Birds are constantly pecking at my rain cap! What can I do to stop this problem?
It’s not fun being woken up by a bird pecking at your rain cap. It can get very annoying!! We’ve had questions about how to avoid this from happening, so we’d like to address them here.
Male birds like to come and peck at the rain cap to show how strong and loud they can get with other male birds. They enjoy the competition! In fact, the louder, the better. They actually also use the noise to attract females for mating as well as scare off other males who may be in the vicinity so they can mark their territory. During the colder months as well, birds also like to find a place to call home and build a warm nest, and unfortunately that includes your rain cap. It usually takes up to 14 days for a bird to successfully drill a hole for their nest.
If you’d like to find a way to get rid of these annoying sounds so you’re not abruptly woken up again or to avoid any damage to your cap, there are a few visual barriers you can put in place to stop it from happening:
- Bird spikes – They can be installed on the rain cap to help prevent the tapping and the clogging of your gutter. Bird spikes are generally used to prevent the bird and his buddies to access an area where they are not wanted… such as your rain cap. With bird spikes, you will be able to bird proof your gutter and solve the pecking issue, if installed properly. Bird spikes aren’t designed to intentionally hurt the animals, but they are effective in preventing them from landing where they shouldn’t.
- Fake owl decoys – An owl is a natural predator for most birds, so by putting a fake one near your rain cap, you can be sure that it will deter birds to linger in the area and peck. The owl does, however, need to be moved every few days to different locations around your rain cap as the bird can get accustomed to where it is and find a different way to get through and peck.
- Bird repeller – this device produces an ultra-sonic high pitched sound and can be mounted around your chimney cap. Anytime a bird gets within the vicinity, the sound releases in order to scare the birds away. It is suggested, though that this device is paired in conjunction with another visual barrier so that it can work more effectively.
These are just a few suggestions in order to deter birds from pecking at your chimney cap. At Able Chimney Sweeps, we will be able to assist and suggest different methods to make sure they no longer disturb you with annoying pecks or damage to your rain cap. Contact us today!