Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Why doesn't the Costco's outdoor dining area have as many pigeons as most outdoor dining areas?

Matt:

While dining on the fine cuisine served up at the Morena Boulevard Costco outdoor dining area, I noticed a distinct lack of bothersome feathered friends. What in the world do they do at Costco that would keep away the sky rats that they can't seem to do at other fine outdoor dining facilities? Is it traps, bait, sound waves, or some other device that so effectively makes this a bird-free zone?

Sponsored
Sponsored

-- Rusty R, San Diego

If Costco had solved the world's sky-rat problem, I'm sure they'd have ripped all the old merchandise off their shelves and stocked them with nothing but big sacks of Costco Pigeon Death. We couldn't figure that even Costco could have outwitted nature, but we made a field trip to check it out. Grandma Alice brought her binoculars and field guide hoping she'd find something exotic. The elves tried to sneak out their air rifles, but we caught them in time. Eventually we wheeled into Asphalt Acres, the Costco compound on Morena Boulevard, ready for wildlife.

We piled out of the car scouting for the usual parking lot suspects -- house sparrows, house finches, a couple of Brewer's blackbirds -- scrappy scavenger types that lurk in almost every suburban environment. And we find... Nothing. Zero. Not even a pigeon. After several hours of field surveys, we concluded that the Morena Boulevard Costco could be the most biologically sterile patch in the county. A vast sheet-metal-and-asphalt oasis in the middle of Rose Canyon. Grandma lost interest and went to have a hearing test and tire rotation and to buy a vat of olives. The elves lined up to order some of those mmmm-mmmm-good all-beef Hebrew National dogs to see if they could attract any winged things. As we sat around munching and pondering, we drew up this list of reasons why there are no pigeons, or much of anything else, at the Morena Boulevard Costco.

First of all, on the roof peak directly above the snack bar area there's one of those big plaster owls, the urban equivalent of a scarecrow. Birds in general are terrified of owls, so the theory is, if you put one of these things on your roof, it will scare them away. The statues work pretty well at first, but occasionally, if a local population of birds catches on that the owl never moves, the effect is lost. Costco's big metal buildings also lack the kind of niches and overhangs that make handy perches or nesting sites.

The store's location in a relatively remote area of Rose Canyon works in its favor too. Sparrows like to hang around suburban houses with good trees for cover; pigeons prefer tall buildings, ledges, telephone lines, any high perch that reminds them of their ancient ancestry as dwellers on rocky cliffs. Not much on the warehouse property or around it to attract an urban bird. And if you look at Costco's menu, you'll also notice that they don't offer much that creates a lot of crumbs. Pigeons and sparrows are basically seed and grain eaters, but bread crumbs or an old french fry will do. Hot dog buns and pizza crusts are about the only potential bird food at Maison Costco. For whatever reason, the patio isn't very crumby. Add to the mix all those people barreling out of the store with huge carts loaded with wholesale quantities of beans and toothpaste and underwear, and the environmental picture is just too unpromising for something like a bird. So Costco doesn't have any high-tech secrets. Just the luck of location, a limited menu, and a big plaster owl. Not much there to interest a pigeon, or the Alices for that matter. We finished our juicy dogs and flew the coop.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

India Hawthorne is common in coastal gardens, Citrus trees are in full bloom

The vernal equinox is on March 19
Next Article

Pet pig perches in pocket

Escondido doula gets a taste of celebrity

Matt:

While dining on the fine cuisine served up at the Morena Boulevard Costco outdoor dining area, I noticed a distinct lack of bothersome feathered friends. What in the world do they do at Costco that would keep away the sky rats that they can't seem to do at other fine outdoor dining facilities? Is it traps, bait, sound waves, or some other device that so effectively makes this a bird-free zone?

Sponsored
Sponsored

-- Rusty R, San Diego

If Costco had solved the world's sky-rat problem, I'm sure they'd have ripped all the old merchandise off their shelves and stocked them with nothing but big sacks of Costco Pigeon Death. We couldn't figure that even Costco could have outwitted nature, but we made a field trip to check it out. Grandma Alice brought her binoculars and field guide hoping she'd find something exotic. The elves tried to sneak out their air rifles, but we caught them in time. Eventually we wheeled into Asphalt Acres, the Costco compound on Morena Boulevard, ready for wildlife.

We piled out of the car scouting for the usual parking lot suspects -- house sparrows, house finches, a couple of Brewer's blackbirds -- scrappy scavenger types that lurk in almost every suburban environment. And we find... Nothing. Zero. Not even a pigeon. After several hours of field surveys, we concluded that the Morena Boulevard Costco could be the most biologically sterile patch in the county. A vast sheet-metal-and-asphalt oasis in the middle of Rose Canyon. Grandma lost interest and went to have a hearing test and tire rotation and to buy a vat of olives. The elves lined up to order some of those mmmm-mmmm-good all-beef Hebrew National dogs to see if they could attract any winged things. As we sat around munching and pondering, we drew up this list of reasons why there are no pigeons, or much of anything else, at the Morena Boulevard Costco.

First of all, on the roof peak directly above the snack bar area there's one of those big plaster owls, the urban equivalent of a scarecrow. Birds in general are terrified of owls, so the theory is, if you put one of these things on your roof, it will scare them away. The statues work pretty well at first, but occasionally, if a local population of birds catches on that the owl never moves, the effect is lost. Costco's big metal buildings also lack the kind of niches and overhangs that make handy perches or nesting sites.

The store's location in a relatively remote area of Rose Canyon works in its favor too. Sparrows like to hang around suburban houses with good trees for cover; pigeons prefer tall buildings, ledges, telephone lines, any high perch that reminds them of their ancient ancestry as dwellers on rocky cliffs. Not much on the warehouse property or around it to attract an urban bird. And if you look at Costco's menu, you'll also notice that they don't offer much that creates a lot of crumbs. Pigeons and sparrows are basically seed and grain eaters, but bread crumbs or an old french fry will do. Hot dog buns and pizza crusts are about the only potential bird food at Maison Costco. For whatever reason, the patio isn't very crumby. Add to the mix all those people barreling out of the store with huge carts loaded with wholesale quantities of beans and toothpaste and underwear, and the environmental picture is just too unpromising for something like a bird. So Costco doesn't have any high-tech secrets. Just the luck of location, a limited menu, and a big plaster owl. Not much there to interest a pigeon, or the Alices for that matter. We finished our juicy dogs and flew the coop.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Hip-hop artist Don Elway makes movies for his music

Not Ordinary EP tells a story of life on the streets
Next Article

Yo-Yo Ma, Wagner, and Tchaikovsky come to San Diego

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.