I hate pigeons. Like really, REALLY hate pigeons. Especially New York City pigeons that are nothing more than a pooping nuisance unless youre watching them from a distance.
Ive had a serious problem with pigeons on my balcony since 2020 which only got worse over the last couple of years. I first discovered a hidden nest with 2 baby pigeons (only one survived) and the plan was to get rid of the nesting materials as soon as the baby was able to fly off. By the time that day came there was SO MUCH POOP (not to mention a dead baby pigeon) in and around the nest that it literally required a shovel. After thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting the area and rearranging things, I found ANOTHER nest with 2 pigeon eggs which were immediately disposed of. I really thought that would be the end of it but these pigeons kept returning, including the junior pigeon (who had very distinct coloring so it was easily identifiable). That began the incessant task of spraying jets of water whenever Id see them, and of course there was ALWAYS the poop to contend with. Last summer I took on a renovation project on my balcony, replacing old grout and caulk, repairing and repainting the concrete, cleaning and limewashing the brick walls, and deoxidizing the aluminum railing. And after all that work imagine how frustrating it was to keep finding new pigeon poop all over the place again. Now Ive tried several things to deal with pigeons over the last few years. Ive used holographic pinwheels, those bobblehead decoy owls that make screeching noises via motion sensor, spraying peppermint oil on the balcony… none were effective in the long run. The pinwheels looked pretty spinning in the wind, especially reflecting the sunlight, but after a month or so I saw a pigeon sitting on the railing right between 2 of them while they were spinning and the pigeon didnt even flinch until I sprayed water at it. The decoy owls didnt scare them AT ALL and the only benefit was that it made screeching sounds to alert me of the pigeons presence once it tripped the motion sensor and then I had to spray water to scare them off. And the peppermint oil, while it smelled pleasant enough, did absolutely nothing to deter the pigeons. The only thing that was guaranteed to scare them off was to catch them in the act and shoot water at them, and as satisfying as that might be, thats not an effective long-term solution either. Ive had some limited success with bird netting but only by draping it directly over the area where pigeons had made nests to prevent access to those areas. That did nothing to deter them from landing on my balcony in the first place. I have been constantly on the lookout for a better way to deflect pigeons off my balcony because a pigeon that lands on the railing or concrete ledge equals poop. I dont care if they are just resting their wings for a minute or sunning themselves and watching the world go by… the fact of the matter is: They. Always. Poop. It was on one of my recent internet searches for new and different ways to deal with pigeons that I came across this Petslandia Bird Deterrent System and was very intrigued. I ordered 3 boxes of the 6-foot sections and installed them on the upper rail of my balcony. It comes with holes in the base if you want to attach them to wood railing with screws but since I have aluminum rails I used clear Gorilla Glue mounting squares at even intervals to affix them to the rails. The ends snap together to create a continuous unit and I had one end piece left that was too large to fit so I cut it down to the exact size I needed with a craft saw. Initially I wasnt sure how effective the mounting squares would be so I also used zip ties as a backup measure (especially since I installed them at the beginning of January and didnt know how the cold and wind might affect it) but my Gorilla Glue squares were very secure and the zip ties were unnecessary in the end. I snapped each of the curved pieces onto the base and everything was ready to go. This system worked IMMEDIATELY. The very next day I happened to be watching as a pigeon flew to my balcony and attempted to land on the railing but physically couldnt because this thing swings them right off. Without a stable place to land they quickly give up and fly off. Ive watched as several pigeons attempted to land, realized they physically couldnt, and flew off to poop on one of my neighbors balconies instead. I installed this in January and its now April and not ONE SINGLE PIGEON has been able to land on the railing. Every so often Ill see a pigeon fly nearby, hover briefly, and fly away because they learn very quickly that they cant land on this. No pigeons = no poop. Hallelujah! One added benefit of this pigeon deterrent system (at least for me) is that it moves and swings in the breeze and is reminiscent of rippling waves which is actually very soothing to watch, not to mention that I can look out the window and see how windy it is. It kind of reminds me of those cool looking kinetic garden sculptures. The only complaint I had after installation was that when it was very windy during the winter these swinging pieces would squeak very lightly from the friction of the plastic pieces moving against each other. I reached out to the company and the owner responded quickly and recommended that I lubricate the joints. I sprayed a bit of WD-40 at every joint and voila…they now swing in silence and more smoothly than before! Weve endured some very strong winds and well-below freezing temps here this winter and this system has held up perfectly, through rain, snow, and even hail. The weight of any snow buildup generally causes the pieces to swing the snow right off. Now that were into Spring and milder temperatures (and more very strong winds) its continuing to do its job and keep the pigeons away. By the way, its made in Italy and seems to be of high quality materials. The clear polycarbonate is strong and I dont foresee any issues with the heat of summer or direct afternoon sunlight but Ill know for sure in a couple of months. The only thing I would do differently when installing is to use a clear glue or caulk for a permanent fix and to prevent moisture from getting underneath, but for me, so far, the Gorilla Glue mounting squares have worked perfectly well. I absolutely, whole-heartedly recommend this Petslandia Bird Deterrent System to anyone with a balcony or porch railing or window ledge where birds have been a problem. New York City pigeons can be very aggressively persistent and not much phases them but they literally cannot land on this (nor can any other bird) and this seems to have solved my pigeon – and pigeon poop – problem once and for all.
