Work is about to be carried out to tackle the problems posed by pigeons within Brigg town centre's pedestrian area.
The birds like to congregate on some of the taller buildings on Wrawby Street but their droppings create a slippery mess on the paving below, used by hundreds of shoppers.
However, today (Tuesday, March 19) "pigeon spikes" are due to be installed high up on the premises used by Martins shop and the town's Post Office.
They will deter the birds from landing.
North Lincolnshire Council advises that a cherry picker will be used to undertake this work.
Complaints about pigeon mess on the pavements have been made during Brigg Town Council meetings, with the North Lincolnshire authority being called upon to take positive action. It is responsible for the upkeep of the pedestrian area and also has responsibilities for public health.
Could we suggest that the council is about to deliver the Coo de Gras? Pardon my French! But we should stress that the birds will not be harmed by the measures being taken.
PICTURED ABOVE: Pigeons on the roof of the three-storey building in Brigg town centre used by Martins shop and the Post Office.
Be very careful for what you wish for!
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, pigeon mess is an eyesore and can cause fungal infection of the lungs if it dries out and the dust is in-halec.
But pigeons are NOT the flying rats carrying all sorts of diseases that many people believe...it's a myth that becomes a belief with telling and re-telling.
Be careful what you wish for: pigeons are attracted to Brigg's shopping because there is a plentiful supply of food little that the pigeons can exploit. People are the culprits that attract pigeons, so there has to be a clamp-down on the town's litter problem.
As it stands now, apart from the conventrated poo problems, pigeons are actually devouring much of the food that would otherwise be sought after by the rat population.
Removing pigeons from the equation without tackling the food little problem will encourage the town's rat population to increase..a much more diseased-ridden animal.
Eradicate food litter and pigeons will find another location to forage.
Having said that, to reduce the pigeon population in a town centre one has to think outside the box.
Culling, or trapping them for removal to another location only means that some feral pigeons will escape and survive and pigeon population will recover in a couple of seasons..and one ends up with having to repeat the process every couple of years.
The only proven method of reducing feral pigeon populations from town centres is to offer them an alternative to live, breed and eat.
A dovecote with nesting boxes located in a convenient site away from the town centre has been used very successfully in towns in Europe and elsewhere.
If someone feeds them in the dovecote location, there is no need to forage somewhere else.
Population control of such flocks can be further controlled by having access to their nesting boxes and eggs being removed during the breeding season.
But the priority is to tackle the food litter problem; if you just remove the feral pigeons, expect a growth in the number of rats...and then you may feel the pigeons were the choice to have...