An RV neighbor of ours has been engaged in a bird battle for more than a week. It seems a robin has its sights set on the perfect nesting spot: under our friends’ Class A slide out. Somehow the little guy found a hollow corner that looked perfect for a nest. So, he and his mate have been working tirelessly to find straw bits, dried grass, and other suitable building material for their home. It’s been fun to watch. Well, from my perspective, that is. My neighbor isn’t enjoying the show!
The kicker: In the United States, it is illegal to remove or destroy an active bird’s nest. An active nest is defined as one with eggs or brooding adults in it. Only when the nest has been abandoned can the nest be removed.
Here’s a story about this from last summer, where RVers had the choice to stay put or face jail or $15,000 fine.
Check your RV for a bird nest
This incident serves as an important reminder to RV owners. Take time to check your RV top to bottom, even when you’re all set up at your campsite. You may be thinking: “I’m camping to relax, not work on my RV!” True, but if you fail to keep watch, you may be in for some trouble.
In many of the places we’ve camped, we’ve discovered unwanted pests. One time wasps built a great little home inside our exterior furnace vent. (Yes, we had installed a screen to prevent this.) We happened to notice that the screen was missing. I suppose it jiggled and popped off as we drove to our destination. The wasps didn’t waste any time. We’d been in our RV spot for just two days and within that time, a pretty good-sized nest was formed.
Another time, bees began a nest inside our RV’s bumper because one of the bumper caps fell off during transit. I’ve seen birds nesting in a long-term RVer’s television antenna, and have spotted a sizeable trail of ants making their way up a water hose and into the RV. It happens. While we’re visiting nature, you can pretty well bet that nature will visit us, as well.
Easy fix
The good news is that it doesn’t take much time to simply check your RV. Each morning (or evening before dusk) walk around your rig. Check for dripping hoses, missing screens, and places where birds or other creatures might be making their nests. Don’t forget to look up, as well. If a recent wind blew through camp, check for broken limbs, wet leaves, or other debris on top of your RV’s roof or slides.
With a little preventive action, big problems can be averted.
##RVT1003
Yeah…. no that ain’t happening. They would have to catch me first and I doubt that someone is watching RV’s 24/7, to make sure the owners aren’t removing nests.
+1.
+2
You can never guarantee that you’re out of sight of sentient humans who camp because they enjoy and respect wildlife.
So it may be illegal but it is also simple to remove a nest & relocate it securely to a nearby tree or bush of similar height. Helping wildlife rehabbers we often would place nests into produce baskets to replace them after trees blew down. Surprised to read it is illegal!
They saw they nest being built. They could have discouraged the birds from the beginning.
We had sparrows that thought the area under our house awning was a great place for a nest. We just blocked access to the corners of the awning with some crushed milk containers. After a few days they realized they could no longer nest there.
Once the eggs are in the nest, it is illegal to remove or try to relocate the nest. The birds will likely abandon it.
Years ago, the state was to repair and renovate a major bridge near us. All work was scheduled, then they found a peregrine falcon nesting on one of the support beams. The job was halted until the young ones fledged.
Several years ago remember the Snail Darter fiasco where a dam construction was delayed because of the endangered minnow. Finally construction was allowed after it was proved that the snail darter was found in every creek in the nation. TREE HUGGERS have nothing better to do in their lives than interfere with other peoples lives. Everybody needs to mind their own business, if you want to protect everything from us human beings do it in your own backyard. Read the Bible God created all animals to serve mankind, either by food or work! He didn’t create man to serve animals!
But it’s ok to kill birds with wind turbines….where are the bird lovers with this…..oh lets not move a nest….move it and move on…
Some years back, the public ferry at Jamestown, VA, had to shut down one slip for the summer because an osprey decided to build a nest on a piling.
As of last week it looked like ospreys were building a nest on one of the channel buoys even though a wooden platform was built in the water for nests.
If they have not laid eggs yet, it is legal to remove it.
