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Old 05-14-2025, 02:48 PM   #22
emti
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Calgary
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I have been in a war with with these ******** for 2 years. Since last year, they've pecked 10 holes in between mine and my neighbours siding and we've spent over $5k combined this year on 'deterrents'/pest control/sound machines etc... As many have mentioned, you can try doing reflective tape, tin-foil, cd's / dvd's but I have learned they are smart enough to realize it is just a deterrent and will be back eventually. I've yet to try wind chimes but that does sound like a good idea because they definitely are skittish.

I thought with how obsessed they were with our houses that we had bugs or something in our siding, so we got pest control to come take a look and they found no bugs and basically just told us unfortunately you guys have houses that these birds have fallen in love with for some reason or another. We got the pest control guy to install 4 'spinners' on the corners of our house and while they do work, you need it to be sunny and windy for them to function properly. We also have some fake owls placed on parts of our house that we rotate/move around because the birds realize they are just fake. I've found the combo of that does the best, but again, they may come back.

My neighbour is so fed up he actually bought a pellet gun but as others have mentioned, they are protected so it is illegal to shoot them and you can face serious fines/charges for messing with them. We have people in the neighbourhood who would 100% report me if I took care of them like how I would like to so I am stuck doing whatever I can to deter them everyday.

One recommendation I can make is to get that hole patched ASAP though. They are likely looking to nest/mate in the hole they are currently working on. Once they have zeroed in on a spot, they will be hell-bent to come back. Last year, 1 actually nested in my neighbours wall and it caused a total mess.

Hoping for the best for you. I cannot express enough how much I hate these birds.
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