The local pigeons think my balcony is a rookery.  Which it was last summer, and which was fine by me, a fascinating process to watch.  The dragontree plant whose pot harbored a pigeon nest appreciated the fertilizer and ever since it has never been greener and happier.

But baby pigeons are incredibly messy until such time as they fly away.  The other pigeon nest was in the opposite balcony corner, and a conspicuous mess.  Once all the babies started walking all over the balcony pigeon poop fell everywhere.

Today I found an egg in the dragontree pot.  Population control will soon be implemented.  Not pigeon omelets on the menu.  There’s a trick I heard about from a friend who has parakeets and cockatiels.   If your pet birds lay eggs, it doesn’t help to just remove the eggs.  Birds feel compelled to try again.  Instead you carefully remove the eggs, hard-boil them, and replace them in the nest place.  The birds will follow their instincts and faithfully sit on the nest until the eggs never hatch and the urge finally fades.

That’s what I’ll try and see if it works.  That and a few flashy, hopefully scare-pigeon pinwheels positioned in the planters-!