It’s National Bird Day today, and here in Scotland we boast some of the most stunning and diverse wildlife on the planet.
Our nation’s animals come in all shapes and sizes and today we look five of the most interesting birds that can be found in Scotland.
Don’t worry, we’ve left the brazen Glaswegian pigeons and those pesky Aberdonian seagulls off the list – this is only for the elite of the avian species.
Puffin
These beautiful creatures are often considered the “clowns of the air” due to their mismatched appearance.
The puffin can grow to around 18 inches tall and boast a black and white body, white a pale white face and brightly coloured bill.
If you want to spot them then head to the Isle of May, Anstruther .
Red Kite
Red kite’s are easily identifiable due to their large size, with a wingspan of almost 2 metres, and reddish-brown colouring.
The bird was successfully reintroduced to Scotland where it can now be seen soaring the skies across our bonny counry.
Capercaillie
The capercaillie may not be one of the most dangerous birds on our list, but it is one that is synonymous with Scotland.
Unfortunately, this woodland bird, which is the largest member of the grouse family, is now endangered and is facing possible extinction.
The capercaillie can be spotted in the pine forests of the Cairngorms , the Highlands and Perthshire .
Golden Eagle
This massive bird of prey thrives across the Scottish Highlands and Northern Isles.
The golden eagle mainly hunts rabbits, hares but is also known to catch foxes, young deer and grouse.
Osprey
The osprey have a wingspan of around 1.5m and are a seasonal visitor to our country.
These powerful brown birds can be found Scotland’s pine forests and lochs where they mostly hunt fish.
You better time your bird-spotting trip though as, like many of us wish we could do, they migrate south for the winter.
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.
“When we were shooting for the song, there is this one sequence where there are a lot of pigeons. There is a shot when I turn and the pigeons fly around me. So getting the scene right was very difficult because they had to put pigeon food on my hand before the shot.” Aww, Poor Dippy! She further added, “And these twenty five to thirty pigeons would come and sit on me and before the camera rolled, I could see all these pigeons crawling on my hand and by the end of it I’d have little scratches on my arm. But that was a lovely experience as I am pretty frightened about these things.” On the work front, Deepika Padukone will be next seen in Padmavat and if things go well, buzz is there that the film is all set to hit the theatres on Februray 9, 2018.
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.
Although many of us may think that hawks are birds that like wide-open spaces, the Cooper’s hawk has become very good at living in cities and towns.
This medium-sized hawk has broad, rounded wings with a very long tail. The tail is rounded and the head appears large. Adults are blue-gray in color. They look a lot like a sharp-shinned hawk.
The birds do well in cities because they like to eat medium-sized birds. Cities often have plenty of pigeons for the hawks to feast on, as well as birds at feeders, but they will also eat robins, pheasant and grouse as well as bats, squirrels and mice.
Cooper’s hawks grab prey with their claws and squeeze it until it dies, often catching other birds while flying through the trees. One study found that because the birds fly so fast through places with lots of trees, many have broken bones by striking branches.
In New Mexico a study found that Cooper’s hawks who lived in town had an advantage over those who lived in the country. During the winter the country hawks would fly south. The city hawks stayed around because they have plenty of pigeons to eat.
When the spring mating season comes around, the male Cooper’s hawk will look for a good place to build a nest. If the male lives in the city, he’s more likely to find the best places for a nest because he doesn’t have to compete with his country cousins, who haven’t flown back north yet.
That’s meant that there are more city birds spreading out into the country, which scientists found unusual. They normally think of a city as a place that would need birds from outside to keep populations strong. Just the opposite is true with wily Cooper’s hawk.
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 man was left stunned when he saw the bird slumped between the bonnet and the windscreen with its head resting against the glass on January 1 – just hours after people around the world had knocked back countless bottles of booze to celebrate the beginning of 2018 – with what appeared to be a hangover.
The gentleman filmed himself as he walked up to the pigeon – on what is thought to be his car – to see whether it was dead before he stroked its feathered in a bid to bring him round to consciousness.
As he prodded the bird, he said: ”Brother, c’mon brother. Wake up, bro! Hey, brother.”
The pigeon then appears to wake up from his daytime nap before flying off into the distance.
Kremlyovskiye kleptokrati commented on the video, writing: ”Like the French say: Pigeons are flying rats. I bet he pecked the vomit of people who celebrated new years, this is how alcohol hit its tiny brain.”
While Igor Orlov said: ”Poor bird, it is simply ill.”
Ermolov added: ”People, stop judging others by your own standards.”
It’s not known whether the bird was injured, sick or was simply resting.
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.
Our power to send a species into oblivion was first documented in 1598 when Portuguese sailors landing on the shores of the Southeast African island of Mauritius, discovered a previously unknown species of gigantic pigeon, the dodo, Raphus cucullatus, so named for its lack of fear of men who killed them. Another aspect of their demise were the confounded rats that deserted the ships and came ashore to help eat native animals and plants into extinction.
Having been isolated from contact with humanity by its island location, the immense pigeon waddled over and greeted the new visitors with a child-like innocence. The sailors, however, mistook the gentle spirit of the dodo, and its lack of fear for stupidity and dubbed the bird “dodo” (similar to simpleton in Portuguese).
