosaur friends can live in relative peace. I trek to the lake every fall to photograph migrating bald eagles by the dozens. I've even been known to feed seagulls. Me and birbs were always good.

Things have changed, however. I have these very persistent pair of unknown birbs who decided that the shit T-111 siding on the house is perfect for drilling holes in, and nesting in the walls of the house. I've only lived here a year, and it appears to have been an issue before. I guess the clue should have been the plastic Great Owl that was perched on the branch of a big pine tree nearby, I don't think they are woodpeckers, at least they don't look like the ones I can identify. My SIL had a name for them, that I think started with a G?

Obviously, the fake owl doesn't work. I hung shiny, spinny things from the eaves. They don't care. I sneak up to the bedroom wall, and pound on it when they started drilling, but now, one of them watches where I am in the house, and warns the other when I start coming their way. I feel they are watching and judging me. Recently, things have escalated, I have a BB gun stationed by the door, but they hear me open it and fly away. I have considered building a blind and just sitting outside, waiting. I can hear one pecking now. They mock me.

Does anyone have a tried and true method for driving them off?

Gratefully,
Botchy

 

[not william stenchever]

Dear Kiwi Farms,

So, until recently, I have had no issue with birbs. An old Native guy told me that the pair of hawks that live on my ridge like sardines, so now once a week they get a can of sardines. I have the requisite hummingbirb feeders, and I keep the cat indoors so our feathered dinosaur friends can live in relative peace. I trek to the lake every fall to photograph migrating bald eagles by the dozens. I've even been known to feed seagulls. Me and birbs were always good.

Things have changed, however. I have these very persistent pair of unknown birbs who decided that the shit T-111 siding on the house is perfect for drilling holes in, and nesting in the walls of the house. I've only lived here a year, and it appears to have been an issue before. I guess the clue should have been the plastic Great Owl that was perched on the branch of a big pine tree nearby, I don't think they are woodpeckers, at least they don't look like the ones I can identify. My SIL had a name for them, that I think started with a G?

Obviously, the fake owl doesn't work. I hung shiny, spinny things from the eaves. They don't care. I sneak up to the bedroom wall, and pound on it when they started drilling, but now, one of them watches where I am in the house, and warns the other when I start coming their way. I feel they are watching and judging me. Recently, things have escalated, I have a BB gun stationed by the door, but they hear me open it and fly away. I have considered building a blind and just sitting outside, waiting. I can hear one pecking now. They mock me.

Does anyone have a tried and true method for driving them off?

Gratefully,
Botchy

I recommend applying the principles of attritional warfare by burning down your house to deny its resources to the enemy, who is clearly superior in mobility, recon, and sheer force of will.

 

[XYZpdq]

Dear Kiwi Farms,

So, until recently, I have had no issue with birbs. An old Native guy told me that the pair of hawks that live on my ridge like sardines, so now once a week they get a can of sardines. I have the requisite hummingbirb feeders, and I keep the cat indoors so our feathered dinosaur friends can live in relative peace. I trek to the lake every fall to photograph migrating bald eagles by the dozens. I've even been known to feed seagulls. Me and birbs were always good.

Things have changed, however. I have these very persistent pair of unknown birbs who decided that the shit T-111 siding on the house is perfect for drilling holes in, and nesting in the walls of the house. I've only lived here a year, and it appears to have been an issue before. I guess the clue should have been the plastic Great Owl that was perched on the branch of a big pine tree nearby, I don't think they are woodpeckers, at least they don't look like the ones I can identify. My SIL had a name for them, that I think started with a G?

Obviously, the fake owl doesn't work. I hung shiny, spinny things from the eaves. They don't care. I sneak up to the bedroom wall, and pound on it when they started drilling, but now, one of them watches where I am in the house, and warns the other when I start coming their way. I feel they are watching and judging me. Recently, things have escalated, I have a BB gun stationed by the door, but they hear me open it and fly away. I have considered building a blind and just sitting outside, waiting. I can hear one pecking now. They mock me.

Does anyone have a tried and true method for driving them off?

Gratefully,
Botchy

maybe set up a more attractive place for them to nest in your yard?

 

[M0JY0]

Dear Kiwi Farms,

So, until recently, I have had no issue with birbs. An old Native guy told me that the pair of hawks that live on my ridge like sardines, so now once a week they get a can of sardines. I have the requisite hummingbirb feeders, and I keep the cat indoors so our feathered dinosaur friends can live in relative peace. I trek to the lake every fall to photograph migrating bald eagles by the dozens. I've even been known to feed seagulls. Me and birbs were always good.

