Blackbirds ruining our life

[Fourandtwentyblackbirdsinmypie]

Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration there, but really.
We've lived in this house for 3 years now, and blackbirds nest in the roof.
All. Year. Round.
Their gap seems to be directly above our bedroom window, meaning we can hear them all night scratching and moving about

In the morning, if we open the bedroom window they find this makes a useful perch for them to access their nest.

THEY ARE SO NOISY!

One nest a year wouldn't be an issue, but blackbirds dont ever leave their nests. The female and the offspring do, but the Male stays until he finds a new female. Then it starts all over again.

Is there any way we can get rid of them?

Our cat has brought 5 in in the past year and a bit, they still think it's a safe place to nest.

I know you cant move birds nests but are there any exceptions to this?! I'd love to have our bedroom window open this summer...

YABU- leave them alone

YANBU-find a way to get them gone!

Oh how annoying for you. I’d get bird spikes if I were you. They don’t harm the birds but make it very difficult for them to land and they are unlikely to want to build nests

Or if they’re going in a gap, fill it up. They’ll find somewhere else to nest

Wait until the current guys fledge then block the hole up. If you hear scrabbling you know you’ve blocked in Dad, unblock to let him fly away then block it up properly.

Feel your pain, OP. We have blue tits that nest in our kitchen extractor outlet every year, their chirping and scrabbling very loud like they are in the room. We have field mice that nest in our garage and occasionally pop into the house for a snack and now rats in the garden. We love animals but it's like living in a zoo sometimes!

Have you considered baking them in a pie?

I think it's more that male blackbirds have a territory and don't leave that, so if the nest isn't accessible they'll build another within their territory.

Look up breeding season and as soon as that is over, seal up your roof. You can use metal or plastic mesh so you don't block the air flow into your roof space.

They sound more like crows, or other corvids. Are they quite large, look up blackbirds on one of the websites because they are fairly small and don’t breed all the time.

Most people like to have birds around

We have exactly this OP (also right above our bedroom window) and the noise is horrendous. They are also crapping all over our cars and the driveway on a daily basis. I’ve had enough.

They do sound more like corvids.

Wait for this lot to leave, and block the hole up?

I don’t think blackbirds nest in roofs?

Sympathies OP, we had an issue with this last year where they got into our loft. We had to chase them out, wait until they’d all left (which they hardly ever did, it was the most tedious waiting game ever) to then block up their route in. I was a pain, we had to wait for the fledglings had left before we could even start. They were furious, they were all pecking away at the side of the house and they’ve been trying it again this year.

Blackbird song is generally non considered life-ruining.

I would doubt that they are blackbirds as they don't usually nest in houses, but on the other hand, corvids love exploiting a hole in a roof. Corvids are generally 'black birds', but not blackbirds, iyswim. Once the current brood has left, block up the hole.

(Though I don’t suppose you care which birds they are 😁).

Please don’t use bird spikes. I took them all down when we bought our house and one set was covered in what was clearly old blood, birds do sometimes accidentally land on them.

We have this! Luckily we have a three storey house and our bedroom is on the middle floor but they are still so noisy! I have just emailed someone to proceed with a quote t block the gap once they have gone. The babies are gettibg ready to fly I think as I can hear them practicing fluttering their wings. Sounds like they are drilling new foundations up there.

Oh dear, ignore my advice then... I thought bird spikes were humane!

Agree with the others, block it up when breeding season is over.

I feel your pain, we have bats, and you can hear them scratching in the walls and loft at night, If you’re outside at dusk or dawn they are swooping about. And they do it fast, but more than that, if I leave windows open when it’s dark, they fly in. All you can do is shut the door and wait till they fly out again. Which isn’t immediate I can assure you.

The babies fall down the chimney breast and either plop onto the hearth when you’re watching telly, or crawl into random places where you later find them, like in ornaments. You shit yourself every time you randomly come across one in an unexpected place. I was also trying to do a work conf call and looked up and one was looking at me balefully from the living room ceiling beam.

We also had five dead ones last year on the patio, where they have fallen off their mothers as she was flying. There is a proper colony up there, as they only have one baby a year.

The truth of the matter is due to the protection, they would make us leave the house before they make the bats move. At least with blackbirds you can deal with it. They are not protected.

Just to add that corvids are incredibly noisy, bold and sociable. The equivalent of having an upstairs neighbour wearing hobnailed boots and talking loudly on the phone!

Are you sure they’re blackbirds?

Anyway, block up the hole. But not until you’re sure there is no nest.

We have a posse of jackdaws. OMG they are the noisiest, and they start at about 4am.

Sea gulls are worse - they actually attack people when they have chicks if nearby. I used to live near sea cliffs and had to use an umbrella when I went out!

Air gun.

Hermione 😂

Aw, that blackbird video was lovely! We have starlings nesting in our roof. The landlord fills the gap every year but they won't be stopped. They are bloody noisy though.