Because the bird was larger than our Thanksgiving turkey — but far easier to catch — hungry sailors killed them by the tens of thousands and those that survived the sailor’s appetite had to face introduced rats, cats and dogs.
Dogs, pigs and rats carried-on ships soon became feral after being released into the Mauritian ecosystem. Due to the sailors meat-hunting and predation by introduced animals, in a mere 83 years, the last dodo was dead.
The world was left worse with its passing.
As one of the earliest recorded examples of modern eco-vandalism, the impact of the Portuguese sailors on Mauritius not only wiped out the poor old dodo, but also further disrupted nature in unexpected ways. Soon after the dodo became extinct, the Mauritian “calvaria” trees seeds stopped sprouting and it appeared it would soon face extinction itself. Apparently, calvaria seeds would only germinate after passing through the dodo bird’s digestive system.
You’d think with the story of the dodo bird as an example of our ability to wipe out a species we would have been more sensitive to our responsibilities. The fate of the passenger pigeon proved otherwise as they were perhaps the most abundant bird ever to live on the face of the earth.
In the early 1800s they were estimated to be in the billions and could be found in forests from the east side of the rockies to upper New York state. Moreover, when they migrated to their southern haunts in winter, millions of them were seen in immense flights — over a mile-wide and 300 miles long — so many birds they blotted out the sun. The sun!
Passenger pigeons nested in colonies of such magnitude it is almost unbelievable — over 100 nests in just one tree. Multiply that by millions of trees in hardwood forests throughout the Midwest and East and you come up with billions of birds.
Unfortunately, it was those 300-mile long flocks of passenger pigeons that led to their demise; meat hunters selling their remains to the hotels in New York believed they were inexhaustible.
Passenger pigeons were a little larger than present day rock doves and flew just about as fast – close to 60 miles an hour. Hunters who didn’t want to waste ammunition trying to hit such a fast flyer found it was a lot easier to kill them when they were nesting — as the plume-hunters discovered in the early 1900s when they slaughtered egrets, just for their feathers to put in lady’s hats.
Pigeons killed at the nesting sites left eggs and young to die; consequently the fate of the passenger pigeon was sealed. Only one egg was laid normally, incubated by the female and fed by both parents, but only until the youngster could stand and had feathers. About two weeks after hatching the adults just up and deserted the chick, leaving it to fend for itself.
With the advent of the telegraph, meat-hunters knew exactly where pigeons were at all times, and exactly when they arrived at the nesting trees and then set about slaughtering them. Only the breasts were taken, packed in ice and delivered by train to expensive restaurants in New York and other eastern cities.
By 1910, there was only one female passenger pigeon left on Earth, Martha (named after Martha Washington, wife of the first president of our country), living in the Cincinnati Zoo. At 1pm, on Sept. 1, 1914, Martha died at the age of 29 years.
Looking at the growing population of American bald eagles flying around Oregon today, I’m so thankful that we have learned a lesson from the passing of the dodo bird and passenger pigeon. But as I look at the destruction of our greater sage grouse habitat, converted into cow pastures and the new dictate from President Trump cutting up our national parks, I wonder, “Have we really learned our lesson?”
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 first quarter-century of President Thomas S. Monson’s life came with boyhood fun, a little mischief and several foundational lessons that prepared him for a lifetime of service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In a 1986 church magazine article, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve wrote that President Monson grew up without many of life’s luxuries, but his “tender heart and compassionate nature” made him aware of those around him who needed special attention.
“Indeed, his childhood experiences seem to have been part of a divinely directed training process which would sensitize Thomas Monson to the plight of the poor for the rest of his life,” Elder Holland wrote.
Born on Aug. 21, 1927, to G. Spencer and Gladys Condie Monson, President Monson grew up during the Great Depression surrounded by uncles, aunts and grandparents.
One of the highlights of his youth came each summer when his family stayed at their cabin at Vivian Park in Provo Canyon, which he described as a “boy’s paradise.” It was there that President Monson developed the skills for a lifelong love of fishing.
One summer when he was 8 years old, President Monson learned an important lesson. In his April 2013 conference talk “Obedience Brings Blessings,” he admitted that he and a friend started a fire in Provo Canyon.
The boys wanted to host an evening campfire for all their friends. But the field they selected was covered by dry, prickly June grass. President Monson had an idea.
“All we need to do is set these weeds on fire,” he said. “We’ll just burn a circle in the weeds.”
Although both boys had been warned about the dangers of fire, the young Tommy got some matches and set the grass ablaze. He thought the fire would only burn as far as they wanted before magically extinguishing itself. The boys soon realized it would not, and, with no other options, ran for help.
Over the next several hours, residents fought the blaze and put out the fire before any major damage was done.
“Danny and I learned several difficult but important lessons that day,” President Monson said. “Not the least of which was the importance of obedience.”
President Monson learned another pivotal lesson while attending Primary at age 10. As his class of rowdy children exited one day, young Tommy noticed his teacher was crying. He asked what was wrong. She felt bad because she couldn’t control the class. She asked if young Tommy could help her with keeping the class reverent and he happily agreed to do so.
