RATS scurrying around Church Green in Redditch town centre are proving to be an ongoing issue – and traders and shoppers are blaming locals feeding the pigeons for the problem, writes Ramla Soni.
Hazel Whiston of fast food stall Bob & Hazels in Market Square said: “The issue of rats is so frustrating as its people themselves who are causing this. If people didn’t come with huge bags of bread and seeds to feed the pigeons, rats would not come around this area for food.
“We have told them not to feed the pigeons but they keep on doing so. There is a small sign on the lamppost opposite us prohibiting the feeding of pigeons but no one can see that. Several should be placed around in places more visible to the public.”
Another market trader said: “It’s not a nice sight for people coming into town. You can see several running across the church pathway and on the grass where when it’s a nice day children play and have family picnics.
“People need to stop feeding the pigeons as when the birds don’t eat the food rats do.”
Shelly Wootton who works at Andrew Grant Sales and Lettings on Church Green East added: “Of course rats are going to be around in a natural environment just like foxes and other outdoor creatures, but I do see a lot of people feeding pigeons which needs to stop as it is attracting more rats day by day.”
County environmental health officer Toby Hardman-Dodd said action would be taken: “We will be putting some more ‘do not feed pigeons’ signs up around the affected area and also targeting rats by using pest treatment and placing bait boxes.”
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.
Extra help has been brought in to bolster Carlisle United’s defence – against troublesome mess-making birds.
While Keith Curle battles to bring in new faces for his match day squad, the club has swooped to get a new member of the backroom team – a hawk named Buzz.
The new addition has been brought in to solve a big problem the club has with menace birds causing mess at Brunton Park.
Seagulls, pigeons, sparrows and other feathered friends have been roosting in the stadium and leaving behind an unpleasant mess with grounds staff and cleaning contractors spending countless hours each week removing it.
In the search for a more permanent cost-effective solution Matt Bond, from Carlisle-based CITO Cleaning Ltd, who are the club’s cleaning contractors, put forward the idea after his bird-watcher son suggested it.
“Everybody in the city knows there’s a bird problem here,” he told the News & Star.
“At the football club it’s been there for about three seasons, especially in the first few months of the season. Birds nesting is a massive problem. This year there seems to be a lot more.”
With the plans approved by the club Gary Swainson, from the Cumberland Bird of Prey Centre, was brought on board and Buzz started circling the ground last week.
“It’s one of those jobs that can be very successful or the species targeted can be very resilient to it,” he said.
“It has to be an ongoing process. If you scare them once they will go away but they will come back again.
“We’ve been out at the ground most evenings for the last week. The idea is that pest species don’t get a regular time, they just know that the area is patrolled by a predator.
“They then know it becomes an unsafe place to be.
“The idea is that by flying the hawk they will go and roost somewhere else because they feel uncomfortable.”
Mr Swainson says that birds will naturally try and return to places where the conditions are good for roosting, as Brunton Park appears to be.
Mr Bond added: “It’s been very effective so far but it’s not a 100 per cent guarantee.”
While the problem is affecting all sides of the ground the problem is most apparent in the east and west stands.
The scheme at Brunton Park has sparked interest from other areas of the city where there have been high-profile bird problems.
“People have been saying to us why hasn’t this been done before,” Mr Bond 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.
This week’s Second Captains Sunday (RTÉ R1) begins with Eoin McDevitt confessing he’d never really been a fan of swimming. One can almost taste the iodine chill in the seaside air as co-host, and noted swimpresario, Ken Early reacts to this startling admission.
Even he, however, wouldn’t have found a more eloquent champion for the practice than this episode’s guest, Dorothy Cross. Before she became one of Ireland’s foremost visual artists, Cross was a committed and talented young swimmer on the fringes of Ireland’s Olympic team. She’d also gone for some slightly more perilous dips.
“They won’t attack you if they know they’re human,” she says, of her time swimming with sharks, “because we’re not good food. We’re bony old things.”
The bulk of the conversation concerns her work, and is studded throughout with eminently quotable lines from an artist unafraid to tackle large, weighty themes.
Or, indeed, large, weighty objects, such as her 1998 work Ghost Ship, an entire marine vessel off Dún Laoghaire harbour in Dublin, that was coated with phosphorous paint, giving it a gently luminous glow: “It was at times beautiful, although there were lots of technical problems.”
