WILY BIRDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3854, 24 January 1928, Page 7

WILY BIRDS.

PIGEON PEST IN SYDNEY.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, January 12. Another effort is being made to get rid of the pigeons that infest the city buildings, but the birds, like their feathered tribe that have become something of a curse in London, are cunning. The pigeons will not desert their old haunts. The Town Hall, for example, is one of their favourite homes. It is the scene underground of vast explosions throughout the day, in connection with the tunnelling for the city railway. The thunderous explosions, while they unnerve the pigeons, as well as giving a momentary shock to pedestrians, cannot frighten the' birds away. With each loud blast there is a wild, frenzied flight of a vast flock of birds, which, however, immediately afterwards settle comfortably down again. At frequent interva’s during the day caretakers crack gigantic whips over the facades and roofs of some of the big city buildings, to try to scare the birds off? They circle wildly, and then alight again. Eggs and nests are destroyed. Poison is distributed Birds are trapped. Architectural nooks which harbour them are wired off. But, despite it all, the birds increase at an alarming rate. Trappers on some of the buildings, with a ready sale for the birds at the markets for an average of Is a head, reap a nice harvest;

Sydney's pigeons, unlike those in London, are remarkably shy. Th e only time they will approach people is the luncheon hour in the parks, and even then they will not eat out of the hand.