“What I didn’t know then is that I was one of those responsible for her tears,” President Monson said in a March 2010 church magazine article. “She had effectively enlisted me to aid in achieving reverence in our Primary. And we did.”
Another noteworthy part of President Monson’s youth was his fascination with pigeons, which became a lifelong hobby. According to his biography, “To the Rescue,” by Heidi S. Swinton, his interest in pigeons “took flight” when he and his friends figured out how to catch the birds as they landed on a neighborhood fence.
President Monson later purchased a pair of Birmingham roller pigeons, which he named Rump and Rolly. He also raised rabbits and chickens, earning countless ribbons at county and state fairs over the decades that followed.
President Monson was forced to leave his pigeons behind when he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve, shortly before the end of World War II. He eventually returned home to complete his education at the University of Utah.
He married Frances Beverly Monson in the Salt Lake Temple in 1948. Over the next 11 years, three children — Tom, Ann and Clark — were born into the family.
In 1950, the 22-year-old was called to be the bishop of his boyhood 6th-7th Ward, which then included more than 1,000 members, more than 80 widows and the greatest welfare responsibility in the church. Yet “he went about doing good” and few fell through the cracks in the 6th-7th Ward, Swinton wrote. Somehow he shouldered his calling and career without neglecting his young family.
His leadership and service influenced many lives. He energized members, increased attendance and demonstrated a talent for turning welfare needs into opportunities for other members of the ward to serve. He wrote letters to missionaries and military servicemen. He also provided friendship and tender care for the widows, often using his vacation time to personally deliver a gift to each one at Christmas time.
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.
PLANS by the Scottish Parliament to spend £80,000 using birds of prey to scare away pigeons have been called into question.
Hawks and falcons are brought in regularly to fly over the building to deter pigeons from making it their home.
But MSPs say the unwanted birds have become wise to the scheme and simply wait for them to be taken away by their handler before settling back on the roofs and ledges of the £414 million building.
The parliament has renewed its maintenance contract – which includes an £80,000 on the birds of prey –for another five years with a possible two-year extension.
It is believed that pigeon numbers are as low as they are likely to go but the parliament believes the hawks and falcons are necessary to stop them increasing again.
Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs, a member of the cross-party animal welfare group at Holyrood, said it was time to reconsider spending so much money on the bird handler.
He said: “I don’t think they have looked at how effective it is actually being.
“For a lot of building users it has become a bit of a joke. The pigeons are sitting up on Arthur’s Seat waiting for him to go away.
“The pigeons seem to be quite bright. The effectiveness of him turning up now and again is questionable at least.”
A parliament spokesman said: “Like many buildings in Edinburgh, a small number of pigeons visit regularly. We are aware the problem can never be fully eradicated.”
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.
Scottish Parliament bosses have been urged to rethink spending £80,000 on using birds of prey to scare away pigeons after their effectiveness was called into question.
Hawks and falcons are brought in regularly to fly over the Scottish Parliament building to deter pigeons from making it their home.
But MSPs say that the unwanted birds have gotten wise to the scheme and simply wait for them to be taken away by their handler before settling back on the roofs and ledges of the £414 million building.
The parliament has renewed its maintenance contract – which includes an £80,000 on the birds of prey – for another five years with a possible two-year extension.
It is believed that pigeon numbers are low as they are likely to go but the parliament believes the hawks and falcons are necessary to stop them increasing again.
Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs, a member of the cross-party animal welfare group at Holyrood, said it was time to reconsider spending so much money on the bird handler.
He said:”I don’t think they have looked at how effective it is actually being.
“For a lot of building users it has become a bit of a joke. The pigeons are sitting up on Arthur’s Seat waiting for him to go away.
“The pigeons seem to be quite bright. The effectiveness of him turning up now and again is questionable at least.”
The Holyrood building was plagued by pigeons even before it officially opened in 2004.
Muck and feathers were blown through vents onto researchers’ desks and some birds even got into MSPs’ offices.
The cross-party Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, which oversees the building, brought in birds of prey as a deterrent nine years ago.
Mr Briggs said: “When the MSP office block was first built there were so many nooks
and crannies it was like a massive pigeon loft, but that has all been netted off now.
“That probably had more effect displacing the pigeon population than the man
coming to fly his birds of prey.
Wallace the Harris Hawk at the Scottish Parliament.
“The corporate body needs to review this decision and whether it’s an effective use of taxpayers’ money to have the man coming with his birds of prey.
“The pigeons seem to have got wise to it.”
Monthly reports by the contractors to the Scottish Parliament claim between 50 and 65 per cent of pigeons are dispersed during their presence on site.
But the numbers seem to return to roughly the same level after they have gone.
A parliament spokesman said: “Like many buildings in Edinburgh, a small number of pigeons visit regularly.
“We are aware the problem can never be fully eradicated and we will continue with the current approach.”
The idea of trapping pigeons as a way of cutting the numbers has been ruled out.
Five of the contractors’ monthly reports – from January to May – recommended: “Trapping of birds can also be considered to further reduce numbers on site.”
But any reference to trapping was then dropped from later reports.
A parliament spokesman said: “We have no plans to use traps.”