Then there is a recent quixotic attempt to mount a project that has so far met with failure due to her inability to procure a human heart.
“You everywhere encounter this fear and bureaucracy of anything related to the heart,” she says. “We wouldn’t have nearly so much trouble procuring a lung. People imbue hearts with so much value, probably correctly.”
“Art is about discovery” she later says, “Maybe we need a bit of psychic torment to do anything. Of course it’s about enjoyment, but it’s also about unsettling things. It shouldn’t be comforting, it should be about looking at something like you’ve not seen it before. It’s a funny, weird animal that can help us see things in a new way.”
Some much more dramatic, and practical impediments to ocean travel are evident as Cormac Ó hEadhra covers for Today with Sean O’Rourke (RTÉ One, Monday to Friday) and tells the inspiring story of Almuthana, or “Al” as he is known to friends.
Al is a Syrian refugee who, after “making the perilous journey to Greece in a little plastic boat”, eventually wound up in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, where he’s flourished due to the enormous generosity of the local community, and his determination to fulfil an improbable dream.
A lecturer in agricultural engineering back home, Al’s dream is to be a violinmaker, and in a story told jointly by himself and Debbie Beirne of the Friends of Ballaghaderreen, we hear his progress, step by step. Though not a common instrument in his native Syria, Al speaks movingly about the effect the instrument had on him.
“When I was a child, I saw something strange when players used their bow. When I moved to Ireland I knew I wanted to make violins.”
All this is not to say he was able to convince everyone.
“We did put him in touch with one elderly gentleman, who didn’t believe he had ever made a violin. I don’t want to say where he was from, he was a lovely gentleman, but he didn’t believe him. I think it was the language barrier.”
Eventually, Al gets some remarkable news when local violinmaker Dave Teehan has to abandon his business when he develops an allergy due to the chemicals used in wood resin. While inarguably not good news for Dave’s respiratory system, the upshot is an incredible bit of fortune for Al, who now has a workshop, tools, and all the materials he needs to get off the ground. Now, just a few months later, he has not only crafted his first violin, but is poised to present it to Michael D Higgins in a special ceremony later this year.
Indeed, Al’s story is so damnably uplifting that it borders on the unbelievable, and one fears the eventual sturdy, well-made little Irish film that’s begging to be made of this narrative, may need to tone the whole thing down a little.
Elsewhere, In the Shower with Taz Kelleher (Monday, Headstuff podcast network) is a brand new show with an admirably specific premise; it’s a 15-minute factual blast you listen to in the shower. As such, its presenters are sure it’s the first podcast in Ireland “aimed to be listened to while you’re naked”.
For the inaugural show, Taz and guest Marcus O’Laoire ask why we never see baby pigeons, in the process covering more about pigeons than the average listener likely thought there was to learn.
We discover that pigeons are basically a type of dove, a fact that amuses O’Laoire, who finds it pleasing that doves are universally symbolic of all things love and beauty, and their closest cousins considered little more than “rats with hang gliders”.
Pigeons are themselves, however, the very image of settled monogamy, romantic types who mate once and for life, all while exercising refreshingly untraditional gender roles, with the daddy pigeon tending to the nest, and the mother being the figurative, and one presumes literal, breadwinner. Oh, and we don’t see baby pigeons because they don’t leave their nests for 35-40 days after hatching, at which point they look like regular adult pigeons.
At 15 minutes, In The Shower is a bit long for anything but the most luxuriant shower, but luckily time is allotted each episode to do some admin, supplying reminders as to when you should be soaping up, towelling down and even going for a controversial, pre-spritz teeth brushing. Short, sweet, and silly without being irksome, the show hits just the right note of baffled inconsequentiality.
If, however, the episodes start piling up in future, do consider transitioning to a bath. Moment of the Week
Sean Moncrieff’s (Wednesday, Newstalk) intrepid beat reporter Henry McKean is a master of working the humble ranks of ordinary folk and getting great, even alarming quotes from them. Discussing Tinder with people on the street, in response to the news that Ann Robinson had joined the online dating app in her seventies, McKean gets a number of amusing responses but none more curt or beautifully timed than the caustic aul Dubliner who, when asked if he’d swipe right for Robinson, immediately replies “I’d swipe my phone right out the window” before swiftly walking off.
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.
