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April 21, 2009
Pigeons!
We have a horrible pigeon problem above our stoop. We have pigeon spikes but I think we need more and possibly a net to keep them out. Any recs for someone who can do this?
Comments
Get an owl. Not a real one, but a high quality statue. Wood or whatever. I know it sounds odd, but owl statues are pretty good pigeon repellent.
Posted by: christopher at April 21, 2009 12:42 PM
I had a roofer recently repair my roof and he recommended putting plastic snakes on the roof and whatever ledges there are. He said the pigeons will not even fly over your roof if they see them. Have not done this yet since I hate snakes - yes, even plastic ones, so I will need to get someone to order online for me - yes, very sad!
Posted by: HurricaneKate at April 21, 2009 1:11 PM
BTW - my next door neighbor put an owl on her roof. I could swear it attracted more pigeons!
Posted by: HurricaneKate at April 21, 2009 1:12 PM
Sadly, I am looking out my second floor window at a house across the street where the pigeons are cuddled right up next to their plastic owl. A recent article in the NYTimes about problems with nests the parrots are building on electrical boxes told of Con Ed putting battery operated owls (that move) on wire lines. They reported that worked for a very short period of time - the birds figured out pretty quickly that even the animatronic owls were not real. Same with fake snakes. Brooklyn Birds are pretty smart. I've only seen success with the metal spikes.
Posted by: parkslopemom at April 21, 2009 2:12 PM
Fake snakes useless also? Missed my chance to become the helpless female (drat!).
Whom do I contact to put spikes on the ledges?
K
Posted by: HurricaneKate at April 21, 2009 2:31 PM
There is an alternative to the spikes called BirdWire. It involves putting little posts into ledges of your fascade and stringing nylon wire with little springs at the end. The birds cannot gain a foothold and don't sit there. I have it on my place and it works very well. The system is also a lot less visible than the spikes.
Posted by: UWS2 at April 21, 2009 5:27 PM
I've used this stuff with good results.http://www.nixalite.com/4thebirdsgel.aspx
Posted by: edifice rex at April 21, 2009 6:15 PM
Peanuts soaked in really cheap bourbon spread work fairly well on a seasonal basis.
Posted by: FenFen at April 21, 2009 7:12 PM
UWS2 - How much does the BirdWire cost per window?
Posted by: StuyIvy at April 22, 2009 11:24 AM
In 2003 when we were having horrible pigeon problems, all I did was go to the local home depot, bought some wire mesh, cut it and then rolled it up and conformed it to the shape of the space above my stoop, and stuck it in there.
My neighbors did the same thing. No more pigeon problems.
Ok, not super attractive, but then again, no unattractive pigeon poop all over our stoop either!
Posted by: sunspot19 at April 22, 2009 12:42 PM
StuyIvy - concerning the BirdWire - I don't know the cost - it was part of a bigger job and that was 10 years ago, but the BirdWire is holding strong and still doing its job. We did not use it on the window sills, but along the various ledges of the fascade. The pigeons don't seem to know the window sills are an option.
For anyone who does go with the BirdWire, one tip is to paint the metal posts the same color as the stone, then they are practically invisible (otherwise, they are a silver metal, but still much less visible than spikes).
Posted by: UWS2 at April 22, 2009 1:48 PM
Warning: pigeon poop is very toxic, esp. the dried particulate matter (you can get a fungal infection of the lung that is bad-assed). If you have any contact with clean-up, you or your workers should wear respirator-type masks and use all the same precautions you would for lead abatement.
Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at April 23, 2009 1:32 PM
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