If you’ve had solar panels fitted to generate power, there’s a good chance the local pigeons have spotted that the gap underneath makes an excellent home. It stays warm, it stays dry and nothing bothers them up there.
Many homeowners and business owners only find out when the cooing starts at dawn or droppings appear on the patio, the driveway or the car park, often weeks after the birds first arrived.
We’ve protected homes and commercial buildings across Derby and Derbyshire, so we’ve seen how these problems start and what stops them for good.
In this blog, we explain what birds do to your property and your panels, how bird mesh keeps them out and what you can expect from the service.
Why do birds nest under solar panels?
Pigeons look for three things when they choose a nesting spot – warmth, shelter and safety from predators. The space under a solar panel gives them all three. The panels absorb heat during the day, the array keeps the rain off and the raised frame stops cats, foxes and other predators from reaching a nest. Starlings and sparrows use the same gaps, although pigeons cause the most trouble because they nest in larger numbers and come back to the same place year after year.
Nesting rarely happens overnight. A pair of birds might start by perching along the edge of your array, then bring in a few twigs and feathers. You might hear scratching in the morning, spot droppings along the roofline, or find a feather in the gutter. Most people put these signs down to a passing bird and carry on with their day.
Once a nest is in place, other birds take notice. Pigeons trust a site that has already worked for other pigeons, so a couple of birds can become a small flock within a season. The longer you wait, the more nesting material and mess you’ll have to deal with, and the more work it takes to clear.
The problems birds can cause
At home, you’ll usually notice the noise first. Cooing, flapping and scratching start early and carry through into your loft or bedroom. Chicks add to the noise through spring and summer, so you’ll hear it whenever the windows are open. Droppings land on your patio, driveway, windows and garden furniture, and they’re acidic enough to mark paintwork and stone if you leave them. Feathers, twigs and old nesting material can also block gutters and downpipes, and a blocked gutter sends rainwater down your walls. Birds and their waste can carry mites and bacteria, too, and these can lead to secondary pest problems in your home.
If you run a business or manage a property, the same problems spread across a much bigger area. A large array can hold dozens of nests, and the droppings settle around entrances, loading bays, car parks and staff areas. Droppings on a wet pavement also create a slip hazard for staff and visitors, which puts you in a difficult spot on health and safety. You’ll need to clean those spots regularly, and your customers will notice when a building looks neglected. If you’re a landlord or property manager, you might also field complaints from tenants and pay for unplanned maintenance.
Birds can damage your solar system, too. Nesting material can wrap around wiring, block airflow and trap heat, which reduces how well your panels perform. Nests pile up around the edges of the array, where they hold moisture against the frame and wiring. Droppings dirty the surface, block sunlight from reaching the cells and corrode the glass and frame over time. You might not notice any of this until your panels’ performance starts to drop or an engineer finds it during a service. Dealing with birds early usually costs far less than repairing wiring or cleaning up after a season of nesting.
How bird mesh works
Bird mesh gives birds no way in. We fit custom-cut mesh around the edge of your array, closing the gap between the panels and the roof so pigeons can’t get underneath. We cut each section to suit your roof and panel layout, so it sits tight against the frame and leaves no gaps for a determined bird to squeeze through.
The mesh suits a single domestic array and a large commercial system alike, whatever the size of the roof. We can work around chimneys, roof edges and awkward angles, and we match the mesh to the way your panels sit on the roof.
We fix the mesh with non-invasive clips and fasteners, so nothing damages your panels. Air still moves freely underneath, which lets your panels cool as designed. The mesh resists rust and weather, and sits low against the roofline, so most people barely notice it from the ground.
This fits how we work at MSD. We respect nature, so we use no poison and no traps. The birds stay free to nest somewhere else, and we take away the space they were using. Spikes and other deterrents try to discourage birds from landing, but a determined bird can still find a way underneath. Mesh closes that space off completely. Once it’s in place, the mesh needs very little from you. It doesn’t rely on scent, sound or movement, so birds can’t get used to it and start ignoring it the way they sometimes do with deterrents.
What happens when you book MSD?
We keep the process straightforward, and our team explains each step as we go. Here’s what you can expect:
- Free site survey: we inspect your roof and solar panel setup to find access points and nesting activity, then recommend the best approach for your roof and budget.
- Thorough cleaning: if birds have already moved in, we remove nests, debris and droppings before we start any work.
- Specialist installation: we fit the mesh using non-invasive clips and fasteners, and we aim to finish most jobs in a single visit.
- Ongoing support: we advise you on maintenance and offer follow-up checks if you’d like them, so you know the mesh is still doing its job in years to come.
We work around your schedule to keep disruption low, and we tell you what to expect before anyone arrives on site. Our team is licenced, insured and accredited, so you can trust the work is done properly the first time. We turn up on time, treat your home or business like our own and leave your roof neat and tidy. You’ll get a clear quote before we start with no hidden extras, and we’re happy to answer your questions before, during and after the job.
The long-term benefits
Bird mesh keeps paying you back for years after we fit it. It works every day of the year, in every kind of weather, and here’s what you get:
- Protected wiring and panels: birds can’t reach your cables or leave nesting material behind, so damage never gets the chance to start.
- Cleaner panels: droppings stop building up on and around your array, so your system keeps working as it should.
- Fewer clean-ups and call-outs: you stop paying for repeat cleaning, and you won’t face the same problem every spring.
- Less noise and mess: the cooing, flapping and droppings around your patio, driveway or car park come to an end.
- Lower risk of pests: without nests, mites and bacteria have fewer chances to spread.
- A tidy finish: the mesh blends into your roofline and looks neat from the ground, so your roof and your building keep their appearance.
- Peace of mind: you don’t need to keep checking the roof or worry about the next nesting season.
Solar panels are a long-term investment, and they need protection that lasts as long as they do. One properly fitted job costs less over time than a series of quick fixes, because it removes the space birds want to nest in. Check the mesh now and then, especially after a storm, and we’re happy to inspect it for you as part of our follow-up support. If you spot a loose section or a gap, call us and we’ll put it right before birds find it.
Book your free solar panel bird-proofing survey today and protect your panels for the long term.