DP wants to shoot pigeons nesting under our solar panels

[supersop60]

We have pigeons nesting under our solar panels. They are noisy and make a mess. DP will not listen to me about trying humane methods to get rid of them eg I bought a fake hawk, but he just rolled his eyes and cast it aside.
I saw him this morning putting his air rifle in the car and said he was taking it to have the sight aligned. He wants to shoot the pigeons!
My question is - what do I do now? Im not sure I’m tough enough to call the police on him.
He knows my feelings and opinions on the matter, but he just wants the pigeons gone.
WWYD?

@supersop60 If you read the post by @MargoLivebetter and the BASC code in her item you will find Facts not the nonsense some are spouting.

DP sounds like a knob, and a bit thick too! He would need to be one hell of a marksman to hit them under the solar panels. And shooting at solar panels (Big ole batteries) would be a fab idea, if you would like them to burst into flames and burn the house down.

I think if I was choosing which to keep, I'd go for the pigeons.

I shall ask him exactly how he intends to do it. It may be when he’s thought it through, he’ll give up. I shall be warning our lovely neighbour, who is a saint to put up with us ( ie him)

My goodness people are stupid on this thread. If the guy is experienced in shooting with an air rifle, then he'll know not to be shooting at his roof or solar panels, so he wouldn't be risking damaging the solar panels.

I would imagine, he'd be shooting them in the garden, with a safe backdrop, whilst he's placed some food out for them.

Obviously, if he's shooting at the roof/panels, he's a dick.

Id have no hesitation whatsoever about calling the police to report there is a man with a gun on the street. Even if it was my own DP.

If he’s an experienced shooter, I’d imagine he’d know the legalities around shooting pigeons and not be contemplating doing so illegally.

Yes, he absolutely should do, but that wasn't the part I was addressing - clearly.

It was the insane amount of stupid comments from people who clearly have no experience of shooting.

It's highly unlikely he'd be standing in the street shooting 🙄

Your DP is a complete and utter shit-for-brains fuckwit. And yes, what he is proposing is illegal. Offence carries anything up to six months in prison and an unlimited fine.

So on the whole, if he does it, I'd report him.

We moved into a house with solar panels that weren't netted and had pigeons nesting under it. They chewed through power cables and it cost a fortune to get them fixed!

We did get them netted as soon as we could - yes you need scaffolding and it's not cheap but it is essential!

In the meantime water pistols were very effective in discouraging them.

I’m in the US but my company deals with this regularly and I’d imagine the uk isn’t that different.

Your solar panel installers can install the netting for you. If they aren’t available or you don’t know who installed the panels then call a few solar panel installation companies to see if they will install the netting.

It’s something my company does for systems installed by other companies.

I am looking forward to sharing your husband’s batshitness with my colleagues btw. I’ve never heard of anyone doing anything quite so stupid with their solar panels.

Yes. Illegal to disturb nesting birds in the UK.

What you must not do
You’re breaking the law if you:

• intentionally kill, injure or take wild birds
• intentionally take, damage or destroy a wild bird’s nest while it’s being used or built
• intentionally take or destroy a wild bird’s egg
• possess, control or transport live or dead wild birds, or parts of them, or their eggs
• sell wild birds or put them on display for sale
• use prohibited methods to kill or take wild birds

Source :

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wild-birds-protection-surveys-and-licences

I never knew this til a handyman at work was spotted cutting a hedge by a birdwatcher during nesting season.

We had seagulls nesting under ours last summer. Once they’re there, you can’t do anything about it. Just have to wait till the chicks are all grown and flown.

We put netting around ours. Yes, it did cost a few £ to pay someone to put scaffolding up to do it, but there’s no point being annoyed about the costs of home maintenance. It is what it is.

He wouldn't be shooting them from indoors would he?

Very, very silly idea.

It would be animal cruelty but he is also likely to damage your solar panels, the roof and have himself arrested for using a fire arm and causing potential risk to the public (who could be hit by a stray bullet).

You married an idiot.

we had it done professionally and it cost around £250. They also used ladders. Took a couple of hours at most

Who did you use? As in, what trade?

Er Just have the anti bird wire fitted instead?

And what happens if the pigeons start shooting back? He'll be sorry he started it!

One can always hope……🙏

Oh god, it's like talking to a plank. Their own garden is not the street 🙄

It’s the front garden though…

Your dh is a dick, however, I was brought to the brink of insanity with bloody pigeons nesting in a tree in my garden.
I was/am a shift worker and the noise they made, constantly, was something else.
I still hate them, many years on 😂

Gardens tend to be in the street. Are you normally this dense?