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An intruder !

(67 Posts)
NanKate Thu 23-May-19 08:58:23

I am an animal and bird lover but have to admit an aversion to pigeons.

One has been trying to nest in a tree just below my bedroom window and I have been clapping my hands to frighten it away.

Since yesterday the nest has been built and mother pigeon is insitu ? I feel reluctant to knock the nest down whilst she is away but the thought of a bloomin big pigeon baby being feet from my window appals me.

DH returns tomorrow and I will hand over the task to him.

Any suggestions or does anyone know how long the pigeon could be here?

Niobe Thu 23-May-19 09:04:26

I think it might be illegal to disturb a nesting bird, even a pigeon. Leave it alone until the young fly the nest.
I know that you are not allowed to cut down leylandii in the nesting season and have to wait until the young birds have flown the nest.

Alima Thu 23-May-19 09:07:27

I am sorry, cannot answer your question. Have recently wondered why I never see baby pigeons, this thread may have the answer, it cannot be that your DH is UK pigeon exterminator can it? Could I ask, are you scared of them or just hate the blighters?

SalsaQueen Thu 23-May-19 09:27:49

The reason baby pigeons are not usually seen is that the nests are high up, often in tall buildings etc., and the babies are almost the same size as the parents by the time they leave the nest

Whitewavemark2 Thu 23-May-19 09:32:10

You may have an aversion to pigeons, but blimey it is going a bit far to try to kill it.

My advise is to grow a pair and enjoy another species who has as much right to be on this earth as you.

Nandalot Thu 23-May-19 09:46:19

I wish I could enjoy pigeons, Whitewave! Perhaps then I wouldn’t mind that they perch on the gutter above the patio doors and bombard the seat and the step. DH then treads same into house. Their other favourite place is in the tree above the hostas which they then proceed to decorate. They do the same to the seat in my DD’s garden but also enjoy the trampoline. Lawn has to be cleaned before children can play!

Labaik Thu 23-May-19 09:48:03

I have to say that I have a large pine tree in my garden and pigeons roost in it's branches at certain times of the year. The amount of poo that covers my driveway [also front of house, windows, car etc] is unbelievable; my neighbour once put my dustbin back for me and, on returning home realised her had to take his shoes off as they were covered in the stuff [as was the dustbin]. I have no wish to harm any living creature but there is a health risk from those pigeons. I've had to move a potting table to another part of the garden because there is an old netball net fixed on the wall at the back of the house and they sit there also and take aim at my table. It really is gross...

NanKate Thu 23-May-19 09:59:31

Alima you question to me about being scared of pigeons takes me back 45 years when I was expecting my DS I suddenly became frightened of pigeons I had forgotten all about that. DH is another animal lover so I suspect we have to wait this out till after the nesting season and then cut back the branches that make a perfect nesting site.

I would never kill any living creature, other than flies, I just wish it had nested elsewhere as the cooing woke me up at 5.00 am which is not good as I already have very disrupted sleep.

We have had over the years some lovely broods, if that is the word, of blue tits.

Gonegirl Thu 23-May-19 10:05:28

Just keep the window firmly closed. The coo-ing, hopefully, won't last long. You can't possibly disturb the nest. It would be cruel in the extreme.

Pigeons annoy me but they do seem to be very gentle birds. I did, however, totally freak out when I saw evidence that one had got into one of our bedroom windows, even though the thing was no longer there. [shudder]

Gonegirl Thu 23-May-19 10:06:18

I love my garden birds, but I am terrified if one comes indoor. Blood running cold even just typing this.

annodomini Thu 23-May-19 10:07:53

There are pigeons and pigeons. I have the big fat pigeons which make an awful mess of one of my patios. Then there are the kind of pigeons mostly found in urban situations and generally blamed for spreading diseases. I have lots of collared doves and at the weekend, they were in and out of one of my trees, so I thought they might have fledglings learning to fly. Did you know that baby pigeons are fed with a kind of milk secretion on the mother's breast?

Gonegirl Thu 23-May-19 10:09:22

I don't even want to think abut that anno. Although I must admit it is interesting.

Whitewavemark2 Thu 23-May-19 10:34:16

Yep, mine do the same, it is a pain, but there we are. Out I go with water and brush, in 2 secs it’s gone. But like someone said they are very gentle birds unless they are fighting over seed and then it gets a bit fraught

Just for the record , like so much we hear these days pigeons do not spread disease, it is an urban myth.

With bio diversity under so much threat we can’t afford to lose one bit of the natural world , we must treasure everything.

aggie Thu 23-May-19 10:44:08

My DS had a nest building pidgeon high above the front door , maybe you can clean the excrement in 2 seconds , but they can poo at a rate of knots , we had to use the back door . I think the damn thing watched and waited till he had cleaned the front step before bombarding it again .
Did you know young pigeons are called Squabs

humptydumpty Thu 23-May-19 10:45:36

I agree with Whitewavemark2 - I don't think you should kill a bird just because you don't like it! IMO in some circumstances insects are fair game - but there are countless millions of those!

aggie Thu 23-May-19 10:49:25

Surely no one is saying to kill it , but there must be some way to get it to move house ?

Alima Thu 23-May-19 11:04:34

You mean like a pigeon bailiff aggie?

aggie Thu 23-May-19 12:25:15

smile smile

ninathenana Thu 23-May-19 13:18:39

Pigeons are a ruddy nuisance and I sympathise with the OP.
I have a telegraph pole at the end of my drive which is apparently the best perch in the area for pigeons and worse seagulls! cleaning my windscreen and bonnet is sometimes a daily task.

grannyqueenie Thu 23-May-19 14:00:02

Shall I send across my daughters cockapoo? She very efficiently though I suspect quite accidentally as she’s not very bright captured a pigeon in our garden last year! She was very pleased with herself.... and I wasn’t that displeased myself!grin

NanKate Fri 24-May-19 09:12:03

It’s very tempting GrannyQ but I think we have no alternative but to let the inevitable happen. I have just seen daddy pigeon pop into see mummy pigeon with a twig in his beak, then he had a quick sh*g, if you will excuse the expression and flew off. We see all of life here. blush

NanKate Fri 24-May-19 09:12:46

Thanks Nina for your sympathy.

Whitewavemark2 Fri 24-May-19 09:18:29

We have seagulls nesting on our chimney, they’ve come back every year for what seems ages now. Always fraught as the fledglings have a habit of falling off.
This morning it looks as if one of the adult has broken its leg. Oh dear it is all too stressful really.

Septimia Fri 24-May-19 09:21:25

To some extent it depends what kind of pigeons they are. We get wood pigeons (and collared doves) which make plenty of unwelcome mess. I like to see all types of bird nesting around us. However, I'd be a lot less tolerant of feral pigeons.

EllanVannin Fri 24-May-19 09:23:04

Get a cat.