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Have a problem with pigeons

CrazyBirdChick

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As some of you may know I've been feeding my little sparrow friends for many years now and I've grown very attached to them. . I whistle for them, they come from far and know it's time to eat, then I throw down a few handfuls of seed. Within a couple of hours the food is gone for the day and we do it again the next day. I've always done it that was so as to not attract rodents or unnecessary attention from my neighbors.

Well...recently a flock of about 10-15 pigeons have caught on and now they hang out on my roof every day. I love love love pigeons so much too and I really want to feed them but unfortunately my landlord noticed and asked me to do something about it because she doesn't want them on the roof. I know pigeons get a bad rap and people hate them so I've always tried not to attract pigeons. It's heartbreaking cause they're hungry too but living in the city, people just can't respect that.

I had a bad experience many many years ago with feeding pigeons too. I used to feed about a hundred of them daily until neighbors started complaining and calling the police on me. A police officer threw a shoe at them one time and it broke my heart when I was told not to feed them any more. The news even mentioned an explosion in the pigeon population back then. Lol. I've since moved from that place but have driven past and notice that some pigeons still stick around.

So my problem is, now that they know I live here they wait all day to be fed. How can I discourage them from being here and on my roof without starving the sparrows? I don't think I can put spikes on the roof cause I don't own the property and I don't think pigeons care too much about spikes anyway.

Should I just pound on the windows everytime I see them to scare them? Will they get the message to stay off the roof?
 

Birdbabe

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No, the pidgies wont go if you chase them or pound on the window, unfortunately you'll have to remove all food, the pidgies will move on after a few weeks..if your renting, you dont want landlord problems either...thankfully we live in a county island in our house, so we do what we want this is my backyard on a daily basis..
20210717_143951.jpg
 

CrazyBirdChick

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No, the pidgies wont go if you chase them or pound on the window, unfortunately you'll have to remove all food, the pidgies will move on after a few weeks..if your renting, you dont want landlord problems either...thankfully we live in a county island in our house, so we do what we want this is my backyard on a daily basis..
View attachment 389319

Darn, that's so sad and that's what I thought. Ugh :(


I guess it's better to stop feeding them for a few weeks in the summer when they can find other food rather than in the winter. Thanks @Birdbabe ! Your yard looks gorgeous! Lucky birds :heart:
 

Shezbug

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I’m not a fan of free roaming pigeons (our natives are exempt)- they’re a huge health hazard when they get comfy in your yard.
Definitely have to remove all food sources for them, and then just prey they haven’t decided your home is comfy enough to call their own even without free food.
We never feed them at all because they are a massive problem even without a food source.
I lost all my furniture and other belongings years ago to them when they decided to move in so they’re not my favourite birds- they really can become a huge health problem and fast.
 

CrazyBirdChick

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You can add bird feeders if u still want to feed the sparrows, but the pigeons will be too large for them so it might work
I was thinking about doing that too but then I thought that the pigeons are probably smart enough to see the sparrows eating from the feeders, and then the pigeons will probably just hang out below the feeder catching the droppings. I really would not mind them doing that but unfortunately pigeons like to sit on flat surfaces like roofs when they're not eating. Sadly, I'm thinking birdbabe is probably right that there's only one option. I really wish it didn't have to be this way but I don't think I have any other options :(

I’m not a fan of free roaming pigeons (our natives are exempt)- they’re a huge health hazard when they get comfy in your yard.
Definitely have to remove all food sources for them, and then just prey they haven’t decided your home is comfy enough to call their own even without free food.
We never feed them at all because they are a massive problem even without a food source.
I lost all my furniture and other belongings years ago to them when they decided to move in so they’re not my favourite birds- they really can become a huge health problem and fast.

I'm really sorry you lost your furniture to them. That really stinks!

Are they really a health hazard though? I thought that's kind of a myth? I know their poop is a bit corrosive and tough to clean but do they really cause issues for people?

I can't help but love them so much cause they are so adorable to me and so friendly and peaceful. They are American war heroes
 

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I love pigeons, but don't suggest feeding them as they won't give up begging.
 

Shezbug

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Are they really a health hazard though? I thought that's kind of a myth? I know their poop is a bit corrosive and tough to clean but do they really cause issues for people?
Maybe ok if you don’t collect water from your roof, don’t grow food in your garden, can keep poop cleared away etc.

A quick Google comes up with a heap of examples and articles regarding the diseases and health issues from them.
This one is a quick write up from a pest company.

