Pigeons, deterring same...

Eaglecliff

Eaglecliff

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Living next to a large open area of allotments as I do, I am plagued by grit-munching loose-bowelled woodpigeons . Can anyone recommend, from personal experience, anything I can spray or otherwise add to, my track ballast to keep the blighters away? Provided it doesn't harm the smaller birds which poke about in it for creepy-crawlies, seeds, etc., beyond deterring them as well.
 
air gun.................................only joking (....a bit)

Yes, we also have an enormous influx of wood pigeons from early spring until late autumn, after which they are still around but in smaller numbers.
Not only is their guano incessant but they also land on buildings and details around the layout. As they are pretty clumsy, and hefty, they continually knock stuff down or over and push items around as they go 'grit sifting'.

The next door neighbour tried using a life-sized, very realistic model of an eagle owl with a moving head, perched on top of one the bordering tree/bushes but....
One day I looked out of the bedroom window only to see two woodpigeons sitting right next to the 'owl' preening themselves!

I have tried a few solutions but the only one that seems to work is the farmer's favourite...the sudden 'crack' given off at random times.

Now there is also the airgun .............to make a nice pigeon pie of course........
 
you think pigeons are a problem, around northfleet, we have suddenly gained a huge flock of ring tailed parakeets !!!! >:( >:( >:( >:(
 
Sadly, the airgun went some years ago, but it's illegal to shoot one within a certain distance of...something or other, like the neighbours, and there isn't a pellet-proof backstop in case there's a stray gardener and I miss the pigeon. No, I idly wondered if there was something that tasted foul which would cause them to go "bleagh!" and keep off ever after.
Parakeets? We get sparrowhawks in the garden sometimes. Might be able to lend you one. Can't the local falconry buffs keep them down?
 
a98087 said:
How about getting a cat??
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After the death of our old very sedentary Mog, our new Mogli arrived a couple of years ago, as a kitten, and has developed into a feline killing machine.
Unfortunately the wood pigeons seem to ignore him....strange really as one evening when he was still quite small, we heard a bit of a kerfuffle in the utility room.
On going to inspect we were confronted with the sight of him trying to drag a still flapping, rather large wood pigeon through the cat flap.
The bird was bigger than him then!
 
beavercreek said:
After the death of our old very sedentary Mog, our new Mogli arrived a couple of years ago, as a kitten, and has developed into a feline killing machine.
Unfortunately the wood pigeons seem to ignore him....strange really as one evening when he was still quite small, we heard a bit of a kerfuffle in the utility room.
On going to inspect we were confronted with the sight of him trying to drag a still flapping, rather large wood pigeon through the cat flap.
The bird was bigger than him then!
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Kitten 1 Pigeon Nil. Great score.
JonD
 
The pigeons do seem to have increased in number since our 17-year old tabby died a couple of years back, but our neighbours now have a large grey tom who wanders into the garden from time to time - maybe he's too well fed to bother. Our old one and his brother once brought in a racing pigeon, but Hodgkins (don't ask) was more of a vole exterminator.
 
Gavin Sowry said:
>:( Woodies are a protected species here in NZ.
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wow, they are vermin here.
 
Vermin in Uk, Often culled by councils, make nice pie, so step son says
 
No, they are not the same. The protected native species is the Kereru: http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/nz-pigeon-kereru/

My parents were quite successful keeping herons out of their pond by stringing fishing lines across it. That didn't deter the ducks, though.
 
sparky230 said:
Wood pigeon
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:o What a scrawny creature. What we call a Wood Pigeon (native name Kereru), is 'healthier' than that. Ours are protected, because once upon a time, they were really good eating, worth lighting a fire for. Ours normally roost 30 feet up in the trees.... because they drop 20 feet before the aerodynamic effects let the fat things fly.
 
Gavin Sowry said:
>:( Cat 1, Anything 0....... guess who lands burial detail. :-\
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Hm sounds like Cat needs some more Training, or Dogs are good for burying things. Cat Dog collaboration perhaps?
JonD
 
Here's just the thing. Coincidentally I'm currently constructing something very similar under the Leopold - a challenge thread. Test Leopold Spur 1 Gartenbahn: http://youtu.be/ePr0vV1Cfwk
 
How do you aim the gun, though? Radar, I suppose. Trouble is, some of my neighbours work nights, so I'm not going to earn many brownie points by firing a 155mm howitzer every few minutes while they are trying to get their beauty sleep. Which brings me back to my quest for a nasty-tasting spray...
 
I've been following this topic with interest as we have the same problem with pigeons and wood pigeons (some of the latter are so fat that they can hardly walk) because we feed the birds, notable seven female pheasants who visit each day. I'm thinking of experimenting when the pheasants aren't about with a mixture of seed and rock salt.
 
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