Pigeons are commonplace on the Napier home. Photo / Gary Hamilton-Irvine
Neighbours say living next to a Napier home with a large population of free-ranging pigeons has them at their “wits’ end”.
More than 50 of the birds regularly sit on the roof and surrounds of the Napier South home, which locals refer to as “the pigeon house”.
A neighbour claims the house owner is feeding the birds while an expert and the council says they appear to be returning to a property they grew up at.
Neighbours have approached Napier City Council over the years, asking for action to be taken.
They have cited concerns such as noise, sanitation and droppings.
The council says it cannot take action “as the birds are nesting of their own volition” and “there is no evidence to suggest they are being encouraged to roost at the property” - so no laws are being breached.
A council spokeswoman said they had told the property owner not to feed the birds or encourage nesting.
Multiple attempts by Hawke’s Bay Today to speak to the property owner, including leaving notes in the mailbox, have been unsuccessful.
The front gate is padlocked with a sign that reads “STOP - WARNING TRESPASS” and “admittance strictly by invitation only”, with a threat of a minimum $10,000 fine for anyone who takes “one step” on the property.
Neighbour Harvey Jefferies, who has lived in his home for six years, said the pigeons had been living next door for years and were pests.
“When I describe to people whereabouts I live, I say ‘by the worst house in Napier’.
“They say ‘what do you mean by that?’
“And I say ‘it has a whole heap of pigeons and it is a dump’.”
Jefferies said his neighbours, who live at the property, cleaned up around the front of the house a few years ago after a visit from the council but nothing else had changed.
“We keep birds, and we have ours in an aviary.
“They don’t s*** on anyone and we look after them, we clean the coups and don’t have any pests.”
He said while the pigeons needed to go, his neighbours were otherwise quiet and kept to themselves.
“I’m at my wits’ end with it,” he said.
“We love living here. We love this place. But that is a downer.
“It is not ideal, mainly because it is not sanitary and they jump up on my roof ... and make a hell of a racket some mornings.”
He said he tried his best to keep the pigeons away, and had installed a fake owl and netting on the roof.
He even had an automatic hose installed in the past, with a sensor.
He said he believed the neighbours were feeding the pigeons and treating them as pets.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said it brought down the charm of the street and was “just gross”.
“A lot of people see it and take pictures, kids yell at them, it is just chaos,” the resident said.
“It’s just not nice to look at, and I wonder if it is a health and safety issue.”
Hastings Racing Pigeon Club secretary Gordon Tripp said pigeons were communal and lived in groups.
“If there are 50 or 60 of them hanging around this house, that means they are breeding there.”
He said if a pigeon was born and grew up somewhere, that became their home, and they would return there.
He said best practice for people who kept pigeons - such as for racing - was to keep them in a loft, which is like a coop.
“We have a purpose-designed loft in our backyard, and [our pigeons] live in the loft.
“They are let out and go for a fly, then they come back to the loft again ... they don’t free range.”
He said just because pigeons nested somewhere did not necessarily mean they were getting food there, and they could go away to feed, then return home.
However, he said, in his view, “there should be something done” about this situation, such as stopping them nesting, as it did not meet responsible expectations for someone who kept pigeons.
He said in terms of diseases, there were none he was aware of that could spread to humans.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said they felt the sheer number of pigeons was a health hazard.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.