Residents pigeonhole hobbyist’s backyard aviary as health risk, nuisance

Some Winnipeg residents will flock to city hall next week, aiming to oppose a racing-pigeon aviary in their neighbourhood.

However, supporters of the practice say the birds should ruffle few feathers.

The city’s urban planning and design division approved the construction of a 3.9-square-metre (42-square-foot) structure to house racing pigeons in a Strathcona Street backyard.

“The relatively small structure is significantly smaller than a vehicle garage, and would not be out of character on the lot,” writes city planner Dylan Chyz-Lund, in a city report.

Racing pigeons can cover long distances at great speeds, with owners participating in the races as a hobby.

The variance would allow “flighted birds;” aviaries for flightless birds are already permitted in the area.

The aviary’s owner declined comment prior to the appeal hearing.

Bill Voulgaris, president of the Winnipeg Pigeon Flyers club, said he believes opposition to such aviaries can emerge when people who own the structures learn they require a variance to keep them, a public process that attracts attention.

“That’s when kind of panic sets in a little bit, more just the misconception, just the fear of the unknown,” he said.

Voulgaris said pigeon aviaries exist at many Winnipeg properties, often without complaints from neighbours, many of whom are unaware they exist.

He said the breed’s intense desire to return home makes it extremely unlikely the birds would linger in neighbouring yards or properties or leave droppings in them.

“(People may) think they’re just going to be roosting everywhere, which they’re not…. They’re trained, when they land, to come right… into the loft,” he said.

While he’s also heard fears expressed about diseases the birds might be carrying, Voulgaris said that’s also the case for people and other animals.

And racing pigeons are very different from their wild cousins, he said.

“The racing pigeons are a lot bigger, they’re athletic… they’re very clean,” he said, adding owners feed them well and vaccinate them.

He knows the owner of the aviary targeted by the appeal and believes it was in place for months without triggering complaints.

About a dozen residents near the site have signed a petition that describes pigeons as pests and suggests they can harm plants, carry diseases and bacterial infections and make a mess with their droppings.

“I just don’t think the city is an appropriate place for this kind of activity,” said Karen Cousins.

Cousins said she’s also concerned about how the aviary might smell.

“I don’t think it’s a good fit for the neighbourhood,” she said.

The city report notes the neighbourhood livability bylaw requires a minimum amount of space per pigeon in each enclosure and limits the times when pigeons can be released. The bylaw also mandates that structures be kept dry and well-ventilated, cleaned regularly, kept in a sanitary condition and disinfected at least twice per year.

“Together, these sections of the (bylaw) ensure that the impact of an aviary for pigeons does not pose a land use conflict with neighbouring properties,” Chyz-Lund wrote.

The city’s appeal committee is expected to cast a final decision on the matter Wednesday.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga