Adam there is no easy solution to Pigeons,but an air rifle sends them packing,but make sure you only fire at the pigeon's,even air rifle pellets bounce off there feathers.we have to blame the Romans for them being here. Oldchippy.
We used to have several regular pigeon visitors to this garden - however, since a pair of Peregrine's hatched four eggs earlier this year, several of the woodpigeons have been 'taken by surprise' in a cloud of feathers and down. There only appears to be one pair visiting us now, which is fine They've spent the last few days in the top of the ashtrees pecking away at leaves.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I have stopped the pigeons eating the brassicas by putting bamboo canes every 30 cm around them, then going back and forth over the plants with very shiny silver gift tape from the pound shop.
Thanks artjak. A reflective barrier is worth considering round crops, but won't look that sightly.
I did read that it's illegal to shoot pigeons unless you have the correct authority. Now I hear from oldchippy that their feathers are like body armour it doesn't sound as if shooting is even an option!
And Dovefromabove, please send your Peregrine's down my way ... there's plenty of food for them here!
Decoy birds of prey can be placed on high points and are not expensive - Google pigeon scarer. However, this is what I did which prevents caterpillar damage, too:
4mm hole size netting provides the best protection.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
We have tried all sorts even spent £50 on supposed miracle deterrant which was blown away on the 1st day. vaseline on pergola top, red strips around balcony rails,shiny discs. black metal cats and still get the mess
If I drank alcohol I wld suggest a large one just so that you relax and let them get on with it. Its easy to keep them off plants but not to stop the mess on the balcony etc.
Hey ho are you all enjoying this weather, too hot for me but hope it lasts for childrens hols.
Bought a snake,an expensive snake.... Rubbish. Save your money.
The pigeons just wait impatiently for me to get out of their garden. Netting is the only answer and it has to be done properly. If it is too close to the plants they will stand on it to weight it down and gobble away.
I've given up on deterants as none of them work - or at least not permanently. Just as I finally prevented the foxes that live at the bottom of the garden from digging plants up looking for worms by simply feeding them cat food every night, I now do the same with the pigeons. I buy huge sacks of birdfood from Costco - a quarter of the price I'd pay anywhere else - and I put a huge scoop in a ground feeder tray next to my raised beds every morning. Since doing so, I've found all of my beans and berries untouched because the birds are too lazy to work for food when it's literally being handed to them on a plate. My friends thought that feeding them would encourage even more birds to the garden but it turns out the pigeons are very territorial and drive off would-be interlopers themselves so the actual number of birds visiting the garden remains pretty constant.
Must admit that I now have some very plump looking wood pigeons and I find myself frequently considering how nicely they would fill a big pigeon pie...
I haven't shot pigeon's my self, I was working on an old building that been empty for some year's with hole's that they could get in,The pest control company shot as many as possable in side the roof space with .22 rifles ,they also used long poles with a noose on the end, It is possable to clear them with a bird scarer ,maybe 'Which' can come up with A Best Buy.
I think one day this country will be over run with animals of all sorts as so many people think more of animals than the rest of the human race.There comes a time when culls are neccessary but then there is an uproar and the powers that be back down. Every thing in moderation but when farmers livelyhood is threatened by bovine then the cause should be erradicated. Now we are having wild animals introduced here and watch out for troubles with that in years to come.
Gosh thats a good sunny sunday morning rant I'm out to do some watering before I get pelted.
My allotment neighbour waters the leaves of his brassicas with extract of rhubarb leaves - fill an old dustbin with rhubarb leaves, top up with water and leave for a few weeks. Smells as bad as you would imagine, keep the lid on! Water over the plants generously. I must say his brassicas look healthy and completely un-pecked. Also deters catapillars I am told. I haven't tried it because I know rhubarb leaves are poisonous which makes me nervous about applying it to an edible crop.
Posts
We used to have several regular pigeon visitors to this garden - however, since a pair of Peregrine's hatched four eggs earlier this year, several of the woodpigeons have been 'taken by surprise' in a cloud of feathers and down. There only appears to be one pair visiting us now, which is fine
They've spent the last few days in the top of the ashtrees pecking away at leaves.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I have stopped the pigeons eating the brassicas by putting bamboo canes every 30 cm around them, then going back and forth over the plants with very shiny silver gift tape from the pound shop.
I did read that it's illegal to shoot pigeons unless you have the correct authority. Now I hear from oldchippy that their feathers are like body armour it doesn't sound as if shooting is even an option!
And Dovefromabove, please send your Peregrine's down my way ... there's plenty of food for them here!
Decoy birds of prey can be placed on high points and are not expensive - Google pigeon scarer. However, this is what I did which prevents caterpillar damage, too:
4mm hole size netting provides the best protection.
We have tried all sorts even spent £50 on supposed miracle deterrant which was blown away on the 1st day. vaseline on pergola top, red strips around balcony rails,shiny discs. black metal cats and still get the mess
If I drank alcohol I wld suggest a large one just so that you relax and let them get on with it. Its easy to keep them off plants but not to stop the mess on the balcony etc.
Hey ho are you all enjoying this weather, too hot for me but hope it lasts for childrens hols.
The pigeons just wait impatiently for me to get out of their garden. Netting is the only answer and it has to be done properly. If it is too close to the plants they will stand on it to weight it down and gobble away.
I've given up on deterants as none of them work - or at least not permanently. Just as I finally prevented the foxes that live at the bottom of the garden from digging plants up looking for worms by simply feeding them cat food every night, I now do the same with the pigeons. I buy huge sacks of birdfood from Costco - a quarter of the price I'd pay anywhere else - and I put a huge scoop in a ground feeder tray next to my raised beds every morning. Since doing so, I've found all of my beans and berries untouched because the birds are too lazy to work for food when it's literally being handed to them on a plate. My friends thought that feeding them would encourage even more birds to the garden but it turns out the pigeons are very territorial and drive off would-be interlopers themselves so the actual number of birds visiting the garden remains pretty constant.
Must admit that I now have some very plump looking wood pigeons and I find myself frequently considering how nicely they would fill a big pigeon pie...
I haven't shot pigeon's my self, I was working on an old building that been empty for some year's with hole's that they could get in,The pest control company shot as many as possable in side the roof space with .22 rifles ,they also used long poles with a noose on the end, It is possable to clear them with a bird scarer ,maybe 'Which' can come up with A Best Buy.
I think one day this country will be over run with animals of all sorts as so many people think more of animals than the rest of the human race.There comes a time when culls are neccessary but then there is an uproar and the powers that be back down. Every thing in moderation but when farmers livelyhood is threatened by bovine then the cause should be erradicated. Now we are having wild animals introduced here and watch out for troubles with that in years to come.
Gosh thats a good sunny sunday morning rant I'm out to do some watering before I get pelted.