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Paraqueets nesting - how long inside my house?!!

Janemart
12/03/2023 14:35

Hello everyone, I have just joined the Community.

I live in South West London. A few weeks ago I heard scurrying, scratching above our bathroom ceiling and then saw a paraqueet fly out from the fan vent  to outside. Obviously I don't want to disturb the nest, but could anyone please tell me when it would be safe to get someone up to the vent to stop future nesting?  Thank you!

  • +1 15/03/2023 17:28
    It seems the full extent of what I tried to write was lost. Let me try again on the computer:

    Thank you for being considerate to these birds. I know it isn't easy when they are nesting in your roof this way and I'm sure they appreciate your patience and kindness.

    If you have parakeets (assuming Psittacula krameri) nesting in your roof and can confirm that they have, in fact, laid eggs then it is definitely important not to disturb them until they abandon the nest voluntarily once the young have fledged. They'll continue to feed them for a couple of years so don't worry about feeding behaviour, just take note of when they can fly and are no longer using the nest.

    On average (in the experience of myself and others, since Robbo asked) it takes between 15 and 25 days for the eggs to incubate and finish hatching. The young then grow for another 15-25days until they are strong fliers. At this point they should leave the nest entirely and it should then be safe to go in and clean up the mess and mend your roof. Even if they continue to use the roof as a roost, once they are no longer nesting it is fine to (gently) evict them and proceed with your repairs.

    It can be helpful, during the later period of growth, to severely limit any feeding in the garden to encourage them to go elsewhere for food. They may well leave sooner then :)

    All the best with your efforts!

    inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/.../large.jpeg
  • 0 15/03/2023 17:37
    Thank you for your replies, much appreciated. the difficulty is that we can't see into the air vent that they are getting into. They are in a space between floors of the house, so it's very tight. I notice the movement up there first thing in the morning, and then two fly out. I can't hear anything from there. They are, however, moving further into the house each day as the scratching is getting further away from the vent opening. Do they just roost there at night and is it the right time of year to lay eggs? As we were away for a week or so, I'm not sure how long they've been there.
  • 0 15/03/2023 17:48
    Here is what the RSPB says ;-)

    www.rspb.org.uk/.../.

    (Pardon the Scottish Accent)

  • 0 17/03/2023 15:49 in reply to Janemart
    Yes they are laying and nesting right now. I'm observing 3 pairs at the moment, two of whom have eggs. At least Summer is a better time to have your roof worked on!