by johnnymarin | Mar 8, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Brobson Lutz remembers his first squab with perfect clarity. It was the 1970s at the now-closed French restaurant Lutèce in New York City. “I came from North Alabama where there was a lot of dove and quail hunting and I knew how tasty little birds were,” the fast-talking Southerner recalls. “I’m not even sure if I knew then if it was a baby pigeon or not. But I became enamored with them.”
When he returned home, however, the New Orleans-based physician found pigeon meat in short supply. The bird was occasionally served in the Big Easy, but to satiate his need for squab, Lutz had to get creative. For a time, he says, he would call Palmetto Pigeon Plant, the country’s largest squab producer, and try to buy in bulk. “I pretended like I was a restaurant chef on the telephone to buy some from them, because they were only wholesale,” he says.
Eventually, Lutz decided to take matters into his own hands—and onto his own property. He bought some land along the Mississippi River, retrofitted a building into a pigeon loft, and bought a few pairs of breeding birds. “My initial plan was to go commercial, and I had a restaurant that wanted ‘em,” he says. But he’s found out he’s gotten a quarter of the production he expected. “I don’t know if it’s too hot here in the summer or if they’re not happy here or something, I’m lucky if I get from one pair six babies a year.” It’s enough to fill Lutz, but not enough to share his passion for pigeon meat with his fellow Louisianans.
Squab, once among the most common sources of protein in the United States, has fallen out of favor in the last century. The speedy, handsome, tender, and tasty pigeon of yesteryear was replaced in the hearts and minds of post-World War II Americans with the firsthand experience of the city pigeon, whose excrement encrusts our cities. It was replaced on the plate, too, by the factory-farmed chicken. But thanks to foodies like Lutz, squab is making a slow and steady comeback in French and Chinese restaurants around the country. Trouble is, the bird’s unique development needs mean farmers struggle to meet the growing demand.
Allen Easterly of Rendezvous Farm in Virginia sells his squabs in the Washington, D.C. area. He says most people are ignorant of the pigeon’s culinary value—and that many seem to wish they could stay in the dark. “At the farmer’s market, people say, ‘What are squab?’ And you say, ‘Young pigeons.’ And they go, ‘Ew,’” he says. “They’re thinking of the city birds pooping all over statues.”
Pigeons may be reviled in the United States today, but as any squab enthusiast will tell you, for most of human history, the 310-ish species in the pigeon-dove family were revered. The little birds were a common theme for Pablo Picasso, who named his daughter Paloma, the Spanish word for dove. And physicist and futurist Nikola Tesla sought solace in his avian neighbors. One night in 1922, his favorite pigeon flew into his window looking distressed and eventually died. He reportedly said, “I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and she loved me.”
Since at least ancient Egypt, domesticated pigeons have served as a messengers. Their enviable speed and pristine sense of direction made them an important communication strategy well into the 20th century. Even when telegrams and eventually phone lines criss-crossed the continent, pigeons were often more reliable. During World War I, homing pigeons were used to discreetly deliver messages across enemy lines. One bird, Cher Ami, famously delivered a life-saving note to Army headquarters, despite being shot through the breast and blinded on her flight across the battlefield. She was awarded a French military honor, the Croix de Guerre, and her one-legged body (Cher Ami’s right limb was also lost in her fated journey) sits taxidermied in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
The pigeon’s descent into the proverbial gutter is hard to chart, but its fate appears to have been sealed by 1914. That year, the last of the wild passenger pigeons, a little bird named Martha, died in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. The birds were once so plentiful in North America that a kit (that’s the collective noun for a group of pigeons) in the midst of migration could black out the sun. As they traipsed across the Midwest and Eastern United States, snacking in farmer’s fields along the way, hungry humans would pull the babies from the nest and cook them for a quick meal. But deforestation and overhunting—people not only stole the babies, but shot the adults from the sky—drove them to extinction in just a few centuries.
For those who remembered the passenger pigeon’s prime, squab remained a popular dish. The birds merely morphed from a kitchen staple to a rare treat sourced from local farms or shipped in from faraway poultry plants. But these days, pigeon is a dish best served defensively. For the generations after World War II, who have grown up on factory-farmed chicken at the expense of other birds, the pigeon is a nuisance, not a source of nutrition. In the 1960s, prices for pigeon meat dropped as demand for pest control skyrocketed. In 1980, Woody Allen dubbed the same New York City pigeons Tesla adored “rats with wings” in his film Stardust Memories.
While it’s true that city pigeons shouldn’t be eaten, rumors that they are a particularly diseased bird are just that—rumors. Pigeons are no more likely to carry avian disease than any other bird, but we have made these feral birds moderately dangerous by feeding them our trash. Unlike farm breeds, which are carefully controlled and fed a special diet, city pigeons clean up our forgotten pizza crusts… and likely ingest rodenticide, battery acid, and lead along the way.
Around the same time that enterprising businessmen began putting up spikes and spreading poisons in pigeon-dense parks, the chicken, previously a fragile and finicky bird prized primarily for its eggs, became the nation’s leading source of poultry. In 1916, just two years after Martha the passenger pigeon died in captivity, scientists began work to develop a “broiler” chicken, bred specifically for meat production. The hope was the bird would grow big and grow fast. After years of tinkering, the Cobb company launched its breeding program in the 1940s and other poultry producers soon followed. By 1960, the National Chicken Council reports, the per capita consumption of chicken was around 28 pounds. In 2018, the council projects we’ll each consume about 92.5 pounds of the bird.
Despite the public vitriol and stiff competition from chicken, a few folks, motivated by the pigeon’s gastronomic promise, have preserved the squab-eating tradition. Scott Schroeder is the owner and chef of Hungry Pigeon, a restaurant in Philadelphia. Trained in French cooking, he started eating squab early in his career, and has only become more enamored of its taste. “I really fell deeply in love with them in a way,” he says of squab carcasses. “The breast in particular tastes like a mixture of duck and steak at the same time, which to me sounds really good.”
