Shooting feral pigeon in my garden.

[markm]

A neighbour opposite with adjoining gardens religiously feeds birds, the problem is 90% of the would be classed as vermin (feral pigeons, crows, jackdaws) along with seagulls and a few pleasant birds. 

 

Thr problem is the feral pigeons have now taken up residence on my roof, the result is noise, annoying the dog who sees them sat on the fence, mess on the patio, conservatory roof what looks like an increase of moss on the roof due to their droppings and the lawn looks like a game crop (emerging) with all the dropped seeds  

 

I’ve chased them, not made any difference...

 

Can I shoot them them with an air rifle (ferals) when on my lawn?  Am I covered by the general license?

 

 

[old'un]

Bit of a long read, or click the “quick guide” link on the page…https://www.pigeoncontrolresourcecentre.org/html/pigeon-pest-control-and-the-law.html#quick

[timmytree]

Stop the food source is the easiest way. Have a word with the neighbour to try and restrict what gets put out. All the bigger birds can't use hanging feeders but little birds can.

Shooting them off the roof is a no no. If you could shoot a few ferals on the ground without being seen then all well and good but that will only create space for more to move in.

Might be worth trying a hawk decoy, one of those flying things. 

Chat with the neighbour first, keep it civil.

[stuartyboy]

What timmytree says. Although I found that the food scattered from the hanging feeders by the small birds onto the ground kept the pigeons well fed and present.

The way I stopped pigeons,corvids etc was to build a pyramid of chicken wire and bamboo canes with a door. Was 6' high and the base was 4' square. Hung the feeders inside it, accessed by the door. Any food spilt was contained inside and only the small birds could get through the chicken wire. Kept them safe from cats and hawks too. 

Wasn't aesthetically pleasing but did the job 

[PPP]

Potentially a can o’ worms, but if you felt that the Pigeon pooh was a danger to human health ( kids playing in garden city on swings covered in pigeon pooh as an example) and you had tried other methods to scare them then you could shoot them under GL but you might find neighbours get upset and call plod citing ‘ suspicious man waving a rifle out of the window shooting animals’, best to be as quiet as possible.

[bruno22rf]

I don't get all the pussy footing around - is this what we have become? scared of shooting vermin on our own property in case the neighbours get a little upset. Shoot the wretched things and if next door are not happy then explain that if they did not feed the birds they would not be there - I live next door to a bunny hugging CID officer but that will not stop me shooting the pigeons off my raised beds or the doves that constantly try to get under my gutters to nest.

[Ultrastu]

Have to agree with bruno on this .

I have ferels land in my garden from the neighbours roof nest .

They get shot. so they dont start nesting in my roof .

[bruno22rf]

Steady on Stu - second time we've agreed in a year .

[Brodie]

Whilst sympathetic to the OPs problem the General Licence seems clear that culling is a last resort after all non lethal deferent methods have failed.

I am plagued by collared doves due to my neighbors proliferation of bird feeders. Their garden is running alive with rats living off the bird feed droppings.  I contacted the local council with the result they have been threatened will prosecution over not controlling the rats. They don't know who complained and I'm not about to admit.

[Ultrastu]

2 hours ago, bruno22rf said:

Steady on Stu - second time we've agreed in a year .

I know .it pains me to admit it .

But some times you are actually correct ?

Staggering i know .

[Benthejockey]

Catch them in a cage trap if you’re worried about shooting them. Then discretely increase the length of their neck for them. You could even get a Larson trap and catch a few crows and magpies. 

[PPP]

3 hours ago, bruno22rf said:

I don't get all the pussy footing around - is this what we have become? scared of shooting vermin on our own property in case the neighbours get a little upset. Shoot the wretched things and if next door are not happy then explain that if they did not feed the birds they would not be there - I live next door to a bunny hugging CID officer but that will not stop me shooting the pigeons off my raised beds or the doves that constantly try to get under my gutters to nest.

Suggest you make yourself aware of the general licence, not pussyfooting around but ignoring the law is a threat to shooting.

[Walker570]

Errr??? does the general license cover barn pigeons/ferals

Not knowing the actual physical layout of the properties it is impossible to give advice.  I have the occasional jackdaw appraoch my bird feeders and I have just shelled out cash I could use for a days shooting to clear out one of my chimneys, so they have to go. Air rifle from an upstairs window ..AA S200  .22 with moderator and neighbours are non the wiser.

Whatever, if you shoot within the curtilage of your property then any shots must stay within that area.

[Robertt]

I am overlooked and have magpies etc giving me 2 fingers on a regular basis.

So very tempting and possibly lawful as it may be, I will not shoot anything near my house.

I stumbled onto an anti website discussing the same subject and they're advice was to say it was a FAC rifle in order to initiate a full response of armed police, helicopter, hostage negotiater etc etc.

They really don't give a fuque and their main concern is bringing a world of poo on our head's 

Unfortunately if you any type of firearm the best policy is don't put your head above the parapet. 

