Inside the fascinating and sometimes brutal world of pigeon racing in China

Inside the fascinating and sometimes brutal world of pigeon racing in China

Pigeon racer holds prized bird

By Karoline Kan, CNN • 6th April 2019

Every day during the racing season, 55-year-old Zhang Yajun wakes at 4 a.m. and carefully loads bamboo cages containing his 76 cherished racing pigeons into a van. Then he drives up to 200 kilometers (124 miles) from his Beijing apartment to release them. They are in training for the October and November racing season, during which time millions of dollars can be won in total prize money across races.

Zhang is just one of some 100,000 pigeon breeders living in Beijing, according to Sun Yan, the deputy general-secretary of the Beijing Changping District Racing Pigeons Association.
“Pigeon racing is a culture, but it’s also a sport,” Sun says.
On a crisp fall morning, Zhang opens the cages in a cornfield at Niutuo in Hebei province, 80 km (50 miles) south of Beijing. Forty minutes later, he uses his phone connection to a rooftop camera to watch the birds arriving home. He’s happy with their speed.
Zhang, who was a state-owned beverage factory manager before retiring in the early 2000s, says he spends about 100,000 yuan ($14,900) a year on his pigeons. That covers food, medicine, race entry fees and transport costs for training sessions — as well as equipment such as his rooftop camera gear.
Each spring, Zhang says, some 100 pigeons are born on his roof but by fall only about 20 are left. The rest have either succumbed to illness or died of injuries suffered from hitting telegraph poles or other obstacles. Or else they just got lost on the way home.
But pigeon racing also has a darker side.
Zhang says “bird-napping” — when pigeons are baited and netted during training sessions before being sold off — is a common problem.

And then there is the cheating.

In April last year, two men hid their birds in milk cartons and caught a bullet train in Henan before releasing them in Shanghai, 750 km (466 miles) away. But the birds’ unusually fast speed aroused suspicion, and the men were fined and given suspended three-year prison sentences for fraudulently obtaining prize money totaling about $147,000.

 

However; Beijing is becoming less and less friendly to bird fanciers.

In the spring of 2017, under a city beautification campaign targeting two-story buildings in the lanes known as hutongs, many rooftop pigeon lofts were subsequently demolished.
The government classified them as illegal buildings.
Breeder Zhang Jian says four large pigeon cages on his roof were demolished, although he still surreptitiously keeps four other cages housing about 100 pigeons. Most of his neighbors have known Zhang Jian since he was a boy and he says they understand his passion for the birds.

 

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Clients drop $180 for bird-poop facials at New York City spa

Clients drop $180 for bird-poop facials at New York City spa

Woman has bird excrement rubbed on her face.

Bird feces being rubbed on a woman’s face.

NEW YORK — Bird poop for beauty?

That’s what goes into facials at a luxury spa where the traditional Japanese treatment using imported Asian nightingale excrement mixed with rice bran goes for $180 a pop.

About 100 women and men go into the Shizuka New York skin care salon, just off Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, each month to get the treatment, which is promoted as a way to keep the face soft and smooth using an enzyme in the poop to gently exfoliate the skin.

Spa owner Shizuka Bernstein, a Tokyo native married to an American, has been offering what she calls the Geisha Facial for about five years.

“I try to bring Japanese beauty secrets to the United States,” says Bernstein, who learned the treatment from her mother.

The Geisha Facial poop treatment, while relatively rare in the United States, is no secret in Japan, where it was first used in the 1600s by actors and geishas.Bird Gone, Pigeon Gone, Pigeon problems, pigeon spikes, 1-877-4NO-BIRD, 4-S Gel, Bird Control, Pigeon Control, bird repellent, Bird Spikes, sonic bird repellent, stainless steel bird spikes, bird spikes Vancouver, Ultra Sonic Bird Control, Bird Netting, Plastic Bird Spikes, Canada bird spike deterrents, Pigeon Pests, B Gone Pigeon, Pigeon Patrol, pest controller, pest control operator, pest control technician, Pigeon Control Products, humane pigeon spikes, pigeon deterrents, pigeon traps, Pigeon repellents, Sound & Laser Deterrents, wildlife control, raccoon, skunk, squirrel deterrent, De-Fence Spikes, Dragons Den.

“That’s why Japanese grandmothers have beautiful complexions,” says Duke Klauck, owner of the Ten Thousand Waves health spa in Santa Fe, N.M., which offers a Nightingale Facial for $129.

In this Wednesday, July 17, 2013 photo, salon owner Shizuka Bernstein mixes ingredients for what she calls a Geisha Facial at Shizuka New York skin care in New York. The facial, which Bernstein has been offering for five years, is a traditional Japanese treatment using imported Asian nightingale excrement mixed with rice bran, and goes for $180 a pop. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
In this Wednesday, July 17, 2013 photo, salon owner Shizuka Bernstein mixes ingredients for what she calls a Geisha Facial at Shizuka New York skin care in New York. The facial, which Bernstein has been offering for five years, is a traditional Japanese treatment using imported Asian nightingale excrement mixed with rice bran, and goes for $180 a pop.

