When we moved here seventeen years ago, there were very few birds. Our previous house was located in the woods, and we were used to hearing birds in the morning when we awoke and there were many birds to be seen in the air and in the trees all during the day. In Sun City, there was dead silence in the mornings. Most of their nesting areas were lost when the land was cleared to build houses and the trees planted in the yards were small enough that I could touch the top branches without a ladder. In 2003, in an effort to attract birds to the community, the Woodchucks built 33 bluebird houses and erected them on common lands.
Slowly over the years, birds returned to Sun City, and with a shortage of proper nesting sites, they have found that the louver vents on the side of housing make safe and secure sites to build their nests and raise their young. In a discussion at the woodshop, several members had stories about bird tenants. There were several solutions to keep the birds out of the vents but this was the best solution.
It is called a Pest Barricade and is available at most big box home stores. It will fit over most 3ā and 4ā vent caps and will not allow birds to enter. It is held on with two screws, which can be removed to clean the barricade. If you are covering a dryer vent you MUST remove it and clean the lint build up once a year.
Reader feedback
Just read the garage door article in the Sun Day. After having a new garage door opener installed, l replaced the furnished light bulbs with LED ones.Ā After lots of issues with remotes not functioning properly and conversation with A.S.A.P. Garage Door the conclusion was the LEDs were causing the problem. Went back to original rough service bulbs and haveĀ had no issues.
There must be some differences in the garage door openers used in Sun City homes as LED bulbs work in some but not in others. You will have to experiment with yours. Since the garage door opener only runs for a few minutes each day, there would not be any savings by using an LED bulb vs, an incandescent.
If you have suggestions for future tips or have questions about maintenance around your home submit them to ask.the.woodchucks@gmail.com.
