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Original poster

To hate pigeons with every bone in my body?

157 replies

MargoLivebetter · 25/04/2024 10:29

I live in a flat and we have outdoor space and the pigeons have moved in and I cannot get rid of them. I made a huge mistake in lockdown of letting two pigeons rear a baby pigeon on the deck. I hadn't realised that they'd laid an egg and when I found it, it had hatched and I couldn't bring myself to lob it over the balcony.

Oh what a price I have paid for my kindness / weakness. I now have a colony of the fuckers living on my decking. I am constantly on pigeon patrol collecting up their sad twig nests and endlessly lobbing their bloody eggs over the balcony. I have pigeon shit everywhere and on days I WFH, I listen to their endless mating noises.

I have tried everything (bar shooting them). I have vile sticky stuff all over the edges of things, which is supposed to deter them but doesn't. I had a bird startler noise thing, which they got used to after about 2 days. I have festooned the place in bird scarers and silvery things, all of which they completely ignore.

I am so fed up with them. Does anyone know a way of getting rid of these bastard birds?

OP posts:
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6
Anxious404 · 30/06/2024 11:46

This is so sad. Pigeons saved lives during the war. They are simply trying to exist after we discarded them.

DrJoanAllenby · 28/04/2024 00:14

.

To hate pigeons with every bone in my body?
Clearinguptheclutter · 27/04/2024 16:25

Yanbu generally but lobbing eggs over the balcony is not on. We have pigeons nesting on our roof, don’t like them either. Sometimes an egg falls out onto our front drive and it makes a right mess. You could put them in your food waste bin, if they’re freshly laid they will just not develop.

ForeverYellow · 27/04/2024 16:21

onwardsup4 · 26/04/2024 08:55

Yes I have a pair of wood pigeons in my garden that cause me no bother. Op situation is obviously very different and is causing her a lot . Professional help is needed I reckon OP

Show quote history

It’s the throwing the eggs which upsets me . A humane solution is needed .

Original poster
MargoLivebetter · 26/04/2024 11:10

Thanks to all those who have provided helpful tips. More spikes have just arrived, so I've just popped out to put them down. There are no active nests at the moment, because I am preventing any being constructed. I have 6 pairs of bloody pigeons attempting to nest. 12 birds shitting everywhere.

Several pest control companies coming around to quote and discuss what they could do. I've also involved the managing agents, as they are all over the block, not just my deck. There are huge piles of pigeon excrement by the front door and in various other communal areas, not to mention excrement down the walls too. Between the pigeons, the rats, the foxes and cats it is excrement central!

OP posts:
RamblingEclectic · 26/04/2024 11:02

It's understandable to be very frustrated with them when they're causing so many issues.

As already mentioned, we sadly have only other people to blame for this situation. Humans bred them for hundreds of years in our spaces, and that fell out of favour with the end of WW2 and growing tech. Tons of them were just released into the wild. The whole "rats with wings" thing comes from an American Park Commissioner in the late '60s. City pigeons often have no clue because it's not been that many generations since they were being cared for by humans and lost a lot of instincts. People continue to perpetuate it with dove releases for events - seven well trained, some do wander off and continue the cycle, going from symbol of peace and love to vermin with a shift in context.

Where I am, we have issues sometimes with wild parrots and similar birds that come from people having released pets decades ago and we have to deal with their offspring that are really annoying with literally no sense. Thankfully the UK doesn't have some of the issues with released pets causing a lot more damage as seen in parts of the US and other countries, like masses of boa constrictors taking up national parks...

Jc2001 · 26/04/2024 10:32

orchiddottyback · 26/04/2024 10:30

I think you will find pest control cannot remove an active nest without a GL41 licence from Natural England and for the OP they wont provide one in these circumstances.

I wish people with little knowlage of these things would stop posting rubbish.

Edited
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Posting rubbish about things you know nothing about ? That's the backbone of MN 😂

orchiddottyback · 26/04/2024 10:30

Boomer55 · 26/04/2024 09:56

Pest control, and never feed them.

I think you will find pest control cannot remove an active nest without a GL41 licence from Natural England and for the OP they wont provide one in these circumstances.

I wish people with little knowlage of these things would stop posting rubbish.

Boomer55 · 26/04/2024 09:56

Pest control, and never feed them.

cerisepanther73 · 26/04/2024 09:45

@DrJoanAllenby

"Very good insightful hit the nail on the head post"

@Janicepalace

I totally agree with your sentiments too,
we humans have created the issues we have with wildlife and nature..
Thank you for highlighting this very valid good point...

Iloveyoubut · 26/04/2024 09:14

takemeawayagain · 25/04/2024 18:04

Pigeons are stupid and disgusting and I say that as someone who is generally a wildlife lover! We had one that spent 3 whole days trying to build a nest between tree branches that were clearly too wide and so had a huge pile of twigs under it. They shit everywhere and their shit is disgusting. Plus if most of them exist because of people breeding them back in the day we can hardly really call them 'natural wildlife' can we? Either humans are responsible for their existence or they are natural wildlife, you can't have it both ways. Plus does no one eat eggs?

I would definitely contact pest control and see what they can do. You can't relocate pigeons as of course they have amazing homing instincts (the one thing they are good at!) so anyone suggesting that is being ridiculous. Hopefully you can get rid of the disgusting things.

