Deterring Mourning Doves

[Anonymous Poster]

My problem is this: neighbor has a gazillion bird feeders which attract mourning doves. These doves lunch at her place then come perch and deficate on my privacy fence. I am cleaning this fence on a weekly basis now, and getting sick of it. I have tried foil strips and a fake snake as deterrants, to no avail. HELP! Thanks!

 

[TonyC]

I've heard that owl decoys work well but I have never had the need to try it myself.

 

[wasabi]

12 guage. even if you don't hit 'em, they won't feel very settled around the noise. (may also apply to neighbors)

 

[chim]

When we got a new car last Fall, it took over a slot in the garage, and Wifey's wagon began to spend some time outside. This Spring, the wagon began to get plastered with birdcrap bigtime. The attached photo shows deposits made in ONE DAY. Wifey saw a robin sit on the sideview mirror and let loose. Then another, and another at various times of the day. #3 Son began to have the same problems with his car. For whatever reason, my truck escaped the bombing runs. Wifey and #3 Son tied plastic bags on the mirrors, went out and shooed the bird away - all to no avail.

Now the last critter that Wifey killed was a pheasant back when we were dating in '68, but she asked me to leave a loaded gun handy when I left for work. She wanted a real gun, but settled for a red dot sight temporarily mounted on the pellet rifle. A couple days later when I came home from work, Wifey told me #3 Son managed to pick off a robin earlier that day. That was it - end of problem. No more mess. I can't imagine one bird could do what was happening to our cars, but we've had no more problems since that one robin went away...........................chim

 

[MDNY]

Txsgrl,

I know what you mean about mourning doves, but grackles are allot worse. You could consider us the neighbor next door, only that the birds do their bidding on our balcony and my wife works hard to keep it clean. Morning doves are very easily scared off, but will return shortly there after. I would try the mechanical owls that are motion activated, they will scare them off.

I doubt a shot gun (depending on your community rules) will help much. Once we move to the country this fall when our house is complete I will enjoy have the feeders farther out so they don't do their biz on our deck.

You could also try the motion activated sprinklers that will keep them away as well. Try the mail order catalog Plow & Hearth.

 

[beenthere]

I can relate to that. Had a similar problem with a robin, wanting to fly onto a bay window, fluttering up and down as it white-washed the window. A real mess, as yours was. Scared it away, hung tinsel, cans, flagging, etc. and could not discourage it. Finally the shotgun approach. No more problem that year, but one came back the next. Must have been the next of kin. One more shell, and no problem for the last 3-4 years. Hopefully that bad gene is gone forever.

 

[MossRoad]

Sometimes a thin wire stretched about 2 inches along the top of the fence makes it too hard for them to land, so they go elswhere. Two wires about an inch apart, one positive and one negative, hooked to an electric fencer works well too, if you don't mind pulling bird legs off of the wires.

 

[mbsil]

Go to Tractor Supply or your local hardware store and get a LARGE plastic owl. Keeps away everything but hawks and eagles. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thx for the suggestions--going to TSC and get one of those owls--hope it does the trick!

 

[BB_TX]

Saw an owl just last weekend with a head that moves (rotates). Battery operated I guess, didn't pay much attention. I was in several stores and forgot where I saw it. (CRS /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif) Home Depot I think.

 

[dourobob]

In our local town some of the shop keepers are using a strip with semi-rigid plastic spikes to deter pigeons from nesting on window ledges - I am not sure who the supplier is but the strips look like they are about three or four inches wide and have 3 to 4 inch plastic spikes (about the size of a sturdy toothpick) randomly distributed. Seems to discourage the birds from landing and I believe they are clear plastic so you can hardly see them. Might keep those doves off your fence.

Bob

 

[TBone]

The problem with decoys is that the birds soon figure out they are fake. I tried everything to keep them from roosting on my deck and finally (at the suggestion of several of the good folks here at TBN) I got a cat - PROBLEM SOLVED.

We went to the local animal rescue league and got a spayed female, the biggest pet you ever saw and started feeding her on the deck. She later tried to take my favorite easy chair but that's another story.

The second day we had her we found a big pile of grey feathers on the deck and a very full cat. The fifth day we had her we found the same thing. The birds wised up fast and haven't been back! Now the cat thinks she's earned a spot in my recliner.

TBone

 

[Alan L.]

Are you sure those aren't pigeons? I was thinking that mourning doves were migratory, and don't stay in one place very long.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

<<<Are you sure those aren't pigeons? I was thinking that mourning doves were migratory, and don't stay in one place very long. >>>

Well, you're right, they aren't mourning doves (I looked them up), but they're definately some type of dove (white-wing or ground?), not pigeons.


Searched high & low for an owl today, couldn't find a one. A cat is not an option, guess I'll try some type of wire or line. I read something about hanging cd's, anyone have success with this method?

 

[patrickg]

About those fake owls... Maybe the motion ones will work. My mom has two non-motion owls from her previous situation. To get them out of her new house she stuck them on top of fence posts not far from the bird feeders. Don't know what they keep away but it isn't goldfinches, grackles, cardinals, redwinged blackbirds, mockingbirds, killdeer, or a host of others. Doesn't seem to bother the hummingbirds or the crows either. Random ultrasonics might work as the birds hearing covers the near ultrasonic range. I have used the units for dogs and cats with great success but didn't note bird reactions. Tanglefoot works well and isn't real expensive and isn't a bio-hazzard. If you were a falconer that would solve the problem. Maybe a homebrew pulse LASER.

Patrick

 

[chim]

An update. It's been a little over a year since the robin episode. Just within the past couple weeks, the problem returned. This time, both Wifey's car and my truck were getting plastered. This happened on the passenger side of both vehicles only. We park with the front of the vehicles pointed West, so for some reason it looks like birds prefer to crap on the North side of the vehicles around here.

Sunday afternoon I came up the driveway to see our little feathered friend take off from the mirror on Wifey's car. When I parked the truck, I angled it a bit so the passenger side mirrors of both vehicles would be visable from one spot inside the garage. With the garage doors open, I took a position in the garage and pumped up the pellet gun. About two minutes passed, and the bird lamded on Wifey's car on the mirror, then made a short flight to the pickup's toolbox. There he made a number of unsuccessful attempts to fly through the back window. Next, he made a short (and final) flight to the truck's mirror. A squeeze of the trigger, the gun went "PHHHTT", and that particular bird went away.

Can't figure out why it's so attractive for birds to sit on the mirrors and crap all over the car door. Now two years in a row, they singled out our place......................chim

 

[TerryinMD]

We have had a similar problem with Cardinals for about three years - up until last year. Stupid male Cardinal decided that he needed to fight off that other male Cardinal in the mirror. He liked my Dodge Ram and the wife's Windstar. Got rid of the Dodge Ram last December and we have not been bothered at all this year.

So either the Cardinal loved my Ram or he met his maker. Either way, we do not have the problem any more.

Terry