Pigeons can be very annoying when they start pecking at the garden you’ve worked so hard to maintain or making a lot of noise. It’s time to get some WD-40 if you want to keep birds out of your garden. It’s highly recommended that you buy a can if you don’t already have one for a variety of reasons. Not only is it effective at lubricating squeaky hinges and stopping rust, but pigeons won’t hang around your house and disturb your sleep because of its potent smell.
This trick works because pigeons detest the smell of WD-40 and will avoid areas that have it. All you have to do is get a can and spray some on the areas where you frequently see pigeons, like your fence posts or mailbox. For a while, this should discourage the pigeons; however, to keep them away, reapply every six months. The birds won’t even try to land once they realize what’s on their preferred post because they don’t like the smell and the feeling of oil on their claws.
But before using this hack, there are a few things you should be aware of. Firstly, the price. Since WD-40 isn’t the cheapest product, you might need to purchase multiple cans if you need to spray extensively. The second warning is that if you have pets, this trick might be harmful. Dogs and cats enjoy exploring, but there’s a chance they could trip over oil and get hurt. As a result, we advise applying the spray sparingly in more open areas and reserving it for locations your pets cannot readily access.
Furthermore, this brilliant WD-40 tip is a fantastic way to keep animals off your property without endangering them. A flock of pigeons is typically more of a bother than a serious problem. But if you leave the breed alone, it may harm your belongings. In addition to carrying diseases that could infect your garden, pigeons themselves can damage the materials used in your home due to the acidity of their droppings. It is therefore best to make them want to avoid them.
Since 2020, I’ve had a significant issue with pigeons on my balcony, and during the past few years, it has only gotten worse. When I first came upon a hidden nest with two baby pigeons (only one of them survived), the idea was to remove the nesting materials as soon as the fledglings were strong enough to take flight. When that day finally arrived, the area surrounding the nest was literally covered in so much POOPnot to mention a dead baby pigeonthat a shovel was needed. Once everything had been properly cleaned, disinfected, and rearranged, I discovered TWO more nests containing pigeon eggs, which I promptly disposed of. I genuinely believed that would be the last of it, but these pigeons continued to show up, even the junior one, which could be easily recognized thanks to its striking coloring. That started the never-ending chore of dousing everything in sight with water jets, and of course there was always the poop to deal with. I repaired and painted the concrete, cleaned and limewashed the brick walls, deoxidized the aluminum railing, and replaced old grout and caulk on my balcony last summer. Imagine how annoying it was to keep discovering fresh pigeon poop everywhere after all that work. Now over the past few years, I’ve tried a number of strategies to deal with pigeons. I’ve sprayed peppermint oil on the balcony, used holographic pinwheels, and those bobblehead decoy owls that make screeching noises when they sense motion. none were effective in the long run. After about a month, I noticed a pigeon sitting on the railing between two of the pinwheels, and it didn’t even flinch until I sprayed water at it. The pinwheels looked pretty spinning in the wind, especially reflecting the sunlight. The only thing that helped was that once the pigeons triggered the motion sensor, the decoy owls didn’t frighten them in the slightest. I had to use water to scare them away. Furthermore, the peppermint oil smelled nice enough, but it had no effect at all on keeping the pigeons away. As satisfying as it may be, shooting water at them while they’re at it is the only thing that was sure to scare them off, but it’s also not a long-term solution. I’ve had some modest success using bird netting, but only when I draped it over the pigeon nesting areas to block access to them. That didn’t stop them from initially landing on my balcony, though. A pigeon that