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 Peru, the government is currently running a program that we might call the Internet of Garbage Vultures (IoGB), fitting GPS-enabled mobile GoPro cameras to vultures, so that these scavenging birds can be used in the fight to identify and eradicate illegal dumping of waste.
According to a report on ABC News Australia, “Ten trained vultures wearing purpose-designed vests have already started to monitor the city from above with the help of tracking technology as part of the Vultures Detect program, and have been carefully trained to return to their keepers.”
This trend is growing. The central north African country of Chad has developed a similar initiative and fitted dogs with IoT sensors to track down diseases and the United Kingdom has begun a program to use pigeons to monitor air pollution.
But you don’t just switch on collective intelligence overnight. Whether data comes from from humans or from IoT initiatives, engineering information streams so that they can be woven into the operational fabric of government is a big challenge.
In a January 2016 Nesta white paper, Governing with Collective Intelligence, authors Tom Saunders and Geoff Mulgan point out that adopting collective intelligence is not always easy. “Many governments resist openness and citizen input of any kind. Sometimes this is out of a sense that governments know best,” they write.”More often, it is because political organizations created many years ago lack the mechanisms to easily request, absorb, analyze and act upon ideas and information offered by citizens, external organizations [and other external sources].”
To overcome these challenges, the public sector needs a clear strategy to make use of the collective intelligence not just of citizens but also sensors, meters, devices – and, indeed, vultures dogs and 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.
Holyrood officials have been urged to think again about their decision to spend £80,000 on using birds of prey to scare pigeons away from the Scottish Parliament building over the next five years. Hawks and falcons are brought in regularly to fly over the parliament to deter pigeons from making it their home. But MSPs claim the pigeons have become wise to the practice and now simply wait for the birds of prey to leave with their handler before settling back on the roofs and ledges of the £414 million building. The parliament has renewed its maintenance contract – of which the birds of prey are now a part – for another five years with a possible two-year extension. Overall pigeon numbers are thought to have been reduced as far as they are likely to go, but the parliament believes the hawks and falcons are necessary to stop them increasing again. However, Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs, a member of the cross-party animal welfare group at Holyrood, said it was time for a rethink on spending so much money on a bird handler coming to Holyrood. “I don’t think they have looked at how effective it is actually being,” he said. “For a lot of building users it has become a bit of a joke. The pigeons are sitting up on Arthur’s Seat waiting for him to go away. The pigeons seem to be quite bright.” The Holyrood building was plagued by pigeons even before it officially opened in 2004. Muck and feathers were blown through vents on to researchers’ desks and some birds even got into MSPs’ offices. The cross-party Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, which oversees the building, brought in birds of prey as a deterrent nine years ago. Mr Briggs said: “When the MSP office block was first built there were so many nooks and crannies it was like a massive pigeon loft, but that has all been netted off now. “That probably had more effect displacing the pigeon population than the man coming to fly his birds of prey. “The corporate body needs to review this decision and whether it’s an effective use of taxpayers’ money.” Monthly reports by the contractors to the Scottish Parliament claim between 50 and 65 per cent of pigeons are dispersed during their presence on site. But the numbers seem to return to roughly the same level after they have gone. A parliament spokesman said: “We are aware the problem can never be fully eradicated and we will continue with the current approach.”
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.
An animal owner in Luzerne County is under investigation after several animals were left outside in frigid temperatures.
More than a dozen dogs and farm animals were left with no food or heat.
State police spent their New Year’s at a home near Wapwallopen investigating the incident where they found dogs kept outside with chickens, goats, and pigeons.
“Lacking shelter, two dogs to one small shelter with frozen water is just not sufficient,” said Mary Sult of the Animal Resource Center.
Troopers and Luzerne County SPCA came to the home on Cemetery Drive Sunday evening to confiscate the dogs and other animals. Pigeons and chickens are still there, left in the cold weather.
Neighbors alerted the Animal Resource Center near Bloomsburg about the conditions. Sult went to the home to provide food and that’s when the investigation started.
“I really have to toast them for the new year because they’re the ones who saved these animals,” said Sult.
The owner was not home at the time. Authorities brought the animals to a local shelter. Now, animal activists are warning others that might be doing the same thing.
“Bring your animals inside,” said Sult. “It does not take much and if you can’t bring them inside then don’t have them.”
Sult says no animal should be outside for more than 20 minutes when it’s 32 degrees or colder. That’s the new state “Libre’s Law,” which makes a conviction for such an offense a felony.
“They would have been in these temperatures for weeks and who knows if they would have survived,” said Sult.
Sult says if you can’t care for them, take them to your local shelter. It may cost a few bucks, but it might be cheaper than animal cruelty charges.
We are waiting on more information on whether charges will be filed.
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.
People walking through an underpass on The Queensway should keep their heads up and hats on, to avoid a wet and smelly surprise.
If their gaze is not fixed upward, they could be victimized by pigeons that are bombarding the north sidewalk from the rafters of the South Kingsway overpass.
Pigeons love to find a covered area where they can roost, which makes the support beams running along the underside of overpasses a prime location to set up shop.
