I like to think I can get along with natures ways, but when some black birds decided to make a nest on top of the alternator of my wifes brand new car,I had to draw the line. They had a wad of straw,grass ,ect the size of a basketball strewn about under the hood. Poop everywhere.

OK what to do. I placed a window fan with ribbons blowing around in front of the car to keep them away for now.Short of killing them, which would be very  tricky here in a development ,I don`t have any other solutions.

Ideas anyone? Yes ,I have a garage but that's my tackle shop ,beer drinkin man cave=forget about it.

 

Also soon the barn swallows will invade my front door protected area . I just hang about six ribbons  down to about my waist height and that works to keep them out.

 

C22

Wow....maybe an owl decoy

Choot em, get a cat

Choot em,

and make a pie

Shooting them is a waste of time. They are too stupid to notice that their buddies are dead, and will keep coming. Been there, done that.

flame thrower 

Sounds like you found the solution.  If the ribbons work, I'd stick with them. 

Up date.I came home from a fishing trip today and my neighbor is over at his suv with the hood up shaking  his fist at me.The fist thing is not unusual, but he motioned me over to show a 5 gal bucket almost full of bird nest material from under the hood..He smelled something burning when he went out, so he checked it.

My problem subsided with the fan.

Neither of us had ever seen birds do this. GGrr, there is a woods across the street.

 

BTW we are the best of friends.

I told him to look for moles that I`m going to drive outta my yard over to him.

C22

Put a fake rubber snake under the hood.  That might skeer 'em off.

OK,no more birds for me,but they managed to nest and lay an egg under the hood on the engine of my neighbors suv. They are bird lovers so we`ll see how tolerant they are on this one?

C22

Like ghoti said ..same things squirrels do soon as u kill um the next army comes thru rodents are consistent as are starlings,sparrows,geese and black birds

I have never heard of birds getting under the hood.  Cats, rats, mice, and squirrels, yes but not birds.

Maybe they were cold and all those warm engines just sitting around not being used on the weekend, well they were cold and needed a heater.  It has been a cold winter for most of the Central and North East part of the country.

I have never heard of birds getting under the hood.  Cats, rats, mice, and squirrels, yes but not birds.

A first for birds for me too.Few yrs back,I opened the grill hood to see a massive amount of nest  material. They went in thru the rotisserie hole.

 

 

Maybe they were cold and all those warm engines just sitting around not being used on the weekend, well they were cold and needed a heater.  It has been a cold winter for most of the Central and North East part of the country.

 They keep messin with me,theyr`e get some heat alright.

 

Next project is moles and ants in the yard,not to mention the huge grass kill off  this winter.

I love  my home ,I love my home ,I lo