The “El Chapo” trial took an interesting turn this week. It appears that an I.T. guy is a principal in making the case against the cartel leader.
This is from the Washington Post:
In February 2010, Cristian Rodriguez showed up at a Manhattan hotel expecting to attend a business meeting of sorts.
An information technology expert living in Colombia, he had previously set up an encrypted communications system for Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, making it impossible for law enforcement to eavesdrop on phone calls placed by the alleged leader of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.
Joining him in New York was a potential client who needed a similar system for his own shadowy crime syndicate – or so Rodriguez thought.
In fact, the man – who posed as a Russian mobster, according to the New York Times – was actually an undercover agent.
Testifying in federal court on Tuesday, FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen Marston said the agency had become aware that cartel members were using an encrypted voice-over-Internet system to make phone calls but had been unable to crack the code.
After the clandestine meeting, however, federal agents persuaded Rodriguez to cooperate, allowing the U.S. government to listen in on hundreds of incriminating phone calls, including conversations in which Guzmán allegedly plotted drug deals and ensured that Mexican officials were being paid off to look the other way.
That evidence may prove to be crucial in Guzmán’s ongoing trial, which began nearly two months ago in federal district court in Brooklyn.
This is huge and will send most cartel leaders into shock. Don’t be surprised if they throw away all of their phones and tablets in the garbage and go back to messengers or even pigeons.
A few years ago, I remember stories of how the cartels were run by sophisticated MBAs and I.T. people. In other words, the cartels ran their business through “front companies” that laundered money and processed communications, not at all different from any other multinational doing business in Mexico.
At the top of the sophisticated organization sat a cartel leader who checked the accounts and messages before sitting down for breakfast. The “boss” was further protected by a network of guards also speaking to each other by phone.
A few weeks ago, I watched a documentary titled Getting to El Chapo through His Inner Circle. In the end, El Chapo and his wife were discovered in a hotel room, tracked there by means of a guard’s phone.
The I.T. guy’s testimony is huge and may bring down quite a few cartels. It won’t end the criminal enterprises, but the days of hiding behind encrypted phones are over.
The cartels are smart, and they will adapt. They will go back to messengers or even pigeons.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
Dead and injured birds covered in tinsel and other decorations have been turning up in New Zealand, and animal rights campaigners are worried.
The Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it received up to 30 calls in recent weeks reporting sightings of sparrows and pigeons with tinsel intentionally tied to their bodies.
“Many try to pry the foreign objects off their bodies with their beaks and feet, becoming further entangled and preventing them from eating, drinking and flying. With others, the decorations are wrapped so tightly it completely cuts off their blood circulation,” SPCA spokeswoman Jessie Gilchrist told CNN.
“Those that do survive and arrive at our center are often in a very bad state, they are so malnourished and distressed that we have had to humanely euthanize them.”
The decorations can prevent the birds from eating, drinking and flying, leaving them to starve to death.
Since 2015, the charity said there has been over thirty cases of “decorated” birds found dead or with injuries severe enough to require euthanasia.
On Tuesday, SPCA officers were called to a house in Kilbirnie, a suburb of the capital Wellington, where they rescued several birds covered in decorations and paint. The birds were in a distressed but otherwise healthy condition.
“One pigeon had quite bright red Christmas tinsel wrapped around its wings and then the top of its head had been painted with red paint as well as its wings had been tipped with red paint,” Gilchrist said.
While charges have yet to be laid against the owners of the house, Gilchrist said the case “remains an ongoing investigation.”
Sparrows and pigeons — which forage for food on the ground, in shrubs or shallow water — face a number of threats from predators, including foxes and racoons, as well as larger birds and snakes.
But humans are perhaps the biggest threat to the birds. In 2015, New Zealand recognized all animals, including birds, as “sentient” under law, extending protections and making it easier for charities like the SPCA to prosecute people for animal cruelty.
One stated purpose of the law was to “remove uncertainty around the ill-treatment of wild animals by targeting acts of wilful or reckless ill-treatment.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
The pigeon population in the city has exploded and pigeons are becoming quite a menace. Birders, experts and veterinarians suggest a ban on public feeding of the birds.
The pigeons in the city are dominating other bird species and occupying all the nesting places. Pigeon droppings and feathers are unhealthy for humans and also spread viruses to other bird species.
Pigeons can be seen everywhere in the city. They have stopped searching for natural sources of food and depend on being fed by citizens. A Telangana forest department official says in the name of helping the birds, citizens are feeding the pigeons and damaging the ecosystem unknowingly. “The over population of these birds is dominating other bird species. We can see that the spaces occupied by the pigeons were earlier used by other birds.”
Space, habitat, feed, water, protection and climate determine the population of any species in nature. But, if we start feeding an animal or bird, they will become assured of food irrespective of environmental factors, and tend to multiply faster, exceeding the natural carrying capacity of the area.
“The primary feathers of the pigeon are very small and can be inhaled through our nose. These feathers can cause respiratory problems in humans. The pigeons are spoiling the environment with heavy population. The government should ban feeding of pigeons or else it will not be possible to control the population,” said senior veterinarian Naveen.
The reputed bird watching society, Deccan Birders, admits that the pigeon population has turned into a menace. Secretary of Deccan Birders, Shafat Ulla, says a ban on feeding pigeons must be imposed and that pigeon droppings affect the health of humans.
