Insects or mice in roof?

[allnewname]

Can anyone advise?
We can hear a light pitter-patter noise behind the sloping roof in one of the bedrooms. It sounds like it's just the other side of the sloping ceiling. It's pretty quiet... sounds a bit like the gentle spitting of rain on a velux window. It's not continuous, but on and off at various times of the day. I actually think it's too quiet for mice, and it's static, in one area, whatever it is isn't running about.

Any idea what it could be and/or whether we need to take any action? TIA

I think nd to agree, mice are generally fairly loud. Esp if they're gnawing things, which they do.

What about baby birds/a birds nest?

I don't think it's a birds nest, not enough noise, insects of some sort I think

We had mice in the attic sometime ago - got a guy in who put down poison and they havent been back this year - so far.

I'd think it was mice, insects wouldn't be pitter pattering about in your roof. It's probably only one at the moment - it'll get a lot louder when if you let it get more and more! Get some poison from B and Q and put it up there (assuming you can get in the roof space there), we have to do this every 6 months or so.

Listen very closely. Does it sound like the snap, crackle and pop of rice crispies? And is it always in the same area? If yes, wasps nest, and it's the larvae making that noise.

I had this in a old house two years ago around June too.

Pest control guy advised to leave them; tricky and messy to get rid of, plus they are almost endangered. The noise stopped about a month later. They abandon them and won't necessarily be back next year.

DD and her partner had similar noises in their house which could be heard coming from the ceiling. It turned out they had a wasps nest

Could it be birds on the roof?

Yes this is exactly what it sounds like, thank you. Will just leave for now and hope for the best. It would be nigh on impossible to get to them anyway... thanks all!