There are two reasons for this unique flavor. First, pigeons are an entirely dark meat bird, meaning they have a high concentration of myoglobin, the oxygen-storing protein that gives dark meat its unique color and taste. Where myoglobin is concentrated in a chicken’s legs, it courses through a pigeon’s entire body, allowing for a more succulent, if iron-intense, eating experience. The second factor is the age at which a pigeon is killed. Like veal, the prized meat of young cows, farmers kill squab when they’re young and their meat is tender. By trapping them just days before they take their first flight—typically around four weeks old—farmers ensure that the meat around a baby pigeon’s wings are never used and therefore never hardened.
In France, squab is often pan-roasted, with a cream-colored crispy skin. In Chinese cuisine, the squab is usually fried, so it’s served up whole and bronzed like Peking duck. In Morocco, squab is commonly served in a pastilla, an elaborate and pastry-centric take on the pot pie. While the first two preparations require a young, supple bird, the pastilla can use adult pigeon, too, as the slow-cooked process is enough to soften the more mature meat.
In the United States, the taste for pigeon meat remains rare, but the meat itself is rarer still. Schroeder recently had to remove squab from his menu at the Hungry Pigeon. His supplier—”a really nice Mennonite man named Joe Weaver who is the opposite of Purdue Chicken”—stopped selling the birds and the chef hasn’t found another source of squab at a reasonable price. While a generic whole chicken costs around $1.50 a pound, a one-pound squab is typically 10 times that; depending on who you buy it from, prices for a whole pigeon can trend north of $25. “A hundred years ago, everyone was eating them,” Schroeder says. “Now, you can’t find them, unless you’re filthy rich.”
Tony Barwick is the owner of Palmetto Pigeon Plant, the largest squab producer in the United States. When he isn’t dealing with calls from pigeon fiends like Lutz masquerading as restaurateurs, Barwick manages farm’s 100,000 breeding pairs of pigeon. Each month, he says, the Sumter, South Carolina-based business aims to sell 40,000 to 50,000 squab. Barwick’s birds can be found in “white tablecloth restaurants” and Chinatowns from New York to Los Angeles. “I’ve been backordered for 15 years,” he says.
Though Palmetto’s monthly output may sound big, it’s nothing compared to pigeon’s peers in poultry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t even track the nation’s pigeon population, instead focusing primarily on chickens, chicken eggs, and turkeys. “We’re a minor species,” Barwick says. “I don’t know how many squab are produced in the United States, but… let’s say 22,000 a week. There’s one chicken company in Sumter, South Carolina, they do 30,000 an hour in just that plant.” After a poignant pause he adds, “In a hour what our entire industry does in a week.”
Barwick acknowledges that part of the pigeon’s problem is its bad reputation. But from an agricultural perspective, the real bottleneck is the bird’s long babyhood. In the avian universe, most species develop quickly. Chickens, ducks, geese, and many other birds, are all precocial animals, meaning the newborns are mobile and reasonably mature from birth. While they still need to be protected, an infant chicken can start waddling—and, crucially, eating everyday food—from about the moment it cracks through its egg.
The pigeon, however, is an altricial bird, meaning the babies are helpless at birth. While it’s possible that scientific manipulation could eventually turn squab into mass-produced meat, this fundamental facet of the pigeon’s development makes things difficult. “A human baby is altricial,” says Barwick. “So is a pigeon… It’s born with its eyes shut, which means their parents have to regurgitate feed to them.” Because the young are helpless, family units have to be kept relatively intact, and birds can’t be forcibly fattened up. In the beginning, baby pigeons won’t eat scattered bird seed, instead relying on so-called “pigeon milk,” which is gurgled up from mom or dad’s craw. This is why, on average, a pair of pigeons only produces two babies every 45 days. By contrast, a single female chicken in an artificially-lit environment can produce as much as one egg everyday, which, if they’re inseminated and incubated, can turn into new chickens.
Pigeon problems aren’t just a matter of maturity, however. They’re also a matter of pure poundage: Pigeon don’t weigh much. In four or five weeks, a squab tops out around a pound. In the same amount of time, a factory-farmed chicken will hit five pounds, thanks to selective breeding for broiler birds and other mass-production techniques like growth hormones. “It’s like oysters,” Schroder says of squab. “There’s just not a whole lot there.”
Still, it’s clear that some of squab’s inconveniences are also a part of its charm. Because it’s hard to produce and familiar primarily to foodies, it’s treated with more reverence than a chicken. While this keeps squabs out of the mouths of the masses, it’s actually great for business. After a severe decline in the 1960s and 70s, Barwick says demand for pigeon is back—even if most Americans remain oblivious to this particular source of protein.
“Most of our squab we sell into Asian markets in the United States,” he says. “They love squab.” In China, young pigeon meat pairs well with special occasions including weddings and holidays like Lunar New Year. Barwick says that the domestic squab industry started to bounce back after England and China brokered a deal to return Hong Kong to China. Hong Kong residents emigrated to the United States en masse in the 1980s, he explains, and brought their penchant for Peking duck and roast squab with them.
In more recent years, upscale restaurants have started to sell more squab, too. “We have these celebrities [like Julia Child, Alice Waters, and Emeril] who love squab and they’ve really pushed it, so we’ve seen domestic demand start to grow again and it’s that TV effect,” Barwick says. The unique taste and, of course, the relative scarcity of the bird, make it a mouth-watering menu item—for those who can afford it.
