Radiant Barrier, Attics, and Birds

[Psychstache]

So, from what I can hear, it sounds like a birds nest has been established in my attic. I can't confirm yet, because the attic has a radiant barrier installed, but I would like to figure this out. I have acouple of questions for the community.

1. If I cut a passage in the barrier, is there some product I can use to reseal it well after I am done doing whatever I am doing in the other parts of the attic?

2. Even assuming that I do find a bird nest, what do i do? Is it movable? Should I just ignore it and deal with the access issue in the winter when they presumably grow up and migrate?

I appreciate any thoughts/ideas in advance.

[GreenPen]

2. Even assuming that I do find a bird nest, what do i do? Is it movable? Should I just ignore it and deal with the access issue in the winter when they presumably grow up and migrate?

So on the bird side of things... Most birds are pretty sensitive around their nests, so I wouldn't move it if your concern is just about the birds. Depending on the species, it might also be illegal under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; although some common non-native species (e.g. house sparrow, european starling) aren't protected under that act, and you might even be doing other birds a favor by removing their nest.

But if you wanted to wait to remove the nest, you wouldn't need to wait until the end of winter. Most small birds only incubate eggs for about two weeks, and young birds will fledge about two weeks after that. So if they are already building a nest, it should only be a month or two until they are done using it, at least for breeding.