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They are, of course, cute birds, but they leave traces behind them that are not at all pleasing.
“I hate pigeons,” a friend of mine grumbled, gazing gloomily at the birds cooing on the balcony. – They wake me up with their din. And they do dirty tricks on the balcony. ”
Yes, the tenants of high-rise buildings have a large list of household irritants: here you have noisy neighbors, and drilling with a drill early in the morning on a weekend, and the screams of children (and not only children) in the yard, and a balcony on which pigeons like to arrange gatherings. But the house should be a place of power, and not a vampire, draining energy!
And if it can be difficult to negotiate with neighbors, then it is possible to cope with the invasion of birds, after which dirt, fluff and droppings remain. It is even necessary, because pigeons are carriers of dangerous diseases that can harm not only humans, but also pets.
Why do pigeons appear on the balcony
Pigeons, as a rule, do not fly to balconies and windows just like that. There are several reasons why they visit you:
- Someone feeds pigeons, including by accident. For example, a neighbor on the floor below in the summer brings water and food for the dog to the balcony, and the leftovers attract birds.
- There is a lot of rubbish on the balcony, in which it is convenient to make nests or hide from bad weather.
- Near the balcony there are comfortable places for birds to rest. If you live on the top floor, the pigeons are probably attracted not so much by the balcony itself, but by the openings of the ventilation shafts or the space under the roof canopy where you can climb.
5 easy ways to get rid of pigeons
Scare away
Harsh sounds, bright glare and flashes of light, splashing water, objects thrown at birds, or spraying unpleasant smelling products, such as hairspray or air freshener, will definitely disturb the peace of the pigeons and force them to leave their homes.
Spices will also become an effective method to get rid of uninvited guests: scatter the most fragrant and pungent of them around the perimeter of the balcony – hot peppers, turmeric, mustard, cinnamon, cloves … Birds are unlikely to fly where they are treated to such nasty things.
But there is one “but”: you will have to try hard, because scaring off or feeding with tasteless things should not be a one-time action. If you regularly poison the life of pigeons, they will understand: they will not have a quiet life on this balcony. Only then will they leave the place and will be forced to look for something new, more comfortable for them.
Repeller barriers
If you physically have neither the time nor the energy to scare away annoying feathered neighbors on a regular basis, then special barriers will help you. These can be ribbons and straps with spikes or knitting needles. These devices will not hurt pigeons, but they will be uncomfortable to sit on such a surface with their paws. By the way, these barriers can also be used for the windowsill, where birds also like to fly.
Where to buy? In construction, hardware and gardening stores.
Sticky and greasy formulations
Another way to drive pigeons from the balcony and window sills is to treat the balcony surface with a sticky or greasy compound, for example, glue, oil, fat, sugar syrup. Birds will not like the fact that their paws are sticky or slipping, and they will leave your territory as quickly as possible. The only drawback: after you manage to ward off the birds, you will also have to carry out a total cleaning of the balcony or window sill. However, traces of the presence of birds will still have to be removed.
Fishing line or rope
Stretch a thin tape, fishing line or rope over the surface of the balcony – the thinner the better. So the birds will not be able to resist the obstacles and will be forced to look for a new balcony for their gatherings.
In the same way, you can protect antennas and other items on the balcony. It is important that the distance from the surface to the line is at least 10 cm, otherwise the line will bend under the weight of the birds, and the birds will reach with their paws to a flat, stable surface.
Reflectors and sound repellents
Since CDs are no longer relevant as a source of storage in our time, there is no point in saving them. But take the time to throw them away. They can be an excellent bird repellent. Fasten them together and hang them on the balcony. Birds do not like mirrored surfaces that reflect light. They can’t stand all these glare and flashes, so they will soon fly away.
If there are no discs, use strips of foil: it reflects the light and rustles so that it scares the birds away. If you don’t want to tinker with yourself, buy ready-made reflective tapes from the store and attach them to the desired surface.
Another sound stimulus for pigeons will be all kinds of bells or mascots from eastern shops like “wind chime”.
Non-budget ways to get rid of pigeons
1. Stuffed animals of prey. Not all of them have them, but it is expensive to buy. However, it is a working way to scare birds away on a regular basis.
2. Ultrasonic devices. This device spreads a sound that the human ear cannot hear, but the birds simply cannot stand it and rush to leave the place.
How to repel pigeons with glare
One of the easiest solutions for dealing with pigeons is glare surfaces: pigeons hate bright reflections. There are several ways to create them.
Cut strips of foil and hang them around the balcony to flutter in the wind. You can also stick foil sheets inside or outside the balcony. This must be done carefully so as not to fall. It is better to buy stronger foil, you can still use wrappers from sweets and chocolates.
