Pidgeons.
 

I am doing a lot of rail travel at the moment and noticed how bad Carlisle and Preston stations where with pidgeon droppings, it was all over the place. People stood in it and walked it about, so that means it is on the trains in our cars and possibly in our homes, surely the powers that be can do something about it. What does the forum think ? All the best Chris.

First stage is to stop people feeding them, then the population would have to support itself. We do wildlife no favours by encouraging over population.

This may seem hard and cruel but think about it. a population should be able to sustain itself with only minimal human help.

I love animals and birds by the way!

John H-T.

I could`nt agree with you more John, I was thinking that the powers could clean the areas more often and try and discourage people from feeding them.

Chris.

We call them flying rats

I watched a program on London Underground once. They used a hawk (think it was hawk, it was a bird of prey anyway) inside the sheds, in the hope that it'd scare other birds a way. Mind you, probably not the best idea in a busy station...

Adam

I think a good idea would be to use pidgeon spikes at the areas were they roost and nest so they cant put their feet anywere, they use them at Lancaster station and they seem successful. Adam, maybe a few cutouts of a hawk or eagle owl would be OK. Alan, flying rats is a good description of them because basically that is what they are , If rats were running round the station they would soon shift em.

Chris.

Or a recording over the tannoy? You certainly wouldn't have a problem with passengers wanting to feed the rats!

Adam

On Preston station between platforms 4 and 5 there is a dead rat on the track near the down fast signals and it has been there a long time, so that means were there is one there`s more and some of the staff must have seen it.

Chris.

And it is still there the rat that is as of last Friday 26/10/2007.

Chris.

In London there's a pair of Peregrin Falcons occassionally nesting high up on Tate Modern (the old Bankside Power station).

You can tell when they're in residence from the complete absence of the pigeons or gulls(!!!) which frequent the Blackfriars area. :)