Bird Nesting under Solar Panels - Solutions!

ManUnitedSydney on 04/11/2022 - 09:43
Last edited 04/11/2022 - 09:45

Hi all,

I am looking for some opinions regarding birds nesting under solar panels. I had my panels for 2 years with no issues until recently where I start seeing pigeons nesting underneath them and hear noise all the time.

Some of the solutions i read online are
- Bird Scarer such as an owl or
- Bird blinder which is a wind power control optical reflection made of stainless steel that looks like a pyramid or
- Bird busta bird sweep

Alternatively get the whole panels wired with a mesh which i got a quote that will cost me over $1,500.

So, just wants to ask for your opinion if you have used or experience using any of those bird scarer products as they are a cheaper option than the mesh.

Thank you.

Home & Garden Solar Energy System

Comments

  • Gunnar on 04/11/2022 - 09:51
    -2

    A cat … when then gets a tasty treat

    • Yummy on 04/11/2022 - 11:35

      And then…?

      • vinnychase on 04/11/2022 - 12:51
        +4

        then OP will have a cat problem in next post.

        • Forenti on 04/11/2022 - 15:55
          +9

          Then OP just gets a fox

      • NatoTomato on 07/11/2022 - 08:58

        And then you get another cat, tie a string around it and send it in. They'll bond and get codependant, and then one day, you rip the second cat out, and the first one will walk right out. Works with the classic cat in wall situation as well.

  • Cheaplikethebird on 04/11/2022 - 09:58
    +14

    They're doves and I also would like to know how to get rid of the f***ers. Keep trying to nest on my A/C exhaust units and their repetitive calls at 7am fuel dreams of buying an air rifle.

    • Xistn on 04/11/2022 - 10:46
      +3

      Correction, flying rat!

      removing the nests usually removes them I found.

      Otherwise I 2nd, the air rifle purchase.

      • Cheaplikethebird on 04/11/2022 - 11:11
        +1

        Yeah done that now they stop trying to build nests…but still…they come.

        In the NT they'll send you out a trap to catch them, then after you drop off your trapped birds they are "euthanized and fed to captive wildlife", this brings me some joy.

        • Xistn on 04/11/2022 - 11:22
          +1

          Send query to NT, ask if they deliver traps outside of NT?

          • Cheaplikethebird on 04/11/2022 - 11:44
            +1

            @Xistn: Bit of a drive to NT from Melbourne to drop them off though

            • Xistn on 04/11/2022 - 13:55
              +6

              @Cheaplikethebird: Who said anything about handing the traps back?

              KFC always out of chicken, time they had a flying rat category.

        • Nugs on 04/11/2022 - 11:26
          +7

          "but still…they come"
          I can't read that without remembering this by Jeff Wayne
          https://youtu.be/6YwFvmnbj3E?t=385

          • Cheaplikethebird on 04/11/2022 - 11:46
            +1

            @Nugs: Hahaha… guess I'll be rewatching the 2005 flick today

          • souths123 on 05/11/2022 - 15:41

            @Nugs: lol, yes, it made me remember the song…used to listen to it when they broadcast the whole thing over a few weeks on Saturdays

        • Franc-T on 06/11/2022 - 20:57

          Arent they very location oriented and will fly back?

      • mapax on 04/11/2022 - 12:35
        +1

        An air rifle is a Category A firearm in Australia and can’t be used in a built up area. You need to move to England if you want to use an air rifle in a backyard.

        • Cheaplikethebird on 04/11/2022 - 12:45
          +1

          Yeah nah well aware but still I can dream

        • Mechz on 04/11/2022 - 17:39

          Painttball gun with frozen paint?

          • mapax on 04/11/2022 - 17:53
            +1

            @Mechz: Category P firearm in Victoria, requires a license, requires a permit to purchase, must be stored in a safe the same as a Catsgery A or B firearm (shotguns, deer rifles etc.), can only be used at a location approved by Chief Commissioner.

            • cookie2 on 05/11/2022 - 06:36
              +2

              @mapax: Wow, A paint gun requires the same licensing? Odd when the level of harm seems so different between a paint gun and a gun.

              On a tangent but I used to have a cap gun that would be filled with little bits of powder and make a loud noise…noow kids have mobiles, tablets and social media.

