Topic: wood pidgeons - how to scare/banish ---- kill (no not kill) well...

[marcusexeter]

Hi
is there anything i can do to scare these buggers off - they've eating my peas, 1/3 of my whitecurrants ( the net blew up and they got in)

How about a plastic owl?

[saddad]

Shotgun... the only answer, unless you know someone who keeps falcons....  ::)

[Ninnyscrops.]

Nets are the only way Marcus!

Repair the nets if you can, add the rattling bottles and swinging CD's and hope they leave you something!

Linda

[Hector]

we have put up frames/nets as we routinely have at least half a dozen of them in field behind us. It's working so far.

[daileg]

i agree i have now built a frame around my raised beds with netting al over the sides and over the top this allows the light in keeps the Birds out and the dredded white moth

[Theplotthickens]

You can use a trap which the birds need to get used to first, try googling it.
the added bonus of a trap is you will have a source of good low fat high protein meat that you have helped fatten up and believe me it is the most tasty meat

[Bjerreby]

Danish Islands

They've just eaten my purple sprouting broccoli sown 3 weeks ago, so I've re-sown.

The thing is, I have a pair of wood pigeons that have become very tame. They remain standing on our bird table, bold as brass, as I walk by just 2m away. I can even stop and talk to them.

Maybe I should try negotiating with them? What if I offer free barley, do you think they will agree to leave my beetroot and broccoli alone?  :D

[gardentg44]

Im with Saddad.

they dont like the 4.10 up um

[davyw1]

Plenty of option forgetting rid of or stopping them from dining on the best of grub.
Its not realy practical to use a 4.10 shotgun on an allotment, no point using an air riffle if you are not a good shot. Noise and reflective discs don,t seem to bother them.
Traps, you have to get the pigion to go into it or on it and if you do capture it  alive what then, let it go to come back or kneck it.
Netting is about the only option, i think its a case of laying out a small amount of cash to get rid of the grief or live with it.

www.harrodhorticultural.com/HarrodSite/pages/category/category.asp?ctgry=Netting&cookie_test=1

[BarriedaleNick]

They are the bane of Barriedale.  We even concidered the issue at our committee meeting but it was decided we were not allowed to shot them.
We have to net everything - all brassicas, fruit and even the hearted lettuce will get destroyed once the bloody things get their eye in.

A good roll of debris netting http://www.scaffolding-direct.co.uk/Debris_Netting_and_Monoflex_Sheeting_66/index.aspx is a cheap way of covering your brassicas - keep the cabbage white off as well!

[MrBean]

If you make one of these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tbqq0Ct0Wc, you have something to go with your veg.

[Larkshall]

Whilst the pigeon trap is OK (similar to Magpie trap) in the UK, some of the other traps shown would be illegal in the UK. You have to remember that different countries have different laws regarding trapping.

I prefer to shoot pigeons rather than trying to trap them, they are extremely wary birds.

[lewic]

A catapult? Our 99p shop sells them in the fishing section :o

Couldnt bring myself to use it myself.. but then again they havent started on my cabbages yet!

[landimad]

If all else fails then you should have a go with this and apply accordingly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fePU5CIHpas
Then they will keep away from your veggies hopefully from all the laughter.