Most would agree that animals are not generally fans of surfing. Yeah, there’s the occasional one that seems to actually enjoy it, but for the most part, the animals that people put on surfboards look terrified. It’s no different for pigeons, at least judging by the images that Steve Young, a photographer from Jacksonville, snapped on Tuesday.
A guy named Cody Leutgens, who runs Surf City Surf School in North Carolina (follow them here!), was reaping the rewards of Hurricane Gert’s fury when he spotted a pigeon that was in a bit over his head. We’ll let him explain, because it’s much better that way. Here’s what he told WECT6:
“Paddling out near the pier, I spotted him struggling in the water, assuming a fishing line wrapped his wing. While paddling alongside the poles, an old, since-passed friend who had an affinity for wildlife and a knack for making the area a better place came to mind, so I felt compelled to inspect on his behalf. When I neared him, no lines were in sight and it seemed the bird was exhausted or maybe injured. He climbed aboard and rested a minute. I asked him if he was alright to go about his flight, but he didn’t respond. A wave loomed, and Pidge perched on the nose of my vessel. We stroked into the swell with ease and he held his composure for the drop. At max speed, he performed a little cheater feather hang five, then settled back until we went through the pier towards the beach. I carried him on our board to a piling bearing a mini tide pool and he scooted into the little salty bath for more rest. Seemed to like it, so I went back in the ocean. When I ended my session, he’d since left his zone. Halfway back, there was a cluster of pigeons, all but one of which fled as myself and a fellow surfer passed. I noticed his flustered feathers and knew it was Pidge, the wave carrier pigeon. As I kneeled and set my board on the sand, he came over and gave a little nod of retirement from his surf career, greeting his board one last time. All in all, a good sesh with a new homie. Me, the TI surf community, and the fella we lost some time ago would’ve all done the same for our surfing, flying comrade.”
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 lost pink pigeon has landed on its feet after it arrived in a Somerset street.
The bird turned up in Blackbird Close, Midsomer Norton, having flown all the way from Glasgow.
Tiffany Bailey spotted the unusually-coloured bird in her street in Midsomer Norton and was concerned that it was hanging around for a few days.
She said: “I was worried my two cats might catch it as it was on the floor quite a lot, so I asked around – it came back but was unable to catch it. The lady at the top of my road caught it and someone came and rescued it.”
The bright pink bird was taken to Paulton by Becky Chivers, who keeps pigeons.
The 27-year-old mother said: “I got tagged in a Facebook post and asked if I could take it as the people that caught it didn’t have any experience.
Pink pigeon with Becky’s children – Chai and Tayla Moyle(Image: Becky Chivers)
“I picked it up and put it in my loft on its own for 24hrs and have now just put it in another one of my lofts with more pigeons it is under-weight which is understandable seeing as it has flew from Glasgow.
“Hopefully it will put weight on and I will keep it in with my other pigeons that don’t race.”
She said the bird’s pink colour was probably deliberate to prevent the bird being preyed upon.
Becky added: “You can get pink spray and you spray it under each wing to stop birds of prey catching them.
“I don’t know if it works or not but this poor pigeon definitely didn’t just get sprayed under its wing!”
As the pigeon is so far from her original home she is being rehomed with Becky’s birds – all being well.
Becky said that she started keeping pigeons in February 2016, and was following in the footsteps of her grandfather who kept the birds for more than 50 years.
She said: “I started helping him as his health got bad in February 2016 and he sadly passed away in December 2016. His wishes were for me to continue racing pigeons so that’s what I do.
“At the minute I’ve got about 60 pigeons.”
The oldest pigeon she has is Scar – an aptly named 17-year-old-bird.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
The key to finding out who poisoned a bird of prey could lie within a “rogue minority” in the racing pigeon community, police said.
A peregrine falcon was found poisoned at Glendinning Quarry in Ashburton, Devon, on Tuesday and died a day later.
Police have described the area as a “hot spot” for suspected poisonings.
The RSPB has offered a £1,000 reward for information which directly leads to the prosecution of the offender.
PC Josh Marshall, Devon and Cornwall Police’s wildlife crime officer said: “The answer to solving and preventing these poisonings could lie somewhere within a rogue minority of the racing pigeon community.”
Peregrine falcons sometimes eat racing pigeons, which “causes conflict”, he said.