The combination of increased demand, a stagnated supply, and the bigger budgets of these white tablecloth establishments have all conspired to raise the price of the bird. While it’s easy to track down a host of midtown Manhattan restaurants, where one or six courses might be squab, finding the little bird in Chinatown is much harder. I found five Chinese restaurants in New York City that had squab on the menu, but only one actually kept it stocked—$18.95 a bird, head and all.
In many ways, the squab’s spotty history is not unusual. At the turn of the 19th century, horse meat was all the rage. And during the Gold Rush, miners relied on turtles as a steady source of protein. What food appears unethical or unappetizing has always changed with the shifting sands of supply and demand.
What’s peculiar about the pigeon is our over-familiarity with the bird. We’ve all seen cows, pigs, and chickens, but few Americans encounter them on a daily basis, let alone share their stoops and streets with the critters. For devotees of French cuisine, the love of pigeon meat has actually enhanced their respect for the squab’s urbane cousin. “I like their resiliency and that they survive our environment,” Schroeder the chef says. “To me, they’re such an iconic bird.” But for the majority of people, negative encounters with the city bird means, even for a reasonable price, this particular meat will never make it on the menu.
Still, Barwick says Palmetto is planning to increase it production by nearly 50 percent. Over the next three years, he says, Palmetto intends to add 40,000 new breeding pairs. This increase may not be enough to substantially lower the price or convert chicken-lovers to the ways of the pigeon, but it’s sure to provide pigeon devotees some relief. “Squab is perfect for one,” Lutz says, his Southern accent speeding up to deliver this final determination. “If I went with someone, I’d make them get their own. I wouldn’t share it.” If all goes well, he’ll no longer have to.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Mar 7, 2018 | Bird Deterrent Products
SHRAVANABELAGOLA:With just a day to go for the Mahamastakabhisheka, the world media has arrived in the temple town of Shravanabelagola to cover the anointing ceremony which is held once in 12 years. The event will be telecast/streamed live on various channels and websites from February 17 afternoon.
The advent of the media in the recent decades has been a plus in attracting people from all over the world for the veneration and as well as to visit Shravanabelagola as tourists. But before internet was invented and telephones were a rare thing, covering the Mahamastakabhisheka was a challenge for news agencies.
But the reporting team from Madras Mail Eveninger from Chennai took this as a challenge. The reporter G M Edward got trained pigeons to Shravanabelagola six months ahead of veneration ceremony in 1910, and got the pigeons to fly back to his office in Chennai. This was repeated on the day of Mahamastakabhisheka in 1910, and the pigeons left carrying a ‘report’ on the ceremony tied to their legs. The pigeons landed in the office of Chennai Mail and the same evening the news of the Mahamastakabhisheka was published on the front page of the Eveninger.
Historical records preserved in the Jain Mutt of Shravanabelagola throw more light on the incident. “The story of Madras Mail is considered as rare feat in the modern history of the Mahamastakabhisheka,” said Ashok Kumar, a senior writer and head of the cultural committee for the event in Shravanabelagola.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Mar 6, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Iran may suspect special lizards of spying, but the use of animals for intelligence purposes dates back well over 100 years and involves not just reptiles but cats, dogs, birds and even sea life.
Carrier pigeons were used in ancient times for relaying messages. But interest in the use of animals has changed with the development of microelectronics and miniaturization that allowed small listening devices to be put on birds and even small mammals.
More recently, technology has been catching up with dog-like robots for defense use as well as hummingbird-size drones tested by the Pentagon. The Air Force also has released video of “bugbots” or “birdbots” that could be used for surveillance and military applications, including potential swarm attacks.
Iran has a long history of suspecting animals for spying, particularly accusing the West of trying to gather information about its nuclear activities.
Back in 2008, two “spy pigeons” were suspected of being used to gather intelligence about Iran’s uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, reported Iran’s reformist paper Etemad Melli. It said one of the birds was captured not far from the heavily bunkered underground facility and had metal rings, strings and other suspicious features attached.
‘Spy’ squirrels busted
Iran’s media also reported the case of 14 “spy” squirrels that were busted in 2007. The account at the time by the daily Resalat claimed the rodents were released along its border by Western intelligence and fitted with espionage equipment, including navigation tracking, bugging devices and a camera.
As for lizards spying, the stories about the reptiles surfaced Tuesday when Hassan Firuzabadi, a senior military advisor to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told the state-run Iranian Labour News Agency about how lizards and perhaps salamanders were used by Western countries to “find out where we had uranium mines and where we were involved in atomic activities.”
According to Firuzabadi, “lizard-like animal skins attract nuclear waves.” He claimed Iranian authorities stumbled on suspicious cases of outsiders with reptiles in their possession and concluded it was part of a pattern of espionage conducted by environmentalists.
“Probably the reason the Iranians are paranoid and jumpy is because people have used fake rocks outside Iranian nuclear facilities to monitor what they’re up to,” said James Lewis, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based international security think tank.
Lewis, a former U.S. diplomat with experience in high technology and intelligence, said the rocks reportedly would self-destruct when they were picked up. The rocks were found by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on patrol near the country’s underground nuclear enrichment facility in Fordow and reported first in 2012 by U.K.’s Sunday Times newspaper.
Similarly, Iran-backed militant groups also have accused Israel of using animals for espionage.
Dolphin with arrows
In 2015, Gaza Strip’s Hamas security officials reportedly captured a dolphin equipped with “video cameras” off the coast, according to the Palestinian paper al-Quds. The Iran-backed group claimed the dolphin was sent by Israel and also fitted with a weapon that could fire arrows at humans.
There also was a 2016 case of a “spy vulture” captured in the southern Lebanon town of Bint Jbeil. Local media in Lebanon called it a “spy” bird because it reportedly carried transmitter equipment, but Israel claimed it was from a nature reserve and asked for it back. Parts of southern Lebanon are controlled by Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group.
