The council recently carried out a major overall of Forum Square and the Westgate shopping centre entrance with newly planted trees, paving, seating and performance spaces.
But some local and national media including the Sun carried reports criticising the council for installing spikes to keep the pigeons off the trees.
The council has hit back at the criticism, and issued a statement saying: “We are piloting some pigeon prevention methods across the town, along with a stop feeding the pigeons campaign, because they can cause mess and disease.
“This is a standard anti-pigeon measure used in towns and cities across the country. On shops, trees, churches, all sorts of places.
“They do not hurt pigeons, but deter them from roosting in a particular area.
“We aim to deter pigeons from roosting in the town centre, including this area where people sit outside to eat and drink on new benches and outside coffee shops.”
It added: “Pigeons can cause mess and transmit serious diseases including meningitis, E-coli, Salmonella and Listeria.
“These spikes were already in place on shop canopies in Stevenage and around the country, and have been for many years. We added these new ones after improving the square this summer with new benches, lighting and trees.”
But the town’s Conservative MP Stephen McPartland has hit back at the decision, saying: “It’s completely stupid.
“Trees are there for birds to use, but this is typical of the idiocy of Stevenage Borough Council. These trees have been there for years, they’ve never needed spikes before.”
In the advice it issues about living with pigeons, animal welfare charity the RSPCA mentions a number of methods of preventing them from landing including wire structures, netting and spikes.
On spikes, referred to by the RSPCA as ‘spines’, it says: “Anti-perching devices, such as spines, are considered to be one of the most humane ways of trying to minimise the problems these birds can cause. The spines are usually angled so that they are awkward to land on but will not impale the bird but some may also be designed to bend but be firm enough to provide an uncomfortable perching or roosting place for the bird. However, it is vital these are installed appropriately by trained professionals and inspected regularly.”
The RSPB gives advice on its website including: “Ledges can be protected by fitting specially designed spike strips or metal coil, or converting the ledge to a slope.”
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.
FROM changes to aerodrome laws to questions about city water pressure, the Toowoomba Regional Council’s Tuesday committee meeting was filled with vital updates for residents.
The Planning and Development, Water and Waste and Infrastructure Committees were run at the council chambers this morning, with the final three portfolios held tomorrow.
All items will then be reviewed at the ordinary meeting next week.
1. Aerodrome law changes
Unusual incidents at aerodromes in the region, including homing pigeons and abandoned aircraft, have pushed the council’s infrastructure committee to rip up its previous local laws around the spaces.
Aerodrome operations manager Barry Wicks introduced the new legislation to the council, which he said were brought on to plug gaps in the previous laws that had been exposed over the past six years.
“The new draft Local Law No.6 (Aerodromes) 2017 has been prepared to better align with the current operating environment and management practices of the aerodromes controlled by the Toowoomba Regional Council, and to provide greater clarity about these practices than is contained in the current local law,” he said in the report.
The councillors were informed that various events since 2011 had exposed the limitations of the previous local law, No. 39 (Public Aerodromes).
“For example, in 2012/13 difficulties were encountered in dealing with homing pigeons released for daily exercising directly beneath the approach to Runway 11, and removal of an abandoned aircraft which had sat on the airfield for over 15 years,” the report said.
Cr James O’Shea said while the council always used education and negotiating as a first point of call, the new laws allowed people to be penalised if their activities infringed on an airspace.
2. New water pressure minimums
THE issue of “minimum water pressure” to new developments was a strong discussion point in the committee meeting this morning.
The council voted to amend the Planning Scheme Policy No.3 to include updated minimum water pressure levels for new property developments, increasing from 22ml to 30ml for residential proposals and from 25ml to 35ml for commercial land.
This however was revealed to be merely a recommendation that the TRC will suggest to developers, with the state-mandated minimums remaining the same (22ml and 25ml).
Cr Nancy Sommerfield, who has received complaints from residents about Toowoomba’s water pressure, said the council had no power to force developers to follow the new minimum water pressure guidelines.
“It’s our desire that they go with these minimums, but we’ve got no teeth in it,” she said.
“If they want to hook and set up this new development, if the capacity is not there to deliver these new minimums, they have to pay the council to upgrade the infrastructure.”
3. New housing lot numbers plummet
THE number of new and sealed lots approved by the Toowoomba Regional Council fell to 12-month lows, according to the latest report on development approvals.
Just seven new lots were approved and 18 sealed in August, compared with eight and 213 in July, while house and unit applications also dropped off.
“During the same period 108 new houses were constructed, indicating a higher lot consumption compared to new lots released,” Planning and Development general manager Stewart Somers said in the report.
In other news, the value of building approvals has steadily increased since September last year, and now sits just over $50 million.
4. Boost for farmers moving large ag equipment
LANDHOLDERS who need to use council roads to transport over-sized agricultural equipment like harvesters received a leg-up thanks to a new council framework.
The infrastructure committee approved the changes this morning, which would make it easier for farmers to apply for permits to move vehicles short distances on council roads.
The need for new laws was flagged back in 2015.
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 mystery animal lover spent £60 sending an injured pigeon to a wildlife sanctuary in Nuneaton – by taxi.
The bird arrived at the Nuneaton and Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary in Oaston Road in the back of a cab sent from Aston in Birmingham 25 miles away.
Stunned sanctuary owner Geoff Grewcock said the centre received a call to say that an injured animal would be arriving in a taxi – but even he could not believe his eyes when it turned up in the back of the vehicle in a box.
The journey alone would have cost £60 and the kind animal lover had even sent cash for the sanctuary too.
