The complex network of waterproofing for your roof runs through a single bottleneck. That is your gutter, and keeping it clear of obstructions prevent birds is very important. A bird’s nest can be very disruptive to your gutter. However, because of various bird protections, destroying a birds’ nest is illegal. The Wildlife and Countryside act 1981 strictly forbids the destruction or disturbance of a wild birds nests while it is being built or while it is being used.
The nesting seasons for birds usually happens from February until late August. Although nesting periods can overrun these months unless a nest is visibly occupied it’s probably okay to take down a nest come the breeding season from September until January. In this guide, we’ll talk about safely removing birds nest from the gutter and why its vital for the wild birds to be be protected.
Problems with bird nests in gutters
While birds are crucial for our environment, bird dropping, clogged gutters and debris can cause issues and can be expensive to fix. This is especially true if you need to hire a gutter cleaning professionals to get rid of any more bird droppings, mess, dead leaves, and ensure no further damage is caused by other pests.
How to remove the nest
As to how to remove the nest? You’ll need a ladder. While this is nest removal is a task that can be accomplished even by a novice DIYer, always make sure that your ladder is in excellent condition and never go on to the roof itself, stay on the ladder. You won’t need to go on the roof to finish this job anyway.
If you’re not confident on a ladder, best to call a professional. No sense in risking your neck for a bird’s nest. Remember that no matter what they tell you, removing a bird feeders nest that’s in use is illegal for everyone, and only contact a professional during the safe period.
Throughout all of this process, wear safety goggles and safety gloves. You want to leave as little up to chance as possible. You need to take a bucket up with you to dispose of the nest in. Scoop the nest out of the gutter either with your hand or with a tool. Place it in the bucket and go back down carefully. If there are other nests you may need to go up multiple times.
If you do feel unsafe, like mentioned above you can hire trained professionals to remove the nest in humane ways to ensure it’s not dangerous to you, the birds, or anyone nearby. This will help protect the environment and your home.
What to do after you have removed the bird nest
As you can imagine, having a significant clog of nesting material in your gutter for seven months of the year is quite a pain. In addition, since it’s illegal to remove nests in the process of being built, all you can do is remove nests after they’ve been there for half a year. But there’s no reason to leave your gutter vulnerable. The hedgehog gutter brush is an easily installed piece of kit that will make those birds look for lodgings elsewhere.
The gutter brush is made of a stainless steel core with polypropylene bristles. It allows water to pass through while preventing nesting birds or foreign objects from entering the gutter with its bristles. It will certainly discourage birds from nesting.
Simply measure your gutter, get as much hedgehog gutter brush as you need, and go up on a ladder. Make sure to clean your gutter free of anything obstructing water flow and place the brush. Then you should use gutter brush clips every metre to secure the gutter brush in place. The gutter brush doesn’t just stop birds from renesting, it also protects your gutter from leaves, moss, and insects.