There have also been claims over the years from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Sudan of the Israelis using eagles, vultures or other birds for espionage. An Egyptian official in 2010 claimed sharks controlled by Israel’s Mossad were responsible for attacks on tourists in the Red Sea to hurt the local tourism economy.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, the R&D arm of the Pentagon, has tested controlling sharks, and the U.S. Navy does training with dolphins and sea lions. There’s also been research over the decades with beluga whales.
The use of the dolphins by the U.S. military focuses primarily around locating underwater mines and helping with rescues at sea. The dolphins, which are trained at a base in San Diego, were used by the U.S. military during the first and second Gulf wars to help clear mines.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Mar 5, 2018 | Bird Deterrent Products
Ninety-seven homing pigeons were tested for their ability to detect small changes in magnetic fields. The tests, which were intended to corroborate and extend those reported by Reille (1968), were performed in uniform magnetic fields using 2 m diameter Helmholtz coils (series I), and also in non-uniform fields using 24 cm diameter coils (series II). There were no significant differences between responses to magnetic fields and control tests, though significant responses to a light flash demonstrated the overall viability of the test method, which was a classically conditioned increase in heart rate. In series I there were indications of a difference between two magnet treatments, steady fields vs. alternating fields, but in a more sensitive test for the same effect in series II no differences were observed.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Mar 4, 2018 | Bird Deterrent Products
In a previous publication we reported a correlation between normal fluctuations of the earth’s magnetic field and the day-to-day variations in the initial bearings chosen by homing pigeons released repeatedly at a single test site under sunny skies. We here examine the question whether this correlation reflects a cause-and-effect relationship. A series of 20 test releases was conducted in 1974 to compare the bearings of pigeons wearing bar magnets glued to their backs with the bearings of pigeons wearing brass bars. As in a pilot series conducted in 1970, the day-to-day variations in the bearings of the birds wearing brasses were inversely correlated with the variations in the K index of magnetic disturbance, whereas no such correlation was found for the bearings of the birds wearing magnets. We conclude that the magnets mask the effect of the K fluctuations, which suggests that it is the magnetic events themselves that influence the orientational response of normal pigeons. This conclusion is further supported by a demonstration that bar magnets, like natural magnetic disturbances, deflect the birds’ bearings to the left.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Mar 3, 2018 | Bird Deterrent Products
The final of the Million Dollar Race SAMDR took place on 3rd of February in Sun City, South Africa. The pigeons of Freddy and Jacques Vandenheede were always at the front of the race, winning a 5th and 6th prize in the final over 521km.
The SAMDR in South Africa is regarded as one of the hardest and most prestigious one loft races worldwide. The winning pigeons are usually very strong racing birds with plenty of strength, and they generally originate from long distance bloodlines. And this is why the pigeons of such renowned long distance fanciers as N. & F. Norman, Gaby Vandenabeele, Gerard Koopman and Chris Hebberecht have achieved some historic results on South African soil.
We reported earlier on that this year’s Ace Pigeon title was won by Return Flojo, a pigeon bred by Pieter Veenstra based around several long distance bloodlines, bred from a crossing of a Pieter Veenstra hen (sister Dolca Vita) and a cock of Chris Hebberecht. He comes from a son of Ike x sister Champion, or a crossing of a 1st Nat. Ace Pigeon Long Distance KBDB x a 2nd Nat. Ace Pigeon Long Distance KBDB.
Other top prizes in the final race were won by the noble long distance bloodlines of Freddy & Jacques Vandenheede from Zingem; they claimed a 5th and 6th prize in the final, a race of 521km.
5th place in final SAMDR
The 5th place was won by a youngster of Miss Marsupilami 15-89538 of F.B.I-Racing & Breeding (Ireland). The sire of this Miss Marsupilami is Daapel BE11-4289698, a direct Freddy & Jacques Vandenheede, bred from Mastodon BE07-4093204 (the sire of Ace Marsupilami I and II: 2nd and 4th Nat. Ace Pigeon Extreme Long Distance YLs respectively in 2014, and a son of top breeder Sjah BE02-4478695, one of the most talented sons of the iconic breeder Limoges De Rauw-Sablon) x Alisia BE09-4035302 (winner of a 1st Prov. Vierzon 3,614 p.). The dam of Miss Marsupilami is Future National BE08-4334596, from Daniel Aerens from Drongen (a daughter of a 1st Nat. Montélimar, herself a full sister of a 1st Intnat. St. Vincent paired to a grandson of a 1st Nat. Pau – Van der Wegen).
6th place in final SAMDR
The 6th place was won by Chinese champion He Bin, with a direct pigeon of Freddy & Jacques Vandenheede. The pigeon that won this top prize is called Flatwater BE17-4200429, bred from the sire of Fantast, winner of a 1st Nat. Libourne 6,134 p. in 2013: Boss Simonne BE11-4244384. He comes from the world famous bloodline of Topkweker Freddy. He is a son of Raipipon BE01-4483224 (a grandson of top pair Antigoon x ’t Krijt: the parents of Topkweker Freddy De Rauw-Sablon, and then Pros Roosen) x Simonne BE07-4093286 (winner of a 1st Nat. Bourges 27,506 p. in 2009).
The dam of Flaterwater is Angie BE14-4000004, winner of a 22nd Prov. Villemandeur 5,156 p., a 39th Prov. La Souterraine 6,205 p., a 48th Prov. Bourges 4,930 p., and an 81st Prov. Chateauroux 5,641 p. Angie is a daughter of Super Champ BE07-4093015 (8th Nat. Ace Pigeon Long Distance KBDB) x Darya BE10-4101084, winner of a 1st Prov. Bourges 2,031 p. and a 5th Nat. Bourges 12,607 p. Darya is a daughter of Triggerfinger BE07-4093269 (1st Prov. & 3rd Nat. Ace Pigeon Long Distance KBDB ’09) x Mariska BE07-4045034 (1st Nat. Argenton).