“It was incredible,” said Geoff, who has run the sanctuary for 16 years.
“The woman had sent the pigeon in the back of a taxi, on its own, from Aston to us here, and even sent a donation for us as well, I could not believe it.”
He explained that the animal lover had found the injured pigeon and taken it along to the PDSA in Aston.
“They said that they would have to put it down but she said ‘No, you are not’,” he explained.
“That’s when she phoned us here. She told us that she would be sending it in a taxi, and she did. It was marvellous, it just goes to show the lengths that some people will go to care for animals, it is incredibly kind.”
He has admitted that he has seen some sights during his time at the animal haven, but none like the arrival of the injured bird at the weekend.
“It was strange knowing a taxi was coming with a pigeon in the back but it goes to show what loving, caring people there are out there,” Geoff 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.
A HEADLESS pigeon found in Salisbury city centre has been blamed on a “cruel idiot” after youngsters were seen kicking its head around in “a barbaric act”.
Wildlife rescue volunteers say they were disgusted to receive a report of the decapitated bird in the Market Place on Thursday.
They said the bird’s head had been kicked about by youths for fun, with “no respect whatsoever” for the animal.
The gruesome discovery was reported by a member of the public to Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital, based in Newton Tony.
Police are treating the case as one of animal cruelty.
Wildlife care supervisor Marilyn Korkis said in a post on Facebook: “I can’t tell you in words how disgusted I was receiving a call from a clearly upset gentleman who came across a feral pigeon in Salisbury Market Place with its head detached from its body.
“I can only surmise it was deliberate, done by some cruel idiot for fun.”
The incident was reported to the police in the hope of finding CCTV evidence.
A photograph of bird’s headless corpse was posted on the Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital Facebook page.
Readers were quick to condemn the “sick” act.
Kimberley Louise Crew posted: “What a sorry, revolting, state the human race is becoming.
“Poor creature.”
Eleanor Campion wrote: “Shame on whoever mutilated this bird and those who thought kicking it about was a game.”
Nina Griffin posted: “Let’s hope CCTV can be revealed and if it was youths their parents can see what a awful thing they have done and hopefully teach them the right way of how to respect animals!”
Other Facebook users suggested it could have been the work of a fox or a cat.
Michael Growcott said: “A person would have to be pretty nimble to nab a pigeon.”
But Ms Korkis responded: “It was broad daylight in the city centre, I don’t think so! Town pigeons are very slow as they rely on humans dropping morsels for them to eat.”
A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: “We are investigating an incident of animal cruelty involving a pigeon outside the Guildhall in Salisbury on 5 October at approximately 6pm.
“Officers will be analysing CCTV in the area and carrying out enquiries.
“Anyone with information should call police on 101.”
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.
Smokey, the King Ro cat – or, as he thinks, “the King of Round Pond” — had quite an unexpected, unwanted experience this weekend. Smokey was scooped up a mere 10 or so yards from the store — his home — and taken to the animal shelter. From what we can piece together, someone from away thought that a cat out and about is not the norm and called animal control. While their hearts may have been in the right place, please realize that in a small town in Maine, cats do go out and hunt — they are not all indoor cats.
At the age of 22, the experience was very upsetting for him. Once I got him back to King Ro, as you can see by the accompanying photo, he immediately felt a cat nap was in order in one of his favorite spots at the store. Many, many thanks to the kind people at the animal shelter. They certainly go above and beyond.
It has been a very difficult time for so many people in the area. One of the kindest, best people you could hope to encounter was killed in a motorcycle accident last Thursday. Kevin Willey has always been one of the very favorite customers to come into King Ro and will be missed beyond words. Kevin would walk through the door, always with a huge smile, and brighten everyone’s day. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Kevin’s beloved, Storm Hildebrandt. There will be a service on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. at Broad Bay Congo Church in Waldoboro, next to Hall’s Funeral Home. A reception will immediately follow at the American Legion in Damariscotta.
I finally had to take action against my invasion of pigeons. I stopped filling my feeders for almost two weeks, hoping that they would move on to greener pastures. After a few days, they did disappear, but unfortunately all of my other feathered friends flew on to other feeders as well. A couple of days ago I refilled all feeders and the finches are slowly coming back, but thankfully no sign of pigeons as of yet. I apologize ahead of time to whoever’s feeders they are invading now!
This Friday, Oct. 13, will be the first Friday Night Dinner at King Ro for the season. We will be serving a full turkey dinner from 5:30-8: p.m. Steph will be making pumpkin cheesecake and apple pie, along with yeast rolls. We look so forward to seeing all of the hungry folks again.
I am going to give Buddy Poland Jr. credit for this week’s quote: “Do a job that you like and you’ll never work again.”
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.
If feral peafowl caused enough of a nuisance in 1990s Tampa Bay, Florida, you’d call Bryan Cleveland.
“You’d have 150 peacocks in a very upper-class neighborhood,” he said. “And every morning when they’d wake up, they’d see a peacock on the roof of their $110,000 Mercedes — you know what I’m saying — and just ripping it to pieces.”
Cleveland was one of just a few nuisance wildlife removal outfits in that area then. He said the work pitted him against all kinds of animals.
He got calls about hogs all the time. Roaming packs of them tore up landscaping. He evicted seagulls and pelicans from docks with expensive boats moored nearby. Raccoons grew wise and avoided his traps.
Naturally, the job also included pigeon control. He trapped lots of them — one contract came from Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team. Pigeon abatements were good gigs.
“Generally a pigeon job will last months on end,” he said.
