Bye, Bye, Birdie!!!

For more than 20 million years, pigeons have roamed the Earth.  And as far as some of us are concerned, these urban denizens have just about worn out their welcome.  But "persuading" these flying rats to kindly find a home other than your roof, window ledge or balcony can be quite difficult.

Pigeons are not only pests, they can be downright dangerous.  Pigeons often carry fleas, ticks, mites and, as a result, diseases.  Their droppings not only put your family's health at risk, they dirty up your home, porch, and patio, and they can even remove the paint from your car!  They are also noisy little pests; early rising noisy little pests.  So if you see them setting up house on your roof, or on homes nearby, you are wise to do all that you can to keep them from getting too comfortable.

Getting rid of pigeons is at best difficult, at worst nearly impossible, so you are definately going to want to engage the help of a professional.  There are basically two different courses of action: the natural way, which is pre-emptive and aims to not harm the birds, and the "terminator" way whose aim is to get rid of the pigeons at whatever cost.

Natural pigeon control can take effort and often creativity.  To get rid of pigeons without harming them, it's important to figure out what it is that attracts the pigeons in the first place.  Therefore, it is best to make your property non-pigeon friendly and scare them away instead of trapping or harming them.

Natural pigeon control takes many forms.  Some popular pigeon control techinques are:

1. Removal of the nest, which will likely prompt the pigeons to leave and find a new nesting area.
2. Eliminating standing water, or cutting off access to water sources.
3. Eliminating waste, such as old food or garden clippings that pigeons enjoy eating.
4. Putting all pet food in containers and using a feeding system that is out of reach or difficult for the pigeons to get near.
5. Adopt a "scarecrow"; preferably one that moves such as a weathervane.

Pigeons tend to nest and congregate in out of reach spots, such as window ledges and balconies.  Should pigeon control be needed in a generally out of reach area, or in a spot that will need contant monitoring, the above steps won't do much good.  More drastic measures are needed, such as:

1. Stringing clear fishing line back and forth in the area that pigeons tend to land.
2. Install spikes on ledges, window sills, roof peaks, or other flat or curved surfaces that pigeons might land or nest on.  These spikes come in different materials, but by far the best ones are stainless steel and shaped like a W (plastic spikes are useless as they tend to break after just a little while.)  Spikes make it nearly impossible for pigeons to land where spikes are present.
3. Special nets with UV coating can also be used for larger areas.
4. Using pigeon repellent, a chemical used to remove pigeons from a certain place.  However, as with any chemical, this practic can be dangerous, so again, it is best to leave this job to a professional.

Incidentially, contrary to pigeon lore, "strategically" placed CD's, sticky spray, and fake snakes DO NOT work, and their continued use very possibly makes the pigeons laugh uproariously; not with you, at you.  So contact a professional, like Handy Randy & Son, who can get the job done so you can say "bye, bye, birdie" permanently.