On a recent afternoon in Manhattan, Mari Miyoshi arrived at the sixth-floor Shizuka New York spa to try the treatment for the first time.

“I’m a stressed-out New Yorker,” the 35-year-old occupational therapist announced as she reclined on a table, relaxing amid aromas of camellia, lavender and rose.

The treatment begins with steam to open the pores and soften the skin. Cream is applied. And then comes what Bernstein calls “the nightingale part.”

She pours the cream-coloured poop, dried and finely ground, into a bowl, mixing it with the rice bran using a small spatula. She applies the potion to Miyoshi’s face with a brush, rubbing it in with her hands.

Does it smell?

“Yes, but like toasted rice,” Miyoshi says.

After about five minutes, it comes off with a foaming cleanser and Miyoshi’s face is draped in a warm, wet towel bathed in lavender and geranium essences. Finally, the grand finale — a green-tea collagen mask.

“Sooooo nice,” Bernstein says softly, looking at Miyoshi’s radiant face.

Dr. Michele Green, a Manhattan cosmetic dermatologist, says that while the nightingale facial “definitely has some rejuvenating effect, I don’t think it’s any different than, say, an apricot scrub or a mask that you could buy in a local pharmacy.”

A common misconception is that any old bird poop, even from pigeons, is used. Bernstein says only droppings from birds of the nightingale species are used because they live on seeds, producing the natural enzyme that is the active ingredient.

“We don’t do Central Park facials,” she says, “because those birds eat garbage.”

 

 

Windsor city issues warning to clean up rooftop swamp

Windsor city issues warning to clean up rooftop swamp

The stagnant rooftop swamp on top of a vacant commercial building on Ouellette Avenue continues to fester, attracting wildlife and emitting a wicked stench that has frustrated neighbours who’ve put up with the growing mess for months.

A pond of water pooled on the roof of the empty property at 747-755 Ouellette Ave. long enough for a large patch of reeds and cattails to flourish, providing an attractive destination for the pigeons and seagulls that arrive almost every morning.

Malette says nothing has been done since she highlighted the issue. But help may be on the way, according to Lee Ann Doyle, the city’s chief building official. Inspectors have visited the site several times and issued a final warning to the owner to clean up the property.

“If the work isn’t done, we’ll do it and charge it against the property taxes,” Doyle said.

Building inspectors issued a work order after visiting the site in July. When nothing was done, the city sent out the warning letter on Aug. 11, giving the owner until Sept. 10 to clean up the mess.

Doyle said, if nothing is done, the city will call in contractors on Sept. 11 to do the work.

The building is listed to Entertaining Assests Inc., but company representative Mike Soleski previously told The Windsor Star he hasn’t owned the property for several months. All records on file with the city indicate there has been no change in ownership.

Malette barely goes out onto her 13th floor balcony anymore because of the smell and the mosquitoes.

“I’m not a person to make complaints, but this is just ridiculous,” she said.

Discarded patio chairs, empty pizza boxes and beer cans demonstrate the amount of human traffic on the rooftop as well. The commercial building has been boarded up for years, but at least 10 times, Malette said, she has watched people on the roof, smoking drugs and drinking. They’ve even gone as far as setting small fires.

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Uptown Alderman to Make Feed Pigeons Criminal

Uptown Alderman to Make Feed Pigeons Criminal

Birds being fed outside a train station

Feeding pigeons swarm to pick up chips outside Wilson transit stop

CHICAGO (CBS) — Pigeons; they’re tolerated at best, hated at worst. Now, one Chicago alderman wants to make it a crime to feed pigeons.

CBS 2’s Dana Kozlov reports some people are calling the proposal by Ald. James Cappleman (46th) a bird-brained idea.

Uptown, downtown – pigeons are everywhere in Chicago.

Thursday morning, Barb Wambach was visiting the Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza – where dozens of pigeons gather every day, keeping warm by the eternal flame – when she got an unpleasant surprise dropped on the boot-shaped mug she was holding.

“I moved my cup, and it felt like something plopped in it,” Wambach said. After a group of pigeons flew overhead, she found a splattering of bird droppings on her mug.

It’s that threat to everyday living, that fear of walking under a viaduct, the scourge of flying birds that Cappleman wants to eradicate.

He has introduced an ordinance that would significantly increase the penalties for feeding pigeons – making it a crime punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Cappleman wasn’t available Thursday to discuss his proposal, but he told other aldermen he’s tired of encountering a scene from a Hitchcock movie every time he walks to the Wilson station on the CTA Red Line.

Scores – if not hundreds – of the birds perch at the station, just waiting to be fed. A huge flock of them swarmed down to the sidewalk Thursday afternoon to descend on some potato chip crumbs like hunters on prey.

“They’re a nuisance. They’re everywhere. You know, you could stand there waiting on the bus and they’re all over your feet,” Bobby Williams said outside the Wilson stop. “I think it should be illegal to feed them.”

It’s already a city code violation to feed pigeons – as signs at the Wilson stop indicate – punishable by a fine of up to $500. Cappleman’s proposal would double the maximum fine and add the possibility of up to six months in jail.