lands on the railing or concrete ledge equals poop, so I’ve been searching for a better way to keep them off my balcony. I don’t mind if they are just lounging and taking in the scenery or briefly stretching their wings. the fact of the matter is: They. Always. Poop. I was really intrigued by the Petslandia Bird Deterrent System when I recently came upon it online while looking for novel and inventive ways to deal with pigeons. I put the three boxes of the six-foot sections I ordered on my balcony’s upper rail. It has holes in the base so you can screw them to wood railing, but since my rails are aluminum, I mounted them to the rails using clear Gorilla Glue mounting squares spaced evenly apart. The ends snap together to form a continuous unit. I had one end piece left that was too big to fit, so I used a craft saw to cut it down to the precise size I required. Since I installed the mounting squares at the beginning of January and wasn’t sure how the cold and wind would affect them, I also used zip ties as a backup measure because I wasn’t sure how effective the mounting squares would be. However, my Gorilla Glue squares were very secure, so the zip ties weren’t needed in the end. All of the curved pieces were ready to go when I snapped them onto the base. This system worked IMMEDIATELY. The very next day, I was observing a pigeon that had flown to my balcony and was trying to land on the railing, but it was swinging them off, so it was physically impossible. They quickly give up and take off in the absence of a stable landing spot. I have observed multiple pigeons trying to land, realizing they couldn’t physically do so, and taking off to defecate on one of my neighbors’ balconies. Not a single pigeon has managed to land on the railing since I installed it in January and it is now April. Occasionally, I’ll see a pigeon fly close, hover for a short while, and then take off because they quickly realize they can’t land on this No pigeons = no poop. Hallelujah! An additional advantage of this pigeon deterrent system (for me, at least) is that it mimics the motion and swing of rippling waves, which is incredibly calming to watch. In addition, I can see how windy it is outside the window. It has a similar aesthetic to those really cool-looking kinetic garden sculptures. The only issue I had with it after installation was that these swinging pieces would very softly squeak in strong winter winds due to the friction of the plastic parts rubbing against one another. When I contacted the business, the owner got back to me right away and suggested that I lubricate the joints. I applied a small amount of WD-40 to each joint, and voilà We’ve had some really strong winds and well below freezing temperatures here this winter, and this system has held up flawlessly, through rain, snow, and even hail! They now swing in silence and more smoothly than before! Any accumulation of snow usually causes the pieces to swing the snow off with ease due to its weight. It’s still doing its job and keeping the pigeons away now that spring has arrived with milder temperatures (and more extremely strong winds). It’s made in Italy, by the way, and appears to be made of premium materials. I don’t think there will be any problems with the summer heat or direct afternoon sunlight because the clear polycarbonate is sturdy, but I’ll be sure in a few months. For me, the Gorilla Glue mounting squares have worked flawlessly thus far. The only thing I would do differently during installation is to use a clear glue or caulk for a permanent fix and to prevent moisture from getting underneath. I wholeheartedly, positively suggest this Petslandia Bird Deterrent System to anyone who has had trouble with birds on their balcony, porch railing, or window ledge. This seems to have permanently resolved my pigeon and pigeon poop problem. New York City pigeons can be very aggressively persistent and not much phases them, but they literally cannot land on this (nor can any other bird).
I hate pigeons. Like really, REALLY hate pigeons. especially the New York City pigeons, which are only bothersome when they poop unless you’re observing them from a distance.
FAQ
Is WD-40 safe for birds?
What smell do birds hate?
Can I spray something to keep birds away?
How long does wd40 keep pigeons away?