It is nice to have birds around the house but getting them inside your home or in places they will cause trouble is not a lot of fun.
Most Birds prefer to live as high up as they can and if your neighborhood is relatively new or lacking trees they may decide living in your eves and attic is better then subjecting their family to lower bushes and trees.
You can’t really blame them for this but if a bird decides to nest over your front door then you will be subjected to swooping attacks once the babies come.
For best results you should start your work late in the fall after the birds have gone South or very early in the spring before they return. Winter is also a good time since you may be installing holiday decorations and be on the ladder anyway.
Areas you need to protect
The areas you need to protect the most are around windows and doors and your chimneys and vent pipes.
Birds like to be out of the weather so they will often nest under awnings and porch roofs but also above doors that have flat decorative moldings.
You can add molding above your door to block their nesting.
You can place vent caps and spark arrestor caps on your fire place or furnace to reduce the chance they may enter from above.
You should make sure that your bathroom and clothes drier vents are well protected with vent covers.
Deterring their nesting in the spring
If you are too late or can not make improvements to guard against their nesting because of design or other limitations you should keep your eyes open in the spring when birds return to your area.
It sounds mean but wash away the beginnings of their nests early and they will get the idea that the location they picked is not a welcome one. Make sure that you do this before any eggs are laid and it is best to do so when the birds first find the location and begin roosting there and have not yet begun building.
A motion activated sprinkler is very good for this and can be used to chase away other problem animals.
Final Note
Don’t feel bad about getting birds to move their nesting locations. If they are in an area that they don’t understand can cause problems and frustration for you then it will definitely cause problems for the birds once the babies are born in a high traffic area near your doorways or possibly in a dangerous area such as a vent.
If you find there are already eggs in the nest then give them a few weeks…. once the babies are flying around you can move the location or they will move naturally.