General Chat

Sylvia,
My house is a dormer house with a long dormer roof covering 3 bedrooms and a smaller dormer at the back covering the upstairs bathroom..
I sleep in the master bedroom which is quite large with part of it covered with the dormer.
I have a downstairs bedroom and bathroom where my husband slept when he was so ill....suppose I could sleep there and not be disturbed,but I love my bedroom and bed!

I think it would be a lot more expensive to have a sloping roof than have the netting which they would guarantee.

Alternatively sell up as I suppose I don't need as big a place,but I have always liked space...and I do play the piano and being detached and quite a way from my neighbours, don't disturb anyone.My piano is an upright,but though I have an electric piano as well.I still prefer my acoustic one.


Wish they'd left the falcon,though wouldn't fancy having to feed it as it was eating dead 1 day old chicks....ugh!....

I have a couple of pheasants....in the freezer.

Brenda .... it might almost be worth have a sloped roof built up over your flat roof!!


We have one small flat roof over the second bedroom, but it doesn't seem to attract attention.

However ................ 2 weeks ago we were watching TV in our family room which has a very steeply sloped roof with a skylight (non-opening). I looked up and suddenly saw marks on the glass ...................


paw prints :-0

We think it might have been a raccoon that had padded down, then up and across both panels of glass. Alternatively, it might just have been a skunk ............ the paw prints were a little stretched, and so had to definitively identify.

Now, we're keeping our ears open for strange noises from the attic space (much smaller than you have in UK houses), which might indicate someone has found a means to enter.

So far, all is silent.

BUT the marks are still on the glass ................... we've had several heavy rain storms since then but they have failed to completely clean the glass. We're going to have to get someone in to clean ............. I'm not having OH climbing a ladder to do it himself!


Interestingly, there are no marks on the glass of the skylight in the master bedroom, which has a much slighter slant to it.

We have A male .Pheasant .clucking under the front window every morning & he has a family now Mum & Five chicks ..why did I start feeding the ~~~ Bird .lovely feathers .though ..so much red tape Brenda & the Gulls must be an awful nuisance hope you can get something done about it ..Take care Barbra

"The legal ins and outs of gull nest - or chick, heaven forbid - removal are quite complex, and the fact that the law is different for the two regular roof nesting species, the herring and lesser black-backed gull, whose chicks look practically identical, makes it even more difficult to 'do' anything about roof-nesting gulls and being certain that the actions stay within the law. Any other gull species is fully protected, and since there is no option in the law to remove their nests, correct identification of the birds is crucial.

However it sometimes looks in urban and suburban areas, gull numbers are declining in the UK - so much so that herring gull is now red-listed with somewhere around 60% population decline, and all other gull species are amber listed because of somewhat smaller but still worrying levels of population decline. Any action that prevents a bird from nesting and producing young in any one season will contribute to further declines in the species. Yes, roof-nesting gulls can be a big nuisance in some situations (more so for some people than others, which is an added complexity in the issue), but there are ways and means of preventing gulls from nesting on roofs where conflict can occur in the first place rather than allowing them to choose their nesting site and then have the nests destroyed. The best deterrent is dependent on the physical size, shape etc of the site, and advice can be sought from companies that specialise in bird deterrents, and from the local council who should also be able to advice on deterrents.

Those clauses in the Wildlife and Countryside Act that allow gull nests removed to protect public health do also stipulate that such methods can only be used if non-lethal methods have been tried and failed, and that the threat to public health is great enough to warrant such extreme action. It also needs to be pointed out that nuisance and damage to property are not legal reasons for nest removal or killing of chicks or adults. The only reason is public health, and even there, a specific one-off licence from Defra or one of the devolved environment departments is needed before lethal action can be resorted to, especially if killing of chicks and/or adult herring gulls is proposed. Anyone wanting to kill gulls of any age or remove nests needs to consult the specific terms and conditions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act licences before doing anything in order to ensure that any action taken is legal, and preferably also consulting the statutory conservation agency for further advice."

Well...after all I have had done and paid out I have had the dreaded gulls back on my roof.
I was wakened up at 5.30am this morning ...and it will get earlier as the summer approaches and I can't put up with them banging about on my roof.

The firm came back for the fourth time and took a large nest,which filled a big bin bag.
They will charge me about £80 to come to take nests away in future.
The alternative is to have netting on there which they want another £700 for,if they take my spiders and spikes to reuse.I haven't given them an answer.
They had built their nest on top of the reflective gel which they'd covered with moss.
Crafty...they obviously like my flat bit which has a chimney pot to provide a cosy corner.

I asked about a fake falcon or owl and they said they sell them but don't recommend as they know the difference...then one of the men then went to his van and brought out a live falcon,fastened it with a lead to my handrail...and there was such a commotion in the air as the gulls were screaming and panicking and swirling about as they saw it.
One lookout was on a neighbours roof keeping watch...the sky went quiet for a time...but an hour after the men went they were back.

