Davis Square outdoor benches

[ronhaha108.livejournal.com]

So I've always found it funny that the park benches in the square along college ave are ALWAYS covered with bird poop.  Funny thing is that the other benches around the square are under trees as well but not as pooped on.  Anyway, tonight, as always, I've seen people look all excited that they found a free bench and then turn away in disgust.  I wonder if it's possible for the city to put those spiky things found to keep pigeons away on sills and such on the branches right above the benches.

Either that or maybe a sniper perched on top of Tedeschi's to take out the offenders!

Comments

[horizon-radar.livejournal.com]

Dead birds/dead bird parts littering the area may not be welcome either.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

You see, for me it was more the "discharging firearms in a highly public area" thing that was the problem...

[horizon-radar.livejournal.com]

In GTAIV, you have to hunt 200 pigeons throughout Liberty City. As this has desensitized me, I don't consider firearms to be the problem anymore.

Just the pigeon guts.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Do the pigeons respawn? I hope not. A world without pigeons would make me happy.

[horizon-radar.livejournal.com]

Nope, once you kill them they're gone for good.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

YES!

[ronhaha108.livejournal.com]

no, these things are standard pigeon deterrents, they just won't go there...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_control_spike

[horizon-radar.livejournal.com]

I was referencing the sniper.

I was also not serious.

[ronhaha108.livejournal.com]

oh, duh, lol... as for your other comment, I've still got like 90 pigeons to go in gta4...

I know the solution!

[ratatosk.livejournal.com]

Trained birds of prey.

:)

Re: I know the solution!

[tisana.livejournal.com]

Damnit, beat me to it.
Hawks are awesome at pigeon control. Don't even have to be trained. Just bring 'em in, they'll figure it out. They do live in the city sometimes, it's just not as common.

Re: I know the solution!

[unferth.livejournal.com]

It might help suppress the small yappy dogs, too.

Funny you should mention this

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

I looked into training a large, bird of prey to resolve the situation with a neighbors vicious dog, but alas, the dog would have been too large for the bird.

Re: Funny you should mention this

[chumbolly.livejournal.com]

Depends on the bird--in Mongolia, they use eagles to hunt foxes, but they occasionally get wolves and snow leopards as well. But I imagine training a bird that can kill a wolf is pretty dicey.

Re: I know the solution!

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

I think this is a vital need to our city and tax dollars should be spent to introduce hawks.

Re: I know the solution!

[svilletheatre.livejournal.com]

We had a hawk living on the roof of the stagehouse at the Somerville Theatre in 2006. It was scary to have to go on the roof (or to go into the flyloft, where you could hear the CLICK CLICK of the hawk moving around above - and it sounded like it might be up there in the dark with you!) It moved on when the seasons changed. I'm not sure if it kept the pigeons away, as we actually have those spikey things too (and they definitely work.)

Re: I know the solution!

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/16889258@N03/2783581392/)

Re: I know the solution!

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

I've seen and heard redtails circling over the Square quite a bit recently.

[jodi.livejournal.com]

or you could just carry a wet-wipe in your pocket rather than plotting and scheming and entreating the city to cater to your whims with tax money that could be better spent elsewhere...i'm just sayin'

[ronhaha108.livejournal.com]

lol, have you seen these benches? they are painted black but you would never know b/c they are almost all white... I don't think a wet-wipe would suffice. And oh yeah, those spikes are like under $100.. I'd be happy to chip in...

[ronhaha108.livejournal.com]

also, if the city does clean these benches, I would imagine that recurring cost would be offset the one time installation of these things..

[neorock.livejournal.com]

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot



Pardon the treehugger, but how about moving the bench over, sitting on another bench, some other solution which works with nature and not against it.

It might be easier to just kill/remove/eliminate the birds, but that sucks.



Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees

[ronhaha108.livejournal.com]

geez, you people are something else, a simple solution gets blown up... no, the benches have been there forever, the bird poop has been there forever, there's only a limited amount of benches and on summer nights every seat counts. the spikes do not hurt anything just prevent the birds from perching over the benches. how exactly do these spikes work against nature?

btw, lighten up!

[pushupstairs.livejournal.com]

putting metal spikes on a tree branch... you don't see how that works against nature?

I mean, there benches are outside.

[ronhaha108.livejournal.com]

no i don't, plus, am I not part of nature? why must I move, why can't the pigeon move...

[pushupstairs.livejournal.com]

last time I checked, there are no species of tree from which metal grows out of the branches.

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

Oooh, oooh, I know. Let's put the spikes on the benches. Then the birds can crap on them all they want and no one will care 'cause you can't sit there anyway. Yea, yea, that's the ticket.

[maelithil.livejournal.com]

Oh, please. I've sat on those benches every morning for two years and I've never had a problem with bird droppings. They're benches. They're outside. Live with it.