Use foil insulation – foilizol. It is sold in rolls at hardware stores. This material is much stronger than foil and will not deteriorate from rain and wind. Folgoizol can be glued to the walls on mounting foam, fixed with roofing screws or bars. The last method is the most correct and reliable.
Hang old CDs on the balcony. They will spin in the wind and glare.
Paint the window sill with paint that glistens in the sun.
Put a large mirror on the balcony. True, the mirror will give glare only in one direction.
Hang glitter balloons on railings. Ordinary balloons will burst quickly, helium balloons will last a little longer, but they are also short-lived.
Use a laser pointer. Pigeons are scared by a laser beam. This method is ineffective, since the battery in the pointer will quickly run out, especially if you keep it on the balcony in the cold. It is better to use a pointer to drive the pigeons by hand without getting up from the sofa.
How to scare off pigeons
Most likely, every day the same pigeons fly to the balcony and windows , and not different ones. To drive the birds away from their usual place, you need to intimidate them. Here’s how to do it.
Water the pigeons. They don’t like to be wet: it’s so hard to fly. Birds can be watered with a water gun or a spray bottle if you can get close. You can also stretch the garden hose: connect one end to the tap, and fix the other on the balcony and attach the sprinkler. When the pigeons arrive, turn on the faucet. You may have to water the pigeons for more than one day until they develop a reflex: it is dangerous to sit here – you will get wet.
But there is a difficulty: you need to be at home when the pigeons arrive. If you only come in the evening and the pigeons are circling all day, this method will not help.
Scare with sound and ultrasound. Pigeons cannot stand heavy music, rustling and sounds of birds of prey. They say it’s good to have AC/DC records interspersed with a hawk’s call. It takes time for this to work—maybe a few days. After such methods, the pigeons may disappear, but it is not clear how all this will affect the psyche of the neighbors.
There are acoustic bird repellers that operate in the ultrasonic range. Humans cannot hear ultrasound. Manufacturers claim that such devices scare away birds on approach, but there is no unequivocal opinion about this: some work , some do not.
Set up a scarecrow. You can put a scarecrow in the form of a bird of prey – a hawk or a falcon. Pigeons also do not like crows and never live near them, so a stuffed crow is also suitable.
The scarecrow must be large – at least half a meter high, otherwise the pigeons will not be afraid.
If you are too lazy to look for a stuffed bird or they are too expensive, a large soft toy with glass eyes will do. It is advisable to rub the eyes to a shine so that they imitate the look of a predator.
How to prevent pigeons from landing on a balcony
You can physically limit the landing of birds on the structure of the house. The most obvious way is to glaze the balcony and reduce the width of the window sills. But this is not always possible. Here are cheaper and less time consuming ways.
Close the balcony with a net. Polymer nets are sold in gardening stores. It is better not to use fishing nets, as the birds will get tangled in them, and there will be even more noise.
Pull the ropes on the window sills. Ropes or fishing lines are stretched just above the surface of the window sill so that it cannot be landed on. It is not difficult to do this on the railing of the balcony, but it is dangerous to stretch the fishing line, leaning out of the window of the ninth floor.
Lubricate window sills with petroleum jelly. The idea is for the pigeons’ legs to slide off the surface when the birds try to sit down. In addition to petroleum jelly, vegetable oil and PVA glue are used. The method is simple, but ineffective: the funds will quickly be washed away by rain, and you can also ruin the window sills.
Install anti-additive barrier. This is a professional bird control device – duct tape with spikes. Despite the menacing appearance, such a tape does not harm the birds.
Other Methods
In addition to these methods, pigeons can be repelled with the help of smells. Cloves, black or red pepper, cinnamon are scattered across the balcony. Some use naphthalene. There are also special sprays based on essential oils to scare away birds. All this is short-term: smells on an open balcony or window sill will quickly disappear.
The idea of letting a cat out onto the balcony is dangerous for a cat. This method works well only in combination with a polymer mesh. The net will prevent the pigeons from landing and prevent the cat from falling out of the balcony in the heat of the hunt. At the same time, the cat will be able to drive away the birds even on the approach.
How to deal with pigeons
- Pigeons will stop flying if it is inconvenient for them to land. Stretch the fishing line on the balcony, and install the tape with spikes on the window sills.
- Hang old discs, foil, or other materials on the balcony that create glare. Pigeons don’t like that.
- You can water the birds with water or scare away with ultrasound. But the first, most likely, will not be appreciated by passers-by, whom you risk accidentally pouring.
- It is better to leave the cat as heavy artillery when you pull the line.