Swallows

[isha]

Look I know they are lovely and useful and I'm fond of them. But they have totally taken over four gables and the front of the garage. I'm putting my foot down now about the front facing gable. I'm literally done with their shyte. They can keep the other gables but when they migrate this year I'm removing the nests from one gable and I want to know what I should do to stop them ever nesting there again. The best fool proof way please.

[Apelles]

Haven't needed to use them myself but maybe something like these along the soffit would deter the swallows.
https://www.screwfix.ie/p/pest-stop-sta ... lsrc=aw.ds

[isha]

That's one thing I saw as a possibility. But I wonder does it really work. Plus it doesn't look that nice. Mind you considering the amount of swallow shyte I've had to shovel for the past years up I'm not one to be worried about what looks nice.

[Del.Monte]

Haven't needed to use them myself but maybe something like these along the soffit would deter the swallows.
https://www.screwfix.ie/p/pest-stop-sta ... lsrc=aw.ds

Those spikes are horrible unsightly things and anyway, the House Martins as they probably are, are in very serious decline and if the current trend continues they won't be a problem in Ireland before much longer.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-n ... e-martins/

[isha]

Del, I love the birds and we have a huge population of them here. Living on my house. The skies are full of them. But I need to have one gable back because the filth they are making is depressing me. My heart sinks every time I see it. I have a system where I put down builders sand and shovel it away and replace it frequently, to protect the cement paths from corrosion and to keep on top of the mess. But they are ruining the walls too. And my goodwill has run out. They will have all the other places and I will still be doing the shoveling etc there. But my aesthetic sensibility is at breaking point.

[678904673]

On a slightly different note. I've a pigeon out my back garden that has a broken wing. I've given it some food and water but I'm unsure if I should bring it to a vet or let nature take its course. We've a few stray cats about so I can't see it lasting another 24 hours

[isha]

Can their wings heal? Maybe ask a vet.

We have a new beautiful wild kitten and I'm afraid to love her too much (though I do feed her) because Francis the resident pine marten probably loves the look of her too.

[Fugue]

Aw the baby.

Minding my brother's little dog at the moment and there's a nest of them in his shed (suburbia) - have to be so careful not to disturb them or they'll go mental.