 

[bruno22rf]

PPP - interested to know what law I'm breaking - pests can be shot on my property so that's exactly what happens - as my FEO is fully aware of my actions and still sees fit to allow me a Firearms, Shotgun and Explosives licence them I'm guessing she is at a loss as well? I have an extremely good relationship with the local police to such an extent that most operators know me by my voice alone and I am in contact at least 50 times over the winter months so I'm also interested how I am a threat to shooting? 

[Mice!]

who is to say that you haven't tried non lethal methods? the hawk or owl decoy may work? For a while.

I was talking with one of my neighbours who is concerned that my other neighbour has chickens, 1st neighbour had a rat in the loft, had pest control out several times, she had seen a rat in my garden by the bird feeders, then suddenly it wasn't moving! I explained I'd shot it job done, as much chance of the rat coming from mine/ river or chickens she wasn't fazed at all, just said o right, you can easily shoot from inside the house with an air rifle so no one need know, just not when your neighbours are outside having a BBQ.

3 hours ago, Ultrastu said:

I know .it pains me to admit it .

But some times you are actually correct ?

Staggering i know .

steady on now you two.

[Mice!]

wife spotted this today!!!

[oowee]

6 hours ago, Mice! said:

wife spotted this today!!!

It does make you wonder. I called a farmer this week to clear some late night foxing. He had been troubled with poachers and the neighbour's had called the police on a couple of occasions who had turned up with armed response. Farmer said it was ok to shoot but the neighbour is likely to call the police again. I will give it a miss for a while. 

[Blackpowder]

I know someone who lives near derelict property which is home to numerous feral pigeons, it costs £60 twice a year to clear gutters of pigeon poo.  Which does not help the OP one bit but my pennyworth is to try and trap them for discreet extermination rather than shoot, unless of course the garden is not overlooked by other properties then discreet air rifle would do for me.

 

Blackpowder

[marsh man]

6 hours ago, Mice! said:

wife spotted this today!!!

I was reading that in our local paper ( E D P ) , the guy had only just bought the air rifle the previous day , he had consulted the neighbours and they were o k with what he was doing , he had already shot one rat and then the armed response turned up after some passer by saw him pointing the gun out of his window ....................................... one as new airgun now for sale

 

[Fisheruk]

Had a similar situation at ours, talking to my neighbour over the fence he said how is it you don’t have pigeons sitting on you roof and they are all over mine? Simple, I said I shoot them. He then said can you do mine for me. Good neighbourly relationship. I do not agree with the comment about not shooting off a roof. If you are using a standard power air rifle and you are a sure of your shot the pellet isn’t going to go through it, the recoil of the bird receiving the shot is like a cricketer catching a ball and all the energy is contained in the bird.

[Mice!]

7 hours ago, oowee said:

It does make you wonder. I called a farmer this week to clear some late night foxing. He had been troubled with poachers and the neighbour's had called the police on a couple of occasions who had turned up with armed response. Farmer said it was ok to shoot but the neighbour is likely to call the police again. I will give it a miss for a while. 

Could you not do what we do and ring the police yourself before going on this farm shooting? Then hopefully the police ring you first if they get any reports? 

[oowee]

1 hour ago, Mice! said:

Could you not do what we do and ring the police yourself before going on this farm shooting? Then hopefully the police ring you first if they get any reports? 

Possible solution certainly. The farm covers a large area and is in three holdings. When I have spoken to the police before they have wanted to know time and location, not so easy to give in advance. 

 

7 hours ago, Fisheruk said:

Had a similar situation at ours, talking to my neighbour over the fence he said how is it you don’t have pigeons sitting on you roof and they are all over mine? Simple, I said I shoot them. He then said can you do mine for me. Good neighbourly relationship. I do not agree with the comment about not shooting off a roof. If you are using a standard power air rifle and you are a sure of your shot the pellet isn’t going to go through it, the recoil of the bird receiving the shot is like a cricketer catching a ball and all the energy is contained in the bird.

And you never miss?

Too much risk in an urban environment. 

[marsh man]

8 hours ago, Fisheruk said:

Had a similar situation at ours, talking to my neighbour over the fence he said how is it you don’t have pigeons sitting on you roof and they are all over mine? Simple, I said I shoot them. He then said can you do mine for me. Good neighbourly relationship. I do not agree with the comment about not shooting off a roof. If you are using a standard power air rifle and you are a sure of your shot the pellet isn’t going to go through it, the recoil of the bird receiving the shot is like a cricketer catching a ball and all the energy is contained in the bird.

Would it have been possible to use a box or clap trap to catch the feral pigeons , my brother had the same problem with his neighbours pigeons , after keep cleaning out his gutters and putting up with the droppings in his garden the time came for some drastic action , in his earlier days he used to work for Coypu Control and he still had some wire box traps in his shed , after chucking out his waste bread in the garden and a few pieces in the traps the numbers started to decline without any noise or fuss , as far as the owner was aware , they had moved on to pastures new .

[Fisheruk]

2 hours ago, oowee said:

 

And you never miss?

Too much risk in an urban environment. 

I don’t aim to miss. I don’t release it until I know where the pellet will end up. By the way my house plot is 1/3rd acre + and 150 yards front to back. I also shoot ferals on Office blocks and my FEO has a copy of the landlords permission. Safe shooting is the key.