“There is a ban on feeding pigeons in several countries and there is nothing wrong in it. The government should initiate the ban in the city. Noticing that the pigeons are fed at KBR Park, we Deccan Birders have organised an awareness campaign. We can see people feeding them across Hyderabad,” Mr Ulla said.
Dr Aftab Ahmed says pigeons can cause diseases through their droppings. “If we take water that is contaminated with the droppings of the pigeon there is possibility of Histoplasmosis and Cryptococcosis. The disease mainly affects lungs and other body parts with fungal infections.”
Though the GHMC does not consider the pigeons a menace, its workers have a tough time cleaning the droppings.
“So far it has not been brought to our notice as a major menace. But, yes, bird droppings do contribute to street waste in the city,” said GHMC Additional Commissioner N.V. Ravi Kiran.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
The New Year splashes in, the gusting rain disappointing skiers, skaters and snowman makers. It rains and rains through the night and finally clears in the morning to a sparkling blue sky. The first birds of the year here at the house are the usual suspects: chickadees and titmice, cardinals and bluejays, downy, hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers. Finches are few and far between. Now and then I’ll look out the window and see a trio of goldfinches at the feeder. Then, later in the day, a pair of purple finches drops by. A junco hops over from the edge of the woodland and waits patiently while seven mourning doves work the seed-ladened ground under the feeders.
While in the spring you may see a pair of mourning doves sitting close together canoodling on a wire or a branch, at this time of year, they, like many other species, flock together. Some days there are only three or four here; while other days may bring in 20 or so. They feed mostly from the ground, picking and pecking through the spilled detritus. But come the colder, snowy weather, they will invade the platforms and wing away any competitors. So much for the dove of peace.
The mourning dove, Zenaida macroura, is the most common dove throughout North America. The bird has a lovely subdued plumage in colors ranging from bluish gray to pinkish brown. This dove is a little larger than a robin with a relatively small head and long, rounded tail that flashes white along the outer edges. A dark spot decorates the cheek and a spill of more dark dots are apparent across the back.
But who or what is the bird mourning? Early birders thought his ooAAH, cooo, coo, coo-ing sounded quite sad as if he were totally grief-stricken. Others thought it was reminiscent of an owl’s hoot, but no one called him the owl dove. Mourning dove became the name of choice.
FLYING TREE RATS
In “A Guide to the Birds of New England and Eastern New York” (1904), Ralph Hoffmann lists the mourning dove as a common summer resident with a footnote about the Wild Pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius, stating that it is nearly extinct in this area. Soon the passenger pigeon, as this species is known throughout the ornithological world, once the most abundant bird in North America, did become extinct, the last living specimen dying in 1914.
Hoffmann has no entry for the other common pigeon/dove of this area — called rock dove, rock pigeon or feral pigeon — often seen under bridges, around barns and on top of silos. These were European birds, Columba livia, brought over by the immigrants. The birds escaped from domestic, rooftop dovecotes and took to the wild probably around the turn of the 19th century. Their success is history. Most cities throughout the world now are rife with these pigeons often derogatorily referred to as “flying tree rats.”
The words pigeon or dove refer to the same birds, though the connotations are completely different. We do not ever hear of “mourning pigeons” or “feral doves.” Pigeons/doves from ancient times were symbols — depending on the cultural tradition — of love, fertility, longevity, faithfulness, of the Holy Ghost, of Christ, of purity, and, of course, of peace. It is the dove of peace, not the pigeon of peace.
Writers often refer to the kindness of doves, but the ferocity of pigeons, of doves with meek eyes, but pigeons with cold beady ones, of soiled doves, not soiled pigeons, of stool pigeons, not stool doves. Pigeons are thought to be the smartest of birds, the most versatile and the most adaptable. Carrier or homing pigeons were trained by the Ancient Greeks to transmit messages and even during World War II pigeons were used to bring vital information to and from the front.
After the French Revolution, the people insisted that all dovecotes be destroyed. The elite bred and hunted pigeons and doves, but did nothing to stop the birds ruining farmers’ crops.
Yet, rifle-slinging gunners are more likely these days to hunt mourning doves, not rock pigeons. Only nine states ban mourning dove hunting, including all of New England, New York and New Jersey. Seasons throughout the country may range from September through November, or December or January. The normal bag limit per day is seven per person.
Do these people feast on what they kill? Likely as not, it is primarily for sport, for it takes a very-skilled gunner to bring down a dove on the wing. They are quick fliers, twist and turn in flight, and soon are out of range. Fortunately, live mourning doves are no longer launched from traps for target shooting contests! Most now use clay pigeons — not clay doves.
Are these birds so abundant in field, farm and forest, that they can withstand a constant thinning of the population? Fortunately they are not colonial nesters like their long lost cousins, the passenger pigeons where hundreds were netted at a time while roosting. But neither are they prolific breeders. Mourning doves build really flimsy nests, lay only two eggs at a time and usually raise two broods during the summer.
BRAINY BIRDS
Pigeons were once a favorite test subject of behavioral scientists. Donald Blough supposedly taught his pigeons to recognize all the letters of the alphabet. What was the next step? A pigeon spelling bee? Algebra? Other scientists have proven that not only do pigeons see many more colors than humans, but they also see in slow motion. Not sure where that science was heading.