Things have changed, however. I have these very persistent pair of unknown birbs who decided that the shit T-111 siding on the house is perfect for drilling holes in, and nesting in the walls of the house. I've only lived here a year, and it appears to have been an issue before. I guess the clue should have been the plastic Great Owl that was perched on the branch of a big pine tree nearby, I don't think they are woodpeckers, at least they don't look like the ones I can identify. My SIL had a name for them, that I think started with a G?

Obviously, the fake owl doesn't work. I hung shiny, spinny things from the eaves. They don't care. I sneak up to the bedroom wall, and pound on it when they started drilling, but now, one of them watches where I am in the house, and warns the other when I start coming their way. I feel they are watching and judging me. Recently, things have escalated, I have a BB gun stationed by the door, but they hear me open it and fly away. I have considered building a blind and just sitting outside, waiting. I can hear one pecking now. They mock me.

Does anyone have a tried and true method for driving them off?

Gratefully,
Botchy

The birds probably don't care about the fake owl because it's been there for a while, and it still has not done anything to harm them. Birds can be very smart that way. One thing I can recommend is a noisemaker that is triggered by motion detection. You can buy ones that emanate pitches that we cannot hear, but the birds cannot stand. If they aren't driven insane by the noise, they will at least be spooked by it and won't come back.

Another thing I would recommend is patching up your siding with metal materials, so the birds cannot poke their way back in. A common thing to do is just put a metal mesh with small enough spaces that the birds cannot poke through no matter what they try. I do not know the exact state of the siding on your house, so I don't know if that's going to be a realistic DIY job or not.

This video in particular is about starlings, but I think it's applicable to any bird living in a vent/the siding of the house. If there is a nest with eggs/baby birds it might be best to call a sanctuary and see if they can take them if you aren't comfortable with handling the babies and/or don't have somewhere comfortable or safe to keep them.

If you do remember what bird it is, you'll have to let us know. We might be able to come up with more solutions.

 

[Botchy Galoop]

The birds probably don't care about the fake owl because it's been there for a while, and it still has not done anything to harm them. Birds can be very smart that way. One thing I can recommend is a noisemaker that is triggered by motion detection. You can buy ones that emanate pitches that we cannot hear, but the birds cannot stand. If they aren't driven insane by the noise, they will at least be spooked by it and won't come back.

Another thing I would recommend is patching up your siding with metal materials, so the birds cannot poke their way back in. A common thing to do is just put a metal mesh with small enough spaces that the birds cannot poke through no matter what they try. I do not know the exact state of the siding on your house, so I don't know if that's going to be a realistic DIY job or not.

This video in particular is about starlings, but I think it's applicable to any bird living in a vent/the siding of the house. If there is a nest with eggs/baby birds it might be best to call a sanctuary and see if they can take them if you aren't comfortable with handling the babies and/or don't have somewhere comfortable or safe to keep them.

If you do remember what bird it is, you'll have to let us know. We might be able to come up with more solutions.

Well, I identified my feathered friends as being Northern Flickers.
I like the idea of the metal mesh. After they had their babies last year, I waiting until the babies fledged, and then just nailed some scrap lumber over the hole. Since this looks to be a location that this pair returns to every year, I am going to see if I can perhaps build a nesting box to affix to the house over the hole in the siding, and see if that will be found acceptable. Maybe some type of soft wood, so they can continue to drill a hole thru it if they want. *shrugs*
I know how to humbly accept defeat, plus, it was fun watching the baby birbs last summer.

 

[Ribbit]

Rufous-Backed Kingfisher

 

[SuiSui1]

 

[M0JY0]

 

[Chicken In A Pot]

Marshall, Pearl, and I went on many walks the last couple of days. Marshall found some yard art that seemed to have a perch welded on just for visiting birbs. I snuck Pearl into the local shopping mall where she entertained bored retail workers. It seems the mall security are looking for the maskless and not for illicit birbs. I lost count of the number of selfies she was in.

 

[SuiSui1]

 

[XYZpdq]

tactical and realistic

so back in my neck of the woods, this fellow was lurking around my apartment complex
one of the neighbors was similarly stopping all activity to take pics and ask "what the hell?"

 

[Ribbit]

 

[Picnic_Boy]

Marshall, Pearl, and I went on many walks the last couple of days. Marshall found some yard art that seemed to have a perch welded on just for visiting birbs. I snuck Pearl into the local shopping mall where she entertained bored retail workers. It seems the mall security are looking for the maskless and not for illicit birbs. I lost count of the number of selfies she was in.View attachment 2094531View attachment 2094532View attachment 2094533View attachment 2094534View attachment 2094536View attachment 2094544

Their little harnesses are so cute.

 

[Hellbound Hellhound]

Meet the White Bellbird: a species native to the Amazon which has by far the loudest bird call in the world. At 125 decibels, it's about as loud as a live rock performance:

 

[SuiSui1]