Once they’re domiciled, the birds are not bashful about where they do their doo-doo. It’s no skin off their beaks if the sidewalk below is slathered with droppings, along with hapless pedestrians.
A time-tested solution is to put up screens on the bottom of overpasses. It works until the crafty pigeons find a way to sneak in under the screens and foil the best laid plans of mice and men.
Stan Pietlock emailed to say he walks in the area where the South Kingsway passes over The Queensway and is appalled by the bird droppings along the sidewalk on the north side of the underpass.
“The amount of pigeon excrement mixed with feathers is unhealthy, especially with toddlers riding in strollers close to the ground,” he said, adding it’s also “an example of poor sidewalk maintenance.
“One is literally forced to walk on the curb to keep one’s shoes out of the mess.”
We went there and watched as pedestrians veered around bird droppings and feathers coating the north sidewalk, a sign that pigeons still rule the roost.
And no wonder. We spotted pigeons perched above screens that had large holes in them, allowing easy access to a no-bird-trespassing area.
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.
Winter migratory birds are being sighted farther away from Delhi-NCR as the region’s own wetlands shrink into nothing. This stands true for Haryana’s Sultanpur and Basai, Uttar Pradesh’s Surajpur and Dadri, and Delhi’s own Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Sanjay Jheel and Yamuna Khadar – former rich habitats of winter-roosting avians.
Dr. Surya Prakash, a renowned biologist from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), indicated towards this in a retrospective of rare birds seen in Delhi and NCR in year 2017, on Sunday.
Wild birds are natural indicators of a healthy ecosystem. They thrive only in peaceful habitats and pollution-free environment.
Dr. Prakash said, “This year was good for birding primarily due to rains. Dhanauri wetlands in UP remained on top in number of birding trips being a ‘Sarus crane paradise.’ For many birders, Najafgarh jheel attracted due to its Greater flamingos and Common cranes.”
“Birders enjoyed Sultanpur National Park (SNP) flats to witness Stoliczka’s Bushchat’s mesmerising ‘puff-n-roll’ display. Indian Pitta and Cuckoo Shrike showed up as usual at Mangar but the highlights were Jungle Bush Quail and Greater Rackettail drongo seen at SNP and Mangar forests each,” he said.
Sohail Madan of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) reported Eurasian Griffon and King Vulture from Asola Bhatti Mines along with the second sighting of Brown Hawk Owl from the same area, Dr. Prakash added.
One Gyps species of vulture was reported from Okhla Bird Park also and a birder, CB Maurya, reported 40 Black Storks from RK Puram, that’s the highest number till date in the history of Delhi. One of the most interesting sightings from NCR cities was that of six Slavonian grebe ducks from Dighal in Haryana by birding enthusiast Rakesh Ahlawat.
Veteran birder Anand Arya said, “We have lost about 150-200 rich and healthy bird habitats over the past decade. Basai wetlands in Haryana were fed by a canal in arrangement with the irrigation department, which has now reduced to about onefourth its size. Sultanpur and Okhla Bird sanctuaries are dying due to bad management. The Yamuna Khadar has been lost to illegal agriculture and mining while Dadri and Hasanpur have gone to construction. Ponds in villages Mandkoula and Mandnaka in Palwal, Haryana, are also lost.”
Bird lovers are now venturing farther to Haryana’s pristine Dighal and Yamunanagar wetlands, which are still unspoilt by development, he said.
But interestingly, Dr. Prakash noted that forest-based raptor birds, previously seen in forest areas mainly, are now being spotted in Delhi more often, thanks to the explosion in population of feral pigeons and common mynas that serve as easy prey.
“We are spotting more of Common kestrel, Perigreen Falcon, Booted Eagle, Bonalese eagles, large owls and shikras than before – most of them with pigeon kills,” he said.
“This is besides the scavenging birds – black kites, vultures and common crows – which frequent landfills. This is quite notable for town planners and civic authorities too as pigeons are believed to be a big nuisance and carriers of diseases, believe some experts,” he informed.”
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.
Hyderabad: A gang that was hunting birds in West Marredpally was stopped by bird conservationists on Sunday afternoon. However, the group of about eight men managed to escape leaving behind a bag full of dead and injured birds.
A dead Greater coucal, which is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, and five pigeons were recovered from the bag, while three other pigeons were recovered alive but severely injured.
Incidents of bird poaching by group who use primitive methods of hunting such as catapult and stones are common in Secunderabad, said Rama Menon, Hyderabad coordinator for Nature Forever. Catapults are also banned under the Wildlife Protection Act.
A case was booked under the Wildlife Protection Act at the West Marredpally police station, she said.
Secunderabad is home to many species of common birds, and residential colonies here often have birds coming into houses, with residents taking care of them by keeping bowls of water and food in kitchens, balconies and verandas.
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.
Mysuru: Helping Hands’ Kabutar Daan, a project for providing food grains to Pigeons in front of Kote Anjenayaswamy Temple at the North Gate of Mysore Palace, which was started on Jan. 1, 2015 is going a step forward by successfully completing three years of feeding pigeons tomorrow.
Inspired by a Hyderabad tourist, Rajan Baghmar and Anand Patwa of Helping Hands, began the project under ‘Helping Hands Kabutar Daan Project.’