And who first taught that pigeon in NYC to ride the subway? No need to teach these smart creatures. These birds are not seeking a short cut from Main Street, Flushing to Times Square, but are following crumbs dropped by hungry subway passengers as they rush to catch the #7-Train. As soon as the birds are finished eating, they quietly await the opening of the doors at the next stop — minding the gap, of course.
Mourning doves may not hitch rides or act like Hansel and Gretel, but they are a pleasure to watch and listen to around the house!
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
Dozens of birds in New Zealand have been found dead or injured with Christmas decorations tied around them, prompting calls for anyone with information on who is behind the cruel attacks to come forward.
The Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(SPCA) said a number of sparrows and pigeons have been reported with “decorative trinkets” tied to them in the capital, Wellington.
Some of the animals died of starvation as they were unable to fly and find food, the SPCA said. The charity noted that while there had been similar incidents in the past, there has been a spike in sightings in recent weeks.
“Those that do survive and arrive at our centre are always in a very bad state, and are so malnourished and distressed that we have had to humanely euthanise them,” the SPCA’s spokesperson Paige Janssen told the BBC.
Janssen said there had been several reported cases of “decorated” birds since 2015 but the number of sightings had increased over the Christmas and New Year period.
“We received around 30 calls alone just over this period. They were multiple sightings of a dozen birds that are still mobile and flying around the Kilbirnie area that we are unable to reach,” she said.
On Wednesday a property was searched in an attempt to find the so-called Wellington sparrow killer and the local SPCA said it was looking for the suspect behind this “case of cruelty”. Last week it put out an appeal for information.
The SPCA general manager for the central region, Ros Alsford, told the New Zealand Herald that decorated pigeons were removed from the property on Wednesday, and brought to its hospital where they were given a check and had the trinkets removed.
She said the birds were incredibly distressed when first brought in but were fine now. “They were in OK health, the vets gave them a good health check. And once we removed the trinkets we sent them back to the property … The reason we did that is they were sitting on nests of eggs so we had to return them back to their nests.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
During his 40-year career with The Florida Times-Union, Foster Marshall was known as an innovative photographer who came up with the idea of using a homing pigeon to carry film of a presidential visit from a locked-down naval base. A few of the memorable events Mr. Marshall photographed were the Roosevelt Hotel fire, the visits of six presidents, the arrival of the Beatles and Hurricane Dora. Mr. Marshall died on New Year’s Day of complications from pneumonia. He was 83. He retired in 1994 as assistant managing editor for graphics. In 1970 Mr. Marshall was the only still photographer to shoot the sinking of a Navy vessel loaded with nerve gas. He was the pool photographer for all newspapers and wire services. “We flew figure eights over the ship, waiting for it to sink for eight hours,” he said in a 1985 Jacksonville Journal interview. They had pulled the plug, but it just wouldn’t sink. Finally it just slipped beneath the surface to the relief of everyone.” In his younger years Marshall had a reputation for being ready to do anything “He did some hair-raising things,” said Stephanie Marshall, his wife of 58 years. “I would say, ‘Don’t tell me before you go and do these things. Just tell me afterward.’ ” During Hurricane Dora in 1964, she said, he was taking photos on the Jacksonville Beach Pier when the wind started dismantling some of the boards. Mr. Marshall said in an interview that he remembered being awakened by a phone call from the fire department at 4 a.m. on Christmas Eve in 1956 and told that a plane had crashed. The 17 people aboard had been killed. He said it had a psychological effect on him seeing the holiday presents strewn around the wreckage. Another unforgettable disaster was the Roosevelt Hotel fire that took 22 lives in December 1963. Mr. Marshall took a haunting black-and-white image of three firefighters hauling a stunned, soot-covered woman out of the hotel. Times-Union photographers Bob Self and Will Dickey, who were hired by Mr. Marshall, related the pigeon incident. President Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy had come to Mayport Naval Station in 1984 to attend a memorial service for the sailors killed aboard the USS Stark during an Iraqi missile attack in the Persian Gulf. The day before the visit, the newspaper was told that the Secret Service would restrict movement on the base until Air Force One had departed. Self, who was covering the service, wouldn’t be able to leave the base with his film in time for the afternoon deadline. So Marshall told his staff to find a homing pigeon. Robert Bernard, a Jacksonville pigeon racer, agreed to help. Photo editor Don Ray devised a mini-capsule that was attached to the pigeon’s leg. Self carried the pigeon in a ventilated box onto the base with his jacket casually draped over his arm. He got shots of the grim-faced Reagans holding hands as they climbed down from the plane. Self placed the film in the capsule and released the bird. The pigeon flew to Bernard’s home, where a newspaper lab technician was waiting to speed the film across the Mathews Bridge and into the newsroom to the cheers of staff. “Foster came up with the idea and it worked,” Dickey said, adding that the journalistic coup got a lot of press attention. Mr. Marshall was born in Jacksonville in 1935. While attending Andrew Jackson High School, he worked for United Press as a telephoto operator. After graduating from Jackson in 1954, he joined the Times-Union photo staff. Mr. Marshall was promoted to supervisor in 1966 and was named chief photographer in 1970. Mr. Marshall became illustration editor of the TimesUnion in 1979, assistant director of news illustrations for the Times-Union and Journal in 1980, director and then assistant managing editor for graphics in 1983. Don Burk, a retired Times-Union photographer who also was hired by Mr. Marshall, said he was an outdoors enthusiast who enjoyed fishing and hunting. Mr. Marshall once said the job gave him the opportunity to fish with Joe DiMaggio and Jack Dempsey and see the heavyweight champion of the world turn green from sea sickness. In addition to his wife, Mr. Marshall is survived by a son, Scott of Pensacola, two grandchildren and a sister, Marlene Mizell of Keystone Heights. There will be no funeral service. Burial will be private.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
A leading British talk show Good Morning Britain piers Morgan live decided to plant himself on the shoulders of two pigeons. However, soon they made a real stir in the Studio.