The falcon will be forensically examined to establish the cause of death and a police investigation has been launched.
Other incidents in the Ashburton area:
2011: One poisoned peregrine falcon at White Cleaves Quarry, Buckfastleigh
2005: Racing pigeon used as poisoned bait at Glendinning Quarry, Asburton
2005: One poisoned peregrine and one pigeon used as poisoned bait
2003: Two men with a pigeon on a length of string appeared to try and lure peregrines from the top of White Cleaves Quarry
2000: One poisoned Peregrine at Glendinning Quarry
2000: One shot sparrowhawk near Buckfastleigh, which survived
1992: Two dead peregrines at White Cleaves Quarry, with pigeon flesh in crop
PC Marshall said: “Generally the method used will be to smear the bait with a Vaseline-type substance containing the poison onto either a live or dead bird.”
He warned the poison was also toxic to humans and pets and that people should not touch dead or injured birds.
South West Peregrines, a volunteer group which monitors the birds, has described the incident as “abhorrent”.
Tony Whitehead, from the RSPB, said: “Once again, it appears the peregrines at this site have been deliberately targeted and, it is suspected, poisoned.
“Should this prove to be the case, this is outrageous and the criminals must be brought to justice.”
The Royal Pigeon Racers Association has been contacted for comment.
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 life, adventures, and professional transitions of Mohamed (Christian name “Mike”) Agha could fill a book that would entertain readers while educating with history lessons.
“I like to say I’m a jack of all trades and a master of some,” said a smiling Agha, who believes keeping a sense of humor is key to life. “I immerse myself in anything I do that’s interesting.”
During his seven decades, the Lebanese-born Ramona resident has operated several different kinds of businesses, been a horse owner/trainer, bounced back from a brain injury suffered in a car accident, and as a teenager was instrumental in starting a championship volleyball team in his home country. He is multilingual, an accomplished cook, and raises pigeons.
“The way Mohamed grew up is so fascinating to me,” said his partner, Candace Regel. The two own The Blinds Spot and Regal Floors in Ramona.
Agha grew up in Tripoli, Lebanon, with three brothers and three sisters.
“My dad was an open-minded person,” he said. “It was a Muslim home but never strict. My dad sent us to the best school in Tripoli, Lebanon, ’cause it was a Christian school, because he wanted us to be aware of everything.” About 40 percent of the population in Lebanon is Christian, he noted.
Mike Agha sits on his Arabian horse, Candy, ready to ride in a parade. (Courtesy photo)
Agha attended a French Catholic school and said most of his friends were Christians and everyone got along. He can speak French, English, Spanish, and Arabic.
“The French education — they taught us all about Western civilization from the Greeks all the way to today.”
Agha’s neighborhood did not have running water.
“We had all the old traditions of keeping food and saving for the winter,” he said.
Their home changed thanks to Agha’s father who only had a third-grade education but taught himself accounting. He became an accountant for one of the richest families in Tripoli and their household was the first in the neighborhood to have running water, a radio, refrigerator, television, telephone, and car.
Agha took his first trip to the United States in 1969.
What brought him here?
“All the movies that I saw,” he responded, laughing. “I didn’t miss a show.” Listing such actors as Roy Rogers, John Wayne, Rock Hudson, and Doris Day, Agha said, “I was a movie buff. And that kind of made learning English a lot easier for me.”
Over the next 25 years he traveled back and forth. His last time in Lebanon was in 1994, a year after he became a U.S. citizen.
In 1983, he managed a woman’s apparel store in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Women would come in wearing their hijabs and buy up the apparel that Agha’s brother sent from Los Angeles.
It was strange, Agha said. “They couldn’t drive, they couldn’t do this, this, and that. They had to have an escort, however, once they are in the shop, they can do whatever they want.
“One time I had two princesses come in with their entourage. Young princesses, like 16, 17.” They picked out clothing and had Agha deliver it to the back door of their palace. He found out they were the granddaughters of the then future King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.
Agha’s past includes operating an Italian restaurant on Miramar Road and a Middle Eastern restaurant called Caravan in Escondido.
He and his brothers opened Carpet Country on Miramar Road in 1984 and later moved it to Poway. In 2011, he and Regel opened The Blinds Spot. They met while he was an owner/horse trainer at San Luis Rey Downs in Bonsall.
