Birds sometimes build their nests on or around our houses. You might find one wedged between a porch light and the wall, in a rafter of a shade arbor, or in a hanging plant pot. What should you do? Here’s our guide to dealing with birds’ nests at your home.
First, do no harm to the bird’s nest
If you find unhatched eggs or fledgling birds in a nest on your home, leave it alone. Federal law protects 1,100 bird species from having their nests removed, even if you do not harm the nest in moving it. Instead, wait until baby birds have left the nest before removing it. The babies won’t be there long. Once a mother bird lays eggs, they hatch in about a month. The babies will leave the nest once the mother feeds them for a few weeks.
Steps to take until babies take flight
Here are ways to protect an active nest until you can remove it.
- Don’t allow cats near the area until the nest is empty.
- Reroute foot traffic around the nest as much as possible until the babies leave.
- Place a sign near the nest to warn visitors about it. Remind them that the mother bird may become protective.
- If the nest is built in an unsafe place, like a car’s windshield wiper, don’t relocate it yourself. Ask your county agricultural agent or the state wildlife agency to send an expert to move it.
- If a chick falls from the nest, it is okay to put it back. The mother likely will not reject it.
When you no longer see the mother come and go, peek into the nest. If it is empty, remove and dispose of the nest with gloved hands.
You can prevent inconvenient nesting on your house by providing nesting boxes appropriate to your local species in trees on your property.
Related – Birdhouses Attract Beautiful Birds