“They’re gonna arrest someone for feeding a bird?” Lily Norton said. “That’s kind of ridiculous.”

“It’s silly. He should be focusing on other problems,” Oliver Guyton said. “Like the budget and all that type of stuff that aldermen do.”

In May, Cappleman was assaulted by a woman in Uptown, after he started sweeping away the breadcrumbs she had spread on the ground for pigeons near Broadway and Wilson Avenue.

At the time, the alderman said the area is littered with breadcrumbs every day and has a serious pigeon problem. He has also said the breadcrumbs people leave for the birds could attract rats, too, so his staff regularly cleans up breadcrumbs left on the streets.

Orignal by – DANA KOZLOV (CBS)

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Oak Park Village To Euthanize Pigeons?

Oak Park Village To Euthanize Pigeons?

A group of pigeons

Citizens have had enough of Pigeon poop in their park.

OAK PARK, Ill. (CBS) — Oak Park is set to move ahead with discussion of euthanizing pigeons at a village board meeting Monday.

As WBBM Newsradio’s Dave Berner reports, the village is focusing its efforts on the roost under the Marion Street viaduct under the Oak Park Metra station.

The village is considering bringing in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to euthanize the birds with carbon dioxide – a seldom-used tactic, but an effective one, the Chicago Tribune reported.

CBS 2’s Marissa Bailey reported last month on the pigeon invasion, and the resulting pigeon feces invasion, that has struck the area.

Resident Paul Beckwith told Bailey he personally has been defecated on by pigeons, and he doesn’t like the appearance.

Village leaders have put up screens to keep out the birds, but even that hasn’t worked. The village has spent more than $11,000 this year alone trying to keep the birds away.

If Oak Park decided to go ahead with the euthanasia plan, the USDA would set up cages with food and water, trap the pigeons, and transfer them into a chamber into which the carbon dioxide would be released.

The Illinois Ornithological Society says it isn’t against killing pigeons, since the birds – along with sparrows and starlings – are non-native species and are considered pests..

But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said euthanizing the pigeons could actually mean an increase in the pigeons population in the long run, since there were be more food for surviving pigeons, and newcomers could come and breed faster, the Tribune reported.

Other municipalities do take action against pigeons, though none to the point of euthanasia. Evanston, Winnetka and Naperville use spikes and netting on viaducts, and Evanston also has a family of peregrine falcons that eat the pigeons and keep their population under control. The Chicago Transit Authority also uses bird spikes and aluminum shields.

But the City of Chicago does not take action against pigeons other than power-washing bird feces from sidewalks and underpasses near ‘L’ stops, a Mayor’s office spokeswoman told the Tribune.

Pigeon infestations have drawn complaints within the city too, particularly near Broadway and Wilson Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood.

The influx of pigeons there was blamed in part on a woman repeatedly dumping breadcrumbs under the ‘L’ tracks near the Wilson Avenue Red Line stop. That woman, Young Kang – known locally as the “Pigeon Lady” – was arrested last month after allegedly shoving and throwing breadcrumbs at Ald. James Cappleman (46th) when he swept up the bread crumbs she had dropped.

Sounds like a crappy situation.

Have a Pigeon Problem?

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CTA Orders Cleaning of Garage Covered in Pigeon Poop

CTA Orders Cleaning of Garage Covered in Pigeon Poop

Pigeon poop in parking garage

CTA’s Kiss ‘n Ride parking garage at the Cumberland Blue Line station is covered in pigeon droppings. The CTA has ordered the company that runs the garage to clean it up and install devices to keep pigeons away. (Credit: CBS)

CHICAGO (CBS) — The CTA has ordered the company that runs the “Kiss n’ Ride” parking garage at the Cumberland Blue Line stop to clean the place up. The place is overrun by pigeons and some fear it may become a health hazard.

CBS2’s Mike Parker reports, pigeons are everywhere at the parking garage for the Cumberland stop – lurking on every floor of the huge garage. They’re birds of a feather, all right, and wreaking havoc with some pretty fancy car exteriors.

“There are pigeon droppings, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were bats up there as well,” said garage user Mark Gelula.

CBS 2 found no bats at the garage, only pigeons and mounds of droppings all over – some of them two to three inches deep.

Professional bird chaser Joe Seid toured the garage and said, “Maybe it’s cleaned occasionally, but it appears it’s not cleaned very frequently.”

Seid said he’s concerned about the health danger, not the paint jobs of the cars.

“If the droppings get airborne and you breathe it in, it could take a long time to take effect but it can be deadly,” he said.

Late Tuesday, after CBS 2 called to report what we found, the CTA ordered Central Parking Services to take action.

The company, which manages and maintains the garage was told to install measures designed to prevent roosting. The transit agency also ordered that the “area be thoroughly cleaned”, and that “efforts will be monitored and evaluated for effectiveness.”

According to the CTA, “the safety, security and well being of our customers and employees” is a top priority. Looks like a job for the experts!

Original by CBS 2 Producer Ed Marshall.

