Hello all,
I'm just wondering if this is a place where I could get some help on this issue. I won't publish full details as yet, but will wait until I get a yes or no answer from someone.
Thanks
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Ummmm...
I think we need a bit more detail about this...Are you talking about wild birds,or your neighbours pet birds,or your own birds,or your neighbours complaining about your pet birds?
No need to hesitate with the details, boristhebeetle. I'm hunched over my keyboard in anticipation.
We all love a bit of poo, I often feel tempted to dump some over my neighbour But in this case I suspect, the neighbour's birds dump on you?
M-L
Hello,
thanks for that.
We live in the suburbs. We have a freestanding house with 5 mature gum trees in the back yard. Two of the trees are Blue Gum, one is Tallowwood, and the others I'm not sure. All the trees were planted long before we bought the house. The immediate area has many properties with trees, contributing to a leafy feeling.
Received a letter from our neighbor, indicating a concern with bird poop in his yard. He has no trees in his yard. The letter indicated that he is concerned about the amount of bird poop dropping in his yard, which has increased a lot in the last few weeks. He indicated that the bird poop can carry disease, makes it difficult for him to walk through the yard without stepping on it, is unsightly, and reckons the birds have also pooped on him. The branches from some of our trees overhang his yard. His letter carried the expectation that we will somehow find a way to solve this problem.
We don't feed any of the birds (or other wildlife) so their presence in and around our trees in just nature being nature.
My knowledge of birds is almost nil, so I can't tell you what species they are, other than to describe them as noisy and screechy, especially near dawn and dusk. They have just come around in the last few weeks, and we have noticed an increase in bird poo on our side as well.
The trees would be 30, 40 50 years old, so they were definitely there when our neighbour moved in.
the trees are right on the fence, so trimming back to the fence line would mean the trees have only half a canopy (on our side) –
Our neighbor has no young babies or small children.
Most of his yard is paved - most of ours is grass.
So I'm wondering if anyone can help with this issue -some questions below that may guide answers :
1. do birds poop at certain times of the year more than others ?
2. are there any professionals who may help with this issue ?
3. Is this issue even solvable, or is it just part and parcel of living in a leafy area ?
4. will some minor trimming help ?
5. Do birds poop when they are nesting, or when flying or both ?
We have also noticed an increase in bird poop on our side as well, but we just accept it as part of life in the burbs.
Many thanks in advance to all.
sounds like lorries feeding on the seasonal bloom of the trees?
Should pass soon enough!
Cheers Beef.
If it was me. I would check out the "local Bylaws" on line, or by ringing the relevant Council , to get some information about the problem.
I would say that should be the first step.
M-L
Tricky!
I've gathered the following from your post, boristhebeetle:
Lorikeets depend on native trees, particularly Eucalypts for food & breeding hollows so if you want a native bird-free yet leafy neighbourhood then the obvious solution is to get rid of the native trees & replace them with exotics. This, however, would have the disadvantage of contributing to the environmental devestation & the decrease in biodiversity under which Australia already suffers. And you would need to be careful about which exotics you planted because some of those species attract lorikeets when in flower. E.g., last Saturday in Gawler St, Mt Barker SA I was intrigued to see the plethora of lorikeets feeding in the Chinese elms which the council has planted.
Minor trimming of the tree limbs overhanging your neighbour's domain will temporarily relieve the problem in a minor way but the problem will resurface next autumn by which time will the trees have shot new branches & leaves as well as being in flower again.
Your local council may have an environmental officer &/or a neighbourhood disputes officer with whom you could discuss these issues. Or your council might be able to point you in the direction of such services.
Good luck with all that. And finally, congratulations on not being an artificial feeder of native birds. They do better if left to find their natural food sources.
1. do birds poop at certain times of the year more than others ?
Birds poop all year round however where they poop will wary depending on the food source location
2. are there any professionals who may help with this issue ?
No professionals deal solely with bird poop maybe with cleaning it off his concrete. There are professional tree loppers but that is an expensive solution which may venture into the $1000's that your neighbour would need to consider if he wants the trees cut to his fence line although he can throw the branches back into your yard.
