How to Trap a Pigeon
Trapping is a great option for a few pigeons, but doesn't work as well for many pigeons unless you combine exclusion devices and the trapping cage. The goal is to remvoe all of the pigeons from a single space, and ensure that no more pigeons or invasive birds like starlings can re-enter the space and start the process over again.
Trapping a Small Number of Pigeons
Bait and set you trap according to the manufacturer's instructions. If it is a live trap, you will have trapped a live pigeon in a short amount of time. Pigeons are not very smart and almost always hungry. This is a bad combination for these nuisance birds, and their stomach does them in every time. Make sure that you are not using a kill trap if it is illegal in your area or you are not prepared to deal with the remains of a dead bird. In all fairness, it is actualyl much easier to set a live pigeon free than it is to kill it, and it's exponentially more humane to live trap.
Trapping a Large Number of Pigeons
Large numbers of pigeons will have completely infested an area and made it difficult to set and bait traps inside their living space. When our technicians take jobs involving hundreds of invasive birds, they begin doing as much exclusion possible before moving on towards the trapping. In most cases, the exclusion materials used will help to drive the pigeons or other bird species into a trap that can be emptied as it becomes full, slowly removing all the birds from the affected area. Once the nuisance creatures are completly excluded, cleanup work can begin.
Cleaning Up After a Trapping
While you might think your job is done once you've trapped and released over a hundred pigeons, you've really just started. The amount of damage caused by a large volume of pigeon nesting is extremely high, not to mention the gallons of bleach you will need to remove the feces and properly sanitize the area. Areas that cannot be sanitized or are too damaged to remain behind will need to be replaced and discarded to stop the spread of bacteria and disease. If your pigeon problem is too large for you to handle, give your local wildlife managment professional a call for a free inspection and estimate.