Spirited doves

There is no love lost between me and the pigeons who perch on my balcony and poop like mad. Though I assume the plant pots are what attracts them to my balcony as they can nest in them, they continue to dirty the balcony even after I have shifted most of the pots inside the house, save for two alo vera pots. They tried sitting in them pots too but I guess they are too prickly for comfort, and they laid an egg on the floor which I quickly  confiscated. If preventing two pairs of pigeons to hatch their laid eggs makes me a sinner, then I am a sinner for harvesting hens' and quails' eggs too. Every bird hopes to hatch their young when they lay eggs. 

If you ask me why I consider them enemy no 2 (enemy no 1 being German cockroaches which we routinely exterminate using pest control services) it is the memory of a pigeon couple that hatched two chicks in Chennai years ago. It was all nice and cute while they sat on the eggs though my plant died without water. But once the chicks came out of their shells, the parent and the young ones pooped like crazy all around the pot and my balcony corner had thick mounds of pigeon shit by the time they flew away.  We covered all our balconies with wire mesh, but the nighmare of that labour still haunts me and I am not willing to experiment with another. 

The pairs are many. Some the usual grey, some white and some black and white. Though they are considered the symbol of love, I only see them as pests.And their eyes stare at you insolently while you try to shoo or chase them away. A broom does the trick but they return again. Since I cannot keep a watch on the balcony all the time they manage to shit while I am away especially in the late afternoons.

I did not face much trouble with the pots when I was in a flat in the back side of the same building. So I assume it is the lake in front that helps them to fly from water body to a convenient perch. I tried installing bird spikes ordered on amazon but they fly over it or use the corner where I have an alo vera pot only and no spikes. Moreover they sneak through the bottom of the railings. 

We are considering closing the balcony with netting and I am still searching for a professional company that can do it cheap for me - since it is not our own flat, there is always the reluctance to invest in things like that. Moreover the municipality can impose fines for spoiling the look of the city by installing things that are not part of the approved facade. Else, we need to get permission citing reasons. Anyway, I have got V interested enough in the project to look up a transparent netting that wont attract attention from authorities.

ps. Dont tell me that the Holy Spirit came like a dove upon Jesus Christ after his baptism and so doves are holy beings for us Christians.

pps. I make an allowance for mynahs and laughing doves. The latter only sit on a railing near a side window and happily pecks on grains we leave for them. They don't eye the balcony. Maybe I am a little partial to them after the crown prince posted a pic of a pair nesting on his Mercedes. But then, I am not a princess - I dont have a spare car or a spare balcony to let them roost.