Paphos Life

I have deployed streamers etc on the roof to deter pigeons but some manage still to land and attempt to roost. Are there any tried and tested methods of solving this problem short of poison?

When I lived back in the UK I resorted to a catapult. The aim being to scare them off, safe in the knowledge that I was such a lousy shot I would never actually hit one.

Seriously, I was awful. If you put a bottle at the other end of the garden, the safest place to stand would be in front of it. I play golf to a similar level.

But one day, I actually hit a pigeon. I broke its wing, and it hobbled off behind the shed, probably to become the local fox's next meal.

I felt utterly terrible.

The House across the road to us had a opening into its roof, over the years pigeons were using the inside of the roof as a hotel, unfortunately the owners live abroad and only visit a couple of weeks every year, I made contact with them and offered to get a ladder and block the hole for them, but didn't get a reply, things came to ahead when I had a plumber go on to my roof, and he took some photos to show me, the roof was covered in pigeon crap, and it was causing real damage to my roof, it cost me a big lump of cash, for the plumber to steam pressure clean the roof, and install anti pigeon spikes all over the roof, this has worked, they come in about one meter lengths and cost about five euro each, they are very affective, mean while I went to the local council, showed them the damage done to my roof, they sent an environmental guy round and they got the owners relatives who live nearby to come and block the hole up , good result.

I have recently had the roof cleaned and resealed and painted and then attached the streamers. At the moment the amount of pooh is minimal but I anticipate it getting worse over time. It would be handy if the hunters could use the field behind me for some target practice.

I can't speak for the effectiveness but you can but birds of prey on a stick that swoop up and down on the wind. We just rolled up wire mesh in uneven piles when we had them. They didn't like that. We have moved so I don't know if they returned or not.

My house and the one next door have sloping tiled roofs and neither seem to have the problem, although we have plenty of pigeons round and about being not a nuisance. When we first moved in, we did have a problem on a beam of wood above a balcony but we managed that easily with bird spikes.

I've tried everything you can think of , spikes, streamers, kites, plastic owl and I had to put netting around the solar panels because they were nesting underneath. It was that bad that we couldn't use the upstairs terrace because the crap was rolling down off the roof so I've just finished putting guttering up and that seems to have solved that problem.
It's a war of attrition and I'm just putting netting around the water tanks and hopefully that will be the end of it.

Jim

It would appear that it will be a long campaign whichever route you go down. Weirdly, they do not seem to be attracted to the solar panel cluster and sit on the ledges. I may well attach spikes upon my return in the spring.

Thanks for the responses thus far.

Forgot to say he put plastic netting around our water tank and boiler as well as the spikes no more droppings

Pigeons breed and can produce up to 12 babies a year, they also pair up for life and will raise up to 6 broods of 2 eggs a year. Any new babies also produce after 6 months so you can see a growing problem.There is only one solution to the growing problem and people somehow do not wish to talk about it but until this happens then the problem will grow.

Mike.1940 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:58 am Pigeons breed and can produce up to 12 babies a year, they also pair up for life and will raise up to 6 broods of 2 eggs a year. Any new babies also produce after 6 months so you can see a growing problem.There is only one solution to the growing problem and people somehow do not wish to talk about it but until this happens then the problem will grow.

I have heard that they are protected here?

I am in favour of your hinted at solution should persuasion fail.

Diocletian I think you have misheard I don't think they are protected. Cypriots hunt and shoot pigeons and some times pickle them. I have eaten such birds in the past, quite tasty but I wouldn't like to eat the ones that fly around in the towns, but, I never asked that question in case it put me off.

Frankly Im surprised, knowing the love Cypriot men have for shooting birds, they dont shoot pigeons, the ones around us look plump enough to get a good meal out of?