The project which began with just four members now has about 28 members, who feed the pigeons with food grains such as Bajara, Jower, Wheat, Fried Gram, Moong Dal etc., on all 365 days of the year braving all types of climate.
Birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions such as Independence Day, Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanti, Kannada Rajyotsava etc., are celebrated at the feeding venue with members Jambu Lodha, Sunil Patwa, Dinesh Bohra, Adesh Lodha and Vijay Bhora writing the names of the persons celebrating birthdays and names of festivals and other occasions with food grains.
About 200kg of food grains is fed to the pigeons by the organisation along with the members of the public, who too are feeding the pigeons daily in front of Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple. Helping Hands have started feeding Kabutar (Pigeon) at City Stanik Bhavan in Halladakeri twice a week. The total requirement of food grains per month is nearly 7,000 kg and around 84,000 kg a year which cost about 18 lakh per year. The expenses is pooled in by the members and also through generous donations from the public.
Helping Hands has been awarded with ‘Pride of Mysore’ by Pragathi Prathistan and Kannada Kriya Vedike has honoured Helping Hands Kabutar Daan Project during Kannada Rajyotsava celebration.
Along with Kabutar Daan Project, Helping Hands is also involved in various social activities. They have adopted a Government School in Ittigegud where they are providing books and other stationary items, tables and chairs, uniforms to poor school children besides providing financial assistance to poor students to pursue higher education under ‘Shiksa Project.’
The organisation is also undertaking eye screening camps, artificial limb distribution camps, heart and sugar check up camps regularly besides providing financial assistance for poor patients to undergo various surgeries.
Helping Hands thanking everyone for their support and has urged the public to join them in celebrating New Year by feeding pigeons in Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple at 6.30 am tomorrow.
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 noise can leave the animals deaf and the smoke can cause the breathing related problems to animals, claim veterinary doctors,
Thane : Animals are the worst affected by the smog and noise of crackers during Diwali. The noise can leave the animals deaf and the smoke can cause the breathing related problems to animals, claim veterinary doctors.
“The human ear can bear the sound of 2,000 to 20,000 megahertz, but dogs can bear from 20,000 to 1 lakh megahertz. The sound of crackers affect them badly,” said Dr. Yuvaraj Kaginkar, veterinary expert with a charitable trust. Vets always advice their clients to change the timings of walks of their pets during Diwali.
“Morning there is thick smoke and that can affect the pets. The pets can develop breathing problems, congestion due to it. The noise of crackers can hurt their ears, hence, we advice the owners to keep the pets in the inner rooms where there will be low sound level,” he added.
The strays have their own strategy to stay away from such pollution. They normally stay far from such places where it can affect them. The worst sufferers are the birds who stay near the houses.
Pigeons, sparrows, crows temporarily migrate during these days. The pigeons suffer trauma during the festival of noise and one can see many pigeons dying during these days, claim experts.
The various trusts that work for animals are creating an awareness among people to make them understand the evil effects of the crackers. And this has led to such incidences being reduced, according to the experts.
Previously, there were many cases, where crackers were tied to a dog’s tail. Now there is an awareness that such activity can be dangerous and cases have reduced, claimed Dr. Kaginkar.
The good news is that awareness of the ill effects is growing. Even animal lovers are trying to educate others about the pollution.
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.
Many of the buildings in the center of Madrid have interior and exterior apartments. An exterior apartment borders the street, while an interior one meets the apartment building on the parallel street. Imagine a solid building with a few shafts bored out of the center. When you open the curtains in the morning, the chances are that, a few feet across from you, you will see your neighbor doing the same. Both of you try to pretend that you do not see the other.
At the back of our apartment on Calle San Ildefonso, the building opposite contained a few very small windows that nobody opened, with small ledges. As a result, the pigeons moved in and made nests out of them. Every year, in spring and in autumn, the pigeons who had taken up residence directly opposite our bedroom window laid two eggs. In autumn, usually the eggs did not hatch, or if they did, the chicks did not survive. When the chicks died, the mother sat with them for a day or two, and then the two pigeons tried to avoid touching the corpses, moving to the far side of the window ledge. In winter, the pigeons spent most of their time huddled together in one corner of the ledge.
One year, in spring, the pigeons laid two eggs and one of them survived. All baby animals are cute: we seem to have a genetic predisposition to find babies of any species cute, I suppose to encourage us to care more about them and nurture them through their dangerous infancy. Baby pigeons are an exception. When they hatch, they are vomit yellow, with scraggly necks and feathers that remind you of the wisps of hair of an old man who has not washed his hair in weeks. It is hard, if not impossible, to look at a baby pigeon and think that it is cute. They make a lot of noise very early in the morning, and they require constant feeding from both parents. I saw the pigeons flying all day to bring food — they took turns staying at home to look after the baby and going out to work. Pigeon parenting is very egalitarian.
After a few days, the pigeon was able to sort of stand and observe things around herself. Unfortunately, in the shaft in which she was born, there was very little to see, except for my wife and I as we walked past the window, and every time we did, the baby pigeon tried to press herself against the back window, to get as far away from us as possible. After a few weeks, however, the baby was bigger, less afraid and more curious, and most importantly, less ugly. She was starting to resemble what we know as a pigeon. By this time, as well, the parents started to leave the baby for longer and longer periods, and eventually they left her for whole days, returning only in the evenings after work.
