Any tried and tested techniques on how to repel PIGEONS?

[Circa89]

Unfortunately the only and best solution is to place a trap on the balcony. Pigeons are a non-migratory bird and are very territorial. That means if you remove the source of their shelter they will find the next best available area. This is most likely the neighbours balcony, if you take away that neighbour option they move onto the next etc, etc. If you take this to the board they will not only have to net off your balcony but every balcony in the building. Then the Condo fees or rent go up as a result and who wants a balcony with netting on it?
Pigeons reproduce at a rapid rate ( 2 eggs per brood potentially every 28 days) and the offspring will live where they are hatched so please destroy the eggs before they hatch or it will be a never ending cycle of Pigeons returning to roost. Trap them, ethuanize them and move on. This is a much cheaper option and many times more effective.
Plastic Owls, rubber snakes, noise deterrents and other home made solutions like rice DO NOT work. The only solution is to ethuanize the birds or they will continue to populate the area to dramatic levels. Please remember the reason that Pigeons are considered pests is because their droppings can contain as many as 41 different pathogens and parasties, is extremely corrosive and will destroy metal, concrete and roof' material over time. The Pigeon is the number one most populous bird in urban areas and was not even present in North America 100 years ago.

My bad, I meant the Sparrow is the number one most populous bird in Urban North America followed by the Pigeon. The Sparrow which is actually a North African Finch is also an introduced species and was not present in North America a century and a half ago.

[ONE NOSED JACK]

Boy you sure know alot about birds. I have a friend who was raised by pigeons in the forests of Madagascar. He's an alright guy, but when excite tends to crap himself and has a tendency to always say cooooooooooooool.

[fatso]

Originally Posted by ONE NOSED JACK

Boy you sure know alot about birds. I have a friend who was raised by pigeons in the forests of Madagascar. He's an alright guy, but when excite tends to crap himself and has a tendency to always say cooooooooooooool.

ha ha ha...

wow Circa89 you do know a lot about pigeons. They're awful... a total pest. Here in Boston I have to walk through them to get to the subway entrance and it's disgusting. They're so emboldened they often don't move or will fly up into your face (not attacking, but just careless) to get away.

Do you know anything about crows? When I lived in Vancouver I found them to be much more of a nuisance (and obviously way more aggressive) than pigeons. How do you get rid of them?

[Circa89]

Well Crows/Ravens have one major difference. They are a native species and are therefore not considered a pest. Another difference is that for the most part Crows will build their nests in trees, unlike pigeons that prefer buildings that may mimic their natural habitat which is cliffs and rocky outcroppings. Crows nest in trees but often roost on buildings and leave their tell tale signs in the form of massive dropping accumulations. Since Crows are not considered pests euthanization is not an option. The only way to solve crow issues is through the use of exclusion techniques. Spikes, nets and other exclusionary devices are the best methods to stop them from roosting where you do not want them but you can not (legally) get rid of them in any fashion.

[arloiginla]

Check out this method of killing mosquitos....it shoudl work on pigeons as they are only slightly larger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBGlO...eature=related

[fatso]

thanks Circa89... that's good info.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by PIMking

BB gun. Its quiet and effective!

Plus you get to work on your aim.

I second that.
Sporting goods aisle at your local CT.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/pr...08474396672319

[Devils'Advocate]

This won't work on a small scale, but it did the charm for my workplace (Statistics Canada). We used to have hundreds of pigeons in the parking lot. Now that we've adopted some peregrine falcons, the pigeon problem is no more. Some bird lovers at Stats and other volunteers take turns checking in on the falcons to make sure they are not injured. There was concern that after the death of Horizon, Connor would stay single, but now Diana has joined him so hopefully they will keep the pigeons at bay for years to come.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by ONE NOSED JACK

The rubber snakes might work, but then you have that rubber snake problem to deal with. It might force you to get a rubber hawk. Hey there's your solution a rubber hawk will get rid of both your pigeon and the rubber snakes, I should get into exterminating. Keep on Queing.

Perhaps a one-eyed trouser snake would be the best solution to the problem.

