The limestone block under a window has gotten soft because the mortar needed pointing and water was running off the window and soaking up the block. (The window sets on top of the block which acts as the window sill. Water was running into a bad mortar joint and getting trapped.
Birds would peck at the soft limestone and end up breaking thin chunks ranging from powder to dime size. The stone has eroded considerable.
I fixed the mortar joints. The only sealer I had was an aerosol grout sealer which said it could be used on stone. I put it on and no problems for a couple of weeks.
We had rain over the weekend and the birds are back at it again.
Any ideas about what to do?
I wish I hadn’t seen that Alfred Hitchcock movie when I was a kid. I swear they are gathering on the power lines….watching me.
Replies
BB gun or some white pepper sprinkled all over the stone sill.
I know alittle about the birds , try this [ I use it on my cherry trees when the cherries are ready to get picked , so the birds and other critters won't steal them all] I hang any type of shinny ribbon even tin foil streamers off branchs when any breeze hits them they move and shine and the animals don't like it . same for woodpeckers ,bagging and hammering on the siding or soffets sometimes putting shiny objects even mirrors distracts them , keep the streamers on a week or two and see if they ''forget-abo-it''
A rubber snake will keep them away. I even used coiled up romex scraps to keep the grackles away from my soffits. I glued one with caulk to the roof, like a cobra where they were landing. Worked like a charm.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"
Jed Clampitt
View Image
Great ideas! Maybe I can keep them away until the stone dries out.Any suggestions about a limestone sealer?
>>A rubber snake will keep them away.<<
It will, for a while, if they are migratory......
Hurricane Isabel was barreling up the Chesapeake Bay one August.
Every marina on the Bay has a flock of "resident" ducks. One of their favorite places to haul out is onto the swim platforms of boats.
Well they are nice to look at and the ducklings are very attractive especially to young kids. The problem is that ducks leave "sign" wherever they go.
Some boat owners try the rubber snakes to keep the ducks off of their swim platforms and thus avoid "sign" cleaning.
As I walked down the heaving floating dock to check on a boat --there was a suzie mallard herding her entire downy brood into the protective coils of a fiercesome looking rubber rattlesnake complete with its mouth open and fangs extended - ready to strike!
When I came back past, she had all of them snuggled in to weather the storm.
They did fine.... better than many of the low lying houses, docks and boats.
JimNever underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
I would use insecticide (maybe boric acid paste). I bet they are finding little bugs in there to eat.
I'd never thought about that.
Many bird eat stones to aid in their digestion
Could they also be after minerals??
I was wondering why in the world they would do that. I got some ribbon and made a romex snake. Maybe they'll go chew on another building.
Yep. The stones sit in their crop and grind up the food. That's why you often see birds picking the shingle grit out of the gutters or gravel off the road.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
It makes me wonder why they would pick that particular stone. Do they fly down the street and smell limestone? There's ton's of gravel around.
I haven't a clue why a bird would wanna peck on a stone sill over all the gravel that's naturally around. I was only pointing out why birds eat gravel. My solution for your problem would be to hang a cat from the window header. ;-)Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.
LOL. I wonder if the wife would miss her cat.