Dear Tony: Our building is 30 years old and we are under attack. The flickers and woodpeckers have been boring holes into our stucco siding. We have blackbirds and swallows nesting in our eaves and within the siding, and we had a family of geese take up residence on our rooftop.
Our location is adjacent to a green belt, so we tend to be more exposed to critter invasions. Our owners would like to simply remove the nests and birds and close up the holes, but the council is refusing to do anything about this. Help!
Cynthia F., Fraser Valley
Between the age of your property, the type of construction material and your location, I suspect your problems are much greater than bird invasions.
Flickers and woodpeckers are on the hunt for food. Birds boring into your stucco and siding is an indication of infestations. This is a common problem across the province and stucco siding is not immune.
Starlings nesting in siding and crevices of eaves is a result of failed, aging building cladding that has permitted their access. As for the geese, they just come with living in the Lower Mainland. However, large areas of rooftop water will attract more migratory birds.
Twenty per cent of your owners can petition in writing for a special general meeting to address these issues and direct your council on next steps. A full building-condition assessment would be a good starting place to plan for overdue upgrades and renewals.
Your strata corporation has an obligation to comply with the B.C. Wildlife Act as a private residential complex. Here is a quick summary of the act as it relates to birds and the possible implications.
The government can take action against a person who, without authority, destroys or damages wildlife habitat in a wildlife management area and may recover damages from the person for any money that the government spends to restore the habitat and its wildlife to its original state, or the loss of the habitat and its wildlife if restoration of the wildlife habitat is impossible.
Birds, nests and eggs: A person commits an offence if the person, except as provided by regulation, possesses, takes, injures, molests or destroys (a) a bird or its egg, (b) the nest of an eagle, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, osprey, heron or burrowing owl, or (c) the nest of a bird not referred to in paragraph (b) when the nest is occupied by a bird or its egg.
Such offences might result in fines or penalties and the recovery of cost for the restoration of habitat.
Before you remove any species, go to: env.gov.bc.ca/lower-mainland/wildlife/management/wildlife_management.htm.
Tony Gioventu is executive director of the Condominium Home Owners Association.