            • mctubster on 05/11/2022 - 19:32
              +2

              @mapax: Wow so sad. Didn’t everyone grow up with air rifle in their back yard or was it a NZ only deal?

              • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2022 - 21:17
                +4

                @mctubster: No, they were here too. My father had one in a cupboard at the back door. He showed me how to use it, then told me I couldn't use it. I don't know why he even had it because he never used it again. I realised one day he counted the slugs to check if I was using it. So I bought my own… from the local NEWSAGENT.

                They also sold spud guns, sling shots, and throwdowns. I used to go without lunch so I could buy throwdowns with my lunch money. Then I'd wait a few months after cracker night was over, then sell them at school for a profit when no more fireworks were being sold. I was making good money until some nitwit I sold a pack to got caught and told the headmaster who was selling them. I kept them in in my bedroom. Imagine the look on my mothers face after the school contacted her and she made me show them to her. It's a wonder I didn't burn the house down. I wound up having to use about 40 boxes myself… mostly at school… over several months… when the teachers and other kids weren't looking so I couldn't get done again, lol.

                Oh and about 1983 Kmart of all places sold BB guns for a few/several months. I forget how many models they had, but it was definitely more than 1, and less than 5. (Two, maybe three models?) Of course that didn't last long because the do-gooders put an end to that. I looked older so some guy I knew talked me into buying one for him using his money. Then he started trying to shoot sparrows out of my window. The problem with that was the sparrows were flying against a stained glass window of a church behind my place trying to get spiders. Someone from the church phoned the cops and lied saying I (not him) was trying to shoot their windows out. But the gun was so weak the ball bearings would fall to the ground in an arc as soon as they left the barrel. (He didn't have enough money for the the most powerful one.) So the ball bearings could never have reached the window anyway.

                The cops turned up, he threw it under my bed, cop threatened us all until the kid broke and told him where it was. Then the clown tried to show the cop the ball bearings couldn't reach the window, and the cop is like, "Uh… NOOOO!" lol. My mother went to the police station later to get it back telling them we were going to take it straight back for a refund. It was obviously legal or Kmart wouldn't have been able to sell them, but since when did cops follow the rules. i.e. He was probably planning to take it home for his own kid because it took her a while to get it off them.

                • Leo Getz on 06/11/2022 - 01:20
                  +1

                  @[Deactivated]: I remember Kmart selling guns in the sport section, amongst the fishing, camping, etc. gear and behind the counter like a gun shop.

                  • NevC on 06/11/2022 - 18:24
                    +2

                    @Leo Getz: Yeah, Kmart sold just about everything when I was much younger. All good stuff. Now they just sell junk.

                  • shutuptakemymoney101 on 06/11/2022 - 21:34
                    +1

                    @Leo Getz: Amart did also, used to test out air-rifles in store (the gun section was on the mezzanine) by shooting out the store window to a target in the backyard of the store. Good innocent times.

              • juki on 05/11/2022 - 22:11

                @mctubster: in Nz we grew up with a .22 a few other neighbours had some american rifles from wwii - only used for hunting possums and recreating "get off my farm" scenes

                • [Deactivated] on 06/11/2022 - 09:45

                  @juki:

                  recreating "get off my farm" scenes

                  What's that… a TV show?

                  • juki on 06/11/2022 - 10:11

                    @[Deactivated]: no they were just the more "extreme" neighbours - my childhood is far, they might have just been normal blokes

            • Worf on 05/11/2022 - 19:44

              @mapax: Gel blaster?

              • mapax on 06/11/2022 - 06:38

                @Worf: It varies by state. I think OP is in NSW and they are classed as air rifles there except for if they look like a “military firearm” in which case they are a prohibited firearm.
                I’m not really sure on these though as they aren’t something I’ve ever used recreationally or for work.

        • RefusdClassification on 05/11/2022 - 21:44
          -3

          Crossbows are silent, but they require a gun license. I suspect it is extremely difficult to become a firearm owner in the Australian nanny state.

          Birds and humans are incompatible.

        • juki on 05/11/2022 - 22:12

          pea shooter/ blow dart / slingshot - that lace trap to catch rabbits (like a noose but its a sliding knot)

    • franco cozzo on 04/11/2022 - 12:24
      +4

      coo-coo….

