Minimising pigeon cr@p cleanup!

[gravesend46]

My neighbour has a pine tree that overhangs our garden. Aside from the constant pine-needle drop which fills two or three wheelie bins a year, which I can live with as all I need to do is rake it up every so often, we have pigeons roosting in the higher branches and most of the winter they just cr@p incessantly into my garden.

No 'scare' solution seems to bother them and the cleanup is a pain because along their route I've had ridged sleeper-style paving slabs and slate so it's difficult to get a jetwash on it as all the mess plus the pine needles just get in between the grooves and into the slate.

I've taken up the slabs and most of the slate (as seen from the photos) and there's a concrete base underneath. From a cleanup point of view, I was just going to turf it all and then clean up by mowing/spraying and raking through winter/spring. But I guess that whole concrete base would have to come up then. Does anyone have any better ideas of what to put down there? I guess I could repave it with smoother slabs that would jetwash easier but it's a bit of a hassle dragging the hose and pressure washer every week or two.

 

[blup]

Get a cat, a good hunter

 

[gravesend46]

We have three of them but they've never so much as got near a pigeon!

 

[Odds]

Hawk is the only surefire way to deter a pigeon.

 

[Koolpc]

Air rifle...

 

[Why Not Indeed]

If you just have grass there instead, then cleanup is going to be minimal. Mowing that area will mulch the pine needles and the bird poo will just rot down into the grass.