Bird Control

Canada Geese,  Wild Things LLC is the leading goose control company in Fairfield  County. We have the proven track record of removing and controlling  geese. We don't use dogs as this just move the geese to another area  and causes more problems at another location.  Contact us and we can set  up a plan that will meet all state and federal guideline for managing your goose problem.
 

Background: The  Canada goose was abundant in Connecticut during colonial times,  principally as a migrant. Unregulated hunting and market hunting in the 1700s and 1800s caused a population decline. However, protective measures in the early 1900s gradually reversed this trend. Releases of geese by game breeders, sportsmen, private groups, and the State Board of Fisheries and Game resulted in an established population of resident  geese that eventually spread throughout the state. Currently, Canada geese nest statewide, with the highest populations occurring in the 3 most urbanized counties (Fairfield, Hartford, and New Haven counties).
 

Canada goose numbers have increased substantially over the last 50 years. This increase is due to the ability of geese to adapt to man’s landscaping practices. The multitude of new ponds, lakeside lawns, golf courses, and athletic fields created since the 1950s have resulted in a large expansion of the goose population. These areas provide the right combination of water, cover, and grazing sites for geese.
 

The establishment of special hunting seasons that focus on the harvest of resident geese has helped in controlling the resident goose population. Breeding waterfowl population survey data indicate that the  resident Canada goose population is declining in those areas of the state where hunters are provided access to the birds during the hunting seasons.
 

Range: "Migrant" populations of Canada geese nest in Alaska and northern Canada and primarily winter in the United States. "Resident" populations, which are non-migratory, have become established since the 1950s and nest throughout the United States.
 

Description: The Canada goose is Connecticut’s largest native waterfowl species, weighing between 6 and 13 pounds and measuring 22-48 inches. It is easily recognized by its black head, bill, and neck that contrast strikingly with a pale gray breast. The distinct white cheek patch, or chinstrap, that covers the throat is a characteristic field mark. The birds are gray-brown to dark brown on the back and wings and white on  the belly; they have a black rump and tail feathers that are separated by a narrow but distinct band of white feathers.
 

Habitat and Diet: Canada geese are found in a variety of habitats that are located near water bodies, such as lakes, marshes, ponds, reservoirs, and rivers. Geese also are attracted to open grassy areas like lawns, parks, golf courses, athletic fields, and airports, as well as agricultural fields. These habitats provide ample food in the form of aquatic plants, seeds, clovers, cultivated grains, and lawn grass. When inland freshwater areas freeze in Connecticut, geese concentrate in the bays and inlets of Long Island Sound.
 

Life History: Canada geese are among Connecticut’s earliest spring nesters. They may start to defend territories in March and nest by early April. Yearling geese generally do not attempt to nest; about one-third of 2-year-old birds nest, as do most of the 3-year-olds. Canada geese are monogamous and pairs mate for life. They use a variety of nest  sites, such as islands, man-made structures, muskrat and beaver lodges, and shoreline edges. Nest site requirements include proximity to water, cover for the nest, and good visibility for the incubating bird. Usually 4 to 7 white eggs are laid and incubated by the female while the male stands guard a short distance away. Incubation lasts about 28 days.  Hatching occurs from April through June, with the peak occurring the first week of May. Nesting success and gosling survival are generally high. Most nest losses are caused by flooding, desertion, and predation. Egg predators include raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, dogs, and gulls. Young goslings may be preyed upon by snapping turtles, gulls, owls, and coyotes.
 

Interesting Facts: Year-round resident geese that breed in the state are distinct from migratory populations that nest in the northern Canadian provinces. Most migrant geese that occur in Connecticut breed in Labrador, Newfoundland, and northern Quebec, arriving in Connecticut in early October. Migration continues through November with another peak number of migrants arriving in mid-December. Most migrant geese leave the state by mid-January to continue further south. However, in some years with mild winters, substantial numbers of migrant geese have remained in Connecticut the entire winter.
 

Flocks of geese travel in long lines, flying in V-formations. Their raucous honking can be heard for miles. The resonant calls from flocks of migrating geese have long been a welcome harbinger of autumn.
 

