Bird scarers - problem pigeons

[toffeeman]

Have planted brocoli and sprouts this year for the first time. The brocoli looked superb until a recent savaging by some very heathy looking wood pigeons. I'm tempted to go Hugh Fernley-Whitingstall and bag them for the pot but have not got the stomach for it!. Any tips on effective bird scarers? Have seen a humming wire that can be tied above.

http://www.selections.com/GF336/birdsca ... OZ_XA5wXYi

Is it any good?

Any and all advice gratefully recieved.

[PAULW]

The only thing that really works is to net your crops from the pigeons.

[Chantal]

I generally net everything, but I do sometimes push sticks around the veg so the pigeons bump into these and can't reach. I also push in short canes and make a cats cradle of string between them and over the crop so again, the pigeons can't get near.

Sometimes I hang CDs on string which are fabulous when the sun shines as they flash all over the allotment.

All seem to work reasonably well.

[Geoff]

We have pigeons and doves but they have never attack my greens. I grow in 25'x10' beds and the greens have a 2½' windbreak round them. I think the birds like a clear take off so this deters them, much easier to work with than a full net. I might be just lucky, would be interested to know if anybody else has tried this.

[Angi]

No, I'm a netter. Over the years I've tried various scarers but none of them work. The pigeons on our site are great big fat things, afraid of no-one, so I assume they're eating other people's crops!

[WigBag]

My neighbour's crops have been attacked, mine haven't, I put it down to my defenses.
I have thin 4' whippy canes at each corner of my 10' by 4' beds plus one in the middle of the outside edge. I tie video tape at ground level and again at about 6". At the top I tie the thin plastic twine and dangle a CD in the middle of the four long lengths. Down the centre of the beds I place 3 plastic canes onto which I place green plastic bottles. These have a hole cut in the base and 'wings' cut in the sides so that they wizz around in a breeze.

I tried to show a photo of my brassica beds ( the 'size' ,computer capacity not dimensions, was rejected as too large). Its a bit of a belt and braces approach but makes a nice screen saver!!

[Chantal]

I tried that idea Geoff and it has worked brilliantly. I ring fenced my lettuce this year and not one has been touched. Sorry, forgot to mention this in my earlier list

[toffeeman]

Heard of the cd method before so I think I'll give that a go. Appreciate all the tips. Thanks