[Hemmer]

Man I had the exact same problem at my old condo. They made a nest under my bbq and there were 2 baby pigeons. All I gotta say is damn am I happy I moved and I don't have to hear their horrible croaking cries at 6am. Pigeon cries are horrible man

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Hemmer

Man I had the exact same problem at my old condo. They made a nest under my bbq and there were 2 baby pigeons. All I gotta say is damn am I happy I moved and I don't have to hear their horrible croaking cries at 6am. Pigeon cries are horrible man

Wouldn't turning the barbecue on high for a while have gotten rid of that problem? If the heat didn't drive 'em away then maybe you get a free meal out of the deal. Everyone wins! Well, except for the pigeons.

[Hemmer]

Many thoughts ran through my mind about how to kill them. But the big heart in me just couldn't allow me to kill some helpless baby pigeons.
The parents on the other hand, almost got a nice introduction to my broom stick several times. And over time, I think they started mockin me.. &*$&% pigeons

[troutman]

Doin' the Pigeon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPj3G7U-K04

[skins]

Originally Posted by Circa89

Unfortunately the only and best solution is to place a trap on the balcony. Pigeons are a non-migratory bird and are very territorial. That means if you remove the source of their shelter they will find the next best available area. This is most likely the neighbours balcony, if you take away that neighbour option they move onto the next etc, etc. If you take this to the board they will not only have to net off your balcony but every balcony in the building. Then the Condo fees or rent go up as a result and who wants a balcony with netting on it?
Pigeons reproduce at a rapid rate ( 2 eggs per brood potentially every 28 days) and the offspring will live where they are hatched so please destroy the eggs before they hatch or it will be a never ending cycle of Pigeons returning to roost. Trap them, ethuanize them and move on. This is a much cheaper option and many times more effective.
Plastic Owls, rubber snakes, noise deterrents and other home made solutions like rice DO NOT work. The only solution is to ethuanize the birds or they will continue to populate the area to dramatic levels. Please remember the reason that Pigeons are considered pests is because their droppings can contain as many as 41 different pathogens and parasties, is extremely corrosive and will destroy metal, concrete and roof' material over time. The Pigeon is the number one most populous bird in urban areas and was not even present in North America 100 years ago.

My bad, I meant the Sparrow is the number one most populous bird in Urban North America followed by the Pigeon. The Sparrow which is actually a North African Finch is also an introduced species and was not present in North America a century and a half ago.

ya, but what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow (African)?

[Circa89]

Originally Posted by skins

ya, but what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow (African)?

Blue... I mean Red.

[Ruttiger]

So I haven't read the whole thread, but long story short - lots of pigeons on my building - sh*tting everywhere on my deck. They're classified as pests, no? Can I leave poisoned bait on my deck or is this against a by-law of some sort? What do pigeons eat anyway? I want my deck back!!

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by Delgar

Snopes says rice doesn't kill birds:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/birdrice.asp

[mykalberta]

Update...

Since I destroyed the second nest and chucked the babies off the balcony into the dumpster below no Pigeon has appeared.

However I dislike being held hostage by such a shatrat so I purchased some netting. I havent needed it yet and my dad is coming to visit for the labour day game so I will put it up then. I have a feeling it wont look the greates but so long as it keeps them away I dont care.

I will post pics once the netting is up. It is one of those things that definatley makes me think about moving because of it.

Also, as to the suggestion about trapping and selling to a Chinese restraunt, over 50% of the building occupants are chinese so I am sure they are more than full. I believe the many restraunts and shotty way they handle their garbage is the major reason for the pigeon problem.

[Ruttiger]

Yeah, I'm in the process of having a new condo built so I should be out of here by this time next year. But sh*t is it annoying in the mean-time.

[mykalberta]

I have some good heavy duty netting I bought from this place in the US.

I will see how it works. I am on the 5th floor so I doubt it will be so visilbe from the street level that people might complain to the condo. However it has become one of those things I am willing to fight the condo board over since the balcony is considered their property and when I complained to them they gave me the following BS things to try.

Hang CD's froms strings from the roof.
Buy a plastic owl.
Buy a cat

Next they will want me to hang tinfoil on my windows and attach a bell express vu dish - heck I purporsefully paid more money so I didnt have to live in the NE for frick sakes.