Humane ways to minimise pigeons in my garden?

Why on earth would anyone want to limit birds in the garden not to mention wanting their cat to kill them!!!

Some people, honestly, I despair!

The pigeons on the fence kissing and necking, not the neighbours in case I didn't write that very clearly 😂

BarnacleBeasley:

No, sadly I'm not, my neighbours both sides have dreadful gardens, mine is like an oasis of plants, real grass, flowers and trees, I don't think any birds ever go in theirs, although one side actually said they liked the pigeons as they are often on the joint fence kissing and necking and being very amorous.

I used to have lots of sparrows in my tree but so far this year I've only seen a few. I do hope they come back, I miss them.

That's why I said not helpful! But you can learn to look at something in a different light if you take the time to learn about it. Maybe op can find something to appreciate about wood pigeons 😂

Are you my neighbour? We have a pair of wood pigeons who build about three or four nests per year, rotating between our trees and the neighbours'. As soon as one gets divebombed by crows, they move on to the next tree and have another futile attempt. It's pretty funny (though sad) when they build a wobbly nest in the willow tree, which they are too heavy to perch in.

Apart from that we have 10 million sparrows who like to hang out in our guttering.

Humans leave a mess wherrever they go. You're being stupid. Pigeons are intelligent. Unlike most humans I've encountered. They can recognise faces.

Pigeons are great ! You're in their environment. Have you realised this?

I have a pair of wood pigeons that come into my garden and I've been feeding a few peanuts to them every morning for about two years. Over that time, they managed to build about six or seven nests, only successfully reared two pigeon offspring. They are currently dive bombing the tree in my garden again presumably to build yet another ridiculously flimsy nest like the others.

Sadly, I had to take my feeders down due to the huge number of starlings flocking to it, sometimes there were about 40 birds all shrieking and arguing as they fought to get to the feeders. None of the little birds got a look in and were being scared away by the sheer numbers of starlings.

Then I noticed the large brown rat in the garden last week ... 😱

😼

One of our neighbors has a fake owl.

I understand OP. I would love smaller garden birds. The mass of pigeons, magpies and seagulls chase them away.

YABU. (don’t post on AIBU ‘for traffic’ unless you’re willing to hear that!)

Maybe you should think about increasing the competition by doing things to encourage small birds into your garden?
I get some woodpigeons and collared doves (I do a little ground feeding first thing in the morning for them and the blackbirds) but loads of other birds on the hanging feeder that they can’t use.

Not much help to OP but someone on Gardeners’ Question Time once asked how they could get rid of the worms in their garden.

Stand in the middle of the garden and think really, really hard about Worzel Gummidge. Birds are sensitive creatures and should pickup on your 'vibes'.

Alternatively buy something like this (see photo, eventually) and lounge about the garden. That should keep the birds away.

Can you tell your neighbour you saw a rat under her bird feeder?

Carrier pigeons are a different species to wood pigeons!!

Bob Flowrdew used to make fake snakes (big ones) and put them in the trees to protect the fruit, or get those cut outs of cats, or a plastic falcon/eagle owl -you have to keep moving them but wirth a try.

There is no concern over the pigeon population!! 😅😅

Songbird population, absolutely, particularly blackbirds. They need encouraging and feeding but pigeons are big disease spreaders and there is a reason they should be controlled. Basically they're flying rats.

"The woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) is a major agricultural pest in the UK. It is legal to shoot woodpigeons throughout the year in accordance with the terms and conditions of relevant, current general licences."

I’ve got lovely wood pigeons in my garden, along with Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, Ring Doves, Magpies, an occasional Jay, Gold Finches and a Wren.

Anyone asking me to take the feeders down would get very terse reply.

I’m pretty sure a RSPB commissioned study showed that even a feral cat’s diet is only about 3% birds. Most the birds caught by cats are likely to unwell.

One of the kids came home from school talking about pigeons being common - as in undesirable. I suggested that another word for common was successful…

I love birds, it’s a shame to discourage them.
However, if they are causing a mess I can understand your frustration. I think wind chimes and garden ornaments that move would be your best bet because birds don’t really like sudden movements or loud noise.

If you use a wind chime and your neighbour complains about the sound, it would then give you an opportunity to come to a compromise with your wind chime if they put less seeds out for the birds.

YABVVVU

I know what you mean OP, we have loads of birds in our garden and I generally love to see them except the bastard pigeons that outnumber all the other birds and crap everywhere. As someone who has overhead electricity cables for three houses spanning my front garden our cars are permanently covered in pigeon poo and if there was something that would keep them a way I'd definitely use it.

Hideous 'vermin' that humans domesticated, used to help win the wars, and then abandoned, yes.

We've been here about 300,000 years.
Long time right?

Compared to birds (at LEAST 150 MILLION years), I'd say you're on their turf.