Battle with the Birds

We are in a battle with some birds. 

It started earlier in the spring when a bird or two noticed the mirrors and reflective properties of the window on my truck. They pecked and pooped all over the mirrors and down the doors leaving a big mess that was unsightly, unsanitary, and probably damaging to the paint.

I'd had this to happen before. So, I got a couple of plastic grocery bags, pulled them around he mirrors, and tied them on there. That helped a lot. However, they still would perch on the door and windshield and leave their mark. 

Then, I noticed that there were a couple of birds that had found an opening on either side along the hood near the windshield that is just about the width of my hand. I first saw them climbing out of that opening and flying away. Next, I saw them getting under the hood of the truck; plus, I saw them taking pieces of grass and straw when they went in. There can be nothing good about that. 

I moved where I had the truck parked in our back yard. I went around the side of the house and parked it on the concrete slab near our basement entry. I washed the mess they had made off of the hood, windshield, mirrors, and doors. Then, I opened the hood and began looking for where they had stashed the grasses and straw pieces. I could see a bit or two down in between the windshield wash fluid container and the battery. So, I tried poking my hand in there to pull it out. I could not reach it. I took sticks and long tweezers and all manner of pokey things to try to wedge the bits out but could not reach it all. I felt down under the fender well of the tire and saw some grass sticking out down there. So, we discovered that they were trying to build their nest between the plastic container where the battery rests and the plastic that protects the motor from mud being slung up by the tires. The Mister took the hose and flushed out what he could and we pulled some from the fender well and hoped the move would do the trick. It did not.

At this point, the Mister was on a mission. He found some old socks that I had banished to the rag bag for him to wipe grease on at the barn. Those old socks got stuffed into the openings at the windshield to block the bird entryway.

The next morning I glanced out the window and there was a bird hopping round on the hood of the truck. It would peck at one sock and then flitter over to the mirror and look at it and squawk. Then, it would skip over to the other side and peck at that sock and squawk. I smiled thinking that we had deterred them and they would soon find another nesting spot. 

Then, that afternoon I noticed the bird had come back and had brought a friend. They perched on the hood of the truck. Then, flew under the fender well and perched on the tire. Next, one would disappear under there and then the other would do so. After a bit, they would come out to sit on the tire before flying away only to return a little while later. Outmaneuvered!

The Mister is determined not to be outdone. I looked out the window earlier and noticed that the Mister was hard at work. He is tenacious. He whole-heartedly intends to win this battle with the birds. 

We have a whole farm here where they could nest. There are trees all around the place that would provide wonderful perches for their home. We are trying to be humane and considerate but our patience is growing thin.