Have you been seeing more and more pigeons on your balcony as of late? Even if you like birds, it’s not going to be pleasant to have a bunch of pigeons on your balcony.
These birds can make a mess on your balcony, and you don’t want to have to clean up bird poop all the time. Is there anything that you can do to keep the pigeons at bay so you won’t need to worry any longer?
Keep reading to learn how to keep pigeons off of your balcony. After reading the advice below, it should be a lot easier to keep them from bugging you.
Are Pigeons Dangerous?
Pigeons aren’t necessarily dangerous, but you don’t want to have them around either. It’s very unlikely that you have anything to fear from a pigeon as far as being worried about one attacking you.
However, this doesn’t mean that pigeons don’t pose other threats. The biggest concern when it comes to pigeons is having to worry about zoonotic diseases that can be transferred to humans.
These are dirty birds that poop all over things, and you don’t want to breathe that stuff in. If a pigeon has pooped all over your balcony, then it’s going to be wise to clean it up right away.
It’s also worth noting that pigeon poop is corrosive and can cause damage to things. The acidic nature of pigeon droppings could cause damage to your balcony over time, and you want to prevent that if possible.
Be sure to clean up pigeon droppings, and wear a mask while doing so to keep yourself protected. Hopefully, the methods for keeping pigeons off your balcony listed below will do the trick for you.
1 – Cover the Balcony in Insulation Wire
Pigeons won’t want to land on your balcony if you make it uncomfortable for them to do so. This is why getting some insulation wire is going to be a useful trick here.
You can wrap insulation wire around the balcony to keep pigeons from landing on the rails. They’re usually going to want to perch on the rails, but they won’t bother if there is a bunch of insulation wiring wrapped around them.
This might seem a bit annoying to have to do, but it will do the trick if you’re willing to go to the trouble. Of course, it would make it less pleasant for you to use the balcony as well since you wouldn’t have as easy of a time holding the rails or leaning on them.
Some people will wrap an old slinky around the rails to keep pigeons from landing on them. If you have some old toys such as this, then it will work just as well as insulation wiring.
2 – Anti-Roosting Spikes
There is another product that works similarly that will keep pigeons from wanting to land on your rails. You can buy anti-roosting spikes that will make it so pigeons won’t want to go anywhere near your balcony.
You can place these along the rails without it being too big of a deal. It limits the space that pigeons can utilize for roosting, and it might make them not want to bother.
The idea here is the same as using insulation wire, but these anti-roosting spikes are nice for a few reasons. They are durable and long-lasting so that you can keep using them, and you don’t really notice them when looking at your house or apartment from a distance.
These spikes won’t harm the aesthetic appeal of your balcony all that much, but they will deter pigeons from hanging out there. They aren’t too expensive either, and this means that they could be a good solution for you.
3 – Decoys
One idea is to place a decoy on your balcony so that pigeons will be too afraid to want to go near it. For example, you could place a decoy of an animal that would be scary to the pigeons.
Many choose to use owl decoys because pigeons have a natural fear of owls. Even something such as a ceramic owl could work well to keep pigeons from coming to your balcony.
It’s possible that the pigeons will grow wise to your rouse after some time, though. You can try to keep tricking the pigeons by changing the position of your decoy every so often, but this might not work forever.
Even so, it’s worth a shot and it isn’t going to take much effort to place a decoy on your balcony. If you have something that you could use as a decoy, then you can give it a go.
You can buy owl decoys that are specifically meant to deter birds as well. If you wish to spend a little cash, then you could buy a really good owl decoy; thankfully, they aren’t that pricey.
4 – Ultrasound Pigeon Repellers
Sound can be utilized to scare pigeons away when you aren’t around. This actually works really well, and you don’t have to worry about disturbing the neighbors either.
You see, it’s possible to buy ultrasound pigeon repellers that play predator noises that can’t be heard by human ears. Pigeons will be able to hear the sounds, though, and they’ll be too scared to get anywhere near your balcony.
Many of the modern ultrasound devices that do this allow you to mix quite a few pre-recorded sounds. This should make it seem very natural so that the pigeons won’t catch on.
You can just leave this on for hours each day to keep pigeons away, and it should give you very good results. Many people use this method while they’re away at work so that they don’t come home to a balcony full of pigeons.
5 – Make a Pigeon Repellent Spray
Making a pigeon repellent spray is something that you could try as well. There are a few different ways that you can go about doing this, but whether this will be a practical solution or not is up to you.