There is no getting around a top class breed
The Vandenheede racing pigeons feel particularly at home in good racing weather, where the pigeons have to work hard (speeds of 1300 m/min or lower). The world class pigeon breed from Zingem was again outstanding in 2017, and this showed in their title of General Champion of Belgium KBDB 2017. The Vandenheede breed has now shown their potential in South Africa as well, claiming a 5th and 6th prize in the final of the SAMDR Million Dollar Race in Sun City. It is no secret that the team of Freddy & Jacques Vndenheede is a world class breed, and they demonstrated this again in South Africa.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Mar 2, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
It is difficult to put a date to when cricket’s love-hate relationship with pigeons had started, but it was obviously centuries before Jacques Rudolph accidentally killed one on the ground or Glenn McGrath acquired his famous nickname or Arafat Sunny, cricket’s most famous pigeon fancier, got his cap or even before Charlie Elliott spotted Basil D’Oliveira setting a cat among a flock in the 1968 Oval Test.
The pigeons, of course, did their bit to make their presence felt in the realm of cricket: they have blessed statues of cricketers in characteristic fashion; they have flocked to grounds in large numbers; and have even featured in luncheon menus.
Of course, the Pigeon-Hole principle turned out to be immensely useful when someone argued that Chris Martin had never reached the score of two. The bookies have had their shares of stool pigeons inside dressing-rooms, while Shane Warne had reduced many a competent batsman to clay pigeons during his illustrious career.
But seldom have pigeons competed with cricketers.
The Dukedom of Queensberry, created in 1684, still exists. The 6th Duke (also 4th Duke of Buccleuch but usually referred to as Earl of Dalkeith), played 3 First-Class matches. The 8th and 9th Dukes became MCC Presidents.
The greatest cricketer of them was the 8th Duke, William Montagu Douglas Scott (also 6th Duke of Buccleuch), who played for 22 First-Class matches, mostly for Oxford, Middlesex, and MCC. He scored 100 and 66 in the Varsity match of 1887.
So yes, they were a family who liked cricket.
The incident involves a Duke of Queensberry, but one cannot be sure which one. The 6th Duke is the most likely suspect, since he became Duke in 1812 and the anecdote appeared in print in May 1825.
The Duke once placed a bet that he would help carry a letter across fifty miles inside an hour without the aid of carrier pigeons. This was obviously an improbable ask.
So birds — especially carrier pigeons — were the fastest method for any transport of letters over a long distance. It is not clear whom he had challenged, but that person readily took up the bet.
The Duke obviously had a plan. He now started to work on it. He enclosed the letter inside a cricket ball. Exactly how this was done is not clear. Perhaps he had a ball made from scratch with the letter inside.
Once that was done, he placed 24 “expert cricketers” along the five-mile stretch. The cricketers, placed strategically, picked up the ball and “transferred to each other”.
Exactly how this was done is not clear. It was obviously not one throw per person, since in that case every throw would have to be a ridiculous two miles on average, and nobody in human history hit the 150-yard mark with a single throw. Nobody has hit a 175-yard six either, but perhaps this was hit with something heavier than a cricket bat. Perhaps the ball was of a different material or mass.
Whatever the method was, the Duke won the bet.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Mar 1, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
An investigation has been launched after 24 pigeons were stolen in Newcastle .
The owners of two different sets of high value racing pigeons have been left devastated after finding their coopshad been raided earlier this week.
The birds stolen in the raids are collectively worth more than £3,000.
At around 9.45am on Tuesday, police first received a report that a coop at Jesmond Vale allotments had been targeted and 15 pigeons of carrier breed, worth an estimated £2250 had been stolen.
Then at around 10am on Wednesday, a second coop had been targeted by thieves in the same location.
This time a further 9 pigeons of the Rowland Janssen breed, worth an estimated £1350, had been taken after entry was forced to their coop at Jesmond Vale allotments.
Police say they believe the thefts could be linked and are searching for those responsible.
PC Dave Lever said: “The owners of these pigeons have been left absolutely devastated after returning to find their birds were missing.
“The locks on both coops have been forced and we do believe the pigeons have either been taken or intentionally set free.
“This is a criminal offence and is being taken seriously by police. They are worth a lot of money and are of huge sentimental value to the owners.
“Anyone with information, or who saw anyone acting suspiciously in the areas of the two coops on either Monday or Tuesday evening, January 22nd and 23rd, should get in touch with us straight away.”
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 28, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Concertgoers aren’t the only ones flocking to Pinnacle Bank Arena. Pigeons are hanging out around the elevated deck on the arena’s north end.
Pigeons use the ledges and lights in an area under the deck for nests and roosting, leaving their droppings under the deck, on the stairwell.
Arena staff have tried a less-expensive approach to ward off the birds by putting spikes on some of the potential roosting areas. But the pigeons persist, said Adam Hoebelheinrich, with Project Control, the firm helping manage arena maintenance issues.
So they may have to look at more-expensive options.
The West Haymarket Joint Public Agency, which built and maintains the arena, will likely approve a $4,800 contract with DLR Group, an architectural firm, to look at pigeon-control measures, during its Thursday meeting.
In order to get rid of pigeons roosting under the Harris Overpass, the city had to seal the bridge’s underside with corrugated steel decking.
The area beneath the arena deck has a similar problem, but Hoebelheinrich hopes there is a less-expensive option.
Project Control staff also managed arena-related construction for the JPA. Compared with the oversight required during construction, pigeon droppings are small potatoes.
It’s PBA for 20 more years
CenturyLink Center, Omaha’s arena and convention center, may be getting a new name when the current 15-year, $14.05 million naming-rights contract ends this fall.