Miles away and years later, officials in Glendive felt they were facing a pigeon problem. They swarmed the old grain elevator and congregated near the BNSF building.
Town leaders felt the best remedy was to attack the population. A 2015 poison campaign received “mixed reviews,” as district sanitarian Kevin Peña charitably put it. They ended up with lots of visible pigeon carcasses and still many more flying around.
Peña was open to suggestions. So when a friend told him about a guy who recently moved to Glendive and had made a living catching nuisance animals, Peña listened.
Eventually, they struck a deal.
“So he approached me and said, ‘What about a bounty of $2 per bird?’” Peña said.
Pest control
The pigeons’ marks on Glendive sidewalks began wearing on the public’s collective last nerve.
“The birds are an annoyance, but it’s the droppings we get complaints about,” said Peña, who has been sanitarian for Dawson and Wibaux counties for four years.
They took particular refuge at the old Jordan Inn, an abandoned hotel that had been shuttered by court order and left unkempt by an out-of-state owner. Peña’s office received a public nuisance petition for the building and its pigeon population.
One business owner, Steve Bury, said that rows of pigeons had lined the Inn’s precipices. Amanda Heimbuch, who runs a craft pottery and art shop a couple doors down, said that it’s the worst in the winter. Sidewalk droppings get covered by snow, and the pigeons distribute another layer on top.
The vacant Jordan Inn takes up half the block where her shop sits. The dirty sidewalk affects foot traffic into her business.
“A lot of people don’t want to walk on this side,” Heimbuch said.
The 2015 attempt to poison pigeons wasn’t intended to simply kill them all. Peña mixed the pigeon feed with Avitrol, which takes over a bird’s nervous system and makes them act erratically. It’s supposed to scare off the other birds.
But the poison can still be lethal. Residents complained about dead birds, and the living population wasn’t affected. Peña, who also sat on the Glendive City Council, got 150 emails from people concerned about the pigeons’ welfare.
“It was ugly,” Peña said. “I apologized to everyone involved.”
It was about that time when Cleveland moved his family to Montana. He knew the state from back in his early 20s, when he worked as a guide near Darby.
But the money then wasn’t great, he said, so in the early 1990s he went to Florida to start his nuisance wildlife business.
“My grandpa was a commercial fisherman and a trapper,” he said. “But he was a different type of trapper than I was. He was an alligator trapper and basically trapped animals to profit from the animals themselves—like alligator hides, otter skins—things of that nature.”
Cleveland is a jack-of-all-trades type, working now as a mail carrier during the day but taking other odd jobs here and there. When he got to Glendive, he learned that his experience trapping birds in Florida uniquely suited the town’s needs.
The original plan was to sell captured Glendive pigeons to buyers in the south who want them for food. Squab, as pigeon meat is known, is sold by both small and commercial operations in some areas of the country.
The sales plan didn’t work out. The shipping costs for live pigeons was too much to make a profit.
So he worked out another deal with the city and county to set up a wire trap atop the Jordan Inn. Each jurisdiction donated $1,000 to the effort, and Cleveland makes $2 per bird until the money runs out.
A business owner separately contracted with Cleveland for a trap on another building. He checks them each night when the birds are calmer.
Between the two traps, Cleveland says he’s caught 408 pigeons.
“They’re a greedy species,” Cleveland said. “And when they see one of their buddies in the cage, eating, they lose all fear and they try to figure out ‘How do I get in there and get that food?’”
Nesting
Not all pigeons live and die as pests.
Relied upon in modern history for wartime communication, homing pigeons can fetch hundreds or thousands of dollars on the racing circuit today. They’re raced short distances or up and down the coast.
Racing pigeons usually have identifying bands on their legs. Cleveland said he’d identify New York birds while trapping in Florida.
“They look completely different, so you can tell immediately,” he said. “Even if they don’t have a band on them you can tell a racing pigeon from a barn pigeon — what they call barn pigeons here in Montana.”
Racing pigeons often have a lighter body color, he said. They’re “salt-and-pepper looking.”
One of them lives in Cleveland’s back yard. Racer, as it’s named, was a gift from an area pigeon enthusiast.
Racer shares a coop with Leprechaun and Pumpkin, two brightly colored common pigeons caught in Glendive. The birds sit calmly in the Cleveland kids’ grasps, held closely against their chests.
Of all the animals Cleveland has trapped, three pigeons ended up as backyard pets (his family has dogs and cats, too).
There are uses for the other pigeons he catches in Glendive.
“A lot of these dog trainers want them,” Cleveland said. “Problem with that is I’ve got to house them — you know, a lot of birds at a time.”
Next to the pet pigeon coop in Cleveland’s backyard was a dog kennel with 20 or so trapped pigeons. He said the trainers take 30 or 40 birds at a time. The others go to trappers. What they do with the pigeons is their business, he said, but he’s been able to give away all the Glendive birds so far.
For now, it appears that Cleveland is making a dent in the Glendive pigeon population. Heimbuch, the business owner, wondered how long trapping would continue. Won’t more pigeons just show up next year?
The pigeon problem in downtown Glendive seems tied to the fate of the Jordan Inn building, which has become a sort of multi-level pigeon nest. The building’s owner hasn’t moved to pay for restoration or demolition, and Peña said he doesn’t want to see tax money used on that if he can help it.
So for now, Cleveland finds himself back in the trapping business.
“If you’ve got a building that’s already dilapidated a little bit, and you throw pigeons into the mix, now you’ve just damn near condemned the building,” 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.
Western Canada’s top birds will be on display in the North Okanagan next weekend.