The video with the funny incident was published on Wednesday on Youtube.
Reportedly, a couple of weeks before the fun event, the son of leading compared with the character in the movie home Alone-2 — with a homeless woman feeding birds in the Park.
Viewers of the show noticed that a Morgan is quite similar to the actress from the movie, and the joke. The journalist could not miss the occasion to laugh with himself and went on the air with two doves on his shoulders.
The rest of the bird was short-lived: first, one of the pigeons got the lead on the head and began to beat his wings in the face.
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Not all twins are able to live together until old age. But it is certainly not for British women, Phyllis Jones and Irene crump. Sister recently celebrated her 102 birthday. They are not going to stop. The twins are confident that together they can overcome anything.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
Birds staged in the Studio real chaos.A leading British talk show Good Morning Britain piers Morgan (Piers Morgan) decided to sneer at a, seated on the shoulders of two pigeons.
Soon the birds were out of control and wreaked havoc in the Studio, writes the Chronicle.info with reference to Depo.ua.
A few weeks before the incident, the son of Morgan compared the leading character of the movie “home Alone 2” – s a homeless woman in the Park feeding pigeons. Viewers of the show decided that apparently Morgan is very similar to that actress, and supported the joke. The journalist also wanted to laugh at themselves, so appeared on the air with two birds on his shoulders.
The pigeons did not sit still: first one got Morgan on the head and began to beat its wings in the face. He then flew around the Studio and pooped on the papers co-host Suzanne Reid (Susanna Reid).
Soon in the frame were the owner of pigeons who tried to catch the raging birds. He came to the aid of even the master of the weather. In the end the man managed to throw pigeons on the net.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
I sometimes take mothering to the extreme. In that I find myself mothering everyone and everything.
I have found myself saying, “Make good choices!” to a 50-year-old co-worker leaving for the weekend. Just last night, I made kissy noises while passing my daughter’s friend sleeping on the floor of her bedroom. And because I live with people that collect animals, I find that I mother dogs, cats, bees, ducks, pigeons, chickens, geese and the occasional turkey, too.
I do love animals. In fact, as a child I always told my mom I wanted to grow up and marry a farmer. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I want to see all animals healthy and loved.
Our one legitimate pet is a dog. Nellie knows that I will keep her fed and safe. She also knows most of the fun stuff (hunting) happens with the boys. If she’s hurt, though, she’ll come to Mom.
Then there were cats. There was a sweet kitty hanging around our house when the kids were young. Matt started feeding him. I warned Matt, “You cannot bring an animal into our lives and think I will just turn my back in the winter.” Pretty soon we were buying cat food, taking trips to the vet and cleaning out a kitty litter box in the garage. And once you have one cat … what’s one more?
I almost forgot the season of rabbits. We had quite a few rabbits one year. They were huge and pooped incessantly, and I mothered them right along until the end. And this is how it goes.
Suddenly, one day in the spring (it’s always in the spring), I come home to a box. Who knows what is in the box? It could be nearly anything. We don’t have a home for it, we don’t know what to feed it, we have no plan for it, but here it is: a rabbit or two or five. Then I diligently mother those animals; I feed them and care for them and love them and get attached to them and then, eventually they die. And the kids and I cry and next spring there is another box.
Now there are birds — all kinds of birds. Some I like and some I don’t. But still, I do not want to see them die on my watch. We currently have nine chickens, five ducks (courtesy of a box that Logan brought home) and about a dozen pigeons. We have made a decision to over-winter the chickens and ducks. I have agreed on the pretense that I am not responsible.
I did not think this decision through properly. Both Matt and Logan are gone deer hunting. Last night I spent some time installing a heated poultry fountain and chasing a duck around in the dark to get it safely inside for the night. This morning, Laura and I spent an hour shoveling a watery poop/hay mix out of the coop and improvising a new setup for the poultry fountain. Apparently the ducks do not understand I have Christmas presents to wrap. But I love them anyway. It’s what moms do.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
A dog, pigeon, horse and cat all proudly wear PDSA Dickin Medals alongside members of the RAF, Army and Royal Navy.
To mark the milestone 75th anniversary of the PDSA Dickin Medal – the animals’ Victoria Cross – vet charity PDSA gathered the animal heroes together at the Imperial War Museum.
At the height of World War II 75 years ago, a messenger pigeon named Winkie became the first ever recipient of the PDSA Dickin Medal, which is awarded to animals that display conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty while serving in military conflict.
Since then, the life-saving actions of 72 incredible animals have been honoured by the charity; 71 animals – 34 dogs, 32 pigeons, four horses and one cat have received the medal.
