Hi Peter and welcome to GoY. Short of shooting the pigeons or netting your lilac bushes I don't think you can.

Iwould have thought the pigeons more likely to be going after insects on the leaves, rather than the leaves themselves, have a look for leaf miners or thrips, Derek.

Thanks for answers but Pigeons are stripping the branches!
PeterE

hi peter you could always try a decoy owl/eagle or the likes of.good luck.

Do you know anyone who has a Hawk? :)

Perhaps they're using it as nesting material? If so then I imagine it'll stop soon enough.
Do you have any other details about this?

I've never come across this! We have three lilacs and quite a lot of pigeons, so it's not from lack of opportunity! Are birds still nesting at the end of May, Tj?
When we first arrived here, I swore I'd get an airgun to get rid of all the pigeons, but they seem to have been on the decline, and either the farmers have been poisoning them, or, as I've been told, there's been a virus that has been cutting them back. Has anyone else heard about this?

They are not in decline - they are all HERE sitting on the roof waiting for me to put out sultanas for the blackbirds. Then it's time for a nice pointless trample about over as many young plants as they can find.

Oh! Well, considering what sh***y weather we've got here, and the nice warm sunshine you've got there, I can't say I blame them!

We have pigeons that make a right mess of our veggie garden at times!

They are slightly slower than most birds - maybe it's our flock of moggies that is putting them off! :-)

Possibly as our girls don't get down to the veggie garden which is in a neighbour's garden

We've got the same problem - 3 wood pigeons are stripping the top leaves and new shoots of our large lilac tree and apart from keeping a 24 hour vigil to shoo them off - I think a kestrel might just be the answer (which we don't have) or a catapult, which we do have. It is the first year it has happened.

Let us know if the catapult works.

I have exactly the same problem. My poor lilac tree is now virtually stripped of its leaves on the top half, it happened within a few days. There are about two or three pigeons and they live in a very large tree nearby. I don't know why my lilac and not other people's in the area. I see lots of lilac trees around untouched by pigeons although they are in front gardens so I assume the pigeons are easier disturbed at the front. I now plan to buy a garden net at the weekend and cover the bush.

Same problem here! Pigeons are stripping my lilac tree bare and do it every year. I still haven't found a solution, although my mother swears by tying rags to the top branches so will try that tomorrow.

Last week, our neighbours' three beautiful, huge and VERY loud geese wandered down the road and into our vegetable garden and completely shredded our broccoli and brussels sprouts and cauliflowers. Who needs pigeons? I have a feeling that a catapult would have absolutely no effect whatsoever. Even the cats don't dare go near them. I'd gladly sacrifice a lilac tree or two if they'd stay away from the edible stuff.