The Vernon Pigeon and Poultry Club will host the American Poultry Association Canadian National Show Saturday, Oct. 14, at Armstrong’s Hassen Arena. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there is no admission charge.
“Exhibitors are coming from Manitoba and each province west,” said Vernon Pigeon and Poultry Club president Dudley DeLeenheer. “We’re expecting up to 1,000 birds. This could be the largest show of its kind in Canada in 2017.”
The club last hosted the show in 2010. The show gets rotated between the West, Central and East.
Large chickens, bantam chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl and pigeons will be on display, showing their stuff for two judges from California who will judge poultry and waterfowl. One judge from Washington will preside over the pigeons.
The judges will look for shape, colour, cleanliness, good quality feathers and state of health among the bird entries.
“This will be a highly competitive show so the birds will be exceptional,” said DeLeenheer. “All birds will be purebred. Some heritage breeds will be on exhibit. Be prepared to see lots of colour, bare legs and feathered legs, single combs, rose combs and variety of other shaped combs, all kinds of shapes and sizes of birds.”
The event co-chairpersons are Heather Hayes of Armstrong (poultry judge and breeder of quality stock) and Joe Mazur of Enderby (breeder of top-notch Cochin bantams).
“We also have an enthusiastic group of bird fanciers from our club that are determined to put on a first-class show,” said DeLeenheer.
Sponsors for the show include Peavey Mart and the Township of Spallumcheen.
A concession will be provided by the Armstrong Scouts.
Exhibitors will enjoy a banquet at the Royal York Golf Course clubhouse.
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.
Anna Kendrick used her instafamous powers, above, for good when she demonstrated the correct way to interact with birds: Don’t.
Don’t touch them, don’t talk to them and definitely don’t look at them in their beady eyes. Making direct eye contact is a sign of aggression and you don’t want to get aggressive with a bird because they WILL fight you. But also don’t let a bird know you’re afraid of it. Show fear and a bird will peck your eye out or swallow you whole like you’re just a little mouse! Even pigeons! ESPECIALLY pigeons.
Which is why I really wish Meg Ryan would look where she’s going. There’s a disgusting, horrible pigeon right in front of her! And she’s walking like she doesn’t have a care in the world! It’s like she hears nothing. Not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beating of her own heart. But maybe it’s a carrier pigeon. Maybe it has mail. Maybe this is the meet-cute we’ve all been waiting for! Maybe I should just forget about birds and go watch You’ve Got Mail for the billionth time.
Andrea Martin got to meet a llama and I’m only a little jealous. Mostly ’cause I think alpacas are better. (They’re not the spitters.)
Matt Lanter and Chrissy Metz ALSO get to meet a llama. OK, now I’m a lot jealous. I bet the cool animal hangs are just about the best things about being famous. Imagine somebody bringing you sloths or capybaras or llamas virtually whenever you want. Celebrities. They’re not just like us.
Larry David confronts his doppelganger, former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. Imagine being Larry David and discovering late in life how much you look like all the other old white guys. Pretty pretty good work if you can get it.
Whether you’re the original Gollum like Andy Serkis, more of a hobbit-lover type like Armie Hammer, or a full-on Smeagol like Jake Gyllenhaal, I think we can all agree that nobody should touch your precioussss.
The colour of these clothes worn by the members of HAIM can only be described as Pepto Bismol pink. Fittingly, a glug or two of Pepto Bismol is exactly what you would need if you consumed too much HAIM.
Haley Joel Osment watches Macaulay Culkin and Breckin Meyer, patiently awaiting his turn with Meyer’s new business venture “Human Uber, but for former child stars who are no longer cute.”
Prince William was in Belfast, where it was raining and where he showed blatant favouritism to bald men when he shared his umbrella only with a fellow bald man. I’m sorry. That was rude. In England, it’s called a brolly.
While he was in Ireland, Prince William also indulged in the time-honoured royal tradition of pouring one shot of whiskey for himself, then one for his boat.
Thanks, Al Roker and Anthony Kiedis, for showing everybody what proper and improper bike safety looks like. Remember kids: Always wear a helmet. And a shirt.
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.
Householders in Weston used on average more electricity in a year than anywhere else in the South West, and possibly even the rest of the country.
The average home used 4,074 units a year, and the town was the first in the South West to reach an average of more than 4,000.
The figures were attributed to the number of new homes being built with electricity installed.
Pigeons were once again blighting the town, but oral contraceptive pills were being considered as the best way to decrease their numbers.
An experiment with the pills being put in pigeon food was being conducted in Birmingham.
It was not the first time Weston councillors considered using contraceptives on the pigeons, but in the past they had always chosen to trap them instead.
Somerset County Council rejected a plea to keep Kingston Seymour’s school open.
The motion was defeated 51 votes to 26.
Criticism was made of the inadequacy of the South West Regional Economic Planning Council when dealing with tourism.
Weston and much of Somerset had been left out of the plan for the South West, and grumbles about it continued.
It was claimed North Somerset and the Mendips attracted four million day visitors and half a million overnight visitors every year.
The Commodore in Kewstoke was flooded after the tide breached a boundary wall. It was one of the highest tides of the year.
Blustering winds also made the Weston Grand Prix cycling race a gruelling task.
The riders were confronted with almost gale force winds during parts of it.
September was the warmest in Weston for nine years, but there was more rainfall than there had been since 1958.
A referendum on whether street lights should be introduced in Congresbury had been held a year ago.
Some lights had been set up so councillors could decide which was better between sodium and mercury vapour bulbs.
‘A battle was on’ to save the chestnut trees in Alexandra Parade.