They own Arabian horses and also have a menagerie of birds: a rescue Amazon parrot, a rooster and hens, and Egyptian and Pakistani pigeons. Raising pigeons is a Middle Eastern tradition, Agha noted.
“It stems from really old times from when Arabs used them for messenger pigeons,” he explained. Aghastarted with five pairs, not realizing how quickly they reproduce. In two years he had 150 pigeons. His flock that he lets out every day has since dwindled to 40, and he and Regel are entertained by watching their habits.
“The males always, always show off,” he said.
Agha finds life good in Ramona. With the mountains, ocean, and desert close by, it reminds him of his homeland.
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.
As the Community Council members are on a summer break until September, our news this month is mainly ongoing issues but progress is happening!
The Pipe Band Championships at the end of July certainly brought another successful day to our town with the usual influx of visitors and the amazing talent from all ages in the pipe bands including some local young talent which is always an extra reason to experience the feel good factor.
Work on Dumbarton East Railway Station has finally been completed . The work started last year and was an on/off project for months when problems were experienced with the bridge crossing. However, the station has been resurfaced and new concrete slabs have been laid. We will see if the shelter builds up water or not when it rains.
Unfortunately, although the station has had a makeover, the area under the bridge is still a haven for the pigeons so the pigeon mess is still as disgusting within a day or two after being cleaned. No word has been heard on whether the Council has been able to obtain a stream of funding to address this problem but an effort is being made to obtain finance to deal with this. The wheels of time etc etc!!
If you are passing the new Council Offices, you will notice the progress being made and the building is certainly taking shape. The old Academy Building is getting the makeover which is bringing it back to life and when it is finished will be an asset to the town centre.
The next meeting of Dumbarton East & Central Community Council will be held on Tuesday 12 September 2017 in St Augustine’s Hall at 7pm. The AGM will be held that evening and members of the public are welcome to come along and meet their Community Councillors and if there any issues you wish to raise, this is the meeting to come to and make your views heard. If it is in our remit, we will be happy to take any issues up with the appropriate personnel. Also, we are always looking for news members – but that is certainly not obligatory.
Enjoy what is left of the summer. Could be an indian summer yet!
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.
Police have launched an investigation after the death of a peregrine falcon in a quarry at Ashburton. Officers believe the young bird had been poisoned, and issued a warning that the poison could also be deadly to humans.
There are also suspicions that rogue members of the pigeon racing fraternity could be to blame for the poisoning. A £1,000 reward has been put up in an effort to find the poisoners,
PC Josh Marshall, who is Devon and Cornwall Police’s Wildlife Crime Officer, posted an emotional Tweet after the falcon was discovered.
He wrote: “Look into the eyes of a juvenile Devon peregrine falcon moments before its death.”
Police were contacted by staff at Glendinning Quarry in Ashburton, on Tuesday following reports of an injured peregrine falcon on the floor of the quarry which is home to a breeding pair of the birds.
PC Marshall made sure the bird received immediate care, but it died the following day.
He said: “The initial inspection and condition of the bird strongly suggests that this bird had been poisoned. The bird has now been placed into the Wildlife Investigation scheme administered by Natural England where it will be forensically examined to establish the cause of death and a police investigation has now begun into the incident.
“Members of the public are warned that poisons commonly used to commit a crime like this are incredibly toxic to humans and pets. Should any person locate any dead or injured birds they are strongly advised not to touch them or let pets come into contact with them.
“Ingestion of these poisons can lead to death. It is incredibly concerning that individuals are using these types of chemicals within public areas that not only kill our wildlife but could also place members of the public, children and their animals into harm’s way.”
The area around Ashburton and Buckfastleigh is a hot spot for the poisoning of these birds of prey.
In 1992 two peregrines were found dead at White Cleaves, Buckfastleigh, having eaten a poisoned pigeon.
In 2000 a peregrine was poisoned at the Ashburton quarry.
In 2000 a sparrowhawk was shot near Buckfastleigh but survived.
In 2003 two men with a pigeon on a length of string were spotted trying to lure peregrines at Buckfastleigh.
In 2005 a live racing pigeon with clipped wings was coated in poison and used as bait. Peregrine chicks were rescued but adults were missing, presumed dead.
In 2005 a dead peregrine was found on a dead pigeon which had been baited with poison and had its wings clipped.
In 2011 a peregrine was poisoned at a Buckfastleigh quarry.
