Starlings and sparrows are two birds that are not native to North America but have certainly made themselves at home here in Jersey! They can cause a lot of damage to homes, restaurants, stores, and other buildings because, as cavity dwellers, they gravitate toward human structures. Each year in early April, starlings and sparrows begin looking for suitable nesting spots. Common structural spots that these birds prefer include: the roof and soffit lines of dormers, openings in soffits, corners of roof lines, exhaust openings for bathroom fans, and kitchen stove exhaust fans.
Ideal remediation for eliminating birds is to go into the problem area and pull out all of the nesting material. In some cases this is not possible, at which time we at All Wildlife Removal Service make every effort to remove all material that is accessible. In some cases the amount of cutting to the building that would be required to remove the material makes this job cost prohibitive -- especially when dealing with starlings, who have a tendency to fill a cavity completely with nesting debris. (There have been documented situations of starlings filling up a 50-gallon drum's worth of nesting material that was pulled out of one cavity!)
In some instances where a home or business has a long duct-run, it is possible that the owner may need to contact a duct company who would use a vacuum to remove the rest of the nesting material. Once the nesting material is completely removed, All Wildlife Removal Service will make proper repairs to the structure with a complete seal-up of the area.
Infestation by birds such as sparrows and starlings cause many reasons for concern by home- and business-owners. Perhaps the most important is the risk of bird-related illness such as histoplasmosis and salmonella, or parasites such as bird mites and bird lice.
The degree of importance that must be placed on these pest-related conditions should not be underestimated.
- Histoplasmosis, for example, is a respiratory disease that may be fatal. It results from a fungus growing in dried bird droppings and is carried through the air.
- Salmonella is recognized as "food poisoning" and can be traced to pigeons, starlings and sparrows. The bacteria that causes salmonella are found in bird droppings. Dust from droppings can be sucked through ventilators, air conditioners, and exhaust fans, contaminating food and cooking surfaces in restaurants, homes and food processing plants. This should be cause for concern to home and business owners who discover a bird in or near their vent or exhaust fan.
- Avian lice and mites thrive on birds and in their nesting material. When young birds vacate a nest, the parasites continue to live there and will eventually look for another host, often times entering the building on which the nest is built and making a host out of the humans that inhabit the structure. These pests, nearly invisible to the human eye, can multiply into the thousands in just a few weeks time and are very difficult to eradicate once they have inhabited a dwelling and found a host on which to feed. For this reason, it is crucial to include a thorough disinfection when removing birds and their nesting materials.