The Omaha convention center board hopes to get $10 million under a new naming-rights contract.
Lincoln’s Pinnacle Bank Arena won’t be changing its name any time soon. The current naming-rights contract goes for another 20 years, through August 2038. Pinnacle Bank prepaid that agreement, with $6.7 million in early payments.
CenturyLink has already undergone one name change. It was originally called Qwest Center Omaha until 2011, when Qwest was purchased by CenturyLink.
There is always a transition time when a building changes names. Experts say it takes about 2½ years for an arena’s new name to sink into people’s consciousness.
It’s medical, not fire, Camp says
When talking about public safety, people generally refer to the city’s two main departments as police and fire.
But City Council member Jon Camp is breaking with tradition. It’s “police and medical” for Camp. After all, 82 percent of calls to the Lincoln Fire and Rescue Department are for medical help, for ambulances, he points out.
With this language, Camp is also promoting his view the city needs to rethink the kinds of vehicles it purchases for LFR.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 27, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
During the last few weeks many homing pigeons have been shot by farmers and others who have mistaken them for wood pigeons, and in view of the serious results of the destruction of trained birds employed by the Government, whose homing pigeons are at work in all parts of the country, it has been found necessary to repeat the warning given some time ago against careless shooting, which may lead to the loss of birds engaged on service of the highest importance. It is pointed out, in fact, that the work of the Government pigeons is sometimes literally a matter of life and death to our fighting men, many of whom owe their lives to the speed of the birds. A notable case is that of Skipper Thomas Crisp, VC, who died at the wheel under fire from a German submarine, but lived long enough to send a message by pigeon. The bird flew away with his appeal for help for the crew, and, thanks to the timely arrival of the messenger, they were saved. On another occasion a flying boat and a hydroplane got into difficulties in stormy weather, and it was feared that all lives would be lost. A pigeon was sent out with a message calling for help, and in the face of a fierce wind the bird managed to make its way home. It died from exhaustion on arrival, but its message had been delivered, help was sent to the crews, and the lives of all were saved. The official warning to the thoughtless to avoid shooting homing birds is backed up by a reminder that heavy penalties may be, and in some cases have been, inflicted by the magistrates on offenders.
• News in brief
While flying near Rugby Second Lieutenant Harold Griffith Nelson was killed through falling from his machine at a height of 3,000ft. The aeroplane continued its flight and came down a few fields away.
At a police court in a Kentish raid area James Kendall was charged with selling adulterated milk. He urged in defence that the milk was sold exactly as it came from the cows, which were suffering from shell shock. A fine of £8 3s, with costs, was imposed.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 26, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Huge flocks of pigeons that have turned to grazing oilseed rape crops in recent weeks are prompting serious concerns among tillage farmers.
Kildare-based grower Helen Harris, who farms with her husband Pete outside Clane, said she had never before witnessed the size of the pigeon flocks that have invaded their oilseed rape crops of late.
“There are thousands of birds in these flocks. We had six or eight lads out shooting in the fields and they were knocking 130-150 birds a day,” Ms Harris said.
“But that has made no impression on the numbers. The pigeons are there 24-7. They just sit in the trees and wait for the boys to go.”
She said the birds had made landing strips out of bare patches in the crop. “They don’t want to get their wings wet,” she explained. Once in the crop they pick away at the small tender leaves.
Michael Hennessy of Teagasc said the oilseed rape crop would quickly recover from grazing by pigeons at this time of the year, as long as the root structure on the plant was strong enough and the birds did not manage to pull it from the ground.
However, growers might have to apply additional nitrogen to support subsequent foliage growth.
Meanwhile, Alex Copeland of Birdwatch Ireland said there was no firm evidence to suggest that pigeon numbers nationally had increased substantially.
Keogh’s crisps has become one of the most popular food brands in Ireland over the past few years, and it grew out of a potato farm in Dublin.
Mr Copeland said numbers had grown during the severe winters of 2010 and 2011 as a result of inward migrations from across northern Europe, but had subsequently reduced again.
However, he said the localised availability of feed from unharvested cereal crops might have boosted winter survival rates among juvenile birds and added to numbers in particular areas.
Mr Copeland said it was not unusual for pigeons to congregate in large flocks during the winter and remain in an area until the local food resources were depleted.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 25, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Said Charlotte Moore, director of BBC content: “The culmination of the BBC’s ambitious four years of programming to mark the World War One centenary is being honored on BBC One with the world premiere of a very special film from the highly acclaimed Peter Jackson that will bring unheard voices from a hundred years ago to life for a whole new generation to experience”. Tied in with the conflict’s centenary, the aim is to premiere the film at the BFI London Film Festival this autumn, accompanied by screenings in cinemas around the country. It’s sped up, it’s fast, like Charlie Chaplin, grainy, jumpy, scratchy, and it immediately blocks you from actually connecting with the events on screen. This footage looks like it was shot in the last week or two, with high-definition cameras. Trafalgar Releasing will distribute the film theatrically in the United Kingdom, whilst it will be aired on BBC One along with a companion “making-of” documentary. Every school in the United Kingdom will also receive a copy.
“We have made a movie which shows the experience of what it was like to fight in this war, not strategy [or] battles”.
They include a mass participation artwork on 10 June marking the act that gave the first British women the right to vote; Rachel Whiteread casting the inside of a Nissen hut and placing it in a Yorkshire forest where a prisoner of war camp was located; and Danny Boyle creating a “mass participation project across the UK” on 11 November, Armistice Day, with more details announced closer to the time. Created by the arts group Artichoke, it will involve women and girls in processions on the streets of Belfast, Cardiff, London and Edinburgh wearing the suffragette colours of green, white and violet.