Have a Pigeon Problem?

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.

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Pigeons Huddle for Warmth At “L” Stops

Pigeons Huddle for Warmth At “L” Stops

Dozens of Pigeons crowding the L station

Dozens of birds crowding the station

CHICAGO (CBS) — Commuters are calling it everything from cute to disgusting – dozens of pigeons warming themselves under the heating lamps at Loop ‘L’ stops.

As WBBM Newsradio’s Steve Miller reports, pigeons have crowded into the heat lamp stalls on the platforms to the point where there is no place for humans left to stand.

“It’s like we’re being supplanted by the pigeons,” one woman said.

Most people politely let the pigeons have the space, but that may have something to do with all the pigeon poop on the platform under the heaters.

“It’s kind of funny,” the commuter said. “It’s also so dirty that people don’t even dare, trying to make their own way and get some space for themselves.”

The commuter was giving the pigeons a wide berth, noting the smell.

“I think it’s cute and disgusting at the same time.”

The Chicago Transit Authority says it has only gotten two complaints about pigeons this winter. But one man waiting for an ‘L’ train was quite unhappy.

“It’s disgusting that these birds are and the city is not doing anything about it,” he said. Pigeon droppings are known to carry a host of viruses and cause health problems.

Have a Pigeon Problem?

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

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Birds & Wildlife not welcome at Windsor Airport

Birds & Wildlife not welcome at Windsor Airport

Bird control being used to keep airways free of obstruction

Phil Mailloux fires a noise maker in the air at the Windsor Airport in Windsor on Friday, September 21, 2012. Mailoux is part of the team that keeps the airport free of potentially deadly pests. (TYLER BROWNBRIDGE / The Windsor Star)

To discover a vast varmint-free oasis in this city, go no further than the Windsor International Airport. It’s legal to hunt, trap, chase, haze and harass any bird or animal that shows its unwanted face within YQG’s 2,000 acres of fenced-off territory.

Trap cages containing pigeons as live lures are just one of the devices deployed to keep down the numbers of raptors, including American kestrels, red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks, snowy and great-horned owls and even peregrine falcons. Such birds are kept in cages for 24 hours and then transported elsewhere, including Holiday Beach.

Chicken wire edging and even glued-on golf tees keep birds off landing lights and other runway fixtures. Airfield directional signs are now encased in gravel piles to keep skunks from digging down and creating nesting burrows.

“We use the biology of the critter to let them know this is not a safe place to be,” said Roberts. Wildlife control trucks that can be quickly deployed come equipped with noise-making sirens and distress callers, and staff have firearms and an array of “pyrotech” devices at the ready, including bangers and screamers and screeching “wizards.”

 

Have a Pigeon Problem?

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

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Chicago: Pigeon Hitches A Ride On The Brown Line

Chicago: Pigeon Hitches A Ride On The Brown Line

View image on Twitter

CHICAGO (CBS) — Sometimes it’s faster to take the train than fly to where you’re going, even if you’re a bird.

A pigeon perched on a seat on the Brown Line during the morning rush on Monday.

Other commuters seemed to be unflappable, appearing to not even notice as the bird enjoyed its ride.

There was a brief delay on the Brown Line as the pigeon was escorted off the train at Armitage.

The CTA said it could not confirm if the bird paid its fare, but officials were checking its account.

 

Tired of Pigeons hitching a ride?  

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

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‘Attack of the pigeon!’: Video shows man throwing dead bird during street fight

‘Attack of the pigeon!’: Video shows man throwing dead bird during street fight

 

A dead pigeon is shown after it was thrown in a fight in Liverpool, U.K.

No rest for the dead!

By Josh K. Elliott – Viral/Trends Global News

Video of a late-night fistfight in the United Kingdom shows one combatant flipping the other the bird – then throwing an actual dead bird at him.

Onlookers burst into laughter after realizing that the man had scooped a dead pigeon off the sidewalk and hurled it at the other man at the end of an otherwise tense confrontation.

“Can’t believe he threw a dead pigeon!” user Kwasi Mensah wrote in a Facebook post along with the video, which has been watched more than 180,000 times. Mensah told U.K. tabloids that he recorded the footage while working as a doorman at a nearby bar.

The video clip, which was first posted online Aug. 15, shows the two men fighting outside a McDonald’s restaurant on the street in Liverpool late at night. The footage starts with a man in a jacket shouting and posturing in front of three other men, including a man in a green T-shirt.

“Come on, then!” the man in the jacket says. “Let’s have it!” he settles into a fighting stance and the other man reluctantly starts to defend himself. The man in the jacket takes several jabs while the man in green tries to swat the attacks away.

Onlookers encourage the man in green to walk away rather than engage the other man.

“I’m walking away. It’s useless,” the man says. “You’re a waste of my time,” he tells his attacker.

But he had other ideas. The man in the jacket suddenly lunges in and the two start trading blows.

Lou Bega’s Mambo Number 5 can be heard blaring from a nearby speaker as the fight gets underway. The two men trade blows as the man in green tries to avoid a fight.

