I am just finishing building a house and we have a massive crow that keeps landing in the garden and continually pecking the patio doors over weekends. It's starting to cause damage to the glass and the rubber gasket around the glazed unt, not to mention the crap it leaves behind on the door sill. The house is on the market and each time we have a viewing we have to clean up this pest's mess.
I have a couple of air rifles but Crows are so crafty that as soon as a window is opened or there is any movement it flies off. I have heard that alka seltza kills them, however it also kills any other bird that eats it which i don't really want. I have also seen acouple of cage traps on the internet which, if i'm honest look abit rubbish.
We've had this problem too with a crow sitting on the mirrors of the van and then attacking the side of it. I guess it was the reflection as the van was parked outside. We moved the van under cover and the problem was cured. Can you move your house?
Great idea Doug but not sure if it's the right look for a new house on the market - may worry any potential purchasers...
I meant to say use it for a few days and see if the crows come back, the system in the photo is what my other half uses for managing horses, so its fully portable.
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Took the Queens Shilling and disappeared for 23 Years !!
Make the yard less attractive to the crows by cleaning it well. Do not have any bits of food or garbage lying around. With nothing readily available to eat, the crows are less likely to invade your yard.
Scare away the crows. The most traditional way of scaring off unwanted birds, such as crows, is to build a scarecrow. Use a bamboo pole stake and old clothes that will flap in the wind.
Hang a plastic owl in your yard. Although this will have some effect, the crows will soon get wise to the fact that it's fake.
Hang up something shiny across your yard. Crows dislike anything shiny. Many people repel crows by hanging several CDs on a string across the yard.
Hang up shiny aluminum plates. This will work the same way as the CDs, and if they are hung up close enough together to make a noise, that's even better.
Play CDs of sounds of the predators of crows to frighten off the crows.
Some people like shooting the birds. However you should check the legality of doing this first, as in some states crows are a protected species, which can only be killed in designated areas at certain times of the year.
It generally says that the crows are searching for food - flies, grubs, etc.
Or it may see a reflection of itself in the window and attack it.
Good luck - but I like the Scarecrow suggestion of Andyxt
Martyn
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You're never too old to learn something stupid.
TTR250 but now a mobility scooter Budleigh Salterton
String some runs of fishing line across his flight path if possible - 'invisible' to the house viewers but the crow will soon get hacked off crashing into it.......
No problems with shooting crows, they are one of the bird species that fall under the general license for pest control, along with rooks, jackdaws, magpies, jays woodpidgeon etc
However if you do shoot them make sure that the pellet does not fall over the boundary of your property, if so you commit a serious criminal offence £5000 fine and possible 6 months in the pokey
Remember firearms law is absolute there are no mitigating circumstances, ie no slap on the wrist for a minor first offence.
Personally I would string up some fruit cage net, let the crow entangle itself and then dispatch it humanely, once they get into a habit its very difficult to stop them.
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Riding with enthusiasm upon the ragged precipice of disaster
However if you do shoot them make sure that the pellet does not fall over the boundary of your property, if so you commit a serious criminal offence £5000 fine and possible 6 months in the pokey
Mmmmm I will tell you the story about the day I had 22 (firearms not airgun) slugs going through my garage and kitchen in Honiton once called plod to say we were being shot at and expected an ARU to come flying up the road within a few mins......
45 mins later a local bobby arrived and said 'ah well don't suppose we will have much luck in finding where they were fired from and left '
Airbus at filton up Bristol way had this problem, then now have a plastic sparrow hawk hanging in the opening to a large hanger, apparently this did the trick, although some artic driver did reverse into the hanger doors trying to see it in his mirrors
-- Edited by L'orange on Wednesday 11th of March 2015 07:13:30 PM