The role of pigeons as message-carriers in the conflict will be celebrated in a work where a “large flock of pigeons, each carrying a tiny LED light” is “conducted” at dusk “in a spectacle of flight”.
He added: “It’s not the usual film you would expect of the First World War”.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 24, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
The British Homing World Show of the Year featured more than 2,000 birds in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens. That was an increase on the 1,700 that entered last year. The popular event is reportedly worth around £10m to the resort’s economy and has also raised more than £3m for charity. This year, the exhibition boasted 120 trade stands. As well as being a social occasion, competitors were also chasing the title of Supreme Champion. Ian Evans, general manager of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association and organiser of the event, said the show had been a great success and regulars were already booking their hotels for next year. “I can’t see it ever moving from Blackpool,” he 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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 23, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
For more than 150 years blue plaques have celebrated notable people and the buildings in which they lived.
But now a pigeon that delivered secret messages during the Second World War has become the first animal to be given the honour.
Mary, a carrier pigeon, was hit by shrapnel, wounded by pellets and attacked by German war hawks as she flew over the Pas De Calais.
Her loft in Exeter, Devon, was also bombed by the Luftwaffe in 1942 resulting in the deaths of many feathered comrades.
She lived with her owner, pigeon breeder Cecil ‘Charlie’ Brewer, and the property in Exeter’s West Street had its plaque unveiled at the weekend.
He had been made a special constable in 1941 with responsibility for general control of war pigeons.
Mr Brewer used his skills as a bootmaker to stitch up her wounds and also made Mary a small leather neck support to ease her injuries.
She lived with her owner, pigeon breeder Cecil ‘Charlie’ Brewer (right) and she died in 1950 and is buried with other animal heroes in the PDSA Pet Cemetery in Ilford, Essex
At the end of the war she was awarded the Dickin Medal for distinguished gallantry, the highest animal award for bravery.
She died in 1950 and is buried with other animal heroes in the PDSA Pet Cemetery in Ilford, Essex.
John Monks, of the Exeter Civic Society, said: ‘It’s a remarkable story of dedication to duty worthy of a blue plaque. But it is also a record of the roles humans required animals to play in bad times.’
Mr Brewer died in 1985, aged 90, having raised money for charity by giving talks on his beloved bird.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 22, 2018 | Bird Deterrent Products
Las Vegas police say that 13 horses, 150 roosters and hens, 400 pigeons, two guinea pigs, and four turtles were confiscated from the home.
Officials confirm that the animals were living in deplorable conditions. Charges are expected to be filed against the owner of the home.
Las Vegas police and Animal Control were alerted to a possible animal hoarding situation at a home near Cheyenne Avenue and Lamb Boulevard.
Red Rock Search and Rescue also assisted in the removal of animals.
While some horses seemed to be healthy, others appeared to be distressed and neglected with matted fur and broken hooves.
Scripps sister station KTNV in Las Vegas also watched as about 100 roosters were taken away in carriers.
Neighbors said this all started when a horse escaped from the home around 6 a.m. Sunday. When police and animal control arrived, they began investigating the house and eventually started seizing animals.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 21, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Jalandhar, January21
The Sher-E-Punjab Maharaj Ranjit Singh Club and the breed Show Club organised the 54th annual pigeon breed show in the city today.The show was open to all pigeon owners. Around 100 pigeon owners from different places took part in the annual breed show.It was held in the morning at Govindgarh colony and MLA Ranjit Singh Beri was invited as the chief guest on the occasion. DIG Olympic hockey player Davinder Singh accompanied him.Jagdish Raj from Ladowali got the first prize by presenting his five fancy pigeons of different breeds, while Jaspreet Kaur from Chandigarh and Ullas from Kolkata bagged the second prize.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 20, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Hyderabad: Having remained stuck in a time warp for long, the hands of four clocks located on towers in the city will start ticking soon with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) working towards restoration and renovation of clocks in the historical towers at Mozamjahi Market, Shah Ali Banda, Monda Market and Sultan Bazaar.
The clocks in these towers had remained defunct for last several years and with complaints pouring in from different sections, the municipal corporation is now gearing up to repair and get them functional.
Among all the clock towers in the city, the municipal corporation has decided to repair and restore the clocks at Mozamjahi Market, Shah Ali Banda, Monda Market and Sultan Bazaar first. The repairs will be confined only to clocks and no civil works will be taken up the towers are heritage structures.
In the past, a couple of firms were entrusted with the task of maintaining the clocks but due to different issues, including non-payment of monthly charges etc, the repair works were pending since long.The municipal corporation is roping in private firms involved in maintenance of the clocks as maintenance has been a major challenge for the civic body all these years.
However, learning lessons from the past, the municipal corporation this time is making the installation and maintenance of the clocks for a period of two years. The works will be taken up with a cost of about Rs.15 lakhs, said an official from GHMC.
Apart from technical aspects, pigeons have also made the maintenance of the clocks a task for the municipal corporation.
At places like Mozzam Jahi Market and Shah Ali Banda, the pigeons flock the hands of the clocks. As a result, the hands either got damaged or stopped functioning. To fix the issue, this time efforts are being made to wrap pigeons net to obstruct the birds from entering the towers, he said.
On the repairs of clock towers at other places, he informed that measures were being taken up by Heritage Cell. While, the Charminar clock repair will be taken up under Charminar Pedestrianisation Project, the one at Fateh Maidan Club is also due for repairs, he added.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 19, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
The special pigeon that delivered top secret messages during the Second World War was bestowed a mark of recognition usually reserved for people and places that have significantly shaped Britain’s history.
Last week, Mary the pigeon became the first animal to be given an English Heritage blue plaque to commemorate where she lived.
The prized pigeon lived in West Street in Exeter, Devon, where the blue plaque was placed on Saturday.