The highways committee wanted to remove them on public safety grounds, and replace them with silver birch but a number of people were not in favour of it.
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.
We found these pigeons in a little park next to St. Paul’s Hotel in Kensington. They are the fattest damn pigeons I’ve ever seen. They look like they could explode any moment.
Unsurprisingly, they’re also lazy. They didn’t scatter when we approached. Nor did they flock over to us hoping for a bit of bread or something. As near as I could tell, their philosophy was simple: they wouldn’t bother moving unless you actually held out some food and they could confirm that it was worth the trouble to waddle over.
None of the other pigeons in the area look like this. Just these. The hotel folks must throw out absolute bucketloads of food to them.
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 Australian woman shared video of a too-friendly pigeon that attempted to attract the woman with a mating dance.
The video, filmed at a Brisbane apartment building, shows the pigeon following the woman and performing the birds’ mating dance, despite her rebuffs.
“We have incompatible genitals, pigeon,” the woman says.
“The pigeons around my old apartment building would do their mating dance for anyone and everything, not just pigeons,” the woman wrote. “This pigeon in particular really wanted to mate with me, despite the obvious species difference.”
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 woman in Castle Park, who was spotted with painted pigeons, has been branded “cruel” by an animal charity.
Onlookers were shocked by the bright colours on the pigeons, and reported it to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) last week.
Eye witnesses said she brought the birds to the park in a satchel, and had been there for a while.
The RSPCA said it was “cruel and unnecessary” and they were now working to track the woman down.
A spokesman for the charity said: “We are aware that a person was seen with pigeons painted in bright colours, in Castle Park this week.
“We sent an inspector out to find out more but the person could not be found.
“We are concerned by the possibility that someone may have intentionally painted the pigeon’s feathers.
“This is very worrying as it could cause health problems, impair their ability to fly and make them more vulnerable to predators.
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.
Visitors to Preston bus station have been warned not to be alarmed if the council’s new pest control officers come swooping down from above. In a bid to tackle persistent problems with pesky pigeons, county hall has turned to a trio of Harris Hawks to keep them in check. The birds of prey; named Oslo, Henry and Holly, will be on shift rotation at the station tasked with scaring off the mass of feathered foes. The move has been prompted by years of the pests making their way into buildings and causing a mess with their droppings. And they made a swoop for new territory when glass panels were replaced along one side of the Grade II listed building earlier this year, part of the multi-million pound redevelopment project. Andrew Barrow, the county council’s project manager for the redevelopment, said: “The hawk has been flying in the concourse to scare off the pigeons. We’ve already carried out one successful session and we’ve got other sessions planned. “We know that it’s an unusual sight if you’re not expecting it. “You might see the hawk flying around, under the watch of its falconer, but it shouldn’t cause any problems for people using the bus station. “The pigeons are a nuisance and we need to get them out of the bus station. “This is a widely-used method of dealing with this sort of issue and is used at other large buildings, airports and famously even at Wimbledon.” The hawks, who will be accompanied by experts from SMJ Falconry, will visit at different times of day so the pigeons do not become accustomed to a regular timetable. The £23m revamp of the station includes a new paved courtyard and public space along with the addition of a city Youth Zone at the north end.
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.
We will always have such wonderful memories of Harry McCawley’s stories — funny, sad, thoughtful, something for everyone to remember.
Hopefully down the road, the newspaper can put together a book of his stories, something we could cherish, and pass down to our children and grandchildren. The post office pigeon problem articles of many years ago would still have everyone laughing out loud.
We all remember his articles about the Washington Street Goose, always dressed for the occasion, and many of us would enjoy the outfits as we drove by.
Harry wrote that the family was moving to Ft. Dodge, Iowa. My sister Sharon and her family lived in Ft. Dodge at the time. So on our next vacation to visit them, Sharon and I went looking for the goose. Sure enough, we found it, still dressed in a cute outfit, and getting many looks as people drove by. The family was not home, so I took a picture, and gave it to Harry when we got back.
He had quite a laugh over that, and was glad people were still enjoying the fashionable display
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.
Gary Jennings will be bringing a good selection of pigeons from all his winning families, including sons and daughters of his best Hereman Cuesters from stock obtained K&K Homer & Williams of North Yorkshire, Wayne Doonan and Border Lofts, to the Winter Fayre. There will also be pigeons from his long distance family of Marijn Van Geels/Cyril Beattie bred pigeons. This line of birds has been responsible for the Jennings’ success from St Malo over the past number of years. There will also be a good choice of Stefaan Lambrechts available on the day from pigeons recently acquired from Ype Hemstra and a few directs from Stefaan. Anybody wanting any specific birds brought to Ballyclare should contact Gary for a welcome chat. At the Fayre take the chance to order your 2018 youngsters. Gary has received good reports this year from a number of fanciers who purchased birds earlier in the year.
TELFORD BROS – DOWNPATRICK Based in Downpatrick, the Telford Bros lofts house nothing but the very best. This comes as no surprise as over the past few seasons Alan has been a fearless purchaser at any of the major sales he has attended purchasing nothing but the best bloodlines possible. All the top winning families, Heremans Ceusters and more, are at stock but one of the main families at stock are the Colin Gibson stock. Alan attended the complete clearance sales of Colin Gibson and purchased nothing but the best, resulting in a number of the top racers and producers making their way to the lofts in Downpatrick. Telford Bros will be attending the Winter Fayre in Ballyclare and will have a top selection of their winning families on show plus taking orders for 2018 youngsters.
