Chasing away mourning doves

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

July 28, 2005

Mourning doves have taken shelter behind my front-door shrubs. I have tried chasing them away with irritants, such as pepper, bleach and insect sprays. Is there anything I can do? R.M., Hicksville

Try stringing shiny objects, such as aluminum pie pans or old CDs, to an upright pole in the ground behind the shrubs. The glare and movement might chase the doves away. Cats are natural predators, so consider getting a pet. Since I am allergic to cats, I would probably place a statue of a cat in the area. You might also put a bird feeder in the yard, but as far away from the front door as possible. Mourning doves are said to like black oil sunflower seeds and cracked corn - the bird feeder might convince them to relocate. On the plus side, the doves eat weed seeds, so your shrub bed should be weed-free.