June is one busy month. You may be planning a summer road trip, but here at Meridian, we’re prepping the Bird-N-Free live capture nets for an expected bump in calls.
The reason? Juveniles.
Not selfie-taking teens—we mean young birds just leaving the nest. June is one of our fullest months because of these birds for several reasons:
- Juvenile birds are poor flyers. They are still learning to control their wings and may find themselves inside buildings by accident.
- Once they get inside, they are less able to fly out on their own. A juvenile’s sense of navigation is still developing.
- They often fly closer to the ground. As a result, they may appear aggressive to people who interpret their erratic flight paths as an attack. The result? More alarmed shoppers and employees.
Juveniles may end up in a building because they are hatched nearby—or even inside (a good reason to have Meridian do regular inspections and nest removals). Once inside, their unskilled flying causes a multitude of problems:
- Juveniles are more challenging to catch. They are more apt to hide and hop along rafters and shelving. Our capture system works best on birds flying through the free space between displays and roofing structures. As a result, juvenile captures take longer.
- Juveniles are not as adaptable as fully-grown birds. This means birds that get trapped could die behind shelving or inside walls.
- Meridian customers report juveniles leave more droppings than fully grown birds!
The best strategy? Call Meridian ASAP! We understand store personnel prefer to catch or flush birds outside on their own. While that may work, it could also panic juveniles and drive them into hiding. When dealing with juveniles, your Meridian Technician may need to return for multiple visits.
Here is some advice to keep juvenile birds out of your building.
- Move food displays away from the doors. Many birds are sight feeders.
- Keep exterior areas near doors clean. Try not to attract birds with crumbs or spilled food.
- Remove nests BEFORE juveniles hatch! But check with Meridian or local wildlife agencies, since it may be illegal to remove nests depending on the species.
Most of all, don’t panic. While a juvenile capture may present challenges, our guarantee still stands—a bird-free interior or you don’t pay.
Want to learn best practices for preventing and removing interior juveniles?
Download “A Guide to Juvenile Birds.”