An Honorary medal was also bestowed to ‘the real war horse’, Warrior, on 2 September 2014, on behalf of all 16 million animals that served in the Great War.
Some of the incredible images were found by family history website Findmypast’s collection of historical newspapers.
They include 1945 photo of Beauty, the Wirehaired Terrier, receiving her medal for rescuing over 63 people and animals trapped under rubble during the blitz.
And Irma the Alsatian receiving her award for finding 233 buried blitz victims, of which 21 were found alive.
In one incident, she refused to give up on the scent of two little girls who were trapped under a fallen building for two days.
First recipients
The inaugural medal was presented on the 2 December 1943 to Winkie, alongside fellow RAF pigeons, White Vision and Tyke.
Winkie was on board a Beaufort Bomber that ditched in the sea after coming under enemy fire during a mission over Norway. Unable to radio the plane’s position, the stranded four-man crew released Winkie in an attempt to raise the alarm.
Despite horrendous weather and being covered in oil, she flew more than 120 miles home, where her owner was able to pass her message onto RAF Leuchars in Fife.
A successful rescue operation was launched within 15 minutes of her return. Her actions saved the lives of her crew.
Cologne the pigeon – DM26
Owned and trained by William Payne, World War II messenger pigeon Cologne was a veteran of more than 100 operations with the RAF.
He ‘homed’ from crashed aircraft on a number of occasions, but Cologne is renowned for one truly astonishing mission.
Carried by a Lancaster Bomber crew downed on a mission to attack the German city of Cologne to use the official National Pigeon Service title, survived the crash. Five of the seven crew died, and the remaining two crew members were captured.
Cologne, despite serious injuries thought to have been sustained during the crash, managed to escape and headed home to Nottingham – a distance of more than 450 miles.
The flight took two weeks in all and Cologne was discovered to have completed this phenomenal journey with multiple injuries, including a broken breastbone.
Here, the Workman is representing the 32 pigeon recipients of the PDSA Dickin Medal.
Simon the cat – DM54
In the summer of 1949, at the height of the Chinese Civil War, HMS Amethyst came under People’s Liberation Army artillery fire while cruising along the Yangtze river.
The ship received more than 50 direct hits and despite the efforts of a passing Navy Frigate to pull it to safety, the ship and crew members were stranded mid-river for almost 10 weeks.
Hot, humid conditions were the perfect breeding ground for a rat infestation. The already-limited food supplies were in danger of being completely destroyed.
Despite shrapnel wounds to his legs and burns to his back and face, ship’s cat Simon was all that stood between the rats and the crew’s essential supplies.
The rats were bold and had even attacked crew members, but this didn’t stop Simon from hunting them down. For protecting supplies and lifting his injured shipmates’ morale when accompanying the Maintenance Officer on his daily rounds, he was promoted to ‘Able Seaman’ in recognition of his achievements.
The only feline recipient, Simon received his PDSA Dickin Medal posthumously in 1949 and was buried with full military honours.
Gremlin the cat is representing recipient Simon.
Sasha the dog – DM65
Sasha and her handler, Lance Corporal Kenneth Rowe, were scheduled to return home from their tour of Afghanistan in July 2008.
However, Corporal Rowe was aware that no dog team would be available to replace them and volunteered to stay to help protect their colleagues. It was a decision that, tragically, cost both their lives the very next day.
Four-year-old Labrador Sasha and Corporal Rowe were a highly successful specialist arms and explosives search team.
They worked alongside the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment stationed at the Inkerman base in the Kandahar region. During their tour they were credited with 15 confirmed finds, including mortars, mines, ammunition and explosives.
On 24 July 2008 the unit was on patrol with Sasha and Corporal Rowe leading at the front, looking for IEDs when they were ambushed by the Taliban.
Sasha was shot and injured by a sniper yet, despite her injuries, managed to make it back to her handler. Sadly, this revealed Corporal Rowe’s position and he was subsequently killed by a volley of rocket-propelled grenades.
On return to Britain, a parade in their honour took place in Royal Wootton Basset following a private repatriation service held at RAF Lyneham.
Sasha was posthumously awarded a PDSA Dickin Medal on 21 May 2014.
Pictured today is PDSA Dickin Medal recipient Mali the dog.
Sgt Reckless the horse – DM68
The Korean War included some of the fiercest combat in military history. Originally bred as a racehorse, Sgt Reckless – called after the nickname used for the ‘Recoilless Rifle’ she carried ammunition for – joined the Anti-Tank Division of the US Marines in October 1952.
She completed gruelling missions in mountainous terrain and often freezing conditions. Despite constant enemy fire and numerous hazards, including shell craters and barbed wire, Reckless carried out her duties and quickly became a much-loved, morale-boosting comrade.
During Battle of Outpost Vegas in March 1953, she made 51 supply trips to the frontline in five days – carrying more than 386 rounds of ammunition weighing around five tonnes in total – through steep mountains and open paddy fields.
Constantly under fire and facing up to 500 rounds per minute, Reckless was wounded twice.
She bravely transported multiple casualties to safety on her return trips. After loading up with ammunition, she repeated the process: again, and again and again. How many lives she helped save is unknown.
On 15 June 1957 she was promoted to ‘Sergeant Reckless’ in recognition of her combat record. She was posthumously awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal on 27 July 2016.
