Water fountains found in parks or in a home landscape are perfect gathering areas for pigeons. Even though you may like bird watching, pigeons carry such diseases as West Nile virus; histoplasmosis, a fungal disease which affects the lungs; psittacosis, a bacterial disease that mimics pneumonia; and cryptococcosis, a respiratory disease of the lungs which can on occasion lead to meningitis. So as to protect yourself and your family members, you are going to have to keep pigeons away from the own fountain by implementing many different strategies.
Eliminate any sources of food. Never leave pet food outdoors and clean up pet waste in a timely manner. All garbage cans should be secured with a lid, and bird feeders should be removed. Pigeons are scavengers and will eat anythingelse. In case you have a vegetable garden or berry tree, you’ll have to secure them around them to keep the pigeons out.
Take down any pigeon nests on the property. Wear rubber gloves, and dispose of the nests at a trash bag. This may discourage pigeons from returning and laying eggs.
Lay porcupine wires — wires using small spikes sticking out of these — across the edges of the fountain, and around any beams or ledges near the fountain. This will prevent the pigeons from having a place to roost. Once the pigeons have moved on, you can get rid of the porcupine wires.
Decide on a life-sized falcon copy in, on or around the fountain. Pigeons are scared of predators. Pigeons are smart, however, which means you’ll want to move the falcon every couple of days in order to keep fooling them.
Surround the exterior of your fountain using naphthalene flakes. Pigeons do not like the odor that’s emitted from these types of flakes, so that it makes for an excellent deterrent. Naphthalene flakes are the main component found in mothballs. They can be purchased online or in retail stores.
Install a noisemaker near your fountain. This may scare the pigeons and lead them to fly off. You can use a motion-sensored noisemaker or play a CD of predator sounds.