Seattle has a crow problem. Or maybe the crows have a Seattle problem — either way, they’re out here pecking holes in roofs, and homeowners are starting to notice.
Earlier this month, the Seattle Times published a firsthand account from writer Pam Mandel, who woke up one morning to a leaking ceiling and a mysterious tapping sound. After her solar company patched what they could and flagged a small hole, she called us as a safety precaution.
Our roofing expert Alex McMillan took a look and delivered a diagnosis she wasn’t expecting: crows.
“You’ve got crows. We’ve seen this before. It has been bad around Green Lake, but I’ve been to a house about a mile south of you several times to patch her roof.”
He patched nine spots and explained that newer roofing jobs use metal flashing in the rooftop valleys — a detail that matters a lot when you’re dealing with birds that know exactly where the weak points are. He also pointed her toward owl decoys as a deterrent, noting that in Seattle, roofers pretty much have to become bird experts too.
The article goes on to quote UW crow researchers and Audubon Society staff on the best ways to deter crows humanely. It’s a good read — equal parts home repair story and Pacific Northwest wildlife dispatch.
If you’re in the Green Lake area or anywhere in Seattle and you’re noticing granule loss, small holes, or mystery leaks you can’t trace to weather, it’s worth having someone take a look. Crows are smart, persistent, and they tend to return to the same spots. The sooner you catch the damage, the simpler the fix.
Give us a call at (206) 935-1575 or reach out online to schedule an inspection.