Eventually, the pigeon started to explore. She walked to the edge of the ledge, looked down, stretched her wings and flapped back. She did this for several days. Then one day I looked out of the window and saw the pigeon standing on our window ledge. Then she flew back to her nest.
The next day, the baby pigeon was gone. I felt sad that she had left. For the entire day, we heard the flapping of pigeon wings, and when we looked out, we saw both the mother and the father flying back and forth through the shaft, looking for their baby. They flew up and down, from side to side, for the entire day. I assumed that the baby had flown away when they were out at work. I wondered if the baby would be all right. How would she find food? Would she be able to find her way back if she needed help? Would she be lost in the city? Was she already lost? Perhaps the parents were thinking the same. I went to bed and worried about the baby pigeon.
When I woke up, the pigeon was not there. I made breakfast, had a shower and got dressed. Then I glanced out the window and the baby pigeon was there, back on our window ledge. Not only the baby, but the father, too, stuck to his child as if by glue, never more than ten centimeters from her. When the child walked from one side of the ledge to the other, the father went there too. When she flew back to the nest, the father flew there too. When she leaped into the air and flew away, so too did the father.
That was the last time we ever saw the baby pigeon. The parents eventually returned and laid more eggs, but none survived. Finally the builders came and renovated the building, destroying the nest in the process. The parents moved on, and we moved 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.
FOR almost 200 years, it has been the place where country meets city in a celebration of all things Tasmanian.
The annual Royal Hobart Show starts on Wednesday and organisers, exhibitors and members of the Showmen’s Guild are on deck today getting their preparations in order.
Officials hope to draw about 45,000 people through the gates across the four days.
That healthy turnout would defy the trend of other large agricultural shows in the state, which have struggled to bring back the crowds of yesteryear.
However, Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania chief executive Scott Gadd remains confident of Hobart being a success.
“We pay attention to value for families. We are spending more on entertainment with free activities addressing the value-for-money issue,” he said.
“We have a big entertainment agenda for Friday, with fireworks that night.”
A new feature this year is the Tassie Showcase, with businesses from throughout the island invited to display their products.
“We’re hoping this initiative will build over the next few years and completely fill this [Showcase] pavilion,” Mr Gadd said.
“Tassie has so much great product on offer and we believe it should be showcased at the state’s premier agricultural show.
“We are extremely pleased with the response this year and the quality and variety of product is better than we anticipated.”
Products on display include sweets, jewellery, leather, beer, wine, gin, arts and craft and even pet treats.
Devils Brewery owner David Tottle is eager to show his five beer varieties, including pilsner, smoked porter and coffee stout, plus apple cider.
“It’s a big opportunity for us and having this section at the show reflects the popularity of craft beer and getting it across to the masses,” he said.
There will be on-tap sales or an “adult show bag” with product to take away.
Mr Gadd said entry numbers for the pavilions were solid, although there were no pigeons on show this year.
“Entries are good despite having pigeons quarantined because of the highly infectious rotavirus pigeons disease and no rabbits because of a new type of calicivirus,” he said.
“We have an increase in dairy cattle with new exhibitors creating 104 entries, up from 89 last year.”
Miniature goats, which will be judged at the Royal Show for the first time, have attracted 35 entries in 15 classes.
Miniature goat state show manager Jan Roberts said judging day was Thursday, but goats would be on display Wednesday through to Saturday, with breeders on hand.
Cindy Fagg, of Petit Paradise Mini Goats at Brighton, said she was excited about the show.
“It’s a bit daunting being an exhibitor and being judged, but it should be really good fun,” Mrs Fagg said.
In the beef cattle section 11 different breeds will be competing for prizes and money.
Beef cattle committee member Anita Dixon, of Lintwood Limousin Stud at National Park, said the show had received great sponsorship for beef cattle.
“Although there are only three senior bulls entered, numbers are up in the junior heifer and junior bull sections,” Mrs Dixon said.
“Young cows with calves at foot will be well represented in their section. Group classes are also up from last year.”
Sheep farmer Ken Gatehouse, who heads up the sheep stud committee, is expecting 120 exhibits, about the same as last year.
“We are happy with the situation considering the dry in the South. We’ve got quality exhibitors.”
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.
Don Hickman lives on Sauvie Island, but hunts ducks at a friend’s farm.
…Which is where he was pleasantly surprised to take three banded mallards Wednesday. A single banded mallard – bands are used on relatively few ducks to monitor their movements during migration – is unusual, but three in one day is rare.
And they weren’t his only reward for hunting in the rain.
Hiking back to his rig, he recognized two forms sitting in the branches of the only tall tree along a fenceline. A couple of no. 7 steel shotshells later, he added a pair of doves to his duck strap.
But not native mourning doves.
Mourning dove season lasts through October, but Hickman’s similar quarry can be taken all year – no season; no limit.
Nor are they common rock pigeons, also subject to year-round hunting.