Resident geese sometimes serve as decoys, attracting migrant waterfowl. This can lead to crowded conditions and encourage the spread of diseases through the wild population. Further complicating the situation in Connecticut is the feeding of geese by the public. Geese and ducks that are fed nutritionally deficient food, such as bread, may be more susceptible to disease and malnutrition. Supplemental feeding of geese also creates unsanitary conditions and public safety issues at feeding areas. The DEEP Wildlife Division strongly discourages the supplemental feeding of geese and other waterfowl.
 

Conservation and Management: All migratory game birds, including Canada geese, are managed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Biologists manage the migrant and resident populations differently even though the  two overlap during fall and winter and are indistinguishable in appearance. The migrant population is generally susceptible to high hunting pressure because of its long migration. The resident population receives too little hunting pressure. Special hunting seasons, timed to occur when migrants are not present in Connecticut, are used to direct hunting pressure toward resident geese. Regulated hunting is an effective management tool which can reduce nuisance problems. However, many nuisance goose problems occur in urban and suburban areas where hunting may not be a viable option.
 

Non-lethal techniques can be effective, particularly if several different methods are used in concert with each other and at the appropriate time. However, most of the available non-lethal methods, except for habitat modification, are transitory in their effectiveness.  If habitat is not altered and human tolerance of nuisance geese does not change, some level of population reduction, together with non-lethal  conditioning, is the only long-term, successful option.
 

Reducing the number of breeding adults is the only way to achieve and maintain a population decline of resident Canada geese. There are a  number of ways to remove adult geese, such as hunting, issuance of federal depredation permits, and round-ups. Connecticut has liberal goose hunting seasons and hunting has resulted in a decline of goose numbers and problems in areas where hunters have access to the birds. However, hunting is limited in urban areas, making it necessary to use  other means to reduce adult survival.

Pigeons,  Wild Things LLC can implement a plan to mitigate your pigeon problem, we can do many things like spikes, trapping electrical shock track, shooting and other methods of control.

Habitat: Pigeons are commonly found around barnyards, parks, and city buildings. In natural environments, pigeons usually occupy sea cliffs or caves.
Weight: 1.25 pounds, on average
Length: 13-14 inches 

Food: Primarily grain and seed eaters; many  subsist on unnatural food such as bread, popcorn, and peanuts in urban environments. Also, weed seeds, succulent greens, garbage, seeds found in livestock manure, and insects.
 

Identification: Although there are many races and forms of pigeons with variable color patterns, everyone is well-acquainted with the slate blue-gray color of the rock dove. Pigeons have iridescent green, bronze, and purple feathers, two black wing bars, a white rump patch, a distinctive broad, black band on the tail, and red feet. Their wing tips collide on takeoff, and the birds, once airborne, glide with their wings raised at an angle.
 

Male and female pigeons are difficult to distinguish as both are similar in coloration. Female pigeons, though, have a tendency to hold their tail higher and waddle when walking, and are somewhat smaller in size.
 

Range: Found throughout Connecticut. Normally the home range of a pigeon flock is less than one square mile; however, pigeons will travel 10 or more miles from their roost sites in search of food. Despite gregarious traits, individuals have been known to live apart from any flock.
 

Reproduction: Pigeons are monogamous and mate for life, but with the disappearance of a mate, they may choose another. Although breeding may occur in all seasons of the year, peak reproduction occurs in the spring and fall. Male pigeons are more aggressive and strut. In a mating display, males fluff up their neck ruff, drag their tail on the ground, and make loud, cooing noises. While the male selects the nest site, both sexes are involved in nest construction. Nests consist of twigs and grasses and are often located on building ledges and rafters or in eaves, steeples, and vents. Both male and female pigeons exhibit a strong territorial defense of the nest site and share in incubating the eggs (the hen taking most of the day and night shift while the cock sits for a few hours around midday). Clutch size is generally one to two and the incubation period is 17-19 days.  At four to six weeks of age, the  young leave the nest. More eggs may be laid before the first young are fledged.
 

History in Connecticut: Pigeons were brought to the United States by the first European settlers in the early 1600s. They have been abundant in Connecticut throughout the past few centuries.
 

Interesting Facts: Common names for the rock dove include domestic pigeon and homing pigeon.
 

Pigeon flocks are typically made up of equal number of both sexes.
 

The flight speed of the pigeon is 15 to 35 mph; trained pigeons have been clocked up to 97 mph. The pigeon’s alarm note is recognized as an anxious-sounding grunt.
 

