Love them or hate them, pigeons have pretty much become a constant in our day-to-day life. Whether it’s in the park, on the street, and sometimes even on the subway, pigeons are starting to appear everywhere, including around people’s homes. Understandably, this is causing quite a bit of upset for property owners across the United States. So in this article, we look at the steps you can take to pigeon-proof your home, without actually harming the birds.
If you’re dealing with a persistent pigeon problem, call Complete Wildlife Removal, to handle the situation for you, as DIY remedies may not be as efficient.
Right, so here are some modifications you can do to your property to keep it pigeon-free.
1. Try spikes.
Spikes are some of the most effective anti-nesting devices on the market today. Now, unfortunately, they’ve been getting a bit of a bad rep, since many people erroneously assume that the bird spikes are intended to harm the birds.
That’s not how this works, though. When you install bird spikes on your outer rails, fence, or roof, you’re not doing so so you can stab birds. That would be ludicrous because it’s assuming the pigeons in question are dumb, which they’re not.
See, birds know now to sit down on sharp spikes the same way we humans do. They know, instinctively, that it will hurt if they do, so when they see shiny metal spikes, they just fly away. Which is exactly the result we want to get with pigeons.
2. Try reflective surfaces.
Another excellent pigeon repellent is anything shiny (think aluminum foil or the back of a CD). The reason this works is that the reflective object typically throws the pigeon off.
This is basically an unidentified object, something they are unfamiliar with, and that has the potential of being dangerous. As such, pigeons will automatically avoid things they’re unfamiliar with, among which reflective surfaces. So by adding anything of this type to your roof or balcony, you can effectively deter pigeons from nesting around your home.
3. Wire-wrap surfaces.
Rails are extremely appealing for birds, as they offer a great spot to perch on and just check out what’s going on in the world. So what you need to do is make sure they can’t perch so well. A great idea would be to wrap the wire around metal bars, rails, and anything else that a pigeon might use as a potential perch.
Alternatively, you could also use slinky toys, which would make the rail more difficult to grip, and thus reduce the chances of a pigeon nesting on your property.
This will also make it uncomfortable for birds to land on the rails and bars around your home, thus encouraging them to look for a new home.
4. Use a scarecrow (real or fake).
Another important step you can take against unwanted bird guests is to introduce a scarecrow to the scenery. Now, for some homeowners, this will be a fake scarecrow (like a plastic owl or eagle). Seeing this, the pigeons will be less likely to bother you. However, bear in mind that birds are more clever than we usually assume. So seeing that the “predator” is still for long periods of time, the pigeons may figure something’s off.
As an alternative, you could install a perch up on the roof, or on a beam near your home, designed to attract a real predator (owl or eagle, most likely). While much more effective, bear in mind that this might not be such a great option if you have pets, or even for yourself.
5. Modify the roof.
We’ve saved the best for last, but also the most difficult. If you’re struggling with a persistent pigeon problem, identify their favorite spots, and make some modifications. Adding a slant to the areas of your roof most frequented by pigeons is a good way to deter nesting. This will make it more difficult for the pigeons to land, and thus make it less likely they’ll want to stick around.
As a bonus, you could also coat your roof in chicken wire, to make landing uncomfortable, and make sure birds (or other critters) don’t get into your attic through the roof.
