Bird control across the Bitterroot Valley

What is the single thing worth knowing before doing anything?

That most birds nesting on your building are federally protected and three common ones are not. Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, native migratory birds and their active nests cannot be disturbed. House sparrows, European starlings, and rock pigeons are all introduced species, none is covered, and their nests can be removed at any time.

That is the whole schedule in one sentence. The detail is here, and if you are not sure what you are looking at, a clear photograph of the nest usually settles it.

What do the two windows mean in practice?

For a protected species, exclusion goes up before the birds arrive or after the young have fledged and the site is empty — early spring or autumn. Exclusion physically covers the nesting surface, so it cannot be installed over an occupied nest.

So this is a job you book a season ahead rather than solve in the moment. Noticing a problem in July and having it fixed in October is the normal shape of it, not a delay.

How do the problems differ across the valley?

By building rather than by town. Downtown Hamilton and Missoula produce roosting on ledges, sign tops, and awnings, mostly by unprotected species. The ag and small-acreage ground through Corvallis, Victor, and Stevensville produces swallows on barns and outbuildings, which are protected and seasonal. Up-valley toward Darby, seasonally-occupied buildings mean problems get found late.

The residential problem is the same everywhere: swallows under an eave, and sparrows or starlings inside a vent or soffit.

Which part is worth doing first?

Closing the openings that let birds inside a structure. That work is usually cheap, low-visibility, rarely constrained by the calendar because cavity nesters here are typically the unprotected three, and it prevents the damage nobody sees — a blocked vent, a nest in a flue, an accumulation in a roof void.

The visible roost on a ledge or an eave is often the thing that prompts the call and the second thing worth spending on. See bird netting and exclusion.

Are deterrents worth anything?

Physical ones, yes. Angled ledge covers, spikes on parapets and beams, and mesh over openings all change what a surface is, and they hold. Visual and audible scare devices are the ones to be sceptical about: birds habituate to them quickly, so they supplement physical work rather than replace it.

Anything that relies on a bird deciding to leave is a temporary measure. Anything that removes access is not.

Where should I start?

With identification, then a survey of the whole building rather than the obvious roost. A vent screened while the soffit gap beside it stays open has not solved anything, and that is the most common reason a previous attempt did not hold.

We cover the valley from Florence through Hamilton to Darby as well as the Missoula side. Send photographs and the address — estimates are free and back within 48 hours.

What does a survey actually involve?

A walk of the building rather than a look at the roost. We identify the species, because that decides the schedule, then work the whole envelope: eaves, soffits, gable and appliance vents, flue terminals, junctions where a wall meets a roof, open bays and beams, ledges, parapets, sign boxes, and light fittings.

The reason for that thoroughness is the most common failure we get called in behind: a previous attempt that closed the obvious opening and left the one beside it. A vent screened while the soffit gap next to it stays open has not changed anything.

You get back a written scope, separated so you can take the season-constrained parts and the immediate parts independently. Estimates are free and come back within 48 hours.

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