Pigeons were apparently the first birds to be domesticated (around 4500  B.C.), being raised first for their meat and later for their message-carrying ability.
 

Management of Nuisances: While some urban dwellers enjoy having friendly pigeons within sight, pigeons can be a nuisance, especially around roosting sites. Their acidic feces eat away gutters and other metal structures, erode stone buildings, and burn lawns. Pigeon droppings are also known to harbor a variety of diseases and parasites, and large accumulations may present a human health hazard. Precautionary measures such as wearing gloves, a dust mask, and washing with disinfecting soap during and after clean-up of pigeon droppings is highly recommended.
 

A number of options exist for managing or preventing nuisance situations involving pigeons:
 

Pigeon proofing: Pigeons often prefer to use the interior portions of buildings to nest and roost if an opportunity for access is provided. Openings to lofts, steeples, vents, and eaves can be blocked with 1/2-inch galvanized wire mesh, wood, sheet metal, or other solid construction materials to prevent pigeons from entering.
 

Controlling pigeons on the exterior surfaces of buildings often requires considerably more effort. The most effective and permanent methods of control involve structural modifications which either physically exclude pigeons from the preferred surface or make it difficult for the birds to rest comfortably on the exposed building surfaces. Physical exclusion can be accomplished by installing weather resistant netting, wire screening, sheet metal, or other materials in a manner that will restrict access to the roosting sites. A grid of heavy gauge monofilament line spaced at six-inch intervals may also be used to create a fence that will interfere with the birds' normal flight pattern to the roosting area.
 

One of the most effective, although expensive methods for preventing roosting pigeons is the use of a commercially available bird barrier system consisting of a series of metal prongs or "porcupine wires" along a metal base that can be attached to a horizontal roosting surface. The needle-like strips of stainless steel act as a prickling fence to exclude birds permanently without harm.
 

Pigeons prefer to roost on level surfaces. Roosting areas can be modified to create a sloping surface, at a 60 degree incline or more, by installing wire mesh or other material to eliminate the level surfaces. There are also a number of non-toxic sticky substances registered as tactile repellents for bird control efforts. Birds tend to avoid landing upon treated areas but the effectiveness is usually lost over time.
 

Nest removal: Although time-consuming and unpleasant, removing nests will help depress populations. Nest destruction must be followed by pigeon-proofing the structure to achieve maximum population control.
 

Shooting: Feral pigeons are not protected by state or federal laws or regulations. Local municipal ordinances should be consulted prior to any control effort that will involve the discharge of firearms.
 

Toxicants: There is only one product registered for lethal control of pigeons in Connecticut and Wild Things LLC is a certified pest control operator that can use this product under a special permit from DEEP Pesticides. The product is generally not appropriate or feasible for most nuisance situations experienced by the average homeowner.
 

Trapping: Pigeons may be live-trapped on buildings and other likely locations with permission of the property owner. Trapping in any given area is usually slow, labor intensive, and only a temporary reduction measure.
 

Repellents: Acoustical and visual repellents are other means of reducing pigeon usage, but pigeons usually become accustomed quickly to these  scare devices.
 

Woodpeckers,  Wild Things LLC can implement a management plan to comply with all state and federal regulations to manage woodpeckers that are causing damage to your home and property.
 

Background:  Connecticut is home to 7 species of woodpeckers that live in forests, woodlands, orchards, residential areas, and city parks throughout the state. An important part of the ecosystem, woodpeckers help control insect populations and create nest cavities that are used by other birds and mammals who cannot excavate the cavities themselves. Nuthatches, screech owls, kestrels, starlings, squirrels, flying squirrels, deer mice, and raccoons all use woodpecker tree cavities.
 

Woodpeckers are well adapted to maneuvering around tree trunks searching for insects and spiders. Their toes—two facing forward, two facing backward—enable woodpeckers to grasp vertical tree trunks and their stiff tail feathers provide an extra measure of support. With their sturdy beaks, woodpeckers can bore holes into trees for feeding and chisel out cavities for nesting. Strong muscles at the base of the beak act as shock absorbers to absorb the pressure from the force of impact. Bristles lining their nostrils filter out dust and tiny wood chips. To extract insects from crevices and holes in trees, woodpeckers have a long, sticky tongue with a barbed end with which they can snag insects.
 

