Alicia Warren recently received a call from a Remuera lady who had a pair of kingfishers who were apparently trying to build tunnel by making a hole through the wall of her townhouse, just below the roof apex. They persist in diving at the wall from early in the morning until about 10 am when they give up. They did this last breeding season too. The season before that there was an aerial on her house which may have provided a nesting space behind it for the kingfishers. The wall is starting to show damage from this persistent attack and she can't afford for the wall to be penetrated.
It was suggested she might like to provide an alternative nesting box for them but she was unwilling to consider this deeming it impossible for her to get up there and not desirable to attach it to the monolithic cladding (she doesn't want kingfishers shitting down the house walls I suspect). She wants those kingfishers gone, and DOC to do it. She suggested we take them away but it was pointed out they would fly right back.
Below is a summary of suggestions received so far - any other ideas?
- Install a model predator such as an owl or falcon on your roof (possibly in the position that the aerial previously occupied). Model owls are available from ships chandlers as they are used on moored yachts to prevent them becoming gull roosts. They are also used to deter shags from eating fish in fish farms, and wading birds from occupying airports. Model predators such as these are most effective if they move slightly such as when they are on a flexible pole, and only stay in place for the months they are needed.
- Other suggested visual deterrents that might be effective (although probably not as effective as a model owl) are a model or a picture of a cat, a pair of eyes, a flag, some bright orange material covering the apex of the wall, things that flash, flap or tinkle in the wind such as silver foil, or Christmas decorations.
- A mirror so that as they fly at the wall another kingfisher appears to fly at them.
- Provide an alternative nesting cavity (in combination with a deterrent) such as a hollow log with a kingfisher size entrance at one end, and the entrance lower than the nesting chamber, attached to a tree or wall.
- Reinforce the apex of the wall.
- Put a physical barrier in front of the wall to obstruct the flight path of the birds such as coarse wire netting, or fishing net.
- Use a private contractor to apply to the Department of Conservation for a translocation permit, and take them to a new habitat a long way away.
- Make your wall look less like a clay bank – paint it a different colour perhaps.
