Maybe tie a ribbon on the hanging basket handle till they are done nesting? My mom's neighbor ties shiny little blue ribbons to an area on her porch that she wants to keep birds away from. (Ribbon like you'd wrap a gift with.) The movement of the ribbon in the breeze keeps them away.

On the flip side, my late MIL used to keep a moss basket hanging right off her back door. One year she left it out all winter and a dove found it. Every year after that dove came back to nest there, so MIL just left it there for her to nest in, no plants. We'd walk right past that basket to get in the house and it didn't even phase that dove! Sometimes they are stubborn and they want that same home every year! ;D

it might be as simple as exerting your authority ...

move the baskets every day .... sooner or later they will get the idea ...

maybe even leave them on the ground every other day or so ... since most birds dont want to build a nest on the ground ..

nest building season is limited... so if you break the cycle early ... they will find other places to do their business ...

just brain storming ...

ken

I know what you mean -- there's a Carolina Wren nesting in the middle of our hanging basket of begonia, fuschia and purple heart.

I actually like the idea of giving our doves a nesting place! Of course, some other bird will probably find the basket before the doves. I feel sorry for them not having a good place to nest and they are in my garden all the time.

Cameron

Several years ago I had some mourning doves start building a nest in one of my hanging pots. For a few days I kept throwing the twigs and stuff out. Then I thought that was it. Nope. Before I knew it they had one built and the female was sitting there. So I gave up on that plant. I like birds, but I don't want them nesting in my pots. It was fun watching the babies grow though. After that experience, I've put small twirly things in my pots. They apparently didn't like those because they haven't come back.

Kat

Try buying some metal ties at Home Depot in the chain link fence dept; for just a couple of dollars you can get a pkg of 10 or so. They look like small shepherd hooks and I use them to hold down floating row covers. I stuck a few into my hanging basket (about 8-10 per basket) but pull the hook straight first and then insert the other straight end. They can't get in to the base of the plant that way. It seems to be working.