That is not to say we don’t take umbrage at 5000 sparrows compromising our health department regulations or 2500 Paradise shell ducks scoffing our grass and fouling our water troughs.

In fact, bird issues don’t even have to be at the extreme end of the scale to cause serious nuisance.

A few Pukeko can wipe out a well tended vege garden in a morning’s work and a handful of sparrows nesting in the rafters out in the shed have an uncanny ability to poop exactly where you least want them to, often on the brand-new tractor or mower.

Bird control in any form easily becomes a contentious issue and care must be taken to ensure you are doing the right thing and for the right reasons.

The first step is to identify what, if any legislation applies to that particular species, is it protected/unprotected wildlife?

Game bird species or unwanted organism? A quick call to your local DOC office will clarify the bird’s legal status and is likely to offer some good advice regarding alternative deterrents prior to considering control. If the species you have an issue with are classified as ‘game birds’ you will need to contact your local Fish & Game NZ representative.

This organisation manages all game birds as a recreational resource and can also provide valuable advice on alternatives to control.

No permit is required to control birds classified as un-protected wildlife but it is prudent to be circumspect as to how and where you undertake control, many individuals have found themselves being portrayed in a less than favourable light in the local media after dead birds have surfaced on neighbouring properties. Birds classified as ‘partially protected’ or ‘game birds’ may be controlled under a permit issued in extreme circumstances.

To obtain a permit you will need to supply evidence of the issue and justification for the method you intend to use.

This will include: how many of what species are doing what? Why this is an issue, what else has been used to minimise the issue, what number need to be controlled and what evidence you have to support that this will alleviate the problem.

This is a well balanced process that lends itself to weeding out all unnecessary control and generally puts the land-owner in a much more qualified position to understand and assess bird issues for what they are.

Whether you find that no permit is required, or that it is and you have been issued one, effective bird control is still some way off. 

All bird control is complex and extremely site specific – what works on one species at one location will seldom work at another and birds just aren’t the sort of animal that spend a lot of time at a single location. 

If your problem is at the extreme end of the pest bird scale I would recommend engaging a professional with proven experience with that species, these are relatively hard to come by, but luckily enough very few of us suffer bird problems of a nature that cannot be minimised with some well planned mitigation.

Please help us to provide the advice you require by sending all pest animal questions to info@coastalpestsolutions.co.nz