Warrior the horse – DM (Hon)
Known to many as ‘The horse the Germans couldn’t kill’, Warrior’s story is one of the most remarkable tales of animal bravery and endurance to emerge from the Great War.
General Jack Seely left his home on the Isle of Wight in 1914 to take command of the Canadian Cavalry Corps. His beloved horse Warrior, a thoroughbred stallion, travelled to the Western Front with him.
Over the next four years, Warrior witnessed the full horror of war during major battles, including the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the muddy hell of Passchendaele.
Trapped in burning stables twice, buried in rubble and mud, and regularly subjected to intensive attack from machine guns and mortar shells, Warrior survived it all.
In March 1918 he led a cavalry charge against the Germans at Amiens, which proved to be one of the most crucial battles of the whole campaign and helped bring the end of the conflict closer.
Warrior was posthumously awarded the Honorary PDSA Dickin Medal on 2 September 2014 to mark 100 years since the start of the Great War.
The only recipient to pre-date the Medal’s institution in 1943, he received the Medal on behalf of all animals that served.
Metropolitan Police Horse Upstart represents the four horse recipients of the PDSA Dickin Medal.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
Bill and Cheri Buchbinder don’t have cats or dogs or rabbits.
They have Donald.
The gray- and brown-speckled rock pigeon became a fan of the couple’s birdbath and feeder last May, and that fondness quickly spread to the Leelanau couple themselves.
It may have been that birdseed that led to Donald’s first meeting with Bill.
The Michigan native found Donald, green feathers glinting, perched on the railing of his deck one spring afternoon.
“I’ve never seen a pigeon on my back deck before,” said Bill, owner of Blue Water Sail & Canvas. “So I say, ‘Hey, pigeon.’ And he looked at me and started cooing, like pigeons do, and following me around.”
Bill, intrigued, ventured into the garage for some loose sunflower seeds the couple kept for their birdfeeders.
“I come out and he flew over and landed on my head,” he said. “So he’s there, eating sunflower seeds, and he walks onto my shoulder and down my arm.”
Donald, named after Bill’s pigeon-raising father, found a home in the couple’s garage rafters and the Buchbinders’ days were brightened by their odd houseguest’s shenanigans.
“He’s like a dog — follows us everywhere we go,” Cheri said. “When I garden in the summer, I’d bend down to pull weeds and he’d land on my back. Then he’d sit on my hat.”
And Donald stuck around, even as the days grew shorter and reds and yellows overtook their tree-dotted neighborhood like wildfire. Bill asked around the neighborhood, but found no one missing an incredibly friendly pigeon.
“We’d leave the back door open and he’d come and go as he pleased,” Bill said.
The pigeon enjoyed, too, the birdseed and sunflower seeds left in the garage for him daily.
Donald likes to “wrestle” with Bill, Cheri says, pecking at his fingers.
He’s sweet to her, though.
“He’s real friendly to me, he lets me pet him. He talks a lot, coos,” she said. “But he absolutely adores my husband — he gets really excited if he hears his voice or footsteps.”
The couple grew accustomed to their feathered friend’s greetings. Until one October afternoon, when Donald didn’t provide his usual hello.
Instead, Cheri returned from work to find her dear friend limping and cooing in the driveway.
She scooped him up and rushed Donald to the Grand Traverse Veterinary Hospital and Dr. Marianne Jossens.
It earned a few odd looks.
“Most people just shoot ‘em, use them for target practice. That’s what they said at the vet,” Cheri said. “I said, ‘He’s not a regular pigeon. He’s a pet pigeon.’”
Donald survived his encounter with another animal — Cheri and Bill suspect it was a hawk or owl attack — with an injured wing, a broken leg and some missing tail feathers.
The family left the vet, Donald with a carefully wrapped white cast. He’s recovered well in the weeks since, Cheri said, and she expects he’ll be cast-free within the next month.
“And he’s able to fly now — he wasn’t able to (at first),” Bill said.
“He learned to perch with one foot,” Cheri added.
Rock pigeons, or rock doves, are the most common species of the bird, and have a history of use as homing pigeons.
They’re found throughout Europe, Africa and Asia, and were introduced to the Americas centuries ago, where they’ve also become commonplace.
The Buchbinders don’t think Donald is a lost homing pigeon because, well, showing up at their home wouldn’t make him a very good one.
Donald instead proves to be a loving, if a bit odd, pet.
He returned to his old personality a few days after the ordeal, and lets the Buchbinders pet and handle him just like before.
He’s even back to wrestling with Bill.
“I’ll stick my hand in his cage and he just loves to peck my hand, so I let him do that and I’ll ruffle the feathers on his head,” Bill said. “I don’t think he and I are at odds. But that’s why I think he’s a male.”
“It’s more of a playtime,” Cheri added. “I think that’s the only reason he survived the hawk attack at all — he’s in good shape from his exercise with my husband.”
For now, Donald’s new home is a straw-floored cage in the Buchbinders’ basement — Cheri said he’ll remain safely indoors until spring. The couple let Donald out for a few hours each night, and he’s happy to again follow them around and test his wings.
The Buchbinders aren’t interested in risking another attack.
“I don’t know how to protect him from hawks — we’ll have to think about that in the spring,” Cheri said.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
Six ’emaciated’ pigeons were dumped in a box and abandoned by the side of the road.