TOM CAIRNS WOODEN PRODUCTS Tom is better known to all as the guy that trains your French candidates every weekend. In the racing season (O/B Only) Tom trains most weekends (weather permitting) prior to the top French events and is known by all. Tom builds nest boxes, hampers, feeders, wooden silos and more for the fancy in his workshop. Tom will be attending the Fayre and will have on show a selection of his products
BENZING ETS Benzing will be in attendance at the Fayre. Dorothy Smyth (NI Rep) from Benzing will be in attendance to answer any queries and demonstrate and promote the present “ Benzing ETS “ system
HENRY McLAUGHLIN – PIGEON SUPPLIES Henry will be attending the Fayre and will, as usual, have a top selection of pigeon products on offer. Henry is agent for the Van Tilburg Pigeon Corn and there is a top range of mixes on offer and they will be on show for all to view at the Fayre. Henry is looking for local agents to supply the Van Tilburg range. If interested have a chat with Henry at the Fayre.
H BEATTIE & SON – CORN MERCHANTS H Beattie & Son will be attending the Fayre to promote their full range of top quality pigeon mixes. They are agents for the Versele Laga range of corns and products also. Come along and view the full range of mixes.
ANISAN PIGEON PRODUCTS Anisan will be attending the Fayre. They will be promoting their pigeon products and will have special show offers on the day. Everything to keep the lofts clean and healthy.
AUCTION AT THE FAYRE There will be a small select draft on auction on the day of the Fayre starting at 3pm (approx). More information and full details will be on the Pigeon Craic website www.pigeoncraic.com in the coming days plus full information in next week’s issue. The Northern Ireland Winter Fayre will be held on Saturday, October 14, at the Six Mile Leisure Centre, Ballynure Road, Ballyclare, Co. Antrim, BT39 9YU. Opens 9.30am-4.30pm (approximately).
GLENN BUCKLEY & SON – ANNAGHMORE – INFC NATIONAL CHAMPION 2017 I would like to send my heartiest congratulations to the top racing partnership of Glenn and Johnny Buckley, G Buckley & Son, on their outstanding achievements this season on being crowned INFC National Champions 2017. The Buckley family have won just about every top award that there is to win and this result puts the icing on the cake for one of the nicest racing families that you could meet in the sport of pigeon racing. Well done Glenn and Johnny.
LARNE & DIST PIGEON MOOT Larne and Dist HPS will be holding a night with the world famous Jos Thone on Friday, 13th October starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 each (inc supper). Jos will have 15 youngsters for sale on the night to be auctioned, opening bid £100 each.
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 story of a carrier pigeon which delivered a vital message during the First World War despite being mortally wounded by a German sniper has come to light after almost a century.
Papers unearthed during a house clearance reveal the final moments of the bird, later named ‘the VC Pigeon’.
The bird was stuffed and donated to the Royal Signals Museum in Blandford after the war, where it has since been on display in a glass case.
Captain James Lloyd, a propagandist for little-known British intelligence service Mi7b during the war, wrote an account of the pigeon’s final moments.
According to the captain’s report, the bird had been given an important message to take nine miles back to Divisional Headquarters from the frontline at the Battle of Passchendaele in October 1917.
The flight should have taken no more than 25 minutes. However, the carrier, identified then as ‘Pigeon 2709’, took 21 hours to complete the mission.
Upon its arrival at the HQ pigeon loft, staff realised the bird had been shot during its flight.
The creature stayed alive long enough to deliver the message before succumbing to his wounds.
In 2015, Cpt Lloyd’s great nephew Jeremy Arter discovered the hand-written account, along with 150 classified documents, in an old trunk at his home in Wales.
The report of the pigeon reads: “Pigeon No 2709. IX Corps. Died of wounds received in action 4th October 1917.
“In the action which was fought in the region of the Menin Road, this bird was despatched with a message from the frontline to Divisional Headquarters at 1.30pm.
“This bird was hit by a bullet which broke one of its legs.
“In spite of wounds and being out in the wet all night the bird struggled home to its loft.
“When the man came to see what it had brought, they found the pigeon lying on the floor of the loft bleeding to death, with its legs shot away and the message holder embedded in its body.
“It died shortly afterwards.
“That bird’s courage and devotion earned for it the name of ‘the VC Pigeon’.
Adam Forty, of the Royal Signals Museum, said: “Almost 100 years later documents from the secretive propaganda branch of Mi7b came to light after being discovered in a Welsh attic by Jeremy Arter.
“These papers had thought to have been destroyed but Mr Arter’s great uncle, Captain James Lloyd, had kept copies of many poignant documents.
“Among these papers was the story of ‘Britain’s winged soldiers’.
“In this particular story Pigeon 2709 is mentioned having earned the respect and admiration of the loftsmen at the frontline who gave him the honorary title ‘VC Pigeon’.
“We have been aware of the bravery of this pigeon for many years but have relied on anecdotal evidence.
“Now we have solid documental evidence.”
He added: “The VC Pigeon is proudly on display at the Royal Signals Museum.
“The schoolchildren love him.”
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.
FEED lots around Echuca are to blame for the pigeon plague which has been affecting local buildings.
In response to The Riv’s article last week, businesses are coming forward with their horror stories and ways they’ve tried to remedy the problem.
Campaspe College, a neighbour to the Uniting Church has been caught in a flap after calls to council fell on deaf ears.
General Manager Karen Hagan said how the weekly clean-up has been exhausting funds and staff members of the college.
“There are normally around 80 to 100 along the top of the pitched roof. Just outside the door from our kitchen there’s always a mess from the birds, it’s a real worry for us,” Ms Hagan said.
