When i first got my garden a couple of years ago, i was delighted to have any bird visiting the garden, however now the pigeons have taken over, they eat all the birdseed, frighten off the other birds and only seem to visit my garden...All the other gardens near to me get all kinds of bird life but I just seem to be getting these big pesky pests...any help gratefully appreciated
Since pigeons are the only birds I get which are likely to take corn, I'm seriously considering putting out rat poison for them.
Are wild pigeons still fair game? When I was a small sprout I used to shoot them with an airgun because they were such a nuisance in the garden. My mum encouraged me to hang, pluck and draw them for the kitchen. I honestly think bagging them is reasonable, but don't know if it's legal.
I also made an ingenious humane pigeon trap - a box propped up on a stick with a bit of bread attached from the stick to a string on the ground. I can't remember catching a single pigeon in that ::)
Wood pigeons are legal to take/shoot. No closed season and not classed as game so game license not required.
Very good eating.
Jerry
they are feral pigeons so eating them is definately out of the question
Quote from: kathryn on April 11, 2006, 20:48:37
they are feral pigeons so eating them is definitely out of the question
Do not think that will make any difference , eat the bl**dy things the more you eat the less they will be to come to my plots.
i am considering taking up arms.
more and more come into the garden each day, and whilst the wee birds are kept fed with the feeders, the pigeons are now happily bouncing around on my poly tunnels and the big bird tables are now out of action. :'(
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on April 11, 2006, 16:09:01
Since pigeons are the only birds I get which are likely to take corn, I'm seriously considering putting out rat poison for them.
You can't be serious about putting down rat poison, Robert. :o There are many birds that eat corn and I am sure you would be breaking the law by putting it out in the open and not undercover. If pigeons ate rat poison it would take a few days for them to die and during this time they could get shot and end up on someones plate. >:(
Shooting pests is well and good as long as you aren't likely to shoot anything (or anyone) else by mistake. Letting off a gun (even an airgun) where a human may be hit is illegal, isn't it? A farmer's land - with his/her permission - is excepted, I think.
what ? it's ok to shoot someone accidentally on a farmer's land as long as they say it's ok ??? :P
sadly molly, you've found the flaw in my otherwise well thought out plan :'(
Will have to think of a Plan B now.
;D
Feral pigeons are creatures of habit they will keep coming to where they have been fed before until the food source completely dries up so i suggest that you stop putting any kind of feed out for them as they will eventually go to somewhere else to feed and not return to ur garden as they will know there is no food.
Gordon
i've stopped putting food on the tables, and only put seed in the feeders now for the little ones but the pigeons just wait around under the feeders for scraps.
i can't have it both ways so i guess i've got to learn to love the pigeons and net the crops well once everything starts to shoot.
i'm learning to crompromise and just keep shooing them away if there's a mass invasion.
We only have one pair of wood pigeons, who have lived on top of this house as long as we've been here (almost 2 years), spend an annoying amount of time cooing loudly down the chimney, and are nesting in a large conifer in our front garden.
This year, for the first time, they've taken to spending time strutting around our back lawn, and glaring at us through the kitchen window. I have no idea why. :)
our woodies don't glare, they plead ;D
Most upset ... last years baby has brought his girl friend to the garden .. and to add insult to injury they are nesting in a tree by the drive, so they poop all over to car >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(