Rather, these were Eurasian collared doves; larger and lighter than mourning doves and marked by a distinctive band around the back of the neck.
Collared doves reproduce naturally, but aren’t native to Oregon or even the western Hemisphere.
First seen in the Caribbean in the 1970s, collared doves showed up in Florida in the 1980s and quickly spread across the continent. Most states consider them invasive. They’re popular among hunters across Texas and the southeast.
“They’re pretty well-established,” said Brandon Reishus, migratory bird biologist for theOregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Kind of like feral poultry.”
Oregon biologists began noticing collared doves in 2000. They were common across most of Eastern Oregon within four or five years and by the end of the decade were seen statewide, from desert to sea.
Reishus said the department didn’t initially allow hunting, but then relented and allowed hunters to take collared doves during the mourning dove season.
While other states opened hunting with no limits, the agency remained concerned for awhile hunters might mistake mourning doves for collared, but hunters in other states were easily able to discriminate so a few years ago, Oregon removed collared doves from its protected bird list.
That means they can be taken any time, along with house sparrows and starlings. A hunting license is required on public land.
The same is true in Washington, which also requires a hunting license.
It does not, by the way, eliminate city or local laws prohibiting shooting or trespass laws on private property.
Which is where most collared doves are found, although they’re probably still spreading into available habitat.
“They seem to be associated with humans,” Reishus said. “They’re not real common away from structures.”
That includes farms and rural communities, where permission to hunt big game or game birds might be problematic, but easier to obtain for rock pigeons and collared doves.
Reishus said many believe collared doves compete with mourning doves for food and nests, but there hasn’t been much research and biologists don’t believe it’s a problem, although “people still don’t buy it,” he said.
Collared doves are “seed generalists,” Reishus said. “They’ll eat any seed they can get down their throat.
They’re also opportunistic nesters, i.e, just about anywhere they can pull a few twigs together and most likely don’t migrate nearly as much as mourning doves.
“They probably move with the snow to find food,” Reishus said, “but they won’t take off like migrating birds.”
Hickman breasted his doves and put them in a crockpot with some teal and cream of mushroom soup.
“They taste like a migratory bird,” he said. “But not as strong. It’s a milder dark meat.”
Speaking of invasives: The Oregon Bass and Panfish Club held its annual all-species fish-in Sept. 30 in Multnomah Channel.
Anglers caught 10 non-natives: Yellow perch; black and white crappie; largemouth and smallmouth bass; pumpkinseed; bluegill; bullhead and channel catfish, and walleye.
On cue, this coming week’s meeting Thursday, from 7-9 p.m. in the East Portland Community Center, 740 SE 106th Ave., will be about which color lures to use for fall walleye and smallmouth bass.
(Last year, by the way, large smallmouth were caught nearly all winter in the Columbia River Gorge.)
Washington may ease angling regs: The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is simplifying fishing rules for the state Fish and Wildlife Commission to consider.
Among the proposals are standardized seasons in streams and rivers, the end of most mandatory steelhead retention rules and lifting all bag and size limits for bass, walleye and catfish in rivers and streams.
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 bird, known locally as Harold, has become a popular part of the community and regular visits people inside their homes. Collared Dove called Harold among other names with postman David Chamberlain age 53. Picture: James Linsell-Clark. But the bird has become something of an irritation to postman Neil Davies, as it regularly swoops down to sit on his head or shoulder while he attempts to do his morning round. Mr Davies’ colleague, Alison Preston, 51, has been called in to cover his round. She said: “I’ve never seen anything like it – he’s very friendly. Some of the neighbours don’t like him, nor does Neil.” Alison, who has worked for Royal Mail for 10 years, added: “I’m used to the dove now. He’ll come right up to you and sit on your head if you let him. He sees me off whenever I’ve posted letters here and then he flies back to numbers six and eight Alison Preston “He’ll come right up to you and sit on your head if you let him. “He sees me off whenever I’ve posted letters here and then he flies back to numbers six and eight.” The dove’s loud coo-coo can be heard all the way down the close. Locals have volunteered to move their letterboxes to the end of their drives to stop the Royal Mail worker having to enter the dove’s territory. Resident Joan Angier, 71, said: “He’s a lovely bird and we all love him around here. “I just think the postman has a phobia of him, or that’s what everyone says anyway. “He’s very friendly, he’ll come and sit on your knee in the garden. “He’s a unique bird, he’s got a very distinctive coo-coo, different to the pigeons.” The wild collared dove first appeared in April, nesting on top of villagers’ homes. But he was taken under the wing of locals, who took pity on his skinny frame and began feeding him scraps. Joan added: “Back then, he was young and skinny. But he got fed by the neighbours and he became so tame. “We volunteered to put the letter boxes outside to make life easier for the postman. “Unfortunately, with him being a wild bird, we have no control over him”. Harold only approaches people when they enter his territory, but is not aggressive. It is thought to be the first time a Royal Mail worker has been pestered by a dove while delivering mail. Henry Perry, from Royal Mail, said: “While this seems light-hearted and fun, Royal Mail does take dog, bird and animal attacks very seriously. “A lot of animals have caused very serious injuries to our staff.”
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.
