<p>Well, the title explains it all. A bird is trapped in the basement. We left the door to the outside open but the bird kept hitting against the glass window, trying to get out. My H covered the windows to darken the room and left the door open again but the little thing isn’t getting it. Any ideas?</p>
<p>I would have to move. ;)</p>
<p>Lol. Thanks! But around here, a bird in the basement is the least of my wild life problems.</p>
<p>We’ve used brooms- not to hit the bird - but if one person gets behind the bird with a broom and the other beside, the move forward towards the door. The bird will go forward to get away from the brooms. In this way we “guide” the bird out. In my case I had a bird get inside the living area of my home; and I have them get trapped on my sunporch when the door to the outisde was left open.</p>
<p>Your H has already done the thing I thought of. Is there any possibility that the two of you could go down there and sort of herd it towards the door to the outside? Assuming that it is impossible to open the window.</p>
<p>Cross-posted with hanaliy: that’s exactly what I meant to suggest.</p>
<p>I have removed birds by using a laundry basket as a sort of cage. After you catch it in the the basket you can slid a piece of cardboard under the opening and carry it out or a broom will sort of keep it in until you can get it out.</p>
<p>I use a large piece of cardboard to “guide” critters to the exit. Definitely leave the windows covered, unless your “plan” is to wait for the bird to tire itself out banging against “the light.” It’s not an approach I favor because long-trapped birds tend to leave droppings everywhere.</p>
<p>Anyone in your neighborhood fish? They would probably have a big fish net. I have actually used a butterfly net before.</p>
<p>Call an exterminator. If the company you call doesn’t handle this sort of problem, they can probably refer you to one that does.</p>
<p>I think it finally got the idea and went toward the light. My H is ready with a fishing net if we hear it down there again. Thanks everyone!</p>
<p>Solution: cat in basement; bird will depart and cat is easier to capture and relocate.</p>
<p>The safest way for the bird is to throw a light weight pillowcase or towel over it, this calms and protects both you and the bird, and take it outside. Great thought about covering the window. With my luck, the open door would have been an invitation for a squirrel to come in!</p>
<p>I am sure that my “solution” is not what you are looking for. We are visited by mice from time to time. They travel through a small hole in the interior wall of the garage so I set up mouse traps in the garage. Occasionally, when the garage door is up for an extended period, other wildlife venture into the garage. On a couple of occasions … well, you can figure out the rest of the story.</p>
<p>The last time this happened at a friend’s house, he brought in a tree limb and the bird attached itself to that and was carried outside. It was a humming bird.</p>
<p>Looks like you were able to solve the problem. </p>
<p>I was going to suggest that you stand outside and make some “bird mating calls”. Or just play some of those youtube clips like the one below:</p>
<p>[Bird</a> doing mating call - YouTube](<a href=“Bird doing mating call - YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYLnkbtjr0g)</p>
<p>Vicarious parent, I have several bird applications on my iPhone, with different type calls for many of them ( mating/warning/juvenile etc) when the baby robins were in the back yard, there were several crows in the front of the neighbors house that I wanted to shoo away. So I rotated through the different raptors to try and scare them away.</p>
<p>Finally when I played the owl call, they all gathered on the wire and chattered. I don’t know what they were saying though, it could have been something like this " dude!, another human who thinks they are going to scare us away from their raspberries"</p>
<p>Think Hansel and Gretel…a trail of crumbs leading to the exit.</p>
<p>You take the nearest T-shirt you can find, toss it over the bird as gently as you can, then gather up the whole thing, walk it outside, and release. Poor little things are scared in a house. And I don’t think we’ve ever damaged one with this method.</p>