Everyone knows how annoying pigeons can be, so when they moved into our shop last year we knew that we had a problem. Sure enough, they began nesting under the overhangs and slowly, they added to their clan–two, five, ten. We felt invaded. Our outdoor farm cat was disappointingly uninterested by their presence probably because they are a bit too big for her liking. I hate to say so for you bird lovers out there, but next to mice, birds are a favourite snack of hers–small birds, that is as well as dried up, baked on frogs as we discovered a couple of summers ago. That’s another story, however.
To deter the pigeons, my husband recently put up some chicken wire on the underside of the roof. Once both sides of the overhang were completed, we noticed that the pigeons slowly started to fade. For the first little while, they tried relentlessly to regain their space, but to no avail. The chicken wire held, thank goodness. They still like to visit since they now reside in the granaries just down the road, but the robins who have taken their place tend to chase them away. At first, we were okay with that… yay robins, we thought. Hmmm… not quite. It seems that robins can be just as pesky as the pigeons.
Since we live next to a ravine which houses a plethora of beautiful, green trees great for nesting in our opinion, you’d think that birds of all kinds would have plenty of room to take up residence in there and some do, but for others, the trees are not suffice. In an effort to hide their eggs from much larger feathered foe, such as the crows and ravens, our friendly neighbourhood robins decided to take over the shop wherein some smaller, unwired spaces lie as well as the tops of our speakers on our upper deck. Really?!? The shop itself isn’t good enough?
So, all of yesterday morning and the day before, I fought with the robins. Taking over the shop is one thing, and we will soon fix the missed crevices, but the speakers on our deck are a little too close for my liking. I will credit them in how quickly they can pull together twigs, berries and bark to make a comfy little abode, but I was having none of it. Broom in tow, for every trip they made to the speakers, I knocked down their efforts. Within a half hour, those crafty little peckers would have their nesting materials back up there again, so out I would go. We played this familiar round robin game all morning long. Not exactly what I had planned for the day. After what seemed like the tenth attempt by the robins to rock the beat of our Yamahas, they disappeared. No rocking robins. Yet. After supper last night, my husband dug out the ladder and wired up a concoction of white Solo cups and tinfoil which now rest on top of the speakers. While it all looks a little bit hideous, I don’t really care as long as it does the trick. I guess we shall see today who the ultimate victor in our game of round robins is… fingers crossed that it is us!
Meanwhile, enjoy this familiar tune thanks to the suggestion of fellow blogger and long time follower Loisajay…
Jibber Jabber with Sue 
Only because I have no idea what robins are like, my first reaction was: Oh, Sue. Give the poor birds a break! Goodness, they are nothing if not persistent, are they? We have them hopping around our front yard, and after I feed my little outdoor kitties, I always say a silent prayer for the birds. Mostly (except for one blue jay–RIP), they are quicker than the cats. Remember that song ‘Rockin’ Robin’? Try playing that on your speakers and see if that helps. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
That song is exactly what I thought of…I think I’ll add that link to my post, thanks!
Those robins made an absolute mess of our deck in no time flat! I couldn’t believe it. I still have stuff to sweep up today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank goodness they never nested on our deck but one year they took up residence in our garden shed. It was a challenge getting garden tools in and out while the young ones were still in the nest.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I bet! Luckily, I think our Solo Cups have worked–didn’t see them at all yesterday.
LikeLike
Pingback: A Mouse in the Morning and a Moose in the Afternoon – Jibber Jabber with Sue
Pingback: A Mouse in the Morning and a Moose in the Afternoon–Just Another Day on the Farm – Jibber Jabber with Sue