Approximately 90 seconds into the encounter, the man in green can be seen giving the other man the middle finger, then kneeling down to pick up a dead pigeon on the sidewalk. In one swift motion he flings the dead bird at his attacker.

The camera pans away from the two fighters to show the pigeon’s body on the sidewalk. Two voices can be heard cackling.

“Attack of the pigeon!” one man says through his laughter. “The f**king poor pigeon.”

The video pans back to where the two men were fighting. The man in the green shirt can be seen walking away. The man in the jacket starts running after him just as the video ends.

Fighting is for the birds, anyway.

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Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.

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Stag bites off dead pigeon’s head outside Wetherspoons

Stag bites off dead pigeon’s head outside Wetherspoons

Pigeon

Jimmy Nsubuga – Tuesday 11 Jun 2019 11:26 am

Shocked members of the public witnessed a man decapitating a dead pigeon with his teeth outside a Wetherspoons.

The man was on a stag do when he bit the bird’s head off near the The Jolie Brise, in Devon. If that wasn’t disgusting enough he also kept the pigeon’s head afterwards and discarded its body.

He was probably trying to impress his friends while they toured a number of Teignmouth’s pubs but just ended up horrifying people.

A witness told Devon Live: ‘It’s disgusting. ‘People who were in The Jolie Brise heard that the man had bit the pigeon’s head off – they thought the pigeon must have flown into the upstairs bar outside seating area.

‘The staff were clearing it up.’ The incident happened outside The Jolie Brise pub in Devon.

Thankfully the pigeon (not pictured) was already dead.

Wetherspoon staff called police following the incident, with spokesman Eddie Gershon saying: ‘A stag party were in the pub. One of the group found the dead pigeon on the opposite side of the road to the pub. ‘One of the men bit its head off, threw the body away and took the head. ‘One of the staff reported it to the police and the police caught up with the group in another pub. ‘The incident did not happen in The Jolie Brise.

‘The remains of the bird were found by staff and disposed of.’

Talk about using you head!

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/11/stag-bites-off-dead-pigeons-head-outside-wetherspoons-9902838

Have a Pigeon Problem?

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279, or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

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Scientists have recruited pigeons to help stop climate change

Scientists have recruited pigeons to help stop climate change

Pigeons have become the latest recruits in helping researchers gather data on climate change. Scientists at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. have developed a tiny set of sensors resembling a small backpack that can be strapped onto the back of pigeons. These little sensors help researchers collect data on urban microclimates ??? the fluctuations in temperature, humidity, and winds that can have major effects on living in major cities. So where do the pigeons come from? The group works with local volunteers who raise homing pigeons. Known for their abilities to return to their nest, homing pigeons have been used as far back as Ghengis Khan to carry messages across long distances. Using homing pigeons means that the researchers are sure to get their instruments back and can download the information before sending the birds on their way to collect more data. The design of the backpack conceived to keep the safety and comfort of the birds in mind. Each weighs less than 3 percent of the pigeon???s body weight, which is the standard for bird tracking devices. Thomas???s wife sewed each backpack, going through several versions until they found the perfect fit. ???If [the pigeon owners] are not happy with any aspect of putting the sensors on their back, then they don???t have to fly their birds,??? explains Rick Thomas, the research fellow who leads the study. ???The welfare of the birds is utterly paramount.??? Thomas also pointed out several good reasons to use birds rather than something like drone technology. For one, drones are not allowed to fly freely in any area, particularly after the trouble a drone caused at Gatwick airport in December. Secondly, different technology would not be as cost effective as what???s possible with the pigeons. Thus far, the group???s band of pigeons have logged over 620 miles with their backpacks over the course of 41 flights. The hopes are that the climate data can be used by scientists to help them predict how pollution

Pigeons are helping researchers gather data on climate change. (University of Birmingham/Cover Images)

Jeff Parsons – Monday 25 Mar 2019 2:15 pm

Pigeons have become the latest recruits in helping researchers gather data on climate change.

Scientists at the University of Birmingham have developed a tiny set of sensors resembling a small backpack that can be strapped onto the back of homing pigeons. These little sensors help researchers collect data on urban microclimates, including fluctuations in temperature, humidity, and winds that can have major effects on living in major cities.

The pigeons themselves come from local volunteers that raise them and who agree to work with the scientists. Pigeons are helping researchers gather data on climate change.

Known for their abilities to return to their nest, homing pigeons have been used as far back as Ghengis Khan to carry messages across long distances. Using homing pigeons means that the researchers are sure to get their instruments back and can download the information before sending the birds on their way to collect more data.

The design of the backpack conceived to keep the safety and comfort of the birds in mind. Each weighs less than 3% of the pigeon’s body weight, which is the standard for bird tracking devices. Sensors in the backpacks help researchers collect data on urban microclimates (University of Birmingham/Cover Images)

‘If [the pigeon owners] are not happy with any aspect of putting the sensors on their back, then they don’t have to fly their birds,’ explains Rick Thomas, the research fellow who leads the study. The welfare of the birds is utterly paramount and, they’re not likely to cause the same issues as drones, explained Thomas.