I was told that these gulls will be back within 24 hrs rebuilding ...they live for about 30 years and will keep coming back to the same place as they are so determined.

Never had this problem before and lived here for 15 yrs..Don't mind their cries.its the noise of them on my dormer the swooping at me and the rubbish that goes on my conservatory roof and blocking the downspout .Dont mind them on the apex where they put all the spikes.
I have to decide if I'm going to get this netting which will be guaranteed or put up with the nuisance.....or get them to come out a get rid of nests when they rebuild......
:-(

I know that Rollo that's why I started all this in Feb as last year it was too late to do anything about it...
I didn't know they were nesting there till my neighbour told me,but I soon learned when the eggs hatched!
Heard some lovely tenor sax played last night at the club I visit!...worth the 60 mile round trip I do!

it is illegal to interfere with breeding and nesting gulls
if they have started you will have to wait until the young fledge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcoBqpBZGi0

I feed the small birds in bird feeders,but the gulls are something else.

Just been talking to a lady from RSPB and they advise that if you see anyone feeding them ,you should tell the council.

In every cafe in Llandudno is a sign that tells folk not to feed the gulls.

I am having a visit next week from my bird deterrent company NBC bird and pest.control .and they will go up on my roof again and clear away any nest being built there,but want more money for any extra stuff they put on there.

As I said,I can put up with them flying about,but to have my sleep disturbed and even worse too scared to go out when the chicks have hatched as I get swooped at ...and these gulls are really large.
Will let you know how I get on.
They really love it On my flat roof cuddled up to the chimney!... :-S

Bob the RSPB suggest the birds (not gulls) should be fed all year round.

our problem here is not seabirds, even though we live on the coast ......................

it's crows.

They do nest in trees, not on roof tops, but we have an incredible number of street trees in this city ............... there are usually at least 4 or 5 large mature trees on each side of every city block, even in the downtown and business areas. So there are plenty of nesting sites within feet of anyone's door or garden.

Being dive bombed by a crow defending its young is, I can assure you, even more frightening and dangerous than being dive bombed by a seagull.

The noise is awful


But the worst is that they dig up the grass in lawns, boulevards, parks, etc in search of tasty grubs to eat and feed their young. They cause so much damage that people are actually giving up on trying to have green areas ......... and some people are having artificial turf laid so they can have a green surface on which to place their chairs.

The damage done is incredible ...... you just would not believe your eyes if you could see it.

I've watched crows walking along the boulevard on the street outside my kitchen window picking up bits of grass in their beaks and tossing it aside over their shoulder until the sidewalk and gutter are lined with these little clumps, and the boulevard is all but bare soil.

I can of course blame you guys for the worst damage as the critters they're currently searching for is the larvae of the European cock chafer which was probably imported into this are about 6 or 7 years ago in a root ball of a plant imported to a nursery here. :-)


Their nests or eggs can be destroyed without a permit, but you need a hunting license to kill the birds themselves. Not many people are willing to take on the job.

Throw some hot chips on your neighbour's roof.

;-)

My avatar shows me playing the only instrument I could play. If a drum is classed as an instrument.

I get fed up of instrument mouth pieces Rollo.....
....my blind trombonist friend has about 30 and he is always saying what number is that....12b,11c etc etc..is it a king ,or a Yamaha or a Benge.....Never realised there were so many he also has a plastic one that he sometimes uses when the weather is cold.
He has tenor horn,baritone horn,flugelhorn cornet,...in fact I think there's more in his collection...suppose it keeps him amused as he can't get out much.

This is a very interesting link to "Bird" (I am not a seagull) Parker.
Alto sax of course but you cannot have everything. People take against the alto sax 'cos there are so many cheap Japanese ones around with 'orrible mouthpieces and worn reeds. They can be ok.

The replica white mouthpieces are worth having - they run around $350 excl reeds.. ( more than a learner sax costs! )

http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/2011/07/charlie-parker-bird-legend-series-alto-saxophone-mouthpiece/

My niece plays trombone and trumpet in the windy wilds of Yorkshire but is somewhat shackled by a passel of small kids. Life is so short. My GGF played trumpet for the British Army in Japan C19.

Coleman Hawkins playing Body and Soul sends shivers down the spine...I agree he is the greatest tenor sax player..
By the way...I played Lullaby of Birdland. Not Birdman....lol

Coleman Hawkins, the greatest tenor saxophonist ever.

Funny you should suggest that Bobtanian......I have just been playing that on piano as checking out some tunes for the practice we have tomorrow.....

Unfortunately I can't play a tenor sax ..as Rollo tells me to do.....though love the instrument.We are looking for a trumpet player to complete our front line,but a tenor would be good...our clarinettist doubles on alto sax,but I much prefer a tenor

I know your post about the air rifle was tongue in cheek bob :-S

##Lullaby of Birdman, whisper low.............##

My post about the air rifle was meant to be tongue in cheek.