Anyone notice how few birds there are nowadays? Used to see them all the time. I live in a bird sanctuary. I see the same 25 birds every day. Used to be thousands. Maybe insects have collapsed. Maybe it's just us. I wish we could stop killing things.
The overengineered solution to my pigeon problem
81–90 of 107 posts
Re: The overengineered solution to my pigeon problem
#82> [Spikes] work IFF you buy the right ones AND put them absolutely everywhere AND are careful to actually mount them correctly AND you don’t plan to use the area covered yourself at all AND you don’t even want to look at its disgraced looks. So it is completely pointless for a balcony. They can also be horrifically cruel. I've seen a pigeon die after getting impaled on those kinds of spikes and it was a traumatic exp…
I use these plastic spikes. [1] Not even sure if you can call them spikes, moreso just protrusions. They aren't sharp at all so they don't impale the pigeon, only stop it from roosting. They work really well because the pigeons just aren't comfortable sitting on them. I agree with you about sharp metal spikes. Those are really terrible and I feel bad for any bird that gets injured by those. [1] https://www.amazon.com…
These spikes are in a nook above the office at work. They help hold the bird nest there perfectly, and actually seem to make nesting easier. I could see them keeping away large birds, but for their intended use case, they just made it easier for nests to be put where they otherwise might not stay.
That said, I don't mind it, watching the birds is fun.
Re: The overengineered solution to my pigeon problem
#83Anyone notice how few birds there are nowadays? Used to see them all the time. I live in a bird sanctuary. I see the same 25 birds every day. Used to be thousands. Maybe insects have collapsed. Maybe it's just us. I wish we could stop killing things.
We have a very large yard and lots of trees so I started putting up bird feeders.
Now we have more birds than I've ever seen.
They're still out there.
Re: The overengineered solution to my pigeon problem
#84Re: The overengineered solution to my pigeon problem
#85Anyone notice how few birds there are nowadays? Used to see them all the time. I live in a bird sanctuary. I see the same 25 birds every day. Used to be thousands. Maybe insects have collapsed. Maybe it's just us. I wish we could stop killing things.
nope, I see mostly magpies around my house all the time here in Prague literally any time (they must like my neighborhood, seems they took over all other birds), often also pigeons, rarely other birds, can't say I don't like being in company of one of the smartest animals on this planet, shame dunno how to make friends with them
but yeah it's extremely rare for me to see sparrows unlike my childhood in small hometown 25-30 years ago, might be because of size of town
Re: The overengineered solution to my pigeon problem
#86The most effective solution I found for pigeons (although I haven't built this so can't compare...) is feeding them at regular times. It doesn't even have to be a lot. They're smart enough to know I come out around 0830 to give them some seed, and then they fly away for the rest of the day because no more food is coming. Sometimes when new babies appear, it takes a couple of weeks for them to copy the pattern though.
If you live in an urban area, please don't do this. Pigeons are pests. They carry diseases. Their shit is toxic and can cause serious respiratory issues.
Re: The overengineered solution to my pigeon problem
#87If you want the low-tech solution, here is a recipe that definitely resolved it for me: - One big spoon of cinnamon - One big spoon of chilli peppers - Half a bottle of cheap, cleaning vinegar Spray it in all the places that the pigeons want to land. I am doing that once a week and it is enough to keep them away. If you clean your whole balcony with it, you might be able to go through most of the spring - when I thin…
This is cool alright, but can I program a Rasberry Pi to spray it?
Re: The overengineered solution to my pigeon problem
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
Another low tech solution: feed them occasionally on your balcony… birds are smart and they will not poo in their food plate. Cooked pasta works well, nothing will be left when they leave.
I was under the impression that birds have no sphincter so they can't control when they poop. Is this not true?
Some birds do, some don't.
Source: my pet duck didn't have a sphincter.
Pro tip: don't get a pet duck
Re: The overengineered solution to my pigeon problem
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
I use these plastic spikes. [1] Not even sure if you can call them spikes, moreso just protrusions. They aren't sharp at all so they don't impale the pigeon, only stop it from roosting. They work really well because the pigeons just aren't comfortable sitting on them. I agree with you about sharp metal spikes. Those are really terrible and I feel bad for any bird that gets injured by those. [1] https://www.amazon.com…
These spikes are in a nook above the office at work. They help hold the bird nest there perfectly, and actually seem to make nesting easier. I could see them keeping away large birds, but for their intended use case, they just made it easier for nests to be put where they otherwise might not stay. That said, I don't mind it, watching the birds is fun.
That's pretty funny. For me, they work pretty good against the pigeons. Honestly, if it were sparrows or some other type of bird making a nest in them, I don't know if I would care too much. Pigeons are pretty large and make big poops.
Re: The overengineered solution to my pigeon problem
#90I've been daydreaming about something like this for my squirrel problem. The damn things nearly leave me without nectarines unless I install a cumbersome, unsightly net over the tree.
Could one invest in hawks, owls or snakes?
Hawks and owls require multi-year effort in Falconry licensing (at least in the US).
First 2 years under a sponsor--you can get a very specific hawk or falcon (which hawk or falcon is geographically dependent) After 2 years & sponsor approving it-- you are now a general falconer. Have fun with other raptors, including owls. OTOH.... Wild Owls: excellent pest control.