The pigeons all come from local volunteer groups.Pigeons have become the latest recruits in helping researchers gather data on climate change. Scientists at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. have developed a tiny set of sensors resembling a small backpack that can be strapped onto the back of pigeons. These little sensors help researchers collect data on urban microclimates ??? the fluctuations in temperature, humidity, and winds that can have major effects on living in major cities. So where do the pigeons come from? The group works with local volunteers who raise homing pigeons. Known for their abilities to return to their nest, homing pigeons have been used as far back as Ghengis Khan to carry messages across long distances. Using homing pigeons means that the researchers are sure to get their instruments back and can download the information before sending the birds on their way to collect more data. The design of the backpack conceived to keep the safety and comfort of the birds in mind. Each weighs less than 3 percent of the pigeon???s body weight, which is the standard for bird tracking devices. Thomas???s wife sewed each backpack, going through several versions until they found the perfect fit. ???If [the pigeon owners] are not happy with any aspect of putting the sensors on their back, then they don???t have to fly their birds,??? explains Rick Thomas, the research fellow who leads the study. ???The welfare of the birds is utterly paramount.??? Thomas also pointed out several good reasons to use birds rather than something like drone technology. For one, drones are not allowed to fly freely in any area, particularly after the trouble a drone caused at Gatwick airport in December. Secondly, different technology would not be as cost effective as what???s possible with the pigeons. Thus far, the group???s band of pigeons have logged over 620 miles with their backpacks over the course of 41 flights. The hopes are that the climate data can be used by scientists to help them predict how pollution

Drones are not allowed to fly freely in any area, particularly after the trouble a drone caused at Gatwick airport in December. What’s more, drone technology would not be as cost effective as what’s possible with the pigeons.

Thus far, the group’s band of pigeons have logged over 620 miles with their backpacks over the course of 41 flights. Impressive!

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/03/25/scientists-recruited-pigeons-help-stop-climate-change-9008203

Have a Pigeon Problem?

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279, or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Mum fined £150 for feeding sausage roll to pigeon

Mum fined £150 for feeding sausage roll to pigeon

Woman fined £150 by Bath officer for feeding pigeon sausage roll

Elisa Menendez – Wednesday 19 Jun 2019 9:56 PM

A woman has been fined £150 by her local council for feeding a piece of sausage roll to a pigeon. Sally-Ann Fricker fed the bird while shopping with her three children in Bath.

Her daughter, Toni Bradley, said they were approached ‘seconds later’ by an officer for littering, despite the pigeon flying away with the food.

Toni said: ‘If she’d chucked the wrapper down then that would have been fair enough, but this was absolutely ridiculous, we were very upset and very shocked.’

According to Bath and North East Somerset Council, those caught littering face a £150 fine, reduced to £100 if paid within 14 days.

Councillor Dave Wood, cabinet member for climate change and the environment, said the authority would review whether the fine was appropriate in this incident.

However, he added that there are notices on many streets asking the public not to feed pigeons as they are a ‘public nuisance’.

Daughter Toni was outraged at the fine, adding that her mum is a carer and the fine was worth more than her weekly earnings.

She said: ‘When I got home my three-year-old asked me to take down the bird feeder from the garden “because nanny got into trouble” for feeding them.’

Wood added that councils and their contractors should use ‘common sense’ with situations like Sally-Ann’s.

‘I have asked officers to urgently look into this matter and review the action taken with the contractor, to determine whether it was proportionate,’ he said.

He added: ‘As a general point, pigeons and gulls cause a public nuisance and are part of the problem the council has to manage when dealing with litter on the streets. ‘There are notices all over the city asking people not to feed birds.’

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/19/mum-fined-150-feeding-sausage-roll-pigeon-10016074

Have a Pigeon Problem?

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279, or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Passenger got £28,000 payout because they ‘possibly’ slipped on pigeon poo

Passenger got £28,000 payout because they ‘possibly’ slipped on pigeon poo

Front view of the face of Rock Pigeon face to face.Rock Pigeons crowd streets and public squares, living on discarded food and offerings of birdseed.; Shutterstock ID 1069354133; Purchase Order: -

By Richard Hartley-Parkinson – Friday 9 Aug 2019 6:40 am

Network Rail paid out £28,000 after a passenger ‘possibly slipped’ on pigeon poo at Paddington station. Details of the incident at the west London station – in which the victim hurt their leg – were revealed in response to a Freedom of Information request by the BBC.

A total of more than £950,000 was paid out by Network Rail for 290 claims over the past five years for slips, trips and falls resulting in compensation claims at the 20 stations it manages in England and Scotland.

In some instances this included money towards claimants’ legal costs.

The largest single payout was £40,000 after a passenger ‘slipped on some liquid and landed heavily on their right hip’ at London Charing Cross.

Network Rail’s head of claims and insurance, Philip Thrower, said: ‘We’re a big company that takes our responsibilities seriously. With tens of millions of people using our stations every day; only a tiny fraction of a percent experience a mishap. Horse waits for train on South Shields metro platform

‘If we are at fault for causing damage or injury to anyone, we rightly compensate them for those accidents and put in place new ways of working to stop them from happening again.’

