When you read the title, you knew what I was talking about, didn't you?
I am talking about the birds, and it's true...
- figuratively and literally -
I love them,
- really I do...you know I do -
but it is costing me a fortune to feed them and now clean up after them.
- really I do...you know I do -
but it is costing me a fortune to feed them and now clean up after them.
I do think it was cheaper to raise two children,
pay for the damage they caused and put them through college.
pay for the damage they caused and put them through college.
And a little p.s.
I only fed my children because I was legally required to do so...
* hehehehe *
I feed the birds because they bring me so much joy and never ask me for money.
Moving on...
I feed the birds because they bring me so much joy and never ask me for money.
Moving on...
I did not take a picture before, but the nest was here.
Every year the Sparrows come and build a nest here, in the retractable awning.
The awning we purchased to provide some much needed shade on our wrap around deck.
We wait until after the babies fledge and then take it down.
Last year, we waited too long and round 2 had already begun and there were babies in the nest.
They did not survive.
Our timing was perfect this year, this is the nest, it was huge and no babies.
The hubs removed it and on his go, I pushed the button to extend the awning.
Much to our surprise, much of the awning is missing and stained, what a mess.
The next morning I went out to water the garden and much to my surprise...
there it was again.
It was a busy night for those Sparrows.
I have done some research on Google, there are solutions!
Now it's getting personal!
25 comments:
Hello, oh wow. They did do damage. It is strange though, how did they make those big holes? I hope you find a way to stop the nest making. Happy Tuesday, have a great day!
As sweet and lovely as birds are, they can be a pain in the butt. Maybe you can convince them to move over to the neighbors. hehe
the cheeping of sparrows is one of Mother's better gifts. (I find them fun to watch too)
I get it, I really do about feeding your boys. I did with my daughter too, although I wasn't a great cook but I did let her choose between can green beans or corn. :)
That's a shame about the awning! :(
xoxo
Like you we too fed the birds but no more.
"Now it's personal!" -grin- I would think so!!!
You go Friend!!! Ding-dang sparrows must have lots of other places, to build their nests. ,-)))
But those holes! Sparrows couldn't have done that. You must have some other sort of critter up there. Yikes!!!
Keep us posted, on the Continuing Battle For Shade!!!! And Good Luck!!!!! I'm on your side!!!!
Courage!!!
Luna Crone
hehehehe - that was a joke - about feeding my boys - something a friend of mine says and i have always found it to be so funny!!!
They were busy indeed, Debbie. Good luck with the birds!
Wow!! They made such a mess. They do eat so much, but I love watching them. Do you know we don't have any sparrows any more? We used to have so many the trees would roar in the summer. Now nothing. I always wonder where they went.
One of those awning holes is somewhat bird shaped, at least in my imagination. :)
As neat as it is to watch the birds, enjoy their singing and although they mean no harm, they can cause issues. For me years ago, the feeding of them brought the squirrels closer to the house which in turn caused damage to my home....and a BIG cost to rid myself of them. The birds still seem to come around with the creek since they bathe in it and I have not fed in yrs. Thank you for your lovely remark on my blog. You are too sweet. I actually had my physical last week and everything, LIVER and sugar levels are awesome!! Thank you again. I so enjoy all my new blogger friends, you gals, and guys are the best.
My goodness, Debbie, I did not realize birds would do this, but now that I think of it, I am sure that some of that awning became some really decorative nest material for them. So sorry this happened. It really is a dilemma. :-(
xo.
I never knew how much they could be pests
Though I do remember reading that China actually considered a bird (I want to say sparrows) a pest under Mao Zedong. They had all the birds killed. Well they ate locusts which ran wild and ended up making millions of people starve to death. Whoops
goodness gracious they re-built that FAST!!!?? wow!
just found the whale video you sent me....will watch it this evening, thank you SO MUCH FOR THINKING OF ME!! you know how i love the whales!
My sister has a bird phobia. every day she goes out and checks all the Gingerbread decoration around their porch. If there is one bit of straw, she makes her hubs clean out the area. She never gives the birdies a chance to build a nest anywhere near where she might be sitting outside.
Nothing like a good battle to keep you engaged!
Oh, I am so sorry about your pretty awning! Living in the forest, I can relate to wildlife damage. I had to stop feeding the birds after years of doing it - it was something I had been thinking of for quite a long time and finally made the decision. It was so expensive, messy, and attracted much more than birds......I've had bears, raccoons, possum, rodents and of course, skunks which recently sprayed my dogs. Then there are the predators - hawks, eagles, owls, and coyotes. I even had a cougar which was hunting the raccoons! So down came the feeder and although I miss my birds, some have stayed around and seem happier without all the commotion and competition. As for your sparrows, you can buy a shiny, metallic 'bird tape' that works very well for deterring nesting. Or get a fake owl and put it nearby. Fake snakes work good, too :) Or try all three! Good luck! xx Karen
Oh dear, so sad about your awning!!
The house at the bottom of our garden has a family of sparrows living in their attic. They've been there for a number of years now.
I love to see them in the garden but wouldn't appreciate them nesting in our home!!
Have a great week :)
Oh dear, you do have a problem. I am sure you will come up with something brilliant to make your feathered friends behave. =)
They do find the craziest places to make their nests don't they, we had them make a nest twice in our grill when we forgot to cover it, talk about a pain disenfecting a grill and those grates, now I remember to put the cover on as soon as we get done eating whether it is all the way cooled down or not.... I can't beleive the damage done to your awning that really stinks. Good luck getting them to find somewhere else to have their babies!
When we first moved out to the country I was feeding them too, until hubby finally said STOP! They're making such a mess inside our pole barn..... they were the fastest birds to the feeders. So stopped, and got cats! Outside groundskeepers! Hubby was happy.
I so love your beginning humor. I see you do have a bird problem. I think you have been very patient. I am sure you will figure a good solution. We had some mourning dove's a few years ago in a tree in the front of our home. I loved watching them. I wish they would come back and nest again.
Blessings and hugs~
Those silly birds are fixated! Hope you get the problem solved. Actually when I saw the post title I thought of squirrels because they were the problem we had back when we fed birds. Tried so hard to keep them off the feeder and they figured out how to get around everything --
I'll take a lesson from your experience! Hubby would like to have one of those awnings installed eventually, but that might not mix well with having so many birds around. Sorry to see the damage they caused you.
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