Mary was dropped behind enemy lines where she was repeatedly attacked by gunfire.
She then delivered secret messages across the English Channel to her home.
Her time with the National Pigeon Service saw Mary awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 — an honour bestowed on hard-working animals during war time.
Mary escaped her loft in Exeter uninjured despite being bombed on three occasions.
The tenacious pigeon was attacked by German hawks stationed in Pas-de-Calais but escaped — returning home with wounds to her neck and right breast.
She recovered and was put back in service two months later.
Mary returned with the tip of one wing shot off and three pellets were removed from her body on a second flight — but recovered and returned to service.
During her final trip, her neck muscles were damaged by shrapnel.
Mary’s owner, pigeon breeder Cecil “Charlie” Brewer, made her a leather collar and took her out of service.
Exeter Civic Society unveiled the blue plaque at at Brewer’s home and shoemaker shop of 63 years.
It is the civic society’s first blue plaque to commemorate a heroic animal and its owner.
In 1922, the year of his marriage, Brewer and his wife Ena moved to the road and set up a workshop to breed and train homing pigeons.
He was made a special constable in 1941 with responsibility for general control of war pigeons in the area and decorated in 1945 for war services.
Mary of Exeter died in 1950 and is buried with other animal heroes in the PDSA Pet Cemetery in Ilford, Essex.
She is commemorated in Northernhay Gardens, Exeter, as well as in the mosaic under the Exeter St Thomas railway bridge and on the animals war memorial in Hyde Park.
Charlie Brewer died in 1985, aged 90.
To be awarded an official English Heritage plaque, the proposed recipient must have died at least 20 years ago.
This is to help ensure that the decision about whether or not to shortlist a candidate is made with a sufficient degree of hindsight.
According to English Heritage, plaques are as much about the buildings in which people — and animals — lived and worked as about the subjects being commemorated.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 18, 2018 | Bird Deterrent Products
Local January 1892 news included an irreverent reverend, passenger pigeon innovations, and a mix-up between Paris, France, and New Paris… in Ohio.
RAILWAY WOES: About all it takes to bring the trains late into Richmond is a slight snowfall that would not even stop a kindergartner, AND THERE YOU ARE! Because of this we suggest the depot should add more woodstoves so there may be no more human extinctions – not from freezing while waiting – but from rapid advancement of old age! – The Eds.
CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNTRYSIDE: Yesterday while Mrs. Jane Lusk, wife of farmer Frederick, with a jug of whiskey and $300 she had just withdrawn from the bank, somehow got it misplaced. It has since been learned Marion Duff and Tom Young stole both jug and money. When arrested, they were drunk. The money was returned. The whiskey won’t be.
IN HAMILTON, OHIO: Evangelist Edward Best yesterday stood at his open window and loudly prayed to the Lord to curse and destroy his neighbors with cholera and smallpox. The man of the cloth was immediately arrested and fined $10 and costs for disorderly conduct. When appealing to the county judge, he — as clergyman — was sternly rebuked to make appeal to the highest court above and to adjust to how he does the Lord’s bidding down here below.
UP IN THE AIR: The Evening Item is in receipt of the annual report of Postmaster General Wanamaker, in which he recommends a governmental postal telegraph service. Just why the Feds should go into the telegraph postal business any more than by delivery express or business freight, he does not say. We in Richmond vote for a passenger pigeon system because, by the way the Postmaster’s brain works, it is something this government-funded idiot might actually endorse. – The Eds.
DISCOVERED ‘EM: Our brother the esteemed Palladium, in yesterday’s dispatch, with regard to brigands robbing a train in Warsaw, Poland, posted the location as Warsaw, Indiana, a place to which it was not heretofore thought brigands would ever extend themselves. It is expected that next our Pal the Palladium will locate the news of Paris, France, at New Paris… the one in Ohio! – Eds. (The Evening Item and the Richmond Palladium were friendly rivals until they merged on Jan. 8, 1939, and the former competitors became one.)
ON EARTH: Our recent comet, it is now believed, is identical to the one seen in 371 years B.C. and again in A.D. 337, at the time of the death of emperor Constantine. It will never appear again to the present generation. Its orbit has been calculated from accurate observations as a very lengthened ellipse, with a period of 793 years to say the least, so that its next appearance will be in 2,675, wherein it is probable few of us will be left to greet it, but of course the immortal town of Richmond shall be. – The Eds.
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Feb 17, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
North Korea has released posters that promote inter-Korean cooperation, in the lead-up to its participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Pyongyang’s move comes amid speculations that it is reaching out to Seoul to dampen the growing alliance between the latter and Washington.
North Korean posters are notorious for their militaristic and anti-American messages, but the ones released by North Korea’s Uriminzokkiri propaganda website last week stressed cross-border relations, and specifically reconciliation, solidarity, self-reliance and unification.
One of the posters depicts a “unified Korea” flag that shows an undivided Korean Peninsula on the one hand and a group of people carrying the flags walking side by side on the other.
The poster states, “Let us actively form an atmosphere aimed at reconciliation and unification,” and has slogans commonly used by the North in its strategy for the South, such as “uriminzokkiri,” meaning “on our own as a nation, “solidarity of the people,” “self-reliant unification” and “self-reliance of the people.”
A different poster that shows people looking up to a brightly shining Peninsula, states, “Improvement on the North-South relations in 2018” and “Let us light up this meaningful year and leave a noteworthy record of achievements!”
A third poster portrays a boy and a girl dressed in traditional Korean clothing releasing pigeons into the sky, as the pigeons fly in a formation in the shape of the Peninsula.
It shows a black missile that states, “U.S. rehearsal for invasion of the North,” being shattered into pieces. The poster also states, “Let’s ease military tension between the North and the South and prepare a peaceful environment on the Peninsula first!”
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
