By Carol Bradley
Have you ever seen pigeons nesting and revolving around power plants?
Pigeons reside there in such a big number that sometimes it makes us think
as if the very first reason for building these power plants is to provide a
rent-free residence to these homeless birds. And if we have a keen look at
the sight around the power plants, it supports this thinking a lot. A source
of water, fields with grains, open-air, greenery all around, how come
pigeons won't get attracted to such sights?
Damages Caused by Unwanted Guests
Pigeons may consider power plants an ideal place to live, but it is a
nuisance for us. Their droppings cause many problems, such as corrosion and
deterioration of the power plant structure. These droppings can contaminate
sensitive and expensive equipment at power plants. And it results in
high-cost frequent maintenance cycles along with loss of production.
Moreover, they can cause safety hazards, too, by causing slip and fall due
to their feces.
Therefore, it is important to
get rid of pigeons near power plants. There are many known methods of getting rid of pigeons, but each of them
has certain limitations, and we have to decide what method will work the
best for us, keeping in mind both factors; the cost and the effectiveness.
Why Poisoning is Not a Good Option
Poisoning is not a good option because it may harm other animals and birds
also, not only by eating the poisoned food but also by eating poisoned dead
pigeons, and this may go up the food chain. If we talk about the results,
poisoning may ensure the removal of pigeons for a short time, but this
removal is soon compensated by the new birds because they reproduce very
fast. Moreover, to see pigeons convulsing is not easy. Another shortcoming
of poisoning is that the dead pigeons will cause a lot of problems. And if
their dead bodies become trapped in machinery, it will be very difficult to
get them out. So poisoning is not an appropriate way in this case.
Birth control
Pigeons reproduce at a very fast rate. So, a decline in the population of
pigeons can be an important parameter. Birth controlling pills like
OvoControl P and others can be helpful in managing their population. These
pills and additives are added to the pigeons' food. When a female eats this
food, her eggs lose the ability to fertilize. A 50% decline has been
observed by using such food additives.
This method may take a longer time to show results, but it has been proved
to be the most effective one in the long run.
Bushing and Conductor Covers
Power plants have some very sensitive equipment. This type of machinery, if
not kept safe from intruders like pigeons, may result in serious damages.
Therefore, make sure all such points are covered carefully with insulators
to avoid any hazard.
Bushing and Conductor Covers
Power plants have some very sensitive equipment. This type of machinery, if
not kept safe from intruders like pigeons, may result in serious damages.
Therefore, make sure all such points are covered carefully with insulators
to avoid any hazard.
Trapping
It is better to entrap pigeons than to kill them. Bird trappers are easily
available in the market. They can be installed easily everywhere and can be
customized according to one's needs. Trapped pigeons can easily be sent to
any nearby forest. Hence, using live traps to catch the pigeons and then
carefully disposing of them is a useful and efficient method of getting rid
of pigeons from the surroundings of power plants.
Ultrasonic bird repellents
Although pigeon trappers are good, there is a demerit. A large number of
trappers will be required to cover the whole power plant. So, modern
technology helps us here. Scientists have come up with a convenient
device. It is called "Ultrasonic bird repeller." It uses high-pitched,
ultrasonic sound waves that are very irritating to birds and so for
pigeons. But it is silent to almost all humans, and that is one of its
salient features.
In addition, there are other audio and visual devices that can be used to
scare pigeons.
Pigeon spikes and nails
Pigeon spikes, nails, or glass pieces should be placed on flat places and
shelves, where pigeons land and stay. These sharp things keep pigeons from
landing and gaining a foothold. But these are only useful for flat surfaces.
These things cannot be used on wires, pipes, etc.
Destroying the nests
You should be careful about the pigeons' nests. Once you get some pigeons
with their nests, you are going to face problems. So we must remove all
nests to avoid pigeons. It will result in a decline in their growth and
their gathering in the work area.
