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Stop Birds Nesting In Your Roof Using Drones

Do you have birds nesting in your roof with no idea how to get rid of them? This article is going to outline a lot of useful information. Learn what can be done when it comes to birds that nest in roofing, how to identify bird entry points to your roof with drones and also how to make sure they don’t keep nesting there in future. Basically, this is your complete guide to how to stop birds nesting in your roof using drones. Let’s find out how…

Up close with a drone
The drone gets up really close to the gutter

Why are bird nests a problem in roofing?

Birds and other pests are a problem in roofing because they can cause a plethora of issues including:

  • They make a mess with droppings, feathers, twigs and other bits and pieces they bring into the eaves or under the tiling to make their nests.
  • Birds can be quite noisy and are generally early rises so they may end up waking you up each morning with their chirping. Some people may enjoy waking up to the sound of birds, but other people prefer a sleep in.
  • This doesn’t apply to all birds, but some birds do carry diseases that may enter your home through nests in roofing. Diseases like avian malaria are prevalent in many species of pest bird throughout Australia.
  • Their nests, if damp, can cause mould growth and other bacteria to form in the roof, potentially causing structural damage.

Which birds nest in roofing?

The most likely type of bird to find nesting in your roof are Indian Mynas. These pesky little pests are known for building large, messy nests that create a lot of noise. They choose suburban roof cavities for their nests because they’re out of the way and easy to defend against larger predators. In nature they live in trees, but with less trees around they will find their way into our roofs. Indian Mynas can cause a lot of frustration for homeowners, because not only do they have the potential to spread avian malaria, they’ve also been known to cause allergies, asthma and dermatitis in humans. Not to mention, if you have a veggie patch or fruit trees, you can bet they’ll be pigging out on your fresh produce.

Indian Mynas aren’t the only birds that will nest in roofing though. We do, less frequently, find pigeons, starlings and sparrows with nests in roof cavities and under tiling. They choose these spots for much the same reasons as the Indian Mynas mentioned above.

How to stop birds nesting under roof edges

The first thing you need to do if you suspect you have bird nests in your roof is to actually identify where the nests are and the points of entry the birds are using to make their way into your home.

Identifying the nests and the points of entry might be a simple task if the birds are nesting on lower eaves. If you live in a house or an apartment with multiple storeys that’s quite tall, however, it can be quite hard to find the source of the problem.

Sure, you can climb ladders but there’s an easier way…

Bird Proofing with drone
See the lifted up edges on the corrugated sheets. We determined that Starlings were getting in.

How do you use drones for bird control in roofing?

A pest control drone with a high-quality camera is the perfect way to find bird nests and their entry points in your roof. A professional drone operator (with roof knowledge) will carefully check your entire home for small gaps in the eaves and other suspected holes.

They will fly the drone the entire way around the home, getting up close and personal with guttering, eaves, awnings and other places that might be hiding entry points for birds and other pests.

The footage is then reviewed, and an action plan can be made in order to carefully and gently clear out the nests and block the entry points to stop birds nesting in your roof in future.

Do drones scare birds?

Drones can scare birds if they get too close to the nests, but they are not overly loud or large, so the birds may not take too much notice. They may even mistake them for another bird flying past the home. Even if they do take notice and fly away from their nest, the birds will be relocated shortly after and having them away from the nests, actually makes the relocation process much easier for pest control to do their job.

Though they may worry birds a little, drones are not used to intentionally harm or scare birds away from the nests. They are used simply to find entry points that are out of reach and may be missed by the naked eye.

Bird Proof Gutter Protection
Triple-G bird proof gutter protection was installed to stop the Starlings from getting back inside.

Can you block bird entry points identified by drones?

As long as all bird entry points are properly identified, which is a simple job when using drone technology, they can efficiently and effectively be blocked up to avoid future nesting.

Some people try to block bird entry points in roofing with bird spikes and fasten them to the roof so that the holes are covered. Gutter guards are more useful in this respect, particularly if the entry point is accessed via the guttering in a home.

Drone's eye view
Drone’s eye view of a roof in Hawthorn. Nothing is invisible to the drones sharp camera lens. From the ground, our experienced Gutter Cleaners analyse the footage.

How much is a drone roof inspection?

Here at Grayson’s Gutter Cleaning, we offer both drone surveys to find any nests and entry points, plus the blocking of entry points with grills. It’s not an expensive procedure and it will save you the time, effort and energy of having to do it yourself!

Our professional drone operator is commercially licensed (a requirement when flying a drone for a business or a job, under the rules of Civil Aviation Safety Authority) and will be in and out in no time at all, ready to report back to us with the findings so we can recommend the actions needed in order to free your home of birds (and other pests).

Once we’ve completed the process of using our drones to find birds, the entry points have been identified, and we have removed the birds, a Grayson’s Gutter Cleaning professional will clear up any mess or debris (droppings, remnants of nests, feathers, etc.) left by the birds in the home or in the gutters.

We will then install our specialised products to block entry points on the roof, we use sturdy gutter guards to block entry points through gutters. We do have available bird spikes for retail sale also, so if you’re planning on a DIY job, let us know and we’ll set you up with quality products.

So, if you’re sick of waking up to the sound of birds noisily chirping, or if you’re worried that birds in your roof are causing asthma, dermatitis or allergies within your family, get in touch with the team here at Grayson’s. We’ll figure out how to stop birds nesting in your roof by using our high-tech drones AND we’ll fix the problem for you, for good!

Call 1300 GRAYSONS (1300 472 976) or visit the contact page on our website to get in touch today!

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