  • jellykingdom on 04/11/2022 - 10:02
    +7

    Go with mesh. It's probably easy to DIY, all that equipment is available online. The bird scarers need to be moved every few months, otherwise the birds just get used to them

    • freefall101 on 04/11/2022 - 11:24
      +11

      I had a bird that kept tapping on my window, every time it tapped the cat went running, leapt up and scared it away (cat inside, bird outside)

      After a couple of days the cat was sitting on the windowsill with the bird outside happily tapping away, completely ignoring the fuming cat.

      They're smart little bastards, birds are.

  • 87percent on 04/11/2022 - 10:03
    -1

    i actually saw a van yesterday with advertising promoting "solar panel bird deterrents"

    • vinnychase on 04/11/2022 - 12:54

      google does van ads now?

      • vinnychase on 04/11/2022 - 12:54
        +2

        this must be the work of meta

    • AustriaBargain on 05/11/2022 - 16:09

      Was the van full of snakes?

  • Fredfloresjr on 04/11/2022 - 10:11
    +3

    Snake toy

    • JoeSoap on 04/11/2022 - 10:55
      +1

      This works and from the comment above I'll have to move it once in a while to keep it active.

    • NoApostrophePlurals on 05/11/2022 - 16:13
      +4

      What kind of toys do snakes play with?

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 04/11/2022 - 10:25
    +11

    Bikies

  • jv on 04/11/2022 - 10:46

    Bird Nesting under Solar Panels - Solutions!

    🍗

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 04/11/2022 - 11:02
    +1

    Hose. Timer.

    • jv on 04/11/2022 - 11:03
      +2

      Kinky….

  • netjock on 04/11/2022 - 11:03
    +14

    You can also get chicken wire from Bunnings. I would suggest to cut them into lengths and roll them into a circle, cable tie together and slip them under the edge of the panels (the pressure will turn the circle into an oblong and keep them in place, cable tie if required).

    You could also buy plastic mesh and do the same.

    Good luck!

    • ManUnitedSydney on 04/11/2022 - 11:05

      Thank you for your suggestion.

    • xdigger on 04/11/2022 - 11:48

      Any photos of such contraptions?

      • netjock on 04/11/2022 - 11:56
        +1

        Google images for "solar panel bird proofing"

        I prefer to roll it up, slip it under and fix with cable ties. You get double the protection (can't go under it and even if they can get through first layer there is a second layer) and you just need to cable tie at each end of the roll (you can get 1.5 width or you can get 5m length rolls, even 10m or 15m).

    • Speckled Jim on 05/11/2022 - 08:53

      Bird netting is pretty cheap, big rolls, generally white and 8-12mm openings.
      Might have to replace it every 5 years or so.

    • nswnotill on 05/11/2022 - 10:21
      +1

      I agree with the rolled up chicken wire solution. I have successfully used this method.

    • noz on 06/11/2022 - 09:13

      If you go this route, make sure there's no way they can squeeze in. There are cases where birds still found their way in to the meshing, but couldn't get back out again. End up with a very nasty bird death mess to clean up.. especially with how hot it can get on a roof on some days.

  • tsunamisurfer on 04/11/2022 - 11:27
    +7

    Get a real estate agent and send them an eviction notice.

    • avoidfullprice on 04/11/2022 - 12:55

      Three letters minimum, and REA will charge you for the time spent on this.

  • franco cozzo on 04/11/2022 - 12:23

    rattlesnake staple gunned to the wall

  • core101 on 04/11/2022 - 14:33

    A sprinkler system on a timer, the type used the homeless

  • Mechz on 04/11/2022 - 17:40

    I'd get a pet Crow.

  • vikvance on 04/11/2022 - 23:59

    One option could be to try installing spikes in the places where they usually nest ?

    https://www.bunnings.com.au/saxon-500-x-100-x-110mm-stainles…

  • Chris Topher on 05/11/2022 - 05:51
    +1

    Bikies.

  • Easyteas85 on 05/11/2022 - 07:51
    +2

    Just get up there and put mesh

  • Grunntt on 05/11/2022 - 09:01
    +3

    I had the same problem a year or so back and had the mesh installed - 2 storey house with 9+16 panels along north and west sides of the roof.
    Pigeons hung around for a couple of days after but eventually worked out that there were better options a couple of houses down the street.