PC Marshall added: “As can been seen from this data, the use of illegal banned poisons are evident and put the public at significant risk. In the 2005 incident, a number of children could have been harmed or potentially worse when the poisoned bait (a racing pigeon) was located wandering around near to a childminder’s address.
“Significantly racing pigeons have been used as the bait for a number incidents both here and nationally and the answer to solving and preventing these poisonings could lie somewhere within a rogue minority of the racing pigeon community.
“Peregrine falcons do not differentiate between prey items such as wild pigeons and racing pigeons, and this obviously causes conflict with some prize racing pigeons being taken by these birds of prey.
“Generally the method used will be to smear the bait with a Vaseline type substance containing the poison on to either a live or dead bird. When the peregrine plucks and eats the bait item the poison is then ingested and kills the bird. The bird then endures an excruciating few hours whilst waiting to die.
“South West Peregrines, a volunteer group who monitor these birds and others within the South West, have described the incident as ‘abhorrent’.
“We are urging members of the local community to come forward with any information they may have that can assist in bringing these offenders to justice.”
Information is handled in the strictest of confidence and can be passed directly to PC Marshall at Joshua.marshall2@devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk or by email 101@dc.police.uk or calling 101 quoting log number 0223 180817.
Information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers via 0800 555111 or the charity’s website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
Tony Whitehead, speaking for RSPB in the South West said: “Peregrines are magnificent and much-loved birds, whose comeback over the past twenty years is a conservation success. However, once again, it appears the peregrines at this site have been deliberately targeted and, it is suspected, poisoned.
“Should this prove to be the case, this is outrageous and the criminals must be brought to justice. We are also concerned that, should this again prove to be a poisoning, someone is wantonly placing toxic chemicals in the countryside which can be a danger to both humans and pets.
“Someone in the local community must have information about who’s doing this and we urge people to come forward and contact the police. A £1,000 reward has been offered by the RSPB for information that directly leads to the prosecution of the offender.”
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.
There are many ways to offer tips about crimes to Smiths Falls and District Crime Stoppers – social media is not one of them.
In a press release, Crime Stoppers say they appreciate all the help and support from the community especially when the tips help solve crimes.
“So far, 2017 has been a stellar year both in terms of volume/quantity of tips that have been received and the financial support that the community has provided in order to pay our rewards,” the release states.
To remain safe and anonymous, they recommend three ways to provide tips and information:
* Phone: 1-800-222-TIPS (8477);
* Online: https://www.tipssubmit.com; and,
* Text Message: text to CRIMES (274637); in the message field, type “tip252”.
Some of the tips Crime Stoppers has received in 2017 have arrived in some unusual forms, they said, and they want to stress how potentially unsafe this may be to our tipsters.
Here are a few examples of tip methods that should never be used:
* Carrier Pigeon;
* Mail;
* Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.);
* In Person;
* Anything other than the three methods previously mentioned by Crime Stoppers.
This reminder is being provided so that Crime Stoppers can continue to make sure that our tipsters always remain anonymous. Anonymity keeps tipsters safe.
“Crime does not pay, but Crime Stoppers does,” is their motto.
Did you know that Crime Stoppers does not receive government funding from any level? It relies on funds raised by the board members of each individual program and on donations provided by the public.
Crime Stoppers does make a difference in our community.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Birds have an impressive ability to navigate. They can fly long distances, to places that they may never have visited before, sometimes returning home after months away.
Though there has been a lot of research in this area, scientists are still trying to understand exactly how they manage to find their intended destinations.
Much of the research has focused on homing pigeons, which are famous for their ability to return to their lofts after long distance displacements. Evidence suggests that pigeons use a combination of olfactory cues to locate their position, and then the sun as a compass to head in the right direction.
We call this “map and compass navigation”, as it mirrors human orienteering strategies: we locate our position on a map, then use a compass to head in the right direction.
But pigeons navigate over relatively short distances, in the region of tens to hundreds of kilometres. Migratory birds, on the other hand, face a much bigger challenge. Every year, billions of small songbirds travel thousands of kilometres between their breeding areas in Europe and winter refuges in Africa.
This journey is one of the most dangerous things the birds will do, and if they cannot pinpoint the right habitat, they will not survive. We know from displacement experiments that these birds can also correct their path from places they have never been to, sometimes from across continents, such as in a study on white crowned sparrows in the US.
