Multiple Wood Pigeons
Discussion
We seem to be inundated with wood pigeons this year, from 6-12 of them at any one time usually on the roof or digging up the lawn.
The problem is they poop huge amounts everywhere including on the terrace as they fly up to the roof, which then requires cleaning.
What’s the best deterrent without scaring off other birds which are otherwise wanted in the garden?
I’m wondering if I would I be allowed shoot them within our land with an air rifle of the appropriate legal size. Garden is a decent size so I could be very confident that no pellets would go beyond our boundary in the event of a miss.
The problem is they poop huge amounts everywhere including on the terrace as they fly up to the roof, which then requires cleaning.
What’s the best deterrent without scaring off other birds which are otherwise wanted in the garden?
I’m wondering if I would I be allowed shoot them within our land with an air rifle of the appropriate legal size. Garden is a decent size so I could be very confident that no pellets would go beyond our boundary in the event of a miss.
There is a general licence but it is quite restrictive. You might just fit into the prevent disease I guess. Not following the rules is a criminal offence so might be worth getting advice on it...
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wild-bi...
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wild-bi...
ewanjp said:
There is a general licence but it is quite restrictive. You might just fit into the prevent disease I guess. Not following the rules is a criminal offence so might be worth getting advice on it...
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wild-bi...
It's GL41 for disease prevention but woodpigeon aren't included.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wild-bi...
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wild-bi...
Inbox said:
And they will know you own one as you need to provide your details to buy one.
In England there is no register of air gunsall that is required is for the selling registered firearms arms dealer to identify and record each sale. The information is not shared or required by the authorities.
The situation is different in Scotland where a licence to own is required
LooneyTunes said:
ewanjp said:
There is a general licence but it is quite restrictive. You might just fit into the prevent disease I guess. Not following the rules is a criminal offence so might be worth getting advice on it...
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wild-bi...
It's GL41 for disease prevention but woodpigeon aren't included.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wild-bi...
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wild-bi...
Sounds like they've decided your place is a good spot to roost.
This time of year there is plenty to eat, acorns, beech mast, ivy berries etc so they may not even be hammering a crop and they may be feeding far away from where they roost. Something in your lawn is obviously of interest but birds often seem to like to scrat about.
I enjoy shooting and eating woodies as much as anyone but, within the current legal framework, it's difficult to see how your situation justifies lethal control. Even if you could shoot them, if there's something they like about the environment, and as they breed all year round, you'd never eliminate them.
For crop protection pigeon shooters will be doing high double figures or treble figures day after day to make a dent in the population or scare them somewhere else.
This time of year there is plenty to eat, acorns, beech mast, ivy berries etc so they may not even be hammering a crop and they may be feeding far away from where they roost. Something in your lawn is obviously of interest but birds often seem to like to scrat about.
I enjoy shooting and eating woodies as much as anyone but, within the current legal framework, it's difficult to see how your situation justifies lethal control. Even if you could shoot them, if there's something they like about the environment, and as they breed all year round, you'd never eliminate them.
For crop protection pigeon shooters will be doing high double figures or treble figures day after day to make a dent in the population or scare them somewhere else.
Vile things, constantly fighting, constantly doing that stupid wooo wooo woo call starting at 3 am in the summer and s
tting on everything. I appreciate I'm in the middle of nowhere but the bloody woods are hundred of yds away why do they all have to sit on my roof?
I've turned in to Wile E. Coyote placing various booby traps around the garden which invariable backfires as I forget where I put them. If only I could perfect my recipe for delayed explosive corn.
Mrs won't let me have a gun as I'm too argumentative with the neighbours but do let us know how you get on.
tting on everything. I appreciate I'm in the middle of nowhere but the bloody woods are hundred of yds away why do they all have to sit on my roof?I've turned in to Wile E. Coyote placing various booby traps around the garden which invariable backfires as I forget where I put them. If only I could perfect my recipe for delayed explosive corn.
Mrs won't let me have a gun as I'm too argumentative with the neighbours but do let us know how you get on.
Shoot them adam. Flying rats are vermin.
But be warned it doesn’t matter how many you kill, or how many carcasses you leave as warning, more will come because they are stupid.
The only other option is to get a hawk handler to bring one over every few weeks.
(Probably wont work for you in the garden generally but hanging reflective foil strips on string/wire is a good way of keeping them away from specific areas).
But be warned it doesn’t matter how many you kill, or how many carcasses you leave as warning, more will come because they are stupid.
The only other option is to get a hawk handler to bring one over every few weeks.
(Probably wont work for you in the garden generally but hanging reflective foil strips on string/wire is a good way of keeping them away from specific areas).
Thanks for all the replies...
To answer a few of the questions:
its just wood pigeons that are the problem. We do get crows and magpies and Jay's regularly on the lawn too but they are no issue and not in great numbers. We are renovating the house and since the new large windows were put in earlier this year the stupid things fly into the 3m wide pane which such a thump I worry they are going to shatter the panes. In just 2 weeks we have had 3 major impacts on the master bedroom windows, and about 5-6 on the living room windows since I last cleaned off all the oily marks - on top of cleaning up the poop. So far no pigeon appears to have injured or killed themselves yet despite the speed and momentum at which they hit the glass! Seems only the wood pigeons don't understand what glass is as no other birds hit them.
