Put people before pigeons
Fiona Brady
Thursday 5 June, 2008 8:00am
A Summer Hill Anglican minister is having problems with a wayward flock of pigeons.
The Rev Chris Braga said the birds some people call flying rats are causing extensive damage to the heritage-listed St Andrew's Church in Henson St.
"They do their business on the building, which is a terrible thing for the building," he said, pointing out corrosive droppings on the church steps and the 100-year-old spire.
"In the faeces there's bacteria, which is a health hazard.
"The other problem is when they get caught in the gutters and cause blockages and we have to climb up and get them out.
" The heritage architect has told us, "you've got to get rid of the pigeons".
Last year Mr Braga and a group of parishioners had to don protective suits and masks to remove a group of around 20 of the feathered fiends who were living in the spire.
"They'd built nests for themselves and there were great chunks of droppings all over the walls," he said. "We put up spikes, so they are no longer living there. The problem is they can land anywhere but we can't cover the entire church in spikes."
Mr Braga said other options such as covering the spire with netting were "unrealistic", but there was an easier way to reduce the problem.
He said the pigeons were being fed regularly by visitors to the John Paton Reserve opposite the church.
"The community can help us by not feeding them," he said.
"Somehow people think they've got to keep the pigeons alive but they are a form of pest.
"When people stop feeding them, they disappear quite quickly.
"We don't want to put resources into the building we don't need to," he said.
"We like spending our money on people, not buildings".
