Poor Gigi. She looked so sad. At our grocery store in the town where I work, they have a big fake owl perched on top of the roof. I never knew why. I guess it works because they don't have any pigeons. I think the netting is a good idea. It's not permanent and would keep the birds out. You could even put it with the railing so you wouldn't have to worry about Gigi slipping through it.