    Quote was for installation of 47m of 'solar skirts' (basically a coated mesh). It took about 4 hours for one installer.

    Total cost was $820.

    DIY around something generating power at height, if you don't know what you are doing, is not recommended just to save a few dollars.

  • Miss B on 05/11/2022 - 11:13

    I am looking for some opinions regarding birds nesting under solar panels.

    Birds will be birds.

  • ozbargainoid on 05/11/2022 - 11:54

    Try gutter guard…the type that keeps leaves from filling up house gutters.
    The rolled chicken wire will work too.

  • WT on 05/11/2022 - 12:05
    +2

    home made sling shot is legal in nsw

  • jaimex2 on 05/11/2022 - 15:15
    +2

    One of the best things about living out of the burbs is the amount of native Australian birds. They harass the $%#& out of pigeons and prevent them from nesting.

  • pd boi on 05/11/2022 - 15:17
    +3

    galvanised (zinc) chicken wire from bunnings reacts with the aluminium solar panels, and then the steel underneath starts rusting after a few years.

    the uv stabilised pvc dipped stainless steel are a longer term solution (available on eBay in 30m segments).

    not too hard to put on, although you gotta be brave for double storey houses. be sure to clean out under the panels before putting them on. only realised I had two baby pigeons and a heap of branches and leaves under the panels just when I was about to close up around a string of panels.

    should do it sooner rather than later, its mating season for them, and the guano has pretty much contaminated the underground rainwater tank at my sister's place. Toilets stink to high heaven.

  • capslock janitor on 05/11/2022 - 16:14

    Pics?

  • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2022 - 20:38
    +1

    Make something to protect these from the weather. e.g. You could seal one end of a PVC pipe, silicon one into the sealed end with the beam pointing out the open end, with the open end tilting slightly downward so rain can't flow uphill and ruin them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVelATo4WGA.

    If you have say two rows of panels buy 8 or 10 of them, install 4 or 5 spaced apart to shoot their beams under each panel row. Wire them all up to a power supply on a 240V timer. Cheap Bunnings 240V timers have a time gap of 15 minutes. So push every second tab down. Every 15 minutes the timer turns on the power supply, the beams shoot under the panels for 15 minutes, the birds fly off, and the increased oxygen flow over their feathers turns them into incendiary devices.

  • dcash on 05/11/2022 - 20:55
    -2

    No doubt you live in a property with no suitable nesting trees, so why shouldn't the birds roost on your roof? Just leave them be.

    • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2022 - 21:21

      Because they have lice. I rented a place that had bird lice in the roof. What a nightmare.

      • dcash on 07/11/2022 - 08:11

        I have plenty of pigeons around my house, and neither they nor their supposed lice, have ever bothered me. And considering they are ON your roof and not IN your roof, I don't see how lice would affect you. You might as well live in a bubble if you're so worried about a couple of birds. Rofl.

        • [Deactivated] on 07/11/2022 - 15:57

          Well I'm not bothered, the OP is. And if you didn't experience it, case closed because if you've never met the Mursi tribe, they must be a conspiracy theory, right? [Sigh!]

          You should check that link someone else posted showing all the bird crap and feathers. Yes it's obviously the worst case scenario to encourage people to pay for their service. But it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

          I believe some local councils require rainwater harvesting now too. No one wants bird shit, feathers, lice, in their rain water harvesting system.

          As for lice in the roof space… I know lots of people are delicate petals who live sheltered lives and all, but have you really never seen into the roof space of a house with roof tiles? You will see sunlight streaming through gaps in the tiles. Water cannot ingress because the tiles overlap, but you will see light streaming through. So if a bird builds a nest, sheltered by the panels, and it doesn't rain hard or often enough to wash it away - of course lice can crawl from the nest into the roof space, then spread throughout the house from there. Lice easily fit through the gaps in the tiles because the ones we experienced were so small we couldn't even seen them on our skin, for a few days couldn't work out what it was. All we knew was we went to bed and started itching because they were on the wall the bed rested against. Apart from being so tiny they were also a similar colour to our skin rendering them nearly invisible. The landlord had to pay for a pest control to come and spray the roof space.