Other accidents which led to successful compensation claims include:

  • A passenger slipped on an uneven surface while walking towards a train at Euston (£17,000);
  • A large puddle of water caused a passenger to slip while crossing a bridge at Leeds station (£10,000);
  • A passenger slipped on ‘discarded tomato sauce’ on the concourse at London Liverpool Street, hurting their wrist and both knees (£6,000).

Victoria station in London was the location for the most successful claims, with 44. This was followed by London Waterloo and Leeds (both 32), Euston (27) and Liverpool Street (24). The lowest amount paid was £10 after a passenger suffered ‘personal injury and damage/messing to suit’ when they slipped on ice at an entrance to Victoria.

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/09/paddington-station-passenger-gets-payout-slipping-pigeon-poo-10543253/

Have a Pigeon Problem?

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279, or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

For Pigeons, Leadership Simply Depends on Speed

For Pigeons, Leadership Simply Depends on Speed

For pigeons, it seems, leadership is largely a question of speed.

Researchers compared pigeons’ relative influence over flock direction to their solo flight characteristics. The studies showed that a pigeon’s degree of leadership could be predicted by its speed in earlier flights.

“This changes our understanding of how the flocks are structured and why flocks of this species have consistent leadership hierarchies,” said Dora Biro of the University of Oxford in London.

The latest GPS loggers allow the researchers to track not only the birds’ overall routes, but also the sub-second time delays with which they react to each other while flying as a flock.

“We can control the composition of the flocks and the starting points for their homeward journeys,” said Benjamin Pettit, first author of the study.

When the researchers tested the birds individually after a series of flock flights, they found that leaders had learned straighter homing routes than followers.

The new findings offer an elegantly simple explanation for the phenomenon of leadership in birds, with important implications for how spatial knowledge is generated and retained in navigating flocks.

“We also have a good understanding of their individual spatial cognition, in particular how their homing routes develop over repeated flights in the same area,” Pettit noted.

“Some birds are naturally faster and consistently get to the front, where they end up doing more of the navigation, which means on future flights they know the way better,” Biro added.

“You can compare this to a ‘passenger-driver’ like effect: drivers in a car have to pay attention while passengers are often unable to recall the route they were driven along, especially if they remained passive in the navigation process,” Biro explained.

A very simple, self-organising mechanism–such as that based on variation in speed–is sufficient for leadership to arise.

Have a Pigeon Problem?

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279, or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Pigeons In Tiny Backpacks Are Measuring Air Pollution In London

Pigeons In Tiny Backpacks Are Measuring Air Pollution In London

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Pigeon backpacks measure air pollution in London.

Air pollution caused by diesel vehicles in London is bad – so bad that it is blamed for 9,500 premature deaths a year and has prompted Britain’s Supreme Court to order the government to make a plan for cleaning up the skies.

Now what is commonly seen as another scourge of the city, the pigeon, is helping in the fight against smog. On Monday, 10 birds outfitted in miniature backpacks carrying pollution sensors and GPS trackers took to the air, and they started tweeting – via beak, perhaps, but definitely via Twitter – their devices’ readings of nitrogen dioxide and ozone. Londoners who tweet at the Pigeon Air Patrol’s Twitter handle, @PigeonAir, are getting responses from the birds about air pollution in their area, and a live map of the pigeons’ location can be viewed online.

The patrol is, by the admission of the technology and marketing companies that created it, a publicity stunt meant to raise awareness about the city’s harmful air. Birds, it should be noted, are also subject to all sorts of nefarious ailments caused by air pollution, including lung damage and low body weight.

“There’s something about taking what is seen as a flying rat and reversing that into something quite positive,” Pierre Duquesnoy, creative director at marketing agency DigitasLBI and the brains behind the pigeon pollution monitors, told the Guardian.

Plume Labs, the tech firm, gave assurance that a veterinarian was involved in the project to ensure the safety of the pigeons, whose names include Coco, Julius and Norbert.

The London pigeons are not the first birds to don backpacks for an environmental cause.

Vultures in Lima, Peru, have been adorned with GPS trackers and GoPro cameras to hunt down illegal garbage dumping sites.

Have a Pigeon Problem?

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279, or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Pigeons Swarm Chennai Airport, Nomads Roped In To Shoo Them Away

Pigeons Swarm Chennai Airport, Nomads Roped In To Shoo Them Away

Pigeons Swarm Chennai Airport, Nomads Roped In To Shoo Them Away

CHENNAI: A number of pigeons are swarming the Chennai airport premises for the last three days. Authorities were forced to hire a  nomadic community to shoo them away.

Efforts by the airport personnel to shoo them away have failed; as the birds come back again and again, giving anxious moments to the authorities.

Many birds were spotted around the runway today, authorities requisitioned the services of Narikorava community, who are well versed in shooing them away using traditional techniques.

The gypsies were on the job to shoo the birds away, and have been very successful.

