Strings & chimes to keep pigeons away | Bengaluru News
At Sobha Indraprastha in Rajajinagar, a luxurious swimming pool situated on the 37th floor turned out to be a comfortable perching spot for pigeons. They would rest on the ledges, splash in the pool water, and poop all over the place leading to contamination of water and unsanitary conditions.
When the menace became unmanageable, Arun Kalra, a resourceful former management committee member of the apartment complex, doubled up as the Pied Piper, devising a clever solution.
“We started using a thin string across the pool that would throw the pigeons off balance. The birds sensed danger and stopped hanging around the poolside,” says Arun, 48, a businessman. “And it has come with zero cost,” he says.
Pigeons also visit the complex’s balconies. So residents are installing meshes. “Higher floors offer a brilliant view of Bengaluru. However, people are compromising on this due to excessive droppings and health risks from pigeon excrement,” Arun says.
Bengaluru has witnessed significant loss of green cover in recent times resulting in a proliferation of pigeons in high-rise buildings. Urban development caused a significant decline in predator numbers, which in turn has led to an alarming increase in pigeon population across the city. “When the green cover depletes, it results in undesirable consequences,” notes Sadhana Hegde, founder of the non-profit Sahavarthin Animal Welfare Trust. “When the green cover is appropriate and has the right combination of fruit and flower-bearing trees, other predatory birds like hawks, vultures, owls, and crows will come to the city. They control the population of pigeons. Also, more trees means less nesting on buildings. It also means less scavenging on garbage,” she explains.
At Godrej Nurture in Electronics City, shiny surfaces are being used as a deterrent method. “We use CDs to keep pigeons away,” says Swetlina Rai, a former MC member.
Wind chimes also prove useful in deterring them. However, some residents report sleep disturbances caused by the resonating sounds of chimes in their apartments during night. Swetlina suggests that wind chimes are better suited for outdoor spaces.
Spikes didn’t help
Shekar Prabhakar, a resident of Sobha Opal, tried using spikes – plastic needle-like protrusions – on ledges to deter pigeons, but it proved ineffective. The birds simply found alternative spots where spikes couldn’t be installed. “The spikes weren’t visually appealing either,” Shekar recalls.
Shekar has found pigeon nets with square holes of 1×1 inch to be the most effective solution. But don’t nets compromise the view? “To some extent, yes. But we can still enjoy the sunset from our balcony,” he says, adding, “Most people do not use the balcony extensively.”
Shekar would watch how the pigeons responded to the nets. “The nets left them confused. They hovered around for a while and flew away. And they never returned.”
Initially, some residents expressed concerns about the building’s appearance and potential decline in property values. However, the overall outcome proved beneficial. “The absence of bird droppings has enhanced the building’s aesthetics. Also, future exterior painting costs will be reduced since there is no longer a need to remove accumulated bird droppings before applying fresh paint,” says Shekar.
NETS ARE THE BEST SOLUTION
I initially hesitated to install nets on the balcony for aesthetic reasons. One day, Sandy, my Cavachon puppy happened to lick pigeon droppings from the balcony. Her pee mat in the bathroom was drenched in blood. The puppy had bloody diarrhoea after consuming pigeon droppings.
The veterinarians diagnosed it as poisoning and administered strong IV treatment. It took Sandy many weeks to recover. After this incident, I got protective nets installed on both balconies and windows.
Ranjitha Dinesh, FORMER PRESIDENT, PRESTIGE CASABELLA, NEELADRI ROAD
Feeding pigeons and attracting them into human dwellings should not be encouraged. Exposure to pigeon droppings – through close proximity, cleaning the cages, and even bird watching – can cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
The result is initially an inflamed angry lung tissue which results in cough, chest pain and breathlessness. Over time, the damage becomes chronic in nature. The result is the repair process in the lungs gets affected, which leads to fibrosis of the lungs and reduction of the tensile strength of the lungs. Lungs become rigid, and a thickened membrane prevents oxygen from getting in. This is at times irreversible. It is heartening to note that many residential welfare associations are using bird nets to keep the pigeons away.
Dr Satyanarayana Mysore, HOD, RESPIRATORY MEDICINE, MANIPAL HOSPITAL, OLD AIRPORT ROAD
Though I am a bird lover, I find it very difficult to love pigeons as they are absolutely destructive. They destroy my plants without even the intention to consume anything. They poop everywhere. Though several birds visit my balcony, I have not found any of them being as pest-like. Despite this, I do leave water for pigeons.
In apartments, they tend to invade all common spaces. When people feed them regularly in common spaces, they don’t see the amount of cleaning the support staff have to do. Also, pigeons have become so invasive that other birds seem to have reduced in numbers.
Meera Nair, ENVIRONMENTALIST AND RESIDENT, SPRINGFIELD APARTMENTS, SARJAPUR ROAD
Nature is a good leveller, and it has been teaching us lessons, but we are ignoring the same.
For now, citizens can hang nests around their houses away from their buildings, clear garbage around their properties, and feed the birds away from human settlements.
Sadhana Hegde, FOUNDER OF SAHAVARTHIN ANIMAL WELFARE TRUST, AN NGO
The practice of feeding pigeons remains prohibited within Cubbon Park and Lalbagh.
Despite the restrictions, people continue to disregard these regulations by offering food to the birds. It draws rodents to these locations and creates risks for the vegetation.
Umesh Kumar, PRESIDENT, CUBBON PARK WALKERS’ ASSOCIATION
My wife had respiratory allergies which were particularly troublesome during morning hours.
After installing pigeon nets in our balconies, we noticed a significant improvement in her respiratory health.
Shekar Prabhakar, RESIDENT, SOBHA OPAL, AND CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, HASIRU DALA INNOVATIONS
Some communities believe that if they feed pigeons, they will be prosperous. Pigeon menace will not stop until people stop feeding them. In our apartment complex, the RWA is sending periodical advisories to the community members and trying its best to impress upon the members the ill-effects of pigeon waste on humans.
We have also covered all the ledges with nets to prevent their entry.
Vishwanath Kini, EX-PRESIDENT, DLF WESTEND HEIGHTS, RWA, AKSHAYNAGAR
Reflective surfaces failed to deter pigeons, as they quickly got used to them. The wind chimes we placed on our balcony also proved unsuccessful as a deterrent. Our current approach combines protective netting with community outreach, particularly focusing on senior citizens to raise awareness about the hazards of providing food to pigeons.
In numerous residential complexes, drain pipes are positioned at the rear of the building, typically near kitchens and utility areas. These exposed pipes become attractive perching spots for pigeons. They find these locations ideal for nesting and resting.
Partha Kundu, RESIDENT, SOBHA SILICON OASIS, HOSUR ROAD
Given the complexity of the facade, netting was found to be the most appropriate option. The implementation cost was Rs 8,000 per flat (Rs 10 lakh for the complex). The installation of pigeon nets across the entire building structure, from the uppermost level to ground floor, was executed in multiple phases.
We have five blocks. Initially, we implemented the netting on a single block as a trial. The residents were happy and it was extended to the whole complex. Other methods like strings and spikes were tried and dropped. Strings may work for small areas but not for entire facades.
Balu S Iyer, PRESIDENT, SOBHA OPAL, Jayanagar
