Birds nesting in our walls - help

January 21, 2007 6:57 PM

Bats in the belfry? No, birds in the walls. How long do I have to wait before we seal up the hole?

For three years now, a woodpecker has made holes in our wood siding and other birds (sparrows or finches, I think) have built nests in our walls.

I have a handyman coming in a few weeks and would like to have him seal up the hole(s), but for humanitarian and practical reasons I would like to wait until the babies have left the nest. (Don't like the idea of suffocating baby birds, nor the smell they will leave behind.)

So, my questions are:

1. How long do baby birds stay in the nest? I heard their peeps for the first time around Christmas, I think, so let's say they are four weeks old now.

2. Any suggestions on how to keep woodpeckers away from the siding in the future? I would prefer not to put up mylar balloons that look like owls, which seems to be at the top of most how-to lists.

posted by Sweetie Darling to home & garden (4 comments total)

I had a very similar question here that may help. Good luck!
posted by neustile at 7:04 PM on January 21, 2007

I would put a rubber snake out there by the holes after the chics leave the nest. It should keep them away. It worked for me.
posted by bkeene12 at 7:13 PM on January 21, 2007

Gah, neustile, the one time I don't search... thanks for the pointer.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 7:17 PM on January 21, 2007

Sweetie Darling, woodpeckers peck for food, and they can be quite destructive. Are they finding ants or other critters in/on your walls?
They also might carry vermin themselves as people have found when birds have nested in window air conditioners.
posted by Cranberry at 11:43 PM on January 21, 2007