Damn Pigeon

[Lawrence Milbourn]

I bought an air rifle, practised a bit but the pigeons put it about on the grapevine and now they only come to raid my veg garden when I'm out.

[sam ende]

some birds are ded clever :)

sammi

[Mary Fisher]

So you protect your veg garden. I do - from our hens.

Simple 'hurdles', made from welded mild steel frames with chicken wire infill does the job admirably. They're made in constant mocules - some half size, so that they can clad any size of plot.

If you have problems with birds flying into the plots it's very easy to drape netting over the frame of the hurdles.

EASY!

Mary

[sam ende]

yes, 4 am, i know. we've got them too.

sammi

[Mary Fisher]

Lovely, innit!

Mary

[Paul Mc Cann]

Yes, they really are the most cautious of birds. When I used to shoot them regularly the trick was to send the dog up ahead on the other side of the hedge. Pigeon would the fly away from the dog and into the line of sight.

They can still be difficult to down but they are delicious cooked. I prefer them to pheasant.

Paul Mc Cann

[Paul Mc Cann]

Thats the way. Little dash of wine or brandy can help also.

Making me hungry now

Paul Mc Cann

[Mary Fisher]

Makes it expensive too, a pigeon breast for the cost of an air rifle ... they're very cheap to buy.

And you don't need wine or brandy either, keep them to drink with the dish.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

That's like comparing apples with bananas.

Or beef with duck.

They're all very different, if you don't think so your palate is deficient.

And pigeons - whether rock doves or wood pigeons, are very easy to down - if you're anything like a decent shot.

Mary

[Paul Mc Cann]

I didn't compare them with anything. I just said I preferred them to pheasants just as I might prefer beer to wine

You do go off at tangents.

Well if you want to make a hide , set out decoys, and wait for the flocks they are easy enough. I was talking about walking them up. They are notoriously nervous birds, usually fly away from the disturbance and are quite tough when presenting their back as opposed to their breast.

Not as easy as pheasant but much easier than snipe

Paul Mc Cann

[Paul Mc Cann]

Hopefully it wouldn't take a new air rifle for each pigeon

Personally I don't drink alcohol but I can well appreciate what it can bring to a dish when used in its cooking.

Paul Mc Cann

[Mary Fisher]

No, but you'd need to shoot quite few to justify the cost of one.

Because pigeon has its own very special flavour which can be shrouded by added flavours.

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

er - that's a comparison ...

Everyone needs a hobby.

So you're not talking about wood pigeons.

You don't get snipe in the numbers you do of pheasant.

Mary

[The Natural Philosopher]

If you can get close enough, that is.

[The Natural Philosopher]

That is rather the point though isn't it? To get rid of the 'I've been living on mustard plant all my adult life and now reek of rotting cabbage' flavour and replace it with 'I am the residue of rotting grapes' flavour :-)

[dave]

Ok here goes... I hate the damn things. They are filthy stupid disease-carrying pests. The old dear next door (no comment) has approx 1000000 bird feeders, plus coconuts hanging about from branches and several auto-filling seed dispensers. These are just fine for most garden birds (although it really is a bit much).These feeders are a really clever design, designed no doubt by the Brit. Birdlovers Assoc of Stoke-on-Trent (or somewhere). The feed tray is just the right width so the tiny sweet little birds can get their beaks in but the plump disease-carrying pigeons can't. But what happens in practice is that the tiny sweet little birds flick the seed up in the air and onto the lawn beneath. There of course the PD-CP's flock to it. A strange thing..... yesterday a leaflet was deilvered from the council saying that they prefer people NOT to feed the PD-CP's in the town square as they are in fact, PD-CP's! Yes really. Also, the leaflet goes on, they breed more often if there is a plentiful food supply.

[Pet]

Yes. Extremely effective and the pigeons don't seem to ever get used to it either. I have seen one get rid of the most persistent flock of pigeons instantly.

Do a search on google for "owl decoy uk" for prices etc. First one I checked was the following

[Pet]

When I were a lad.... Shot a pidgeon in the breast and off the bugger flew.... It landed in a tree 30 yrds away so I picked it off again, this time in the head.

On "dismantling" the bird for me mum to cook up, it's crop(?) was stuffed rock solid with clover leaves and nestling amongst it was me .22 airgun pellet!

Didn't bother with them after that, just stuck to wabbits.

[Pet]

Nothing to stop you putting an owl decoy on your roof in a visible position. That will get rid of them... and every other feathered beast that comes to her garden.

And it wouldn't even need feeding..... or crap on your car.

:¬)

[Terry]

:

Some success scaring away various types of birds has been claimed by mounting an imitation 'bird of prey' e.g. a hawk in a prominent manner. For example; have occasionally seen faux owls on city buildings to deter starlings etc. It is also possible, apparently, to play a recording of the appropriate bird 'in distress'. Where one would get such a 'pigeon' recording I don't know and it's likely it would be an even more strident noise than the early morning 'cooing'? You'd need an extension speaker somewhere in the Leylandia and some kind of timer to switch on the player at the appropriate time. Maybe one of those timers that turns on your kettle or coffee-pot and wakes you up? Or you could get up and go and beat on the tree for several mornings until they vacate? Terry. PS. There is also a sort of air or propane operated 'cannon that bangs' at regular intervals, used to try and keep bird ingesting jet engine airport runways clear! But that would be counter productive, noise wise? I believe they can be rented.

BTW how come you can hear cooing birds 'inside' the house? Even with single glass windows? I would have thought that typical UK brick masonry construction would eliminate noise. My neighbour is an independent truck owner/driver; his large Cummins diesel trailer hauling truck (lorry) when started for an early morning run at around, say 04.00h no more than 100 feet across the street does not wake us in our wood frame house. During the day when I'm wake and up and around I may detect a distant diesel rumble when he starts it and I will glance out to see him drive away.