What can you do to prevent crows building their nests under solar panels? And what can and mustn’t you do with this protected bird species? In this article we explain what you can do and what the power of the animal-friendly BirdBlocker is.
The crow, a well-known bird species with a recognizable sound. There are several types of common crows, such as the black crow, magpie, jackdaw and rook. The black crow is, besides the jackdaw, the most common species. The black crow is increasingly found in urban areas , but also lives in rural areas. They can be identified by their completely black feather cloths, legs and beak. Outside the breeding season, they like to live in groups.
The crow normally builds a nest high in the tree. But more and more often they build their nests on roofs, under solar panels. A solar panel gives the crow a lot of shelter. For owners of solar panels, this bird is a potential problem. Where birds live, there are excrements. And these droppings often end up on the solar panels and cause various problems (such as loss of efficiency) and can even be dangerous. Prevention is, of course, better than cure.
Important to know: The crow is a protected species in most countries. This means that you must not intentionally disturb them, touch / remove their nests, harm or catch them. Black crow nests are not protected by default all year round. In most countries their nests for example are only protected during the breeding season, but there are a few exceptions.
The crow breeds from late March to June. Their nests are quite large. The exterior is built from small twigs and thin twigs with mud as a reinforcement material. The inside is covered with soft materials such as animal fur, wool, feathers and grass. Do you discover crows nesting under your solar panels? Then act immediately. The nesting material is a fire hazard. In addition, the nest can form a compact mass that damages the sensors under the solar panels.
Crows build their nest under the solar panels because they are protected there. But the space under the solar panels is not in vain. It's needed for proper ventilation. The compactness of the nest ensures that ventilation is not optimal. In addition, excrement and nesting material are contaminating the solar panels. This can hinder optimal absorption of solar energy and reduce efficiency . The branches and twigs collected by the crows for the construction of the nest can also cause scratches in the backsheet underneath some types of solar panels. And how about the noise that the crow produces.
Fortunately, protecting solar panels from crows is easy to achieve. BirdBlocker is designed by solar professionals with over 20 years of experience. It is easy to install, fits on every known panel on the market, is the proven solution worldwide and comes with ten years of product warranty. BirdBlocker will give you the peace of mind of a well-engineered solution produced in the Netherlands, that does what it says on the tin.