Dear Urban Diplomat: what can I do to ward off my neighbour’s pigeon pals?
Dear Urban Diplomat, I have a neighbour who scatters old bread and bird feed on her driveway for pigeons. While these winged rodents await their feeding, they drop bombs all over the sidewalk. Parents walking their kids to school have learned (the messy way) to cross the street. Short of getting out the BB gun and setting up a blind in a nearby tree, what can I do?
—Tired of This Crap, Leslieville
After raccoons and rats, pigeons are Toronto’s vilest scourge. Why we don’t have “Feed a Pigeon, Breed a Rat” signs plastered around town, like New York does, is beyond me. And yet, some people inexplicably enjoy the avian pestilence. As such, it would likely be ineffective (and unkind) to demand that she stop. Instead, ask if she might move her feed station to the backyard—or buy her a budgie for Christmas.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com
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