A Methodist church in Hampshire reported serious problems with pigeons in 2017. A flock of between 60 and 80 pigeons had made the church their home, attracted in part by a pond next to the church where members of the public left bread to feed the wildfowl.
Pigeons can cause a variety of problems for old buildings. Their faeces can erode masonry and block guttering that can then lead to water ingress. In addition, compacted droppings are also the perfect harbourage for meal worm beetles, textile beetles and moths, which then find their way into the church and cause damage to precious items. Finally, guano on the pathways around the church and pond has created a slipping hazard.
Bird netting had been installed previously but it was not in a good condition and birds were often caught in it. This had led to members of the public complaining to the church.
Cleankill was called in to survey the site and submit a quote to the church and local authority. Once approval was received, a team of four was dispatched the site for three days.
Initially, the team worked on removing the existing netting and pigeon excrement. In total, between 60 and 70 sacks were removed from the site. A particular challenge was the site’s pitched and flat rooves, and so a 53-metre hoist was hired to complete the work safely.
New netting was then expertly fitted using support posts and properly tensioned wires. Tension is critical with netting as, if it is incorrect, it may not do its job or survive storms, thereby exacerbating the problem. Bird spikes and wire were then fitted to ledges to discourage the pigeons from landing and mesh was fitted in the hopperhead to prevent birds nesting.
The customer was extremely happy with the work that was carried out and reported that the pigeons were no longer roosting on the church.
2023 update
Cleankill Sales Manager Mike Williamson recently visited the site and found that the netting was still working effectively. The pigeons were displaced from the church but have decided to use a local tree. This is quite unusual and so it could be assumed the lure of the easy food around the pond was too great for them to completely abandon the site.