“We have staff members and volunteers come out and clean up the place, it takes three or four hours a week just to get the main areas clean, then we have to get people up on the roof.”
“I’ve tried contacting council and of course I haven’t heard back from anyone. We’re the early voting centre for the federal election, and our disability access doorway is just covered in pigeon poo, it doesn’t look very good.”
“We’ve moved the air conditioners from the roof down to on the walls because the pigeons were behind there, we had a staff member clean them out and he found 18 and a half dead pigeons in amongst everything.”
Council has said that it is up to residents to control their own problems, but local pigeon racer Dick Robb said that the sudden spike in numbers can be explained.
“It’s a pretty big problem and it’s sort of come out of nowhere. There’s a feed lot about five kilometres west of Echuca, so the birds have unlimited feed which means they can breed for 12 months of the year,” Mr Robb said.
“To put that in perspective, we race them, and we have them breed only once a year.”
“They’re a curse. They are a filthy bird, and you can’t very well poison them all.”
“The town is just saturated. There was an occasion last year where after heavy rain a shop got flooded because the pigeons had clogged up the guttering and downpipes, it’s a bit ridiculous.”
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 “serious pigeon infestation” at Dorking Halls is going to be tackled as part of a £270,000 refurbishment that will also see windows that no longer open replaced.
Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) will vote on whether to approve funding for the work, which includes repainting and rendering the outside of the building and roof repairs, at a meeting on October 10.
A report to the council from Keith Garrow, general manager of Dorking Halls, states that the walls are falling apart and windows are at risk of falling on people.
Speaking to Get Surrey , he said: “The building has been here since the 1930s and any building of this size that has been here that long is going to need general maintenance from time to time to keep its value.
“Obviously most of the work here is to the outside of the building and that is very important in keeping everything watertight.”
The report says £115,000 is required for the repainting and rendering work on the outside of the building to prevent damage from damp.
The building is quite literally falling apart too, with the report stating: “Chunks of render have already fallen off the rear of the building, leaving the wall unprotected and presenting a potential health and safety issue.”
A further £28,000 is needed to replace 1950s windows that are “warped, don’t open and are at risk of falling into the great hall”.
Another £23,000 is needed to “ensure all areas of the building remain watertight”.
In the report it is also stated that Dorking Halls is suffering from a “serious pigeon infestation” and that £20,000 worth of work is required for cleaning and the installation of pigeon nets.
Councillor for Dorking South Margaret Cooksey said the maintenance of Dorking Halls is of great importance to the town.
She said: “It is important that this work, which is badly needed, is carried out in a timely fashion as it is important we don’t let it deteriorate to a point when we are not able to afford the work.
“Dorking Halls is a very important part of the town. Not just to those who live in Dorking but also because it brings people in from outside of the town to visit a concert or a show.”
Mr Garrow said Dorking Halls now attracts about 200,000 people a year compared with 160,000 a year in 2013.
He said the result is that there is more revenue coming in so the money should be available to carry out the work.
He added: “We are having more cinema and event screenings now as well as more events. We are also seeing a lot more hire events now and the business is getting particularly busy on that side.”
The money from the repairs would either be borrowed or taken from the reserve that MVDC retains for asset upkeep. This reserve currently stands at £5.75m.
The decision on whether to approve the work will be made at the full council meeting on October 10.
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.
HALIFAX – After receiving complaints from people in his district about neighbors who were feeding unwanted wild animals, a city councillor was surprised to learn there are no rules in place to stop the behaviour.
District 5 Councillor Sam Austin wants a bylaw enacted to restrict residents from feeding and leaving out food scraps that attract unwanted wildlife, including raccoons and pigeons.
He told the Rick Howe Show in addition to those animals becoming a nuisance, there are also health concerns.
“With raccoons, there is parasites and rabies,” said Austin. “With pigeons, there is a fungus in their droppings that can lead to a disease in people that can result in blindness.”
According to Austin, when residents contacted him about the problem, he was shocked to discover there was no bylaw to stop someone from feeding wildlife.
He said the department of natural resources was unable to do anything either and adds while enforcement may be problematic, the point is to stop extreme behaviour.
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.
Claude Craig jokes that the antiquated communications system used by first responders in Whitfield County had nearly reached the point where it might soon have been better to just toss pigeons into the air with notes on their legs telling lawmen where they were needed.
There’s no need for such drastic measures now, though, as Mr. Craig, director of the county’s Emergency Management Agency, reports that a new $12 million state-of-the-art communications system, paid for with SPLOST funds, has been up and running since early August.
“We Band-Aided and repaired and fixed for 43 years on that system,” said Mr. Craig, who ironically had just started at the sheriff’s office when the old radios were installed, “and it finally got to the point where there were no more Band-Aids. It was just unacceptable and didn’t work. You could be standing in a parking lot somewhere, and I could holler at you and hear you fine, but I couldn’t talk to you on the radio.”
Mr. Craig thanked local voters for approving a SPLOST in March 2015 to pay for the new system. Two and a half years of planning finally came to a close on Aug. 2-3 when workers in several city and county departments switched over to the new digital communications system.
“What a glorious day it was. Great … no problems … best thing that ever happened … works fine … works great … … no dead spots,” Mr. Craig said when asked for comments he had heard from some of the users of the new system.
Count Dalton Fire Chief Todd Pangle is a believer in the new system.
“There’s no comparison,” he told the Dalton Daily Citizen. “We can talk portable to portable better than we could talk mobile to mobile before. So far, we have found no dead spots for communications. Previously, we had multiple dead spots. Even in residential calls, we would find that guys inside were having trouble communicating with people outside.”
