How do I get rid of annoying barn swallows that constantly attack me?

Question

Ok. These birds built their nests right in front of my duplex, and every time I come out the front door, 2-3 barn swallows (i think) come swooping down at me, chirping and dive bombing me almost from every effing direction. I usually have to make a mad dash to my car or take cover when walking to check the mail. It's getting ridiculous!!! One hit me in the head today, so I'm making a full out attempt to get rid of the seemingly cute birds that are really the spawn of satan. What can I do to get rid of or possibly even kill these damned things? It can't be illegal either. I would poison them (and I still may) but a lot of my neighbors have dogs and i don't want to end up killing one because it got hungry. That would probably be illegal in that case. Anyway... please help!

Answer 1

Well you can do a couple of things..

Right now they are raising their young.. If you wait about 2 weeks they chicks will be able to fly and they will all leave. If you tough it out you will not have to kill them.

BUT.. if you MUST get rid of them now, you simply need a garden hose... soak their mud nests until it softens and the nests fall..

If you wait out the hatchlings, you can blow down the empty nest.. then, next year when they start to build them (or later this year if they re-build them) keep soaking them down.. eventually they will stop and go somewhere else... Meantime you will have clean eaves.

Answer 2

Umm I have never seen a swallow attacking a person before. I don't mean to laugh it is just funny image. They are probably attacking because there is young in the nests or you could have young birds learning to fly and testing their new skills on you.

So you wish to get rid of the spawn of satan, here is how. Climb up there and remove their nests. You can also cover the areas where they are nesting with chick wire. They may rebuild though but after a while they will get the hint.

Do not use poison because it won't work on the birds and you will most likely kill something you don't intend or need to. These birds eats bugs and since you can't provide poisoned bugs, it won't work and I would be pissed as hell if you killed my dog with your poisons. I think your neighbors would agree with me on that one.

Really if you want to avoid this you must prevent the nest building before the young are born, if just the eggs toss them out of the nest but if the birds are born then mom could be mighty mad and odds are you can't fly so when they attack you on the roof or ladder gravity wins. Birds don't like returning and staying in nests that have human scent, so wait until they leave, climb up and start throwing nests.

Best of luck

Answer 3

Nest removal: At the first sign of nest building, remove the nest. Note: All swallows are protected under the law. You cannot disturb them once they lay their eggs in the nest (see “Legal Status”). Usually nests can be washed down with a water hose or knocked down with a pole. Because swallows are persistent at rebuilding nests, you will need to continually remove the nest mud for several days until the birds stop. Swallows are strongly attracted to old nests or to the remnants of deteriorated nests, so all traces of mud should be removed. Swallows are federally protected. Any permit to lethally control these species would need to be issued from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and would only be issued in very extreme cases. Some examples are concerns for aircraft safety from a nesting colony at an airport or potential food contamination from a colony over a loading area at a food-processing center. In most cases a permit for lethal control will not be issued for swallows nesting on a residence or other buildings and causing aesthetic damage. A permit is not required to remove swallow nests under construction that do not contain an adult, any new eggs or young, or nests abandoned after the breeding season. If an adult swallow is occupying a half-built nest, or a fully built nest without eggs, then the law protects it. Additional Information I’ve been noticing quite a few swallows, swifts, and martins. So I’ve done a little research on this summer trio. Believe it or not, these three species of birds give us a lot to be thankful for. They eat the majority of those nasty little mosquitos as they fly through the air, making us wish there were more of them so we could watch and see just how graceful they really are. Unfortunately, most species of swallows that migrate regularly, don’t stay very long in any one area...even though their human hosts wish they would! Two of the most popular swallows that reside in the United States are the Barn Swallow, and the Tree Swallow. Tree swallows can be more elusive than their barn dwelling counterparts mainly due to the fact that it is very hard to pinpoint their nests. During this reading, we’re concentrating mainly on the Barn Swallow. Barn Swallows This is the only swallow that is known to have the true swallow-type, forked tale. Ranging around 6-7 ½” long, they are a shiny dark blue in color with white spots and a rusty cinnamon color on the underside of the body. The Barn swallow winters in Costa Rica, on down to Argentina, Africa, and south Asia. Barn swallows return year after year to the same well-engineered house or nest that they originally built. They build their nests of mud, hair, and grass. It’s a cone shaped dwelling with thick walls (approx. 1”). Usually, the opening at the top of the nest is located near the ceiling of the wall that is used as a base for the mud bottom of the nest. They reside in pairs, sometimes forming small communities, and work together for the protection of their young and their nests. This species flies very close to the ground. There is little gliding and a lot of wing-flapping. It is not unusual to see Barn swallows displaying amazing courage as they bomb-dive cats, dogs, and other animals that come too close to their dwellings. My little dog has had his share of attacks! Actually, there are about seventy-five species of swallows in the world today. They tend to have slim bodies that are almost streamlined in appearance. They all tend to have long wings that are pointed, and beaks that are able to gape open; an asset to their ability to feed on insects while in flight.

Answer 4

rid annoying barn swallows constantly attack

Answer 5

Shoot them with a bb gun