3. Is this issue even solvable, or is it just part and parcel of living in a leafy area?
I would say only removing the overhanging branches will stop the birds on those branches pooping in his yard but it won't stop bird poop entirely see Q5 and yes it is part and parcel of living in a leafy environment so it is not completely solvable while birds are present and removing birds entirely would be an entirely different issue and illegal.
4. will some minor trimming help ?
It will help a little and maybe satisfy the neighbour's complaint in that you have tried to help however it depends on how much poop causes a complaint.
5. Do birds poop when they are nesting, or when flying or both?
Birds can poop all the time including the above (maybe not while sleeping) while captive birds can be taught to poop on commmand, wild birds have no need to be toilet trained.
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
Woko and Alison - congratulations on your patience
Peter
Woko and Alison,
thanks to both of you for your detailed and helpful replies. I'd like to send each of you a PM, but can't figure out how - is this possible ?
Thanks
Hi BoristheBeetle,
I am happy to help solve your problem with your neighbour and also to write "poop" multiple times in a post, I just hope it works.
To send a PM, go right to the top of the web page and on the right hand side is the word Messages click on that which takes you to another page and choose "write new message"; in the "to" box, type the user/s names of the person you would like to send a message. If (for example) you type "Qy" (it does not seem to mind whether you use lower or upper case) only my username comes up in the selection box but other names may give you other choices. The rest of it is just like typing a new post. Cheers.
Alison
~~~~~~
"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."
I honestly admire your tact & neighbourly attitude to finding a solution here BoristheBeetle. IMO, whether your neighbour is out of sorts over the poop for psycological reasons or just personal preference, if he/she doesn't like poop in their backyard & chose to live in a leafy area, then perhaps they should now consider moving. Alternatively, they could try a cup of concrete. Sorry, no apologies for not being tactful or politically correct, (well maybe a small one ), but I think your neighbour sounds a little more full of poop than the birds do to be honest.
West Coast Tasmania
Thanks RubyE, we do try.
Peter
You're welcome boristhebeetle, although in hindsight, my personal opinions weren't all that constructive or helpful & if it were me, then I would have to admit I would probably take the tactful route initially too. I think other BIBY members have offered more useful advice than me & covered most issues. The only thing I would add is that I would be concerned with lopping on their side, if it came to that, purely because if it is severe lopping and/or done incorrectly, then that may result in unbalance in the tree itself, which could naturally pose a problem to properties during, say, a storm etc. Good luck - hope all can be resolved.
West Coast Tasmania
Lol Peter - a truck perhaps?
West Coast Tasmania
The man with the treeless paved yard has no understanding nor love of nature. Its as simple as that. There are many "cement heads" like that in the community and they don't conciliate or suddenly open up their hard-set minds to the natural world around them. We just have to put up with them. Boris is particularly unfortunate to have a cement head living next door to him. Don't take a step back Boris. Stick to what you are legally entitled to do ie grow trees in your backyard, enhance the environment and provide habitat for native birds. If the cement head wants a fight he will use any excuse; leaves and branches falling on his paving, safety hazard, root invasion, fire risk, excess shading, etc. He won't be happy until you rip out all your trees and lay paving like him.
Ladies and gents,
Thanks again to you all for your posts. I do appreciate your time.
Apologies for my tardy reply.
@RubyE,
Thanks for that - I think tactful is always best.
Even if we or our neighbour wanted to lop on his side, I don't think Council would allow it, certainly not for something like bird poo. The main tree overhanging his yard is a Sydney Blue Gum, which is supposedly an endangered species. This would make Council even more reluctant to remove perfectly healthy branches.
@Night Parrot
Thanks also for your post.
Yes, we all have different likes and dislikes, and different lifestyle requirements. The best scenario is when there is a realistic match between your physical environment and your lifestyle requirements. This does not appear to be the case here. I should add that the trees in question are several decades old, and were there well before our neighbour,and almost everyone else in the area.
Having had some more time to look at the birds that seem to be causing the problem, we think they are Sulphur Crested Cockatoos. And I should also add that the bird activity has decreased a fair bit in the last few days.
Thanks again.