Pigeons

[Bluebell]

The pigeons visiting the garden have multiplied very noticeably in the past three years. Unfortunately, they 've decimated most of the flowering buds of the two philadelphus shrubs, again, leaving bare branches. Six were in one of the shrubs and eight in another when I went out into the garden just now, . Is there anyway one can stop these vermin from causing so much damage, and depositing so much 'Waste?'I absolutely loathe seeing them destroying the shrubs in ever increasing numbers.

[slinkycat]

An air rifle? Seriously considered it when I discovered that the two pigeons we get in our garden had reduced my newly planted purple sprouting to little more than stumps, and were starting on the cabbages by the time I saw them!
I've hung some old CD's on string suspended between canes, not very pretty but the pigeons haven't been back to that part of the garden since.
Not sure if that would be practical in the case of orange blossoms, if they are quite large ones, but not sure what else to suggest!

[Bluebell]

Thank you slinkycat. I've just been talking to a neighbour whose garden is beautiful, and last year he painted some plastic bottles with red spray paint, and wired them on to very long beans poles. He stuck them in the ground near his plum tree, which the wretched pigeons had stripped for the past three years. Result? A wonderful crop of plums, and not a pigeon in sight. Apparently birds associate the colour red with fire, which they hate, so won't go near. I always thougt birds were colour blind, but it could be worth giving this a try. It worked for Jim! He hasn't had any pigeons this year either....probably because they're all in my garden!