What a stupid and disgusting thing to say. Who truly hateful. They’re birds. Just trying their best to survive. If they’re disgusting it’s because they live in the filth we’ve created. To call a bird stupid and disgusting, what is wrong with you, I can’t even begin to imagine how your brain works and neither do I want to.,

Soigneur · 26/04/2024 09:10

Destroying pigeon nests and eggs (indeed the nests and eggs of any bird) without a licence from Natural England is a criminal offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. If a neighbour sees you doing this and reports you, you run the risk of being prosecuted.

Jc2001 · 26/04/2024 09:07

MargoLivebetter · 25/04/2024 10:37

@LaurieFairyCake I let the baby live and grow up on my deck, because I couldn't destroy it. Therefore, its parents and it and its new mate relentlessly try to breed on my deck each year, along with all their friends.

I do lob freshly laid eggs over the balcony. I also eat eggs - but not pigeon ones! 😬

So you lob them over the balcony and leave that mess for someone to clean up?

onwardsup4 · 26/04/2024 08:55

ForeverYellow · 25/04/2024 11:55

This makes me sad . I have a pair of collared doves in my garden . I have named them and love waking up to their coos .

Yes I have a pair of wood pigeons in my garden that cause me no bother. Op situation is obviously very different and is causing her a lot . Professional help is needed I reckon OP

RogueFemale · 25/04/2024 23:28

NecessaryNC24 · 25/04/2024 18:20

I'm sure they hate you equally.

I know us homosapiens tell ourselves we're superior.. but we're really not, just look what's going on in the world.

I'm embarrassed for you OP.

Agree.

RogueFemale · 25/04/2024 23:26

I think it's horrible to destroy bird nests and eggs. Doesn't matter which type of bird. They have as much of a right to live as you do.

menohnopausal · 25/04/2024 23:15

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 25/04/2024 12:06

But they are rats. Would you say this about a rat? They carry disease.

Show quote history

Rats are actually really, really lovely. We've had several pet rats. They were great little buddies. Each one was so uniquely characterful, every bit as much as a cat or dog. It was quite an eye opening experience.

popandchoc · 25/04/2024 22:25

I have had a nightmare with them on my roof last couple of years and its a nightmare as they poo all over my drive /bins and car. I had a thing that made noises that worked for a bit. I had spikes put on and has helped as they go further back but they are still up there.

Original poster
MargoLivebetter · 25/04/2024 22:02

@Noyok sorry to hear that! It is super slippery stuff. Another joy is when they shit on my clean laundry, that I hang out to dry because I'm such a disgusting human I try not to use the tumble dryer!

OP posts:
Noyok · 25/04/2024 21:45

MargoLivebetter · 25/04/2024 10:29

I live in a flat and we have outdoor space and the pigeons have moved in and I cannot get rid of them. I made a huge mistake in lockdown of letting two pigeons rear a baby pigeon on the deck. I hadn't realised that they'd laid an egg and when I found it, it had hatched and I couldn't bring myself to lob it over the balcony.

Oh what a price I have paid for my kindness / weakness. I now have a colony of the fuckers living on my decking. I am constantly on pigeon patrol collecting up their sad twig nests and endlessly lobbing their bloody eggs over the balcony. I have pigeon shit everywhere and on days I WFH, I listen to their endless mating noises.

I have tried everything (bar shooting them). I have vile sticky stuff all over the edges of things, which is supposed to deter them but doesn't. I had a bird startler noise thing, which they got used to after about 2 days. I have festooned the place in bird scarers and silvery things, all of which they completely ignore.

I am so fed up with them. Does anyone know a way of getting rid of these bastard birds?

I could have written this. We have pigeons above our bedroom window and they shit all over our front garden and path to front door.Even ended up on my arse after slipping in their shit on my way out . Have tried all the usual deterrents and spent hundreds paying people to fix prongs etc . The bastards managed to push them to the ground and they are bloody noisy and heavy footed at sunrise.
So tempted to bloody shoot them TBH !

JudgeJ · 25/04/2024 21:32

TwelveAngryWhiskers · 25/04/2024 13:57

Well don’t leave stuff like that out then? Especially under a tree, not sure what you expected. It’s your fault, not the pigeons’. They’re just doing what birds do. And you can’t expect wild animals to care about your decking.

it’s no wonder there are so many endangered species across the world with attitudes like those in this thread. We should share space with animals, not monopolise it leaving them with nowhere to go.

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How twee dear! Yes, I could have also put the box away etc etc but at the end of the day the flying rats produce the excrement and are dealt with accordingly.

DrJoanAllenby · 25/04/2024 19:19
%3D
DrJoanAllenby · 25/04/2024 18:24

@RefreshingCandour

Where I park my car sometimes in a beauty spot there are two Pigeons, man and wife. After I've walked the dogs and the dogs are tired and sleeping, I don't drive off straight away, I watch them for awhile.

They are wonderful. They mate for life although if one dies they will seek out a new mate.

NecessaryNC24 · 25/04/2024 18:20

I'm sure they hate you equally.

I know us homosapiens tell ourselves we're superior.. but we're really not, just look what's going on in the world.

I'm embarrassed for you OP.

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