Hello,
I'm new here, and have joined hoping for advice please!
I'm not a bird watcher as such, although we do feed the wild birds in the garden (hanging feeders, plus a bird table and bird bath), so we are very much bird/nature lovers. I am in Kent, UK.
We've had solar panels on our roof for a few years, and this year for the first time we've had pigeons take up residence underneath them. There are (I think) three nests, maybe four.
We didn't think anything of it at first, and were quite happy to have them up there, (quite like the coo-ing in fact), but now it's become clear that it's causing issues with the gutters & downpiping regularly being clogged up with pigeon poo and debris from the nests. We aren't as young as we once were, and getting up to clear the gutters isn't something we want to do often. Also, we have been told that the pigeon poo can damage the wiring & connection blocks for the panels and eventually stop them working. So, much that we like the pigeons, we really need them not to be living under the panels.
We've been researching our options over the last day or so, and have spoken to a reputable contractor who can put up bird-proof mesh round the panels. But there are nests under there which would need to be moved out first - except that we are now aware that it's not legal to move the nests if they are in use. We can't say with certainty that they are in use, but we think they must be. The gap between the roof and the panels is so small that you wouldn't be able to see if there were eggs or chicks in there without moving the nests. I feel like we are in a Catch 22 situation here!
I've read advice saying to 'discourage' them by removing their food source, but we don't want to stop feeding the other wild birds, plus several of our neighbours feed wild birds too, so even if we stopped there would still be food about.
I spoke to a wildlife rescue group yesterday for advice, who said that if we happened to move a nest and found there were chicks in there, that they could take only two (they are very full already), but that's not ideal as we would have disturbed a nest that shouldn't have been disturbed, but I can't see how we can know if the nest is active without moving it. They also told me that pigeons breed less in the colder months, so would I be better waiting until November/December to have this investigated or is there another way?
We certainly don't want to harm any pigeons or their chicks, so I don't know what to do! Any advice welcome!
I'm new here, and have joined hoping for advice please!
I'm not a bird watcher as such, although we do feed the wild birds in the garden (hanging feeders, plus a bird table and bird bath), so we are very much bird/nature lovers. I am in Kent, UK.
We've had solar panels on our roof for a few years, and this year for the first time we've had pigeons take up residence underneath them. There are (I think) three nests, maybe four.
We didn't think anything of it at first, and were quite happy to have them up there, (quite like the coo-ing in fact), but now it's become clear that it's causing issues with the gutters & downpiping regularly being clogged up with pigeon poo and debris from the nests. We aren't as young as we once were, and getting up to clear the gutters isn't something we want to do often. Also, we have been told that the pigeon poo can damage the wiring & connection blocks for the panels and eventually stop them working. So, much that we like the pigeons, we really need them not to be living under the panels.
We've been researching our options over the last day or so, and have spoken to a reputable contractor who can put up bird-proof mesh round the panels. But there are nests under there which would need to be moved out first - except that we are now aware that it's not legal to move the nests if they are in use. We can't say with certainty that they are in use, but we think they must be. The gap between the roof and the panels is so small that you wouldn't be able to see if there were eggs or chicks in there without moving the nests. I feel like we are in a Catch 22 situation here!
I've read advice saying to 'discourage' them by removing their food source, but we don't want to stop feeding the other wild birds, plus several of our neighbours feed wild birds too, so even if we stopped there would still be food about.
I spoke to a wildlife rescue group yesterday for advice, who said that if we happened to move a nest and found there were chicks in there, that they could take only two (they are very full already), but that's not ideal as we would have disturbed a nest that shouldn't have been disturbed, but I can't see how we can know if the nest is active without moving it. They also told me that pigeons breed less in the colder months, so would I be better waiting until November/December to have this investigated or is there another way?
We certainly don't want to harm any pigeons or their chicks, so I don't know what to do! Any advice welcome!