Things You'll Need
- Inflatable owls or hawks
- Owl or hawk decoys
- Wire with small webbing like chicken wire
- Live traps
Instructions
You may have seen outdoor vendors or stores selling a variety of windsocks. Some of these windsocks may be shaped like hawks or owls with wings outspread and seeming to fly on their long, thin, flexible rods. You can attach these windsocks to tree branches and rooftops so that the pigeons will be tricked into the thinking they are being attacked by natural predators and they will not roost or build nests in the area.
For rooftops, especially on homes, you can anchor an owl or hawk decoy to the edge of the roof. The decoy will work in the same manner as the windsocks.
If you have pigeons roosting in a loft or towers, and under eaves you can screen off the areas with rust-proof 3/4-inch wire mesh which also will keep out sparrows and starlings.
Roosting on ledges can be discouraged by wire net covering, or by wood or metal sheathing installed at a sharp angle. Sharp wire projectors and electric wire devices are available commercially to protect ledges and sills. Using a ladder and broom or high pressure nozzle on a water hose, you can drive the pigeons away from eaves and ledges, etc. before attaching the wire mesh.
Then cut and attach the chicken wire, etc. to the wooden or concrete cross pieces running along the eaves and the eave itself. This effectively blocks off the area that the pigeons used to roost on. Be sure and check on garages and carports. These are two other areas you may find pigeons roosting.
You can take wire, rope, or a small chain and attach cow bells or several tin cans together. The noise of the clanking cans or cowbells will drive the pigeons away. Noise works more effectively for private homes and businesses that are not located in urban areas where pigeons are accustomed to loud and continuous noises.
You can also control pigeon populations by destroying nests and eggs at two-week intervals during the spring and summer months when the eggs are laid. Use a hook fastened to the end of a long pole to tear down nests.
Pigeons are easily trapped, especially during winter when food is scarce. You should set live traps on flat building roofs where pigeons roost or on the ground where the birds feed. Acclimatize the pigeons to eating in the area by placing corn or mixed wheat in a specific area for several days or a week.
Place the trap(s), and maintain bait inside with the door rods tied open with a string. After several days the birds will be conditioned to entering and leaving the trap, and you can remove the string and allow the doors to close. Door rods that open in only one direction allow birds to enter the trap but prevent their escape.
Several pigeons can be left in the traps to serve as decoys to lure others into the trap. Make sure you keep plenty of water in the traps. Visit the trap every day to remove the trapped pigeons and to add bait as needed.