Pigeons In Calgary, Seeking Real Estate In Your Neighbourhood

The pigeons most people see in Calgary are feral versions of several domesticated species. Due to prolonged periods of inbreeding and cross breeding by humans, there are also several yet unidentified subspecies of this very common bird. One of the more well known species is referred to as the common rock dove. 

These very social birds are almost universally seen as nuisance pests, mostly because of the mess they make with their droppings and crude nest building. Pigeon droppings are staining, acidic, and can carry several parasites and bacteria which are harmful to people, pets, and livestock. Pigeon nests can also be home to mites, fleas, and bat bugs which can enter structures and cause problems.

Getting rid of pigeons isn’t easy. They are lazy by nature and prefer to live close to their food source. They like to be able to see in all directions and, because of this, are usually attracted to the highest, or second highest, structure in a given area. While they are lazy, they are also hardy and resilient birds. Pigeons are capable of flying hundreds of kilometres at a time and can cover great distances (sometimes thousands of kilometres) faster than many other birds. They have an incredible sense of direction, and it is believed they are among the group of birds who use the magnetic poles of the earth to navigate. They can also reach amazingly high altitudes.

Even though pigeons are such excellent travellers, they are not migratory. Quite the opposite. Pigeons love to settle in and call a single location home. Wherever they are born, will always remain home in their minds. If you remove a pigeon from its home area, it will always try to return there. This is why pigeons were —and still are — used for communication and sending messages over long distances. This is also one of the reasons they are so difficult to get rid of once they have chosen your home, balcony, or building.

Because they are lazy by nature, they prefer to congregate near a main food source and where they roost or nest. Typically, within 1 kilometre, but can be up to 3-5 kilometres in cases of major food sources like garbage dumps, railroad tracks, seed cleaning plants, etc. If you remove, or block off their nesting and roosting sites, they will eventually move on and begin to congregate on a tall structure closer to their new nesting and roosting sites. This can take some time, as they will continue to return to the old site checking to see if it is still blocked off. This behaviour will taper off once the next generation is born in the new location and will cease altogether when the previous generation dies out. Remember, where they are born, is where they call home. For this reason, it is always best to remove new pigeon nests before eggs hatch. Do not wait for winter thinking they will go away, they won’t.

The only 100% way to keep pigeons away from prime roosting and nesting sites is to physically block them from being able to get to those areas. A roosting site is a spot where pigeons will regularly spend the night. Not all pigeons are nesting all the time. Sometimes roosting sites will turn into nesting sites, and sometimes they will just remain as roosting sites. Whether roosting or nesting, these sites need to provide some type of shelter from the elements. Under solar panels, balconies, rooftop dormer returns, roof overlaps, rooftop air handling units, downspouts, signs, bridges, decks, and more, can provide the perfect shelter for pigeons to feel comfortable. Pigeons will also have favourite sunning and sitting spots. These are secondary to their roosting and nesting sites but are almost always nearby.

There are several ways to physically block off prime roosting and nesting sites, including bird spikes, bird slopes, bird netting, or physical changes to the structure itself. Each method fits a specific situation, and a professional bird & wildlife specialist will be able to design the most effective solution while minimizing the visual impact of such exclusion measures.

In addition to physically blocking off roosting and nesting sites, there are a number of passive deterrents available to try and dissuade pigeons from certain areas. These deterrents can be very effective, and other times seem to have no impact at all. Some are inexpensive, and others can cost thousands of dollars to set up and implement. There are visual deterrents, including gel discs; a wide variety of reflective flashers; fake predators, like silhouette kites and plastic owls, snakes, and hawks. There are tactile deterrents like shock strips, and surface coating gels. Audio deterrents like bird cannons or predatory bird call systems. There are even electromagnetic influence deterrent systems which produce electromagnetic pulses that disrupt a bird’s ability to navigate landings. There is also a system utilizing a special tainted bait which causes hallucinogenic effects, but this requires being able to infiltrate the bird’s main food supply to convince them it is not a good source of food. This only fits very specific scenarios and is not effective, or even possible, in most inner-city situations. Passive deterrents have their place, and are most effective when set up before pigeons get settled in. Once they call your building home, it is much more difficult to get them to move on.

If you are in a suburban area, one of the best ways to keep pigeons out of your neighbourhood, is to work with the whole community. The first step is to get rid of any food source for the birds. If there is no food, they won’t stick around. Educating people on the many problems that come from feeding birds is one of the most challenging factors. Bird feeders will always attract pigeons and rodents. Always. This is because of the mess left on the ground under bird feeders. The problem is, pigeons may not be roosting or nesting on the house that is feeding birds, so they don’t see a problem with it. The pigeons are likely nesting on a taller building in the neighbourhood and only visiting the ground under the bird feeder for meals. If you are unable to control the food source (which also includes having a dump, lake, or railroad tracks nearby) then the next step is to block off all possible roosting and nesting sites around your home. If the birds cannot find a sheltered place to spend the night, they will move on to other areas.

There are many pest control companies, including Lavellan Pest Solutions, who offer community consulting and workshops aimed at educating communities about pigeons, including workshops about the various methods of control.

For commercial sites, or large buildings, live trapping programs are another option for controlling pigeons. Trapping is best used as an ongoing monitoring and prevention method of control. For large populations of pigeons, you will never be able to trap enough to make a difference in the overall problem.  Also keep in mind that because pigeons can travel great distances with an amazing sense of direction, pigeons that are trapped cannot simply be released. Any trapped pigeons need to be humanely dispatched or euthanized and disposed of properly.

If you are having pigeon issues in Calgary, Lavellan Pest Solutions provides free, no obligation, site assessments for bird & wildlife control, including clean up and sanitization of affected areas. Click here to set up an assessment.