pigeon scarer

[tony sayer]

Well the y do here!. Perhaps its because their Cambridge pigeons.

Just open the door slightly and once they see the barrel, there're off!.....

[Owain]

What about something like the industrial anti-slip mesh matting for floors? That might be nasty enough to stop them landing, but wouldn't affect your use (and can easily be lifted or hosed down).

Or even really spiky plastic "grass" matting?

Otherwise, bead curtain around the balcony, if it's inset to the building and you have a 'ceiling' to hang it from. It probably wouldn't have to be that closely curtained, individual 'tails' spaced less than a pigeon-wing-width apart might do it. Run a horizontal string along the bottom to tie the 'tails' together, like a vertical blind, to stop them swinging about.

Owain

[Phil Anthropist]

Regarding suggestions to shoot them, uk.legal.moderated is quite good if you ever need legal advice following arrest for gun-related offences.

Phil

----

[tim (back at home)]

I assumed (perhaps wrongly) that having killed the first 2, some more would take their place.

Of course I don't have a gun, I live in a town centre third floor flat. The rozzers would be round in a jiffy if I displayed such an item (they are 200 yards away from my abode).

tim

[misterroy]

[John Cartmell]

So there's no way they could find their way home ... ;-)

[mogga]

You own it?

A friend used a thin thread just above the handrail to stop them landing on that ... Not sure how effective it was but you have to stop them laying eggs. They're horrid things and you'll end up with dead baby ones.

[Jason]

Here in Newcastle, there are entire building fronts covered in netting to keep the pigeons off. The building here has a net from top to bottom:

is black and very fine, and virtually invisible.

-- JJ

[The Medway Handyman]

Bright enough to fly away if a sudden movement disturbs them sure and they can mysteriously navigate home. But time & time again pidgeons and similar 'no brain' creatures will return to a set of circumstances or a place that obviously means sudden death to their own kind.

Either they aint that bright or perhaps there are so many of the buggers its new ones every time?

[Dave Fawthrop]

|>> I don't think pigeons are actually bright enough to associate death |>> with a place. | |tony sayer wrote: |> Just open the door slightly and once they see the barrel, there're |> off!..... | |> John Cartmell wrote: |> So there's no way they could find their way home ... ;-) | |Bright enough to fly away if a sudden movement disturbs them sure and they |can mysteriously navigate home. But time & time again pidgeons and similar |'no brain' creatures will return to a set of circumstances or a place that |obviously means sudden death to their own kind. | |Either they aint that bright or perhaps there are so many of the buggers its |new ones every time?

Well it is *certainly* not the dead ones which return ;-)

[tim (back at home)]

Eh?

They've laid an egg this morning

Now what do I do?

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

tim

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

How long ya been in the flat?

[tim (back at home)]

> It is black and very fine, and virtually invisible.

From the outside, perhaps.

But surely from the inside it's always going to get in the way of one 'enjoying' the balcony

tim

[Dave Stanton]

Good idea, but I was also thinking moving it from place to place.

Dave

[Mary Fisher]

Hardboil it.

Mary

[tim (back at home)]

7.5 years.

This is the first time they have decided that they like my balcony.

tim

[Nigel Molesworth]

Mary Fisher!

What about all that tree-hugging stuff you normally do ;-)

[Nigel Molesworth]

In some parts of the country, a gun is the norm for flat dwellers.

I was thinking more of an air rifle, very effective at short range. An AK47 does tend to make a bit of a mess of the woodwork.

[Mungo]

So they now have broadband in the cells...

Mungo :-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Pigeons are a LOT smarter han you think. Round here you just walk down the garden and they grin at you. Walk with a long sticklike object and they scatter.