Birds in barn

[coopers]

Like someone mentioned, they could be barn swallows. If the nest is made out of mud with feathers lining it, they're barn swallows. If the mud nest is inclosed, like a jug, they're cliff swallows. Be careful in how you go about dealing with them, they are legally protected and tampering with their nest while eggs and young are in it is bad news. Best option is to wait till they're gone. They're great birds to have around, very beautiful, sound pretty and have quite a bit of character. If they're starlings or house sparrows, those are non-native birds and are not portected by federal law and you can do as you please with them! Take care

Blake
WA

 

[cowboydoc]

Barn swallows are protected by federal law? Are you sure about that? We knock out hundreds of their dang nests every year. They get in our machine sheds and crap all over everything. Not only a big nuisance but the bird crap ruins the paint on equipment and makes a mess.

 

[mrcaptainbob]

We have quite a number of barn swallows flying around. At the start of the warm weather the mosquitos were getting to be quite intolerable. Finally the swallows came back! Had no idea how much I missed them! No more mosquito problems. We have several cats. They do frequent the barn. As for following us around while mowing, yes, they do that, but the funniest is to watch those barn swallows CHASE!! and dive bomb one cat in particular! She pretty much ignores them now. If she naps or rests by the corral fence, and one of those swallows spots her..the dive bombing starts! They don't bother any other of the cats. Poor Pansy-Cat!

 

[arkydog]

As suggested above, I think that they are barn swallows. Will just have to wait and see what happens as to whether they leave or not. Thanks for the replays.

arkydog

By the way, they do follow me around when I cut grass and occasionally dive bomb me, kind of fun!

 

[TheKid]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Barn swallows are protected by federal law? Are you sure about that? )</font>
Yes, they are protected. <font color="blue"> Here </font> is thea list of all birds protected by the migratory bird treaty. As silly as it sounds, even picking up a Blue Jay feather and taking it into your house is a violation.

 

[beenthere]

No law against the cats taking the birds out, and I don't think the home-owner is restricted from getting rid of the "pests" on his property (at least in my 'book of operation' it doesn't say anything /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif).

However, I am perfectly okay with Arkydog leaving his birds alone. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I was just responding to his request for "suggestions" to handle his problem of the birds taking over his shed.

 

[SPIKER]

We have them around our lace too, very nice skitter getters. they love to swim about 2' above the pond water skimming along and grabbing any little bug that hapens to be on top. alctually dipping water for drinking or a bug out about 2~3 times across the thing. The boss's place house has a 15' plus porch overhang which has some elec outlet wires and they LOVE the wires for setting and building on. when on the porch they will get very frusterated attempting to get to the nests. will chirp and sing at you to try and get you to move, slide 5 feet away and they will go to look into the nest and feed the young.

anyhow I think they are very attractive birds, blue orange tints and gracefull flight.

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[cowboydoc]

I called the DNR on this and they said that if the birds were causing damage to property and you could document the damage that you were allowed to get them out of private buildings. You cannot disturb them in their natural habitat he said. He said you can't shoot them but you can remove nests, put barriers, etc. and this is not considered harrassment of them as long as it is done to protect your personal property.

 

[coopers]

Cowboy, you're right on that. It's called a depredation permit. That's why it's better to attempt to stop the nest construction before rather than distrubing it during incubation and raising of the young.

Blake
WA

 

[pah]

"you cannot disturb them in their natural habitat. " Barn swallows have developed such an afinity for man-made structures that they rarely if ever nest anywhere else. We provide their habitat.

 

[coopers]

That's besides the point...

Blake
WA

 

[Henro]

Speaking of being beside the point...

When looking at the title of this thread...

Am I the only one that gets a vision of a guy wearing an orange TBN shirt and hat, in the barn, sitting on a straw bale, with a laptop in front of him, typing his 12,000th or 13,000th post??? /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Soundguy]

That would be my first guess as well.

Soundguy

 

[Trailblazer]

That's a great idea - setting up planks for the cat. I'll have to try that one. The bird shot wouldn't hurt the barn itself but would do a number on the vapor barrier.

 

[Moon]

I'm also having a minor problem with birds in my barn. My doors are closed, and the birds still get in. The bird poop is the problem.
I just heard about a product that might help, but it wasn't mentioned in this thread. It comes in a caulking tube, and you put a bead of it whereever the birds land right before entering the building. They never just fly through a small opening. They land, walk/waddle a little ways then fly onto some of the rafters. If I can coat all the edges around the door, and a couple of areas by the soffit, I might be able to stop the problem that way. This at least seems doable, while putting screen up all over these areas does not.
Has anyone else tried this type of stuff?
Thanks,
Moon of Ohio

 

[arkydog]

I went to a garage sale at the fire department this weekend and picked up 4 wooden screen doors and will try to use them to cover the openings to keep the birds out. Have to wait a couple of weekends before a can bring them back from the country and put new screening in them and try them out to see if they work.

arkydog