Who doesn’t like to take a stroll along the promenade on a summer’s afternoon, enjoying the delights of an ice cream or taking a picnic on the sand?

A shopping excursion in to town should be a pleasant experience too but there can be something that prevents this enjoyment – birds.

In the case of the stroll by the sea, seagulls can swoop and pinch ice creams, along with other foods, from our hands; they peaks are sharp and serrated too, and people have been known to sustain cuts.

Pigeons frequent our town and city centres; their droppings and sheer numbers can make a shopping trip unpleasant.

But, birds are everywhere, can anything really be done?

The answer is yes, Mr Pesty has some great bird controlling methods, but why control birds in the first place?

  • Damage – birds, flocking and roosting on a building can cause damage, from erosion of the building’s fabric from their droppings, to them dislodging tiles and guttering, as well as blocking gutters and down pipes too. They tend to flock together in large numbers not only to breed, but for warmth and as a safety measure against predators.
  • Health – bird droppings can also be a danger to health, especially when birds flock and roost in large numbers; when their droppings is in alleyways, or on pavements and in entrance ways, they can also make the ground slippery.
  • Aggression – sea gulls are well known for being aggressive birds, more so when their young are in the area too. Many people will have known the difficulty of running from the car to the house or business, with a protective, aggressive sea gull parent dive bombing them. This behaviour can really stop people enjoying their garden and the outdoors generally.

Bird proofing measures

Recognising that we need to start fighting back and that big, expensive repair bills to keep our buildings well maintained are not acceptable, more and more people are investing in bird proofing measures.

All these pieces of equipment are attached to the exterior of buildings and humanely prevent birds from roosting, flocking and nesting on a building. In the long run, you wills save money on maintenance costs, as well as the visual appeal of your building improving with no bird droppings all over it…

  • Netting – a common sight on larger industrial buildings, netting is places over the roof, preventing birds from gripping and causing them to fly off
  • Spikes – made from tough plastic or metal, these spikes are rigid and make for an uncomfortable seat for any bird! Again, they stop them from roosting, forcing them to move on
  • Slides – these are smooth pieces of metal, set at an angle within guttering and on ledges that again work by stopping the birds from landing and roosting on them; their smooth surface prevents any purchase by the birds claws
  • Rotating spikes – common on the top of lamp posts, these ‘spider’ spikes rotate and also prevent birds from roosting on the top of the pole. These will become increasingly common as more and more local authorities look to replace old lamp posts with modern, solar powered ones, with the solar panel being on top of the pole.

There are also many other measures that can be taken to stop birds from flocking to buildings or your garden – ensuring for example, that you feeding the right birds with a bird table, seed and an appropriate feeder is one step forward!

Problems with birds? Dive bombed by seagulls? Fed of pigeons flocking and making a mess with their droppings? Mr Pesty has the answers…