In spring, males drum on trees (as well as on metal eaves and gutters, house siding, poles, and trash cans) to announce their territory and attract a mate. Most species mate for a single season and share much of the work associated with nesting, including excavating a nest cavity, incubating eggs, and feeding young. Generally, woodpeckers lay a single clutch of white eggs, although those in southern states may raise two to three broods in a season. Often the male incubates the eggs at night and the female sits on the nest during the day. The eggs hatch in about 2 weeks. The young are born blind and featherless (altricial). Their eyes open in about 2 weeks and the young are ready to fledge (leave the nest) in about a month. Often the young will stay with the adults in family groups until the end of summer or early fall.
 

Depending on the species, some woodpeckers prefer dead trees in which to excavate a nest while others choose live trees. Some species will re-use a nest cavity from year to year while others prefer to create a new one. Red-headed woodpeckers will use an existing cavity, not necessarily of their own making. There are even woodpeckers, including downy and hairy woodpeckers, Northern flickers, and red-headed woodpeckers, that will use a nest box if built to the proper specifications for that species.
 

While there is a great deal of habitat overlap among woodpecker species, there is relatively little competition for food and nesting resources as each species has its own niche. For example, downy and hairy woodpeckers occupy similar habitat but downy woodpeckers glean insects from bark crevices while hairy woodpeckers forage deeper into the tree trunk for wood-boring insects.
 

Predators, including hawks, owls, snakes, raccoons, and starlings, eat adult woodpeckers, nestlings, or woodpecker eggs.
 

Many of Connecticut’s woodpeckers are frequent visitors at backyard bird feeders where they feed on suet, sunflower seeds, and peanut butter. You can encourage woodpeckers by providing nesting habitat, supplemental food at feeders, and shelter.

Vultures,  Wild Things LLC is the leading company in the state of Connecticut controlling turkey and black vultures.  We can implement a plan to mitigate damage caused by these birds. We have the experience to solve  your problem with vultures.
 

Black and turkey vultures cause problems in several ways. The most common problems associated with vultures are structural damage, loss of aesthetic value and property use related to offensive odors and appearance, depredation to livestock and pets, and air traffic safety.
Management of these diverse problems often can be addressed by targeting the source of the birds causing the problem, namely the roost where the birds spend the night. Often the roost itself is the problem, such as when birds roost on a communication tower and foul the equipment with their feces or when they roost in a residential area. There, droppings and regurgitations create odors and their presence is perceived as a threat by the homeowners. Several methods are available for roost dispersal. As in many other situations, roost dispersal might best be accomplished through the integrated use of more than one damage management method.
The details of the situation will dictate which management approach is the most appropriate, and experience has shown that best results are obtained if the source roost can be dispersed.
 

Property damage, especially from black vultures, includes tearing and removing window caulking, screen enclosures, roof shingles, vinyl seat covers from boats and tractors, windshield wipers and door seals on cars, and plastic flowers at cemeteries. Droppings of turkey and black vultures create  nuisance conditions, especially when the birds loaf on roofs of houses, office buildings, communication towers, and electrical transmission structures. The accumulation of droppings on electrical transmission towers causes arcing and power outages.
Human Health and Safety. Vultures pose hazards to aircraft, especially when landfills, roosts, or other congregating sites are located near approaching or departing flight paths. The Federal Aviation Administration considers putrescible waste landfills within 10,000 feet of an airport with jet aircraft incompatible with aircraft operations  because these landfills are attractive to birds that are hazardous for aviation. In addition, vultures can cause human health and safety problems by contaminating water sources with their droppings. Contamination has occurred when coliform bacteria from droppings entered water towers or springs from which residences drew water.
 

Citizens frequently have health concerns because of the accumulation of droppings from roosts and loafing areas near their homes. Many people consider vultures a nuisance because of the white-wash effect their drop-pings leave on trees and structures at roost sites, the ammonia odor emanating from roost sites, and a general feeling of doom when vultures congregate nearby. 

We can handle all situations of birds causing damage to your home and property.

I have a bird in my attic!!!

I have a bird in my chimney!!!

I have a bird in my bathroom vent!!!

I have a bird in my Dryer vent!!!

I have geese pooping on my lawn!!!

I have a bird in my house!!!

I have geese nesting on my pond!!!

I have a woodpecker pecking holes in my house!!!

I have vultures landing on my house!!!