 

CrazyBirdChick

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Maybe ok if you don’t collect water from your roof, don’t grow food in your garden, can keep poop cleared away etc.

A quick Google comes up with a heap of examples and articles regarding the diseases and health issues from them.
This one is a quick write up from a pest company.


I completely understand not everyone likes their poop all over the place but many of those articles saying that they are disease ridden come from pest control companies.
If someone is very immune compromised I would be a little more careful and ofcourse like you said, wouldn't collect water off of the roof but just being around pigeons isn't a health threat for most people.

Here's an excerpt I found that says they really don't spread disease

The Disease Myth
The most widespread misconception about urban pigeons is that they are carriers of disease. Pest-control companies charge them with transmitting any number of diseases, but the truth is that the vast majority of people are at little to no health risk from pigeons. A search of epidemiological studies over more than 60 years found so few cases of diseases transmitted from feral pigeons to humans that the researchers concluded, “Although feral pigeons pose sporadic health risks to humans, the risk is very low, even for humans involved in occupations that bring them into close contact with nesting sites.”4

Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and psittacosis are diseases that can be transmitted to humans from contact with bird feces, but the risk is considered to be small, with people who have compromised immune systems at the greatest risk. Psittacosis is usually associated with parrots in captivity


Sorry, Shez, I really don't want to come across as being argumentative. I just have to stick up for them because that misconception is exactly why everyone gets mad when I feed them and they have a hard life out there. It's humans fault for releasing them into the wild:(
 

CrazyBirdChick

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I did not feed the sparrows today and it was so hard on me and I'm sure them. The pigeons hung around till the afternoon and they were not there later in the day like they have been lately so I'm guessing they were so hungry they had to figure out something else to do to eat. This is so hard for me
 

Shezbug

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I completely understand not everyone likes their poop all over the place but many of those articles saying that they are disease ridden come from pest control companies.
If someone is very immune compromised I would be a little more careful and ofcourse like you said, wouldn't collect water off of the roof but just being around pigeons isn't a health threat for most people.

Here's an excerpt I found that says they really don't spread disease

The Disease Myth
The most widespread misconception about urban pigeons is that they are carriers of disease. Pest-control companies charge them with transmitting any number of diseases, but the truth is that the vast majority of people are at little to no health risk from pigeons. A search of epidemiological studies over more than 60 years found so few cases of diseases transmitted from feral pigeons to humans that the researchers concluded, “Although feral pigeons pose sporadic health risks to humans, the risk is very low, even for humans involved in occupations that bring them into close contact with nesting sites.”4

Histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and psittacosis are diseases that can be transmitted to humans from contact with bird feces, but the risk is considered to be small, with people who have compromised immune systems at the greatest risk. Psittacosis is usually associated with parrots in captivity


Sorry, Shez, I really don't want to come across as being argumentative. I just have to stick up for them because that misconception is exactly why everyone gets mad when I feed them and they have a hard life out there. It's humans fault for releasing them into the wild:(
All good, I didn’t take it as argumentative :)

Our local council/shire at the time listed them as a health hazard as they’d poop on your roof and make your drinking water no longer safe to drink same thing with the aircon units

I guess the seriousness of the issue also changes with how many pigeons we are referring to, three or four is no big deal but more can become a completely different issue.

I’ll personally never feed or encourage them to hang around my place especially after seeing the damage they did to storage boxes, furniture and our veggie garden in a short matter of time.
 

CrazyBirdChick

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All good, I didn’t take it as argumentative :)

Our local council/shire at the time listed them as a health hazard as they’d poop on your roof and make your drinking water no longer safe to drink same thing with the aircon units

I guess the seriousness of the issue also changes with how many pigeons we are referring to, three or four is no big deal but more can become a completely different issue.

I’ll personally never feed or encourage them to hang around my place especially after seeing the damage they did to storage boxes, furniture and our veggie garden in a short matter of time.
Sorry I didn't respond sooner. It's been a busy few days for me. I never thought about air conditioning units on the roof and collecting water off of the roof. That's not something I see here much. But I can completely understand the health hazard in that. You are absolutely right to not want them on your house.


It's been so hard seeing these pigeons here everyday and not feeding them or my sparrow friends. I try hard not to let them see me. But yesterday I had to leave when they were out and they flew down expecting food and I had to ignore them. It broke my heart. I wish they would move on already but they seem pretty comfortable here. I had only been feeding them for like 2 or 3 weeks but they definitely expect it now :(
 
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