It is illegal to remove or destroy any active nest from a native bird species, defined as a nest with eggs or brooding adults in it. If the nest has been abandoned or no eggs have yet been laid, it can be removed or destroyed as needed. Nests of invasive birds, such as house sparrows or European starlings, however, are not protected at any time.
We humans have all manner of designations for wild animals that we move or cause to move, such as invasive or nuisance, yet we blunder into every corner of the planet with impunity. Destroying a nest of eggs or hatchlings is a shitty thing to do, regardless of what designation we’ve chosen to give.
I second that
Nature does this ALL the time. Animals eat eggs. Some birds will take over…steal…another’s nest. They fight over territory or other “disagreements” they have. They “blunder” wherever they want to go.
Many people see the human race as separate from nature…we are all actors in it. Not saying humans couldn’t be better….just saying the rest of the animal kingdom isn’t up for being canonized either.
How do you tell the difference between “good birds” and “bad birds” by looking at the nest? Being an average person and not a tree hugger I don’t do DNA tests to determine which is which, if it’s where I don’t want it it’s coming down.
Fresh eggs = omelets!
YUM 🙂
Bring the slides and relocate to your next destination! Sorry but I’m not waiting around 6-8 weeks. I will be checking out the RV daily and the first twig I see, it will be gone!
A cite to the actual law would be nice. Endangered species? Migratory species? How about English house sparrows? You are perpetuating needless hysteria without taking any time to investigate the facts. Like those YouBoobers, you’re searching for clicks and to hell with the consequences. Shameful and does a disservice to an otherwise fine publication.
I agree that there should have been a cite to the actual law, like this:
https://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/laws-legislations/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php
But I don’t see how this is perpetuating needless hysteria. This article had good intentions and is good, although incomplete, information. As a former wildlife rehabilitator, I believe people appreciate being made aware of issues before they have to deal with them themselves.
Be careful you’re criticizing a journalist on this site, they don’t like that.
Just this spring, we were camp hosting in Virginia. Hubby was checking under the hood in preparation for our departure. Lo and behold…a bird nest!
We called the ranger who talked to their birding experts. They came back the next day with a birdhouse on stilts sort of thing and sat it directly in front of the RV. Wearing gloves, they carefully moved the nest to the birdhouse. They then told us to move the birdhouse no more than 3 feet each day until we reached the edge of the wooded area.
Unfortunately, we never saw the mother return. We now think the nest may have been there from our earlier stay at a different site in the same park. We never thought to check under the hood to move a few sites away. Lesson learned.
You don’t need to touch the nest. Just hook up and drive….
It’s only a $15,000 fine if a tree hugger sees you and reports you.
Everybody is a tree hugger. Takes about three trees to produce enough oxygen for you to breathe, Bob.
“Loose lips sink ships”. Keep your mouth shut.
Ok, pile on. [grin]
“Protesters” can riot, loot, burn, assault people etc. without prosecution yet moving a birds nest can result in a $15k fine? Something seems a bit backwards to me.
I found the dogs tied up to the area keeps them at bay. They are always sniffing around the rig looking for interesting things and birds are one of them. I suggest also looking underneath with a mirror. I got a surprise to find a rattle snake resting up underneath the trailer tongue.
I have a suggestion that might keep birds away. I know it works for my barn.
Get a blow up eye to hang in key places. It is like a blow up beach ball with a weird looking “eye” design and metallic streamers hanging from bottom.
I hung one on each overhead door so they dangle when doors are open.
I have zero problems with birds now. It should work the same for sliders and hitch areas.
One year the robins decided to build a nest on one of our RV’s front tires. This was discovered before our first summer camping trip, thank goodness! So we watched and waited until the birds hatched & flew away. Was an interesting show. . .
Re: Birds nesting. Many years ago a bird built a nest on our houseboat. My husband wanted to paint that area. I complained when he decided to move the nest to the other end of the boat claiming the bird would find her babies. She could not. My complaints ended when he duct-taped the nest back to the spot where it was on the boat and birdies were happy for the rest of their nesting time. I wish I had known that was illegal activity on his part.