Water pistol recommendations

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
For the rabbits. A ferret. But i guess you have to be a yorkshireman to have such a thing.

For the pigeons, if not one can see you, air gun. If people can see you. Airgun at 5am.
 
SNAKES !
its a well known fact that no bird will go anywhere near a snake !.. The boating community regularly place rubber snakes on their boats to prevent gulls landing on their boats and making a mess. it works !

Some birds, including gulls eat snakes so I'm not entirely sure that's true.

If it works, like any visual detterent it needs to be moved regularly so that the thing you are deterring diesn't get used to it.
 
That reminds me of a supposedly-true story - but I suspect it isn't! - from many years ago.

Bloke, 3am, woken from sleep by noises coming from his garage.
Rings 999 and reports that he thinks 2 burglars are inside.
Operator confirms the address and details, but then admits there are no patrols nearby. They'll get to the caller asap.
3.15am, the bloke rings again.
"A third bloke has turned up with a pickup parked outside! In the gloom I can see that they're carting my power tools out to the van!"
Again, the operator confirms receipt of the info, but claims that the boys in blue have been called to a different incident, and in the wrong direction...but they'll get to him asap.
3.25am, the bloke rings once more.
"For Christ's sake! They're trying to break into the back of the house now! Get a move on!"
The operator again apologises for the now-normal reasons, stating it'll be a good 30 minutes before any officer can get there. "Just stay out of sight, and try and keep safe..."
3.30am, the bloke's on the phone again.
"It's OK now...I'm safe. There's no rush."
The operator says "Ah, good! Have they gone?"
"In an manner of speaking, yes. I've just shot all three of 'em...."

Within 5 minutes, the bloke's house was surrounded by 4 armed response units, two speed units and a helicopter with full searchlight active, was circling the area.
The officer in charge hammered on the bloke's door.
"Where's your gun? Is it licenced properly? Where are the victims?!"
"Oh, they've long gone!"
"But you reported you'd shot them!"
"Yes...but you said you had nobody available....."
Very funny, but unfortunately very close to the truth. A colleague of mine went through a similar episode in rural Gloucestershire (3 guys raiding his property and attempting to steal his ride on lawnmower). After the episode the police threatened to revoke his firearms license but backed down after he hired a decent lawyer to argue his case
 
Some birds, including gulls eat snakes so I'm not entirely sure that's true.

If it works, like any visual detterent it needs to be moved regularly so that the thing you are deterring diesn't get used to it.
thats an interesting opinion .....so which garden birds eat snakes then in the UK ???;):)
 
thats an interesting opinion .....so which garden birds eat snakes then in the UK ???;):)

Gulls certainly do. Buzzards, Kites, pheasants off the top of my head.

Given that you specifically mentioned that they are a deterrent for gulls, and I know that, having seen them do it, gulls eat snakes, namely grass snakes in my case. I would suggest that they potentially aren't the deterrent that they have been built up to be.
 
Gulls certainly do. Buzzards, Kites, pheasants off the top of my head.

Given that you specifically mentioned that they are a deterrent for gulls, and I know that, having seen them do it, gulls eat snakes, namely grass snakes in my case. I would suggest that they potentially aren't the deterrent that they have been built up to be.
Gulls Buzzards, Kites and Pheasants ??...................... I thought that we were discussing garden birds ? ie Pigeons ...... my mistake
Now who can show me a picture of a Pheasant eating a snake 😁
 
Gulls Buzzards, Kites and Pheasants ??...................... I thought that we were discussing garden birds ? ie Pigeons ...... my mistake
Now who can show me a picture of a Pheasant eating a snake 😁

Quite possible to see any of those species in a uk garden.

You said

SNAKES !
its a well known fact that no bird will go anywhere near a snake !

You didn't mention garden birds. and it's not a fact that birds won't go anywhere near snakes. It's just not true. Birds eat snakes.

Then you said...

The boating community regularly place rubber snakes on their boats to prevent gulls landing on their boats and making a mess. it works !

You mentioned gulls specifically.



That's a herring gull, killing and eating a snake. I've personally seen a gull eat a snake.

I am part of the boating community and have never seen anyone use rubber snakes as a deterrent. I'd suggest, based on this, and the fact that the very bird you suggest would be deterred by snakes predates snakes that they probably aren't an effective deterrent for any bird species.

As for pheasants...

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...cross-britain-snake-threat-game-birds-release
Loads and loads of evidence that pheasants eat snakes among many other things.

Even chickens will eat snakes if they are given the chance.
 
Last edited:
this thread was about keeping pigeons off of a front door. ;):)
Try to keep on-topic .
If you have no useful suggestions to offer the poster yourself ....its probably best not to flame others that do
 
Back
Top