  • SupeNintendoChalmers on 05/11/2022 - 21:22
    +1

    wired mesh is best solution, though $1500 quote is a joke. You can buy the kit on eBay and its piss easy to do.

  • clintmo on 05/11/2022 - 21:45
    +2

    The mesh 100% works. I used a company called crystal clear solar pigeon proofing in Brisbane. $716 fully installed and includes removal of a few nests. This was for a 6.6kw solar system which equates to 48m. Did it once. Did it right and never looked back.

  • apolomka on 05/11/2022 - 23:44
    +2

    We had the mesh installed and it works a treat. We also have pigeons nesting in our palm tree so have purchased a drone to buzz them at random times. Haven't had time to set up yet so can't comment on how well it works but research indicates it can work if you have the time to do it regularly.

  • solidussnake on 06/11/2022 - 01:04

    Go the netting both neighbours my have the fake Owl's and one has a spinning disc they get used to them and still nest

  • andmajor on 06/11/2022 - 08:34

    We had the same problem, and also a possum family sleeping under the solar panels at the far end. Wound up getting a possum man in to remove the possums, then he removed the pigeon nests and put plastic coated steelmesh around the panels. This was 2 years ago and no issues since. Money well spent for a 2 storey house - was about $1500 as well. Felt expensive at the time, but has been good value.

  • pongie on 06/11/2022 - 09:32
    +1

    Have the same problem. I think they were from the neighbours roof when they went through a couple of methods (hanging cds to completely blocking out the gaps under the panels). In the end I had to install the mesh on my panels. The pigeons are still there but they are now on the window sills and gutters. The neighbour on the other side feeds them by putting out food scraps so they won’t go away.

    They like to perch on the higher grounds. The house that’s feeding them is single storey while my place and the neighbour on the other side are double storey

  • c64 on 06/11/2022 - 19:19
    +1

    a couple of rolls of gutter guard & some zip ties. problem solved

    Bird Scarer such as an owl

    useless

  • cheaptech20 on 06/11/2022 - 20:05
    +1

    https://www.pestrol.com.au/buy-online/solar-panel-guard-kit-…

    This product worked great for me. I got 2 of these for about $320, then got it installed by my solar installer for an extra $300.
    Make sure you get enough for the perimeter of the panels.

  • Oz em on 07/11/2022 - 00:34

    Something like this stuck to the roof
    https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEw…

    They move around and apparently scare the birds away.

  • Daniel Plainview on 07/11/2022 - 09:37
    +1

    Unless you have a very tricky roof &/or are unsteady on your feet I'd buy some chicken wire and do yourself. Will be very easy to cut to size and then twist/fold/roll so that you can place around the perimeter of all the panels. You might even find that there's a gutter guard type mesh at Bunnings that will work well.

    Good shoes, in the dry is very simple to do yourself - unless as I say, you have extreme roof pitch.

    I'd not waste your time with the 'scare' options - the birds figure this out soon enough.

  • ManUnitedSydney on 07/11/2022 - 09:41
    +1

    Thank you all for your comments. Will buy the chicken wire and do it myself.

    Thought about also installing these just to keep them away.

    https://www.mydeal.com.au/bird-blinder-repeller-wind-power-c…

    • Daniel Plainview on 07/11/2022 - 09:47
      +1

      @Abdull
      Just do the physical barrier (wire etc) that repeller you linked will not work - certainly not in the long term and would cost more that physical barrier, so you achieved nothing and will still need to sort out. Physical barrier is guaranteed 100% to work.

      Just make yourself comfortable with walking on the roof first - wear proper shoes that grip well - walk on the sections of the roof/line where the joists are underneath, long sleeves, eyewear etc) - take your wire, clippers and anything needed up with you in a container and sit and do it properly.

      It's not a job you want to keep on going up and down over and over - oh and be EXTRA careful securing and getting one/off your ladder - thats where most folks come unstuck - so always go slow and have it properly secured.

      You're saving on the $1500 - so ensure you have proper tools, ladder, wire etc.

      • ManUnitedSydney on 07/11/2022 - 09:50
        +1

        Thank you for your suggestion, definatly will do that :) Cheers

    • mike0mike0 on 07/11/2022 - 15:40
      +1

      This is useless. I have this and also the untrasonic bird repeller which meant to create unfavorable sharp noise to repell the pigeons. None of them work.

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