At the Smiths Falls Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario we were plagued by
pigeons roosting in the exterior roof supports.

We strung monofilament fishing line just above each beam.  After some
experimentation we discovered the best combination was thre or four strands
about two inches above the beam and a single one about five inches above.

This discouraged the birds from landing and therefore from roosting.

They are stubborn however and while we reduced our pigeon problem by about
80% we still have a few holdouts.  The will land on the beams and pick their
way around the line, looking very uncomfortable as they do so.  Hopefully we
will come up with a solution for these few.

The fishing line is inexpensive and unobtrusive, however it does require
ongoing maintenance.


Robert Vaughan
Curator
Smiths Falls Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario

> ----------
> From:         Essig, Carie[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent:         Friday, January 22, 1999 3:29 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      anti-bird roosting devices for interpretive trail signs
>
> The Minnesota Historical Society created interpretive trail signs at 8
> of our historic sites and we are in the process of developing several
> more trails.  At several of our sites, particularly those located in the
> prairie regions, we are having trouble with birds roosting on our signs.
> Several approaches to solving this problem have been discussed and
> tested.
>
> We are looking for creative, bird, animal, and visitor friendly
> solutions.  If you have any suggestions we would appreciate hearing
> them.  We would also welcome recieving information about vendors who
> have created solutions for this problem.  Please respond either on or
> off list.
>
>
> Carie Essig
> Exhibit Program Developer
> Historic Sites Department
> Minnesota Historical Society
> 345 Kellogg Blvd. West
> St. Paul, MN 55102
> 651-296-5530 (note new area code)
> [log in to unmask]
>