As part of the State Safety Programme, preventing wildlife (bird/animal) strikes to aircraft was identified by Directorate General of Civil Aviation as one of the most important safety priorities.

Have a Pigeon Problem?

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279, or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Flying High No More: Drug-Smuggling Pigeon Caught In Kuwait

Flying High No More: Drug-Smuggling Pigeon Caught In Kuwait

Flying High No More: Drug-Smuggling Pigeon Caught In Kuwait

It’s 2017 and we have clearly come a long way from the days pigeons were used to deliver letters.

Case in point, this pigeon in Kuwait that was caught with a little bag full of drugs out for delivery. According to Al Arabiya, Kuwait custom officials caught the pigeon as it was crossing over from Iraq to Kuwait. Upon searching the little grey bag strapped to its back, they discovered 178 narcotic pills. What a comedown for the little birdie.

This is not the first time that drug smugglers have used pigeons for delivery. In 2016, a pigeon was caught trying to smuggle drugs into a Costa Rica prison. The bird will not be charged for this offence.

Pigeons Aren’t Bird-Brained, Can Understand Concepts Of Space, Time

Pigeons Aren’t Bird-Brained, Can Understand Concepts Of Space, Time

A new study finds that pigeons can discriminate the abstract concepts of space and time but they seem to use a different region of the brain than humans and primates to do so.

WASHINGTON: Not only human beings but even pigeons can discriminate the abstract concepts of space and time, according to a study. However, they seem to use a different region of the brain than humans and primates to do so.

The finding, published in the journal Current Biology, adds to growing recognition in the scientific community that lower-order animal species such as birds, reptiles, and fish are capable of high-level, abstract decision-making.

“Indeed, the cognitive prowess of birds is now deemed to be ever closer to that of both human and non-human primates,” said Edward Wasserman, from the University of Iowa in the US.

“Those avian nervous systems are capable of far greater achievements than the pejorative term ‘bird brain’ would suggest,” he said.

Humans are able to perceive space and time, even without the aid of inventions such as a watch or a ruler. The region of the brain that helps humans make those abstract concepts more tangible is the parietal cortex, part of the cerebral cortex and the outermost layer of the brain. The cerebral cortex is known to be a locus of higher thought processes, including speech and decision-making.

However, the pigeon brain does not have a parietal cortex, or at least one developed enough to be distinct. So, the birds must employ another area of the brain to discriminate between space and time.

Pigeons were put through a series of tasks called the “common magnitude” test.

The birds were shown on a computer screen a horizontal line either 6 cm or 24 cm long for either 2 seconds or 8 seconds.

The researchers said the results show pigeons process space and time in ways similar to humans and other primates.

Have a Pigeon Problem?

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products eight years in a row.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279, or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Pigeongram: In Social Media Era, Odisha Keeps Age-Old Practice Alive

Pigeongram: In Social Media Era, Odisha Keeps Age-Old Practice Alive

pigeons-generic-istock_650x400_81523790746.jpg (650×400)

BHUBANESWAR: With the onslaught of social media and e-communication services, pigeongram may have become a thing of the past across the globe, but the Odisha Police continues to keep alive this unique practice.

The service was put to test yesterday when the Odisha Police, in association with the Bhubaneswar chapter of Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), flew 50 pigeons at OUAT Grounds here to deliver missives of heritage conservation to Cuttack, 25km away.

The ceremony was attended by people from all walks of life, including schoolchildren from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

Former DGP and state convener of INTACH, A B Tripathy, praised the police department for preserving the age-old tradition.

The determination of the men who run India’s only police pigeon service has “guaranteed the survival of a practice” that was prevalent in the Mughal era, he said.

SP (signal) BN Das said Odisha was the only state in India to use carrier pigeons to communicate among police stations.

The Odisha Pigeon Service started in 1946 when 200 pigeons were handed over to police personnel by the army on an experimental basis to communicate in areas with no wireless or telephone links, Das said.

The service was first pioneered in the mountainous Koraput district, and its success and reliability resulted in its introduction to almost all the districts of the state with over 700 sturdy Belgian Homer pigeons ferrying messages to assigned destinations.

For years, these dependable birds have been a vital link between remote police stations, where traditional communications failed, beating storms, disasters – and birds of prey, the SP (signal) said.

The messages, written on a piece of paper, were inserted into plastic capsule and tied to the feet of the Belgian Homer Pigeons, which can fly 25 km in just 15 to 25 minutes and live up to 20 years, he added.

The service, headquartered in Cuttack, was extensively used during floods and Super Cyclone in 1999, as radio networks were disrupted, said a senior police officer, adding that the pigeon service was also the only line of communication to the marooned town of Banki during the disastrous flood in 1982.

Ornithologist Panchami Manoo Ukil feels this practice needs to be preserved for the next generation to get an idea about the ancient traditions.

“Pigeon service is an art that dates back to the Mughal days. The birds delivered messages to the harems and battlefields. This unique tradition has historical significance and should be preserved,” he said.

Anil Dhir, a member of INTACH, said the heritage service has generated a lot of interest among the collector’s community.

“All the pigeons reached Cuttack within an hour,” he added.

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