Check for Nesting Birds Before the Roof Comes Off

Birds nest in roofs across St. Charles County, and the nests tend to sit in the exact places a roofer has to open first: the gap under the soffit at the eave, the ridge vent, the space behind a loose fascia board, and the opening between a chimney cap and the flue. A crew that finds an active nest in the middle of a tear-off has a bad choice in front of it, and neither option keeps the schedule on track. The better move is to ask about it on the first visit, before the first shingle lifts, because the answer changes both the schedule and the written scope.

Town roofing: where the nests tend to be

Many houses built in the last few decades have continuous ridge vents and open soffit vents, which give birds a long, sheltered slot to enter. Older houses in the town may have gable louvers, a gap where the fascia meets the rafter tails, or a chimney with a wide space between the cap and the flue. Each of these is a place the crew will have to open to reach the work, so each one needs a look before the old roofing comes off.

Birds return to nesting sites in spring, and the same spots often get reused year after year. A house that had a nest under one eave last summer may have one there again, even if the old nest was cleared. Ask the roofer what they saw on the last visit and whether anyone has checked the house from the ground since the weather turned warm.

Walk the house with the roofer before the start date. Look for droppings on the porch, on the top of the gutters, and on the ground under the eaves, and listen for birds at the vents early in the morning. None of these proves a nest, but they tell the crew where to put a ladder before the day begins.

Why an active nest changes the job

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 makes it unlawful to take migratory birds, and federal wildlife guidance treats an active nest, with its eggs and young, as covered by the same rule. Most native songbirds, doves, swallows and woodpeckers fall under it. Two common nesting birds around houses do not: European starlings and house sparrows are not protected under the Act, and a crew can remove their nests. The trouble is that a roofer on a ladder often cannot tell from the ground whether a nest behind a soffit is an old one or an active one with eggs in it. A nest that looks empty can hold a brood by late spring.

Nesting activity in the St. Louis area runs from about early spring into late summer, and some songbirds raise a second brood later in the season. Those are the same months when many homeowners want their roofs replaced before the fall rains. That overlap is why the question belongs on the first visit rather than on the morning of the tear-off.

A nest the crew has been told about is easier to handle than one found in the middle of work. When the roofer knows where to look, they can open the eaves in a sequence that leaves the nest area closed until it has been checked. That is a planning step, and it should show up in the proposal as a line item or as a note in the scope, not as a verbal promise.

What it costs

A nest found during work does not usually stop the whole roof. It stops the section near it. The crew may have to leave that eave or vent closed, cover the area, and come back once the birds have left, which adds days rather than hours. Ask whether the bid already assumes this can happen and how the schedule would move if it did. A proposal that says nothing about it has not made the risk go away.

Clearing an active nest to hold a start date puts the person doing it in violation of the Act, and a homeowner should not agree to that trade. If a crew suggests clearing the nest to keep the date, treat that as a warning sign about how the job will be run.

Closing the opening afterward is also a cost item. Once the nest is gone and the birds have left, the open soffit or vent has to be closed with a screen or metal cover that keeps birds out while keeping the attic ventilated. That detail belongs in the written scope, with the vent type named, so the attic airflow does not change without your agreement. A cover that blocks the intake vent is a ventilation problem, not a bird problem.

Timing is the other cost. A nest that delays one section can push the finish into weather that is less kind to fresh shingles. If the work is scheduled for a hot stretch, ask whether the crew has a plan for shingle sealing and for working in the heat, and whether a delay would change that plan.

What to ask

• How will the crew check the eaves, ridge vents, and soffit gaps for active nests before the tear-off begins?
• If an active nest is found, which section of the roof stops, and who decides when work resumes?
• Does the schedule in the proposal include any allowance for a delay of this kind?
• What will be used to close each vent or gap once the birds have gone, and will the attic airflow stay the same?
• Will the written scope name the vent types and any screens or covers, with photographs of each opening?
• Who is on the roof when the first section is opened, and will that person know what an active nest looks like?

Keys documents what it finds, puts a written scope with photos and measurements in your hands, and attends as the contractor on the day. Call (314) 220-2333 to ask about the vents on your house before you sign anything, and ask for the nest check to appear in the written scope.