Bird control Sydney

Same mess on the balcony every morning?

Pigeons return to the same roost every night, so a broom only works until sunset. Once a pair nests, the mess builds week by week, and so does the noise. In Sydney's mild climate, pigeons can breed all year round.

The fix is to take away the spot they keep coming back to. First we work out whether the birds rest there for a minute or nest there for the season, because each needs a different answer.

Pigeon proofing for Sydney homes and strata

Pigeon netting is usually the first fix for your balcony. It closes the space off completely, and once it's tensioned you'll barely see it from the street. On homes and units, these are the spots that need it most:

• balconies and balcony ceilings
• open stairwells and light wells in apartment blocks
• the gap under solar panels
• window ledges, sills and air conditioning units
• gutters, eaves and broken roof tiles that let birds into the roof space

For strata buildings, we quote the common areas and each balcony separately. The committee and each owner can see their share of the job.

You'll find more on balcony and stairwell work on our bird netting installation page.

Which deterrent suits your spot?

The right bird deterrent depends on what the birds do in that spot. Here's how your main options compare:

• Netting keeps birds out of an area completely. It suits balconies, stairwells and light wells.
• Spikes stop birds landing on narrow surfaces such as ledges, signs, beams and parapets.
• Wire systems run fine tensioned wire along a ledge or roof line, so birds can't get a stable footing.
• Gel is a sticky deterrent for ledges. It needs topping up, so it's kept for places where spikes or netting won't fit.

Plenty of homes need two of these. We often fit a Sutherland Shire house with mesh under the solar panels and spikes on a front ledge.

If you already know what you need, see bird spikes or solar panel bird proofing.

Signs your home needs bird proofing

You'll usually see or hear the problem before you go looking for it. Watch for these giveaways:

• cooing or scratching from the roof or under the panels at dawn
• droppings on the balcony, driveway, cars or windows
• sticks, feathers and nesting material poking out from gaps
• birds flying in and out of the same spot at dusk
• bird lice or mites inside, which can drop down from a nest in the roof

Any one of these is worth a photo. Send it through and we'll give you a straight answer.

How the job works

1. Tell us what you're seeing. Send a photo or give us a call, and let us know your suburb.
2. Inspection. We find where the birds settle on your property and how they get in.
3. Quote. You get a price for each area before any work starts.
4. Clean-up and install. We clear old nests and droppings, then fit the proofing and check every edge for gaps.
5. Final check. If birds nested in your roof, the entry point is blocked and the area can be treated for bird lice. Your site is left clean.

What affects your price

We price every job on the building in front of us. These things move the price up or down:

• The size of the area. One balcony is a smaller job than a stairwell across four storeys.
• Height and access. Second-storey balconies and steep roofs need more gear and more time.
• The method. Netting with a support frame costs more than a few metres of spikes.
• Clean-up. Heavy droppings and old nests take longer to clear before the proofing goes on.

You'll see your full price before any work starts.