One of the birds had already starved to death by the time the grim discovery – on Cherry Tree Drive in Hazel Grove, Stockport – was made on Saturday.
The other birds were so skinny that their bones were visible.
A resident found the pigeons at the side of her driveway and alerted the RSPCA after realising they were not in good health.
Inspector Heather Morris was sent to the scene and found the five surviving birds were very unwell. They were emaciated, lame, had pigeon pox and were very dirty.
They were taken to the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre where a vet assessed them and decided the kindest thing to do would be to put them to sleep to end their suffering.
Inspector Morris said: “It is really unusual to have pigeons abandoned and it was so sad to see them in such a sorry state.
“Whoever allowed to them to get like that would have known they were unwell and emaciated – that doesn’t happen overnight. Their bones were visible they were so thin.
“I believe they were in this box for 24 to 48 hours and during that time the starving birds were without food and water.
“It is so cruel to just dump animals like this, if they are ill they should be taken to the vets to be put out of their misery but not left to suffer a lingering death.”
She said one bird was ringed but the details were out of date. There was a name on the rings which read “Behrooz”.
The cardboard box was also distinctive with the words ‘Private Reserve Fries’ written on the side.
Inspector Morris added: “I would like to appeal to anyone who recognises the name on the ring or knows of this type of pigeon in the area to come forward.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
The TV star looked shocked as one of the creatures flapped its wings in his face before pooing on Susanna Reid’s notes and going rogue in the studio earlier today.
Earlier this month, Piers was mocked by his son Spencer who compared him to the Pigeon Lady from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Today, the 53-year-old star, had two pigeons sit on his head and shoulder as they visited the studio during Richard Arnold’s I’m A Celebrity segment.
However, as they moved off him, one shocked the presenter when it flapped its wings in his face.
The same bird then pooed on 47-year-old Susanna’s script before proceeding to fly into crew members.
As the pigeon handler struggled to round up the pigeons, the studio was thrown into chaos.
Even weather girl Laura Tobin, 36, tried to help catch them.
Eventually the man was able to scoop them up into a net.
Shots showed him walking off with the bird in his hand.
Earlier in the show, Piers slammed David Beckham as “weird” for kissing daughter Harper on the lips.
The TV star criticised the footballer on Good Morning Britain earlier today after the sports star shared a sweet pic of him with his seven-year-old girl while ice-skating.
Yesterday, the 43-year-old father-of-four was trolled after he shared the innocent snap to Instagram.
Today Piers called him “creepy” and “weird” for how he showed affection to his youngest child.
The presenter said: “It’s just weird right? Who does that with their kids? Who kisses their kids on the lips.”
Later on in the show Piers added that it was “quite creepy”, while co-host Susanna Reid suggested celebrities shouldn’t post pictures like that online if they didn’t want “the scrutiny”.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
My last column dealt with introduced species of birds such as the Mandarin duck and game birds such as pheasants and turkeys. On the Sunshine Coast we have four other species that qualify as introduced, that is, they arrived here with a helping hand from humans. In reality the distinction between species that arrive with a helping hand and those that arrive on their own initiative can be a little muddy.
House sparrows and starlings were both deliberately introduced to North America from Europe in the 19th century, while the most recent colonizer, the collared dove, escaped from an aviary in the Bahamas, crossed over to Florida and subsequently conquered the continent.
The history of starlings and house sparrows in North America is well known. Immigrants all over the world have often felt the need to introduce species from their homelands and there were a couple of unsuccessful introductions of starlings to the U.S. before the famous April 1890 introduction of 80 birds to Central Park in New York City. By 1928 the species had spread west to the Mississippi River and to California in 1942. House sparrows were also introduced to New York in 1852, originally as an attempt to control the linden moth. Both of these species were supremely adapted for a rapid spread in their new homeland.
House sparrows flourish around human habitation, both in urban environments and wherever there is cultivation. They are not common on the Sunshine Coast but a few can be found in downtown Sechelt and urban Gibsons.
Starlings congregate in large flocks and feed on rough pasture, often around livestock. They also wander to mudflats and shorelines in the summer.
Pigeons are semi-domesticated, generally found in close association with humans, though not directly dependent upon them. Correctly known as rock pigeons, they congregate in flocks where there is a constant food supply such as at a bird feeder. Many people have noted the flock that roosts on the power line in Selma Park, and another flock frequents the power lines at the Sechelt Marsh where they glean food from the ducks being fed.
Pigeons and doves have a long and close association with humanity, and in the last ten years or so the Eurasian collared dove has colonized the Sunshine Coast and indeed much of North America. That story will have to wait for a future column.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
In a memorable segment, Anne fought through fish guts, a shower of cockroaches and an operating theatre filled with pigeons to bring back the stars.
The team gave Anne some motivation before she went off to undertake the trial and put all their faith in her to bring home the bacon.
Singer Fleur East said: “Anne’s grown so much as a person since she’s been here, she’s braver and makes me think she’ll do better than we think she’ll do.”
Anne then joined Dec Donnelly & Holly Willoughby to have her task explained: “This is the Hellish Hospital, your aim is to find the 11 stars that are hidden inside the gruesome vaults, you’ve got 11 minutes to find the stars and each one is worth a meal for camp.”
The first room of the hospital did not phase her as the quiz champ, star of ITV’s The Chase, picked up a star from beneath a snake and soon found another in a chest of drawers.