A total of 1,196 radios were installed and are being used by the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, Dalton Police Department, Whitfield County Fire Department, Dalton Fire Department, Whitfield County Public Works, Dalton Public Works, 911, EMA, Cohutta, Varnell and Tunnel Hill, District Attorney’s Office and constables.
“This thing didn’t just happen, like, oh, we’re buying a new radio system, OK, open that box, there it is, OK, it’s our new radio system,” Mr. Craig said. “It just didn’t happen that way. There is thousands upon thousands of hours that have gone into this to make it work – from the infrastructure all the way down to training for the end user.”
And the work is not over.
“You’ve got to manage the system on a daily basis,” Mr. Craig said. “It’s not just out there running itself. We’ve got three tower sites we’ve got to maintain, got to keep power on them. Power goes out, you’ve got to have generators, got to make sure the generator runs. If the generator doesn’t run, you’ve got to make sure the UPS (uninterruptible power supply) works. We’ve got to keep power on. You’ve also got to manage the users because everybody has a unique code in their radio. You can’t take my radio and just go do whatever with it – it’s unique to each person. When you push that button, dispatch knows who’s talking.”
Managing the new system is easier, though, since the county joined the Tennessee Valley Radio Communications System (TVRCS), which includes 10 counties in Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade, and Walker counties in Georgia.
“The old system basically consisted of an antenna on a pole and a repeater,” Mr. Craig said, noting that it just broadcast an analog signal out as far as it could to the people that were close enough to receive it. “Be it a telephone pole, a three-legged tower pole, whatever, it was just an antenna and a repeater, and that’s what your system was. The repeater took what you said and repeated it so other users could hear you.”
The new system is much more sophisticated and reliable. “Our new tower at the 911 Center is ‘married’ to the three other tower sites, locally, and then regionally to all the other sites going up to Tennessee and Catoosa, Dade and Walker,” Craig said. “If one tower fails for any reason, the other three would be able to take over. The system would just say, hey, this site’s down, so just use the other three to broadcast the signals. It might even use a tower over in another county if it’s closer to the user.”
Mr. Craig said the original $26 million price tag to replace the old system would have required the county to build 11 tower sites, but by joining the TVRCS, they only had to build three new towers, cutting the cost of the project by more than half. “TVRCS already had a tower on Dug Gap Mountain in Whitfield County that was servicing another county,” he explained, “so we were able to tie onto that one, too.”
Jeff Ownby, deputy director at Whitfield EMA, pointed out that with the old system, each department basically managed its own equipment, which varied from agency to agency. Now everybody uses the same Motorola radios, which will be managed and updated by TVRCS in the coming years.
An advantage to being on the regional system is that Whitfield users can communicate with all the other agencies using it in Georgia and Tennessee, particularly useful during a regional emergency.
“We’ve always offered automatic aid to agencies around us,” Dep. Dir. Ownby said, “but the county fire department just recently signed some agreements to help with both our county and Catoosa and Walker county ISO ratings. Both those counties are on this system. Before, it was a challenge talking to these counties because they were on an 800 megahertz system and we were not. Now we actually have shared fire channels. If we’re responding in Catoosa County, for example, we can talk on their fire channel or even one of their fire ground channels which is immediately issued if there’s a working fire. They can do the same with us.”
More importantly on a daily basis, though, the new system has eliminated virtually all the dead spots in Whitfield County that plagued the old system for years and left first responders sometimes unable to communicate with others.
“We’ve got great coverage now,” Mr. Craig said. “I mean, there’s no question. We checked over 3,000 grids when we were testing the system, and we had only one grid that failed. We went back, and it turned out to be a grid that you couldn’t really drive into. So we did the test again on foot, and it was fine.”
Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Gary Stephens says he was recently near the Tennessee state line and was able to talk clearly to dispatch.
“In the previous situation,” he told the Daily Citizen, “I probably would have gone back to my car and used my phone, if I had phone service.”
Lt. Stephens recounted a recent ATV accident in the Chattahoochee National Forest in the northwest section of the county.
“We all went to the first responders channel,” he said. “As I was riding in, we could talk to the firefighters who were there, and in the past there would have been no radio service at all in that area.”
The new system is also encrypted, which means that people with scanners at home can’t hear what’s going on.
“But it means more than that,” Dep. Dir. Ownby said. “What it really means is that you can’t just show up with a radio and start talking on our system. You can’t just buy a radio from Motorola and show up in Whitfield County and say I’m gonna start using the radio system. That’s just not the way it works. It has to be programmed to the specifications of the TVRCS system. That means our system is more secure against attacks from outside users.”
Some two months into the system, Mr. Craig says the bottom line is that the new radios are “exceeding expectations.”
“The coverage is so much better,” he says. “Being able to hear is important in an emergency. You know, seconds count if you’re having a heart attack. If we’re dispatching an ambulance or a fire truck when you’re having a heart attack, if they can’t hear where we’re telling them to go, that costs time.
“Now, it’s…” Mr. Craig says, pausing to snap his fingers, “one time and go. The responders can actually hear the dispatchers give the addresses the first time whereas before it was a crap shoot. Sometimes you might hear it, sometimes you might not.”
Chief Pangle calls the new system a “great investment,” and fellow Whitfield County Fire Chief Ed O’Brien said it’s “exceeding our expectations.”
“I know it cost a lot,” Pangle told the Daily Citizen, “but from my perspective, it was worth every penny, and I really thank the taxpayers and voters for allowing us to make that investment.”
Now there’s definitely no need for those pigeons anymore.
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.
