Pigeons are driving me crazy

 We always have pigeons on our allotment site in South Manchester,and
all plotholders net their brassicas and peas to keep them out.This
year they have also been eating lettuce seedlings,particularly green
varieties,and stripping red,white and blackcurrants while they are
still green.They have even been nibbling my ruby chard.
Does anyone know why pigeons are particularly numerous and active at
the moment,and has anyone come up with an alternative and effective
deterrent to complete netting?
The combination of drought and pigeon attack is making one or two
allotment holders giving up.
Michael

 "michael"  wrote

Firstly, are you sure it's all pigeons? Not mice/rats/rabbits also joining
in having a feed? We have them all on our site.
I say that as whilst brassicas are a favourite food source of pigeons I've
never seen them have a go at peas (once grown) or currents, but mice will.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

 
Over the weekend, I put some temporary netting around various branches
of my heaving little Stella cherry tree to make it more difficult for
birds to get at them.  These tasty cherries are at that annoying stage
of being not quite ripe enough to eat, but irresistible to birds.  (One
tree's contents had already been sacrificed.  It went from being covered
in cherries to having 2 left in the time it took to blink, I think).

Anyway, I got back from work yesterday and there were three pigeons
attacking the tree in a way I've not seen pigeons act before.  Usually,
eg, with a feeder in the tree, they wait underneath for spillage.
However, as they couldn't land properly on the cherry branches, they
were almost hovering, touching down and straight off again, ripping
cherries off.

Looks like more substantial protection is called for next year:(

I don't mind the blackbirds raiding my blueberries, but I draw the line
at feeding already overweight pigeons.

--
regards   andyw

 
I just wonder if you could have a pheasant there, they will go for
lettuce before anything else, they go for the hearts, whilst pigeons
go for cabbage starting with the outside leaves

 
Do you know, there's a delicious food called pigeon, and I don't think it's
a coincidence.

Know anyone with an air rifle?