Over these vast distances, the cues that pigeons use may not work for migrating birds, and so scientists think they may require a more global mapping mechanism.
Navigation and location
To locate our position, we humans calculate latitude and longitude, that is our positon on the north-south and east-west axes of the earth. Human navigators have been able to calculate latitude from the height of the sun at midday for millennia, but it took us much longer to work out how to calculate longitude.
Eventually it was solved by having a highly accurate clock that could be used to tell the difference between local sunrise time and Greenwich meantime. Initially, scientists thought birds might use a similar mechanism, but so far no evidence suggests that shifting a migratory bird’s body clock effects its navigation ability.
There is another possibility, however, which has been proposed for some time, but never tested – until now.
The earth’s magnetic pole and the geographical north pole (true north) are not in the same place. This means that when using a magnetic compass, there is some angular difference between magnetic and true north, which varies depending on where you are on the earth. In Europe, this difference, known as declination, is consistent on an east west axis, and so can possibly be a clue to longitude.
To find out whether declination is used by migrating birds, we tested the orientation of migratory reed warblers. Migrating birds that are kept in a cage will show increased activity, and they tend to hop in the direction they migrate. We used this technique to measure their orientation after we had changed the declination of the magnetic field by eight degrees.
First, the birds were tested at the Courish spit in Russia, but the changed declination – in combination with unchanged magnetic intensity – indicated a location near Aberdeen in Scotland. All other cues were available and still told them they were in Russia.
If the birds were simply responding to the change in declination – like a magnetic compass would – they would have only shifted eight degrees. But we saw a dramatic reorientation: instead of facing their normal south-west, they turned to face south-east.
This was not consistent with a magnetic compass response, but was consistent with the birds thinking they had been displaced to Scotland, and correcting to return to their normal path. That is to say they were hopping towards the start of their migratory path as if they were near Aberdeen, not in Russia.
This means that it seems that declination is a cue to longitudinal position in these birds.
There are still some questions that need answering, however. We still don’t know for certain how birds detect the magnetic field, for example. And while declination varies consistently in Europe and the US, if you go east, it does not give such a clear picture of where the bird is, with many values potentially indicating more than one location.
There is definitely still more to learn about how birds navigate, but our findings could open up a whole new world of research.
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.
Roosting birds of prey at a Taunton landmark have been given a leg – er, talon – up on the housing ladder thanks to public funds.
Taunton Deane Borough Council is planning to contribute £3,500 towards the £7,000 cost of setting up a nest box for peregrine falcons that have set up home at St Mary Magdalene Church tower and a webcam so people can keep a close eye on them.
The peregrine falcons have become a real talking point in town and they have an extra benefit in scaring away pesky pigeons and gulls.
The grant is one of several recently approved by the Taunton Unparished Area Committee that allocates money collected by the council for Taunton-specific, community focused groups and projects.
Councillor Jane Warmington, executive member for community leadership, said: “The falcons have become an attraction in their own right and, if they return as expected to St Mary’s, they would have somewhere to nest and rear young.
“The webcam will give people a chance to watch these beautiful birds without disturbing them. Of course, there is the practical point that the falcons will help control pigeons and gulls that can be a nuisance.”
The agreed funding will be released once the balance has been raised by the Church.
Other grants approved – subject to the call-in process – are:
£919.96 to replace four existing litter bins on Mount Walk, Taunton with bins with fixed lids – to prevent litter being removed from the bins and spread into the surrounding area, including Stockwell Stream, by gulls and crows looking for food.
£784 for a plaque commemorating the visit by the composer Franz Liszt to Taunton in 1840. While in the town he performed at the Assembly Rooms in The Market House as part of his European Tour. The plaque would be sited on The Market House alongside the one commemorating the Monmouth Rebellion.
A contribution of £5,785 towards the overall cost of £15,381 to provide a range of adult, outdoor gym equipment to be sited on the Hawthorn Play Area off Rowan Drive, Taunton. The main part of the funding will be derived from a money in the Community Leisure budget which resulted from the development in Normandy Drive, Taunton.
£700 to buy a replacement building ‘Poppy’ for positioning on The Market House in the centre of Taunton in the weeks before Remembrance Sunday.
A further grant of £175 to pave a route around the newly completