Pigeons are a constant source of annoyance in almost any garden in the UK. They are as numerous as vermin, they make a mess of raised beds and patios, and they steal much-needed food away from smaller, more endangered birds that you’re trying to help.
Such was the issue in my garden. I installed a bird table in the garden to try to do my bit to keep the robins in my neighbourhood alive despite the onslaught of green belt house building and climate change that threatens their habitats, and for a few weeks, all was well. Using a mix of mealworms and seeds, I attracted all manner of cute little birds to my garden – I saw robins, finches, bluetits, starlings and several other diminutive feathered friends I’m not yet nerdy enough to be able to name. But after about a fortnight, it all unravelled. The pigeons, like the mafioso of the bird world, got wise, and they turned up in groups of two or three at a time and started to bully the other birds out of the way.
They are ravenous. A pile of bird seed that would last two or three days was suddenly gone in 30 minutes. What’s more, they’d block the table while they gorged themselves silly, so nothing else could eat, then they’d leave their pooey mess all over the patio when they were done.
Turns out my mistake was putting the bird table on a flat surface. The patio is raised higher than the rest of the garden, so putting it here allowed both ground-feeding and height-feeding birds to eat it. Until the pigeons showed up.
Having searched for various ways to keep pigeons out of the garden to no avail, the best tip I could find from gardening experts explained that pigeons are too large to fit in bird feeders which have a roof on, so simply hanging them near a wall or hedge (not a window though – as they might fly into it) will stop pigeons from getting in, simply because they can’t fit.
I tried this, and it was an instant success. All of my little birds are back, able to flit into the gap in the table, but the pigeons have given up as they can’t manage it.
To achieve it, I just hung the table from a hook off the side of the garage, next to an ivy hedge growing nearby. The other birds found it within a few days, but the pigeons have stayed away.
I’ve since expanded this further and added an upright hanging bird feeder stand. Again, this is too awkward for pigeons – they’re too big to land on it and can’t fit their big greedy beaks in the mesh, forcing them to leave the hanging feeders for more deserving little birds – and not the bully boy pigeon pests.