As best I can tell the pigeons seem to roost and nest in the copper beach trees we have on the driveway, which wraps around the end of the main lawn when I see them most. I've struggled to clear all the acorns off the lawn as they get stuck in between the grass and I'm mindful they are good bird / squirrel food too, so reluctant to try too hard to clear them all but unfortunatly the wood pigeons are in the mix of benefactors. Maybe they have had a particularly effective breeding season Im not sure, or its just the bountiful supply of nuts and berries have brought even more in from the woods, but Im equally sure all the trees around here have had a bumper year, not just the ones in our land.
I was thinking of just a normal legal air rifle, the type you dont need a license for in England. I had read about crop damage prevention being a valid reason - we have the usual fruit types in the garden, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and gooseberries and I have seen them eating them from time to time, but the squirrels are probably the top culprits for fruit theft. I guess that could be a permitted reason to take a pop shot at one next year when the fruit is back on the bushes.
Im cynical anything other than shooting them is going to work, hence asking for alternatives before resorting to shooting. If I bang on the glass or run at them they all fly away, sit in the trees then come back down 2 mins later. They are really stupid things.
To answer a few of the questions:
its just wood pigeons that are the problem. We do get crows and magpies and Jay's regularly on the lawn too but they are no issue and not in great numbers. We are renovating the house and since the new large windows were put in earlier this year the stupid things fly into the 3m wide pane which such a thump I worry they are going to shatter the panes. In just 2 weeks we have had 3 major impacts on the master bedroom windows, and about 5-6 on the living room windows since I last cleaned off all the oily marks - on top of cleaning up the poop. So far no pigeon appears to have injured or killed themselves yet despite the speed and momentum at which they hit the glass! Seems only the wood pigeons don't understand what glass is as no other birds hit them.
oddman said:
Sounds like they've decided your place is a good spot to roost.
This time of year there is plenty to eat, acorns, beech mast, ivy berries etc so they may not even be hammering a crop and they may be feeding far away from where they roost. Something in your lawn is obviously of interest but birds often seem to like to scrat about.
I enjoy shooting and eating woodies as much as anyone but, within the current legal framework, it's difficult to see how your situation justifies lethal control. Even if you could shoot them, if there's something they like about the environment, and as they breed all year round, you'd never eliminate them.
The numbers seem to have ballooned this year, last year 2-4 max, this year i regularly see 8+ on the lawn. We do have lots of very large Oak and Beach trees, and this year the lawns are absolutely covered in acorns, presumably due to the hot summer. Lots of berries too on ivy, laurel, yew and holly. This time of year there is plenty to eat, acorns, beech mast, ivy berries etc so they may not even be hammering a crop and they may be feeding far away from where they roost. Something in your lawn is obviously of interest but birds often seem to like to scrat about.
I enjoy shooting and eating woodies as much as anyone but, within the current legal framework, it's difficult to see how your situation justifies lethal control. Even if you could shoot them, if there's something they like about the environment, and as they breed all year round, you'd never eliminate them.
As best I can tell the pigeons seem to roost and nest in the copper beach trees we have on the driveway, which wraps around the end of the main lawn when I see them most. I've struggled to clear all the acorns off the lawn as they get stuck in between the grass and I'm mindful they are good bird / squirrel food too, so reluctant to try too hard to clear them all but unfortunatly the wood pigeons are in the mix of benefactors. Maybe they have had a particularly effective breeding season Im not sure, or its just the bountiful supply of nuts and berries have brought even more in from the woods, but Im equally sure all the trees around here have had a bumper year, not just the ones in our land.
I was thinking of just a normal legal air rifle, the type you dont need a license for in England. I had read about crop damage prevention being a valid reason - we have the usual fruit types in the garden, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and gooseberries and I have seen them eating them from time to time, but the squirrels are probably the top culprits for fruit theft. I guess that could be a permitted reason to take a pop shot at one next year when the fruit is back on the bushes.
Inbox said:
How close is the nearest road? I think you need to be at least 15m away from it to use an air weapon (FAC or non-FAC).
And they will know you own one as you need to provide your details to buy one.
Yes the lawn is a lot more than 15m away from the road. In fact all the roads around here are privately owned by the adjacent houses, so its likely a mile or so to the nearest public road. I wouldnt pull the trigger unless I was aiming well within our boundary with no chance of a stray pellet leaving the boundary.And they will know you own one as you need to provide your details to buy one.
The Gauge said:
I d happily swap with you, I ll take all your wood pigeons if you take all the ring necked parakeets that plague where I live.
We have those too believe it or not! They squark a lot when together, but I haven't had any other issues with them really. Loads of birds here as we basically live in a wood, owls, kites, various other birds of prey, plus tits, finches and even wood peckers. None of which cause any trouble unlike the wood pigeons.RGG said:
They make a very nice pie - 50 / 50 breast meat and beef steak
And yes, I do like eating wood pigeon, but that certainly wasn't the reason to try shooting them and not sure I could actually butcher one if I did mange to hit one with an air rifle anyway. Im cynical anything other than shooting them is going to work, hence asking for alternatives before resorting to shooting. If I bang on the glass or run at them they all fly away, sit in the trees then come back down 2 mins later. They are really stupid things.
Shooting them won't work, the only permanent solution is to remove the food source which is obviously difficult in your case. You can buy plastic owls / birds of prey which sometimes help scare them off but you need to move them fairly regularly or they'll realise they're not a threat.
We have the same problem - I just got a catapult and clay pellet shots.They soon learn after being hit once or twice with a clay pellet that our back garden is not a safe place. I still get the occasional one with amnesia but just reaching for the catapult and heading for the sliding windows means they get the message and fly off.
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