The shells should be fired so that they will explode underneath or in front of the flock of birds approaching the roost. The purpose is to produce an explosion between the birds and the roost. The last few minutes before dark, when the birds are still moving, is a critical period when the most firepower is needed. These devices are fired from a 15mm flare pistol. Noise bombs are firecrackers that travel about 75 feet before exploding. They should be used in the same way as the shell crackers.
Whistle bombs are similar to noise bombs but do not explode. In addition to their whistling sound, they produce a trail of smoke and fire which can be well seen just before dark. Racket bombs make noise in flight but do not explode.
Distress and alarm calls of starlings and blackbirds have been used alone and in conjunction with other frightening devices to successfully move bird roosts.
These tapes are available from many sporting good stores. The calls can be played on a standard cassette tape recorder, but the use of large speakers will make the sounds more effective. The tapes should be played as the birds attempt to enter the roost and should remain on for as long as the birds are in the vicinity. Propane exploders, air horns and other loud noise-making devices can be effective in dispersing roosting birds. Like other methods, they should be used from the time the first birds arrive until dark.
Flashing lights, streams of water sprayed at the roost, hawk or owl decoys, and helium-filled balloons all have been used as frightening devices. Their effectiveness is enhanced when they are used along with auditory devices. Decoys or effigies can be used on vulture roosts to discourage congregating. Thinning roost vegetation to make it less attractive to birds often produces longer lasting results than using scaring devices.
When possible, thin the roost vegetation after the birds are dispersed to discourage their return. Thinning the vegetation one time, however, is not a permanent solution to the problem.
A regular vegetation maintenance program must be established. Individuals with nuisance wild animal control permits can assist homeowners with nuisance roosting birds. The names of licensed nuisance wild animal control operators and additional information can be obtained from the Indiana Wildlife Conflicts Information Hotline at The information given herein is for educational purposes only.
Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by State or Federal Agencies is implied. This program serves people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. Skip to content info wildlifehotline.
The record-holding communal rooster, however, was North American; the now-extinct Passenger Pigeon roosted and nested in gigantic colonies containing billions of individuals and covering square miles. All birds roost -- that is, have a period of inactivity analogous to sleep in human beings. Some birds do it alone; others with mobs of compatriots. Some change their roosting habits with the season: male Red-winged Blackbirds usually roost alone on their territories when breeding, but crowd together at night during the rest of the year.
Birds that roost communally do so in a wide variety of situations. Small groups of nuthatches or creepers spend the night together in tree cavities. Some vultures roost on cliffs, and others on the tops of cacti; many seabirds roost on islands, and swallows may roost on telephone lines. Starlings choose an enormous diversity of roost sites -- many kinds of woodlands, cattails and other reeds, and numerous kinds of buildings, to name a few.
Birds arrive quite high and drop suddenly into cover. Roosts in prickly shrubs such as gorse or bramble; also in conifers. Pre-roost gatherings twitter as darkness falls. Roosts in warm, well-lit places, often on trees or buildings in towns. Listen for birds calling overhead en route. Gathers in huge roosts at reedbeds, and on piers and buildings. Aerial pre-roost displays are spectacular. Listen Now. Bob Sundstrom Writer. Frank Corrado Narrator.
Antje Schulte Photographer. Tags: nesting. Male Marsh Wrens will build several--as many fifteen--dome shaped shells in the reeds to woo fema.
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