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Some starlings have got in to the roof. The youngest has her bedroom in the attic and you can hear them ticking around in there, its annoying early in the mornings. We want to close it off and fit a nesting box to the side of the house instead. However I am trying to understand timings.
Apparently they lay their eggs in April and hatch 12 days later. But when do the chicks go? When is it safe for us to clear out the nest and block the hole?
Once they fledge, which is approx 3 weeks after hatching, so Mid May-June to be totally safe.
OK, thats quicker than I thought. I was not planning on doing it until the summer anyway.
Once they fledge
Could be a Starling fallacy?
😉
That one murmurated over my head.
Clearing it out later in the year is a good plan, iirc interfering in any way with nesting birds is illegal. Once they've finished nesting they likely won't roost in your loft space anyways, but if they do continue to, then chasing them out and sealing the gap is fine.
make sure someone on your street is not a bird enthusiast and on hearing you plan starts a local action group to ensure the safe access to your roof for generations of starlings for an undefined period of time.
Boringly I would suggest caution. The RSPCA came round to tell us off after I did some emergency facia repairs during a storm.
Apparently you are not supposed to do anything to upset/discourage nesting birds even if it is considered essential house repairs.
Starlings can have more than one brood per year, so the nesting season last through spring and summer.
We were ‘let off’ as I had actually left a gap in case there were any left in the roof space (as I didn’t want them to die and then rot in the roof). We were under no illusion that the outcome could have been different if we had not allowed continued access.
It seems one of our neighbours reported us and the RSPCA were round within two hours
Breeding and nesting birds must not be disturbed from March to September without mitigation (via an ecologist). So you will have to wait a bit longer im afraid.
More info here:
Ecology mitigation calendar
We have some in the roof behind a facia plate that fell off. It's north facing so doesn't get the weather. they come back every year, scrabble around a bit (right next to a bedroom as yours is), have a couple of broods and enjoy the feeder. I think they are great. One day, if we move, I'll seal it back up again.