In my new home in Grenoble, it’s the pigeons that give me my morning wakeup call. In the very recent past when I was still living in Gometz-le-Chatel, it was the crowing of my neighbour’s rooster that got me out of the bed.
The early pigeon wakeup calls are really up-close-and-personal. Throaty, rumbling cooing noise emanates from the balcony of my bedroom, two metres away from my bed. Our balcony double glazed French door is definitely not sound proof. The combination of early summer sunrises and noise from the pigeons is definitely not conducive to getting my needed beauty sleep.
Unvited guests enjoying the view from our balcony
One of the main reasons we are renting this apartment is the views from its two balconies, one facing the northwest and the other northeast. From our sixth and last floor, the balconies give us an expansive view of the two massifs in the Isère territoy where Grenoble is based. The smaller balcony of the living room allows us to appreciate the Vercors Massif in the west while the other one gives us the view of Chartreuse Massif in the north. From the bigger balcony, if we stretch our neck a bit, we catch a glimpse of the Alpes mountains on a clear day.
We are not the only beings that appreciate the mountainous landscape from the balconies. The pigeons too. At any one time, we can see one, two or even three of these plump, short-legged birds perching on the handrail of the balcony railing, or strutting leisuring on the balcony at different times of the day. Of course, these uninvited guests tend to leave some personal stuff behind: at best, a feather or two; at worst, droppings.
Balcony squatters
My husband has been living in this apartment for the past year while I only three weeks ago. We always say that we will clean up the balcony so that we can use the space under the eaves as storage and also to place pots of plants. One of our concerns is the uninvited flying guests. We know that we have to find some ways to deter the pigeons from dropping by. Until now, it’s all talk and we have not taken any actions. However, concrete actions are needed now. Two mornings ago, the morning after we got back from a week’s stay in Romania, my husband discovered a pigeon lying in a nest, built on top of a cardboard packing box of cushions on the balcony.
We have only recently moved from our big house in the Parisian suburb to the small apartment in Grenoble and are struggling with storage space. As such, we have left an unsealed bulky box of cushions on the balcony under the eave, covered with an old blanket to prevent the cushions from getting dirtied by pigeons and dust. The welcome shade from the eave and the cushiony surface must have attracted the attention of a male pigeon (seems that it’s the duty of the male that picks the site of the nest) to build his nest chez moi.
I was out on my morning run when my husband first discovered the nest. He told me that he tried to scare the pigeon away by making various noises but the pigeon wasn’t intimated. He also waved a mop in front of the intruder which temporarily got it out of the nest, for a few seconds, before swooping back to the nest. It was around then I got back from running, dripping with sweat. My husband made another move with the mop; the pigeon didn’t return this time round—it was perhaps more intimated by two human beings. With the pigeon absent, my husband took down the rug from the packing box of cushions. We saw a nest which seemed to be made of twigs and straws. Pigeon droppings and short white feathers were scattered around the nest.
We decided to just throw away the rug with the nest. We had no plans to habour a family of pigeons. Other than the above-mentioned reasons that explain our adverse attitude towards pigeons, there are also the health issues. These feral birds are infamous to spread diseases through their droppings. In addition, who knows what deadly tiny creatures are lodged in the nest.
Soon after the nest was removed, I saw some pigeons loitering on the balcony. The pigeons looked almost identical to me: I had no idea if it was the pigeon couple or other pigeons. Yet, I could imagine the pigeon couple being distressed for not finding their home on their return…
Grenoble's regulations on pigeons
Pigeons is a common sight in many public spaces in cities. Flocks of pigeons often gather in parks or squares where they are often fed by the residents. To prevent the spread of pigeon-related diseases, people are strongly discouraged from feeding. In Grenoble, it is actually illegal to feed pigeons. In 2005, the city of Grenoble issued a decree that forbids the feeding of stray animals in public places and and private areas such as private lanes and courtyards. It would seem that the proliferation of pigeons was already a problem back then because pigeons were actually explicitly mentioned in the decree.
In addition, the decree states that it’s the responsibility of building owners and managers of public spaces to ensure that openings are fenced off to prevent pigeons from entering and building nests. I assume exclusion barriers would include installation of spikes, wires and nettings. I haven’t seen any of such contraptions installed on any residential properties in my neighbourhood. Honestly, for apartment residents, who will install such devices to ruin the aesthetic aspect of the apartment? I don’t want to enjoy my massifs through a netting.
A less invasive way (to humans) to deter pigeons is through visual, auditory and olfactory harassment. Pigeons are sensitive to loud noises, bright lights, shiny, reflective objects, and strong spicy scents. Inexpensive easily accessible items that deter the pigeons can be installed on the balcony. Items include wind chimes, colourful pinwheels, hanging CDs, and spices such as black pepper and chili powder.
I think that’s what we will do after we scrub the balcony squeak clean with chlorine bleach: buy a wind chime and some colourful pinwheels. It will definitely be a sight to behold as a breeze passes through: the swaying wind chimes accompanied by the tingling melody and a row of colourful spinning pinwheels.