Some pigeon repellent sprays make use of predator urine so that pigeons will stay away. Sometimes concentrated urine is used in these sprays, but there are also chemical recreations of predator urine that work.
The problem with this is that you’ll have to spray the balcony with it, and it’ll only work for a short time. It’ll wash away once it rains, and this might seem like a waste of your money.
When you combine that with the fact that most people won’t want their balconies to smell like urine, the spray idea might not be for you. Homemade pigeon repellent sprays might be a bit better, though.
You can make a mixture of chili pepper water with a little bit of vinegar to keep pigeons away. Spraying it on the rails will irritate the pigeon’s feet, and this will make it want to stay away.
Finally, another pigeon repellent idea is to use a type of gel. There is a bird repellent gel on the market that you can place on surfaces, and pigeons will avoid landing on it again because of how inconvenient it is for them.
6 – Get Rid of Food and Water Sources
Another thing to consider is that pigeons usually stop at places that are convenient for them. They want to stop by places where they can easily get some water, and they’ll also be attracted to food.
If you’re leaving trash or other things such as that out on your balcony, then that’s going to attract pigeons. When you wish to keep pigeons off of your balcony, it’s going to be best to get rid of any food and water sources that pigeons could utilize.
Are there water puddles on your balcony that pigeons might want to use? Take the time to dry them up so that pigeons won’t want to go near the balcony.
Do you keep plants outside that birds could feed on? Maybe you should find a better place for them so that the pigeons won’t mess with them.
7 – Place Reflective Surfaces on the Balcony
Reflective surfaces can help to keep pigeons away because it confuses them and disorients them. Just about anything that is capable of reflecting light will work here, and you can even just hang up some old CDs.
Many people choose to hang aluminum foil strips on their balconies to deter pigeons from coming around. This should work well to keep them away, and it’s not going to cost you much money at all.
Even something as simple as hanging little mirrors outside should do the trick. Foil balloons could also work really nicely.
The only annoyance about doing this on your balcony is that you might not wish to have so many things dangling on the balcony. It could limit the utility of your balcony a bit, but it might be a necessary sacrifice so that you can use the balcony without having to worry about pigeons.
8 – Use Nets
Nets could keep pigeons from landing on your balcony as well, but how easy this will be to pull off depends on your balcony. People often use netting to keep pigeons away from plants, but it could be used to keep pigeons away from a balcony as well.
The basic idea is to install netting that would wrap around the balcony. It allows you to enjoy the balcony, but you won’t have pigeons trying to land and mess with things any longer.
Potential issues with this method include it being hard to get a net that works for your balcony and feeling that it obstructs your view. Some people might think that having a net on the balcony harms the aesthetic appeal of the balcony as well.
If you want to use this idea, then you’ll want to think things through beforehand. It isn’t a bad idea, but it isn’t a solution that will make sense for everyone.
Depending on the size of your balcony, it might not even be practical. Luckily, there are many other options to consider if you don’t think this will work out for you.
What About Killing or Trapping Pigeons?
Some people turn their attention to wanting to get rid of the pigeons entirely. While it’s understandable that you would want to get rid of pests, it’s not always so simple.
You see, killing pigeons is going to be illegal in many places, and it’s inhumane to go around killing birds. There are certainly ways that you could kill pigeons, but it could wind up being dangerous for other wildlife as well.
To add to this, you don’t want to get in trouble with local authorities. If you’ve been thinking of killing pigeons using various methods, then you should likely stop that thought process now.
Trapping pigeons might be legal in certain places, but you will need to look up local laws. You can buy bird traps and try to trap pigeons so that you can relocate them.
Assuming that it’s legal to do this in your area, it might be possible to trap the pigeon and then drive it to a faraway location where it can’t bother you any longer. The issue with this is that pigeons are pretty good at finding their way back.
To get the best results, it’s recommended to drive a pigeon several miles away, but that won’t always work either. Also, it could be impractical to do this since your pigeon woes likely include many pigeons and not just one or two.
Enjoy Your Balcony
Now that you know more about your options, it should be much easier to keep pigeons off of your balcony. It’s annoying to have to deal with pigeons, but at least there are many things that you can do to keep them away.
Some of these methods might be more practical than others, and you’ll be able to narrow down which ones make sense for your situation. Once you’ve figured things out, it’ll be possible to just enjoy your balcony again.
Pigeons might not be aggressive, but this doesn’t mean that they aren’t a nuisance. Do what you can to protect your balcony from pigeons and things will be so much more peaceful in your home.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard.