PIGEONS continue to be pests to residents in Bathurst, so much so that one resident has asked Bathurst Regional Council to extend its culling program.
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Council has had a pigeon culling program since 2012, which aims to reduce the number of feral birds in the Bathurst central business district by engaging a licenced professional shooter.
However, a cull has not been completed recently as the contractor has not been available.
At last Wednesday's council meeting, resident Joy Swane-Fitzpatrick asked councillors and senior staff to consider extending the program to cover the areas pigeons have relocated to.
"In years gone by, the council has tried to do an eradication program of the feral pigeon population in the CBD, which has probably become a little bit effective down there," she said.
"As a consequence, there's a lot of feral pigeons that have now relocated ... the growth number of pigeons in the last six months is really starting to become a nuisance for residents."
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She requested that the program be extended to encompass more of Bentinck Street, especially as it is forms part of the southern entrance to Bathurst.
"You come through along Perthvillle and down Vale Road and it is one of the first other spaces people do see as a tourist coming into Bathurst," Ms Swane-Fitzpatrick said.
In response to her concerns, the director of Environmental, Planning and Building Services, Neil Southorn, told her the program was about "managing the impacts that [pigeons] have" on Bathurst.
He did not rule out the possibility of extending the program.
"To extend that, using council resources, will of course have some budget implications, which will be for the councillors to decide if it's a priority," he said.
Mayor Bobby Bourke has said that, if residents are concerned, there are actions they can take to improve the situation.
"If residents are concerned they can take action to reduce the likelihood of pigeons, for example remove any food source and/or don't feed them; eliminate/protect areas they roost on, on your house or out buildings, plant native species in your garden which encourages native birds rather than pests; seek advice from a local contractor who may be able to assist in trapping and protecting your house," he said.