Anne then opened a wardrobe in the room and it was full of spiders.
After deciding to give the spiders a miss and moving on to the next room she was faced with a star hidden in a pile of offal and fish guts, before a shower of cockroaches fell onto her head.
The next room was an operating theatre full of pigeons which Anne was surprisingly fine with. She rummaged through some more offal and fish guts and found a star.
After finding another three stars she looked for the exit to enter the final room but found she could not go on any longer after discovering a large tunnel with a lizard inside.
She said: “I thought ‘Oh dear’, I’ll be on my hands and knees and just no.
“I said if I got 7 I’d feel like that was enough.” said Anne. “It’s incredible, you should be super proud.” said Holly.
After her victorious return from the trail she said: “The previous trial I was so panicked and the critters were so revolting this time I was able to keep it together a bit more. Having seven stars will mean we get a decent meal tonight.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
Zee TV’s popular show Guddan… Tumse Na Ho Payega (Ved Raj’s Shoonya Square Productions) will see a cute track involving a pigeon who will become Guddan’s (Kanika Mann) pet and confidante in quick time.
As we know, Guddan has been given the responsibilities of the house and she has been careless at her job.
Soon, a pigeon will make an entry into the house and into Guddan’s heart. The pigeon will turn to be Guddan’s saviour whenever she would do a mistake. The pigeon will basically safeguard the house keys that Guddan handles.
As per a reliable source, “The pigeon will no doubt help Guddan but a few problems will also get created because of its presence. In one instance, it will dirty Akshat’s (Nishant Malkani) suit and this will anger him. And Guddan will be given the duty of cleaning it up in quick time.”
We hear that two cute pigeons have been given shelter on the set of Guddan Tumse Na Ho Payega for this particular track.
“They have become the centre of attraction on the set in quick time,” a source from the set says.
Aww!!
Are you all excited to see Guddan’s saviour the ‘khabootar’ in action?
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
X-rays show that the dove was a fracture of the humerus. The staff of “AVETA” have decided to enlist the help of colleagues from other veterinary clinic specialist in the diseases of birds. There are doctors along operated the dove. The fracture was closed. The bone fragments of fixed spokes. According to veterinarians, Frank on the same day began to eat, drink and waving to the sick wing.
Five weeks after surgery, the needle from the wing removed, but doctors have not yet released the dove to freedom – he needs to work out before the serious flights. Soon, Frank will be sent to Omsk pet store where, as I hope the experts he can find their owners. Doctors suggest that early bird lived in a dovecote.
We will remind, in the river on the left Bank, local residents noticed unusual pigeon. Bird traveled on the roof of the car, not flying. The incident took video of one of the drivers. The vehicle speed is not very high, as he was driving in a residential area of the city.
Users liked the antics of the birds. Some joked that the dove should be fined for ticketless travel. Others suggested that he was a superhero, which in this way of “racing to save the world.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
I recently took my niece and her partner, visiting from Montreal, on a downtown walking tour. We came off James North and headed along MacNab toward the Farmers’ Market.
And there in the grey sky to the west, we saw a falcon. We watched it dart and dive by the rooftop of the G.S. Dunn mustard milling plant. Finally we realized this was no creature of nature.
A couple of days later, I returned to the scene. There was the bird, still on patrol. I headed inside the Dunn plant.
It’s an old building, corner of Park and York, across from Jackson Square. When built more than 100 years ago, it housed the Perry Knitting Company. Through the 1920s and ’30s, Duro Aluminum/Metalwares operated there.
But for the past 60 years, it’s been home to G.S. Dunn, the world’s largest dry mustard miller. They distribute to more than 50 countries across six continents.
Go through the door, and you smell the mustard seed. It’s not unpleasant, but might take getting used to.
Kevin Whyte doesn’t smell it anymore. He’s Dunn’s operations manager and has been at the plant since the early ’80s.
That’s a long time. And all that time, there have been pigeons.
You’re not supposed to feed pigeons. They can be messy critters, splattering acidic goop everywhere. You sure don’t want them roosting in your rooftop heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
The Dunn mustard seed arrives from the fields of Saskatchewan by rail, then truck. About 42 tonnes at a time, twice a day. Those trucks back up to a shiny drying silo, several storeys tall.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
Bizarrely, the man explained that he was trying to use the birds as bait to recapture his pet owl, which had escaped. He was caught in a public area of woodland near Wakefield and had his children with him at the time. The air rifle was seized by police and the owner reported for firearms offences.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
Author and naturalist Joel Greenberg will be the featured speaker on the fate of three birds — passenger pigeons, Kirtland’s warblers and whooping cranes – at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, at the Prospect Heights Public Library, 12 N. Elm St. The event is co-sponsored by the Prospect Heights Natural Resources Commission and the library. The look at the plight of three fascinating birds each experiencing a different fate at the hands of people has sometime heartbreaking outcomes that provide compelling lessons. The program is entitled “Hope is a Thing with Feathers: Americans and Three Birds.” Greenberg is a research associate at the Chicago Academy of Sciences Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and the Field Museum with more than 25 years of experience on natural resource related issues in the Midwest. Admission is free, but guests are asked to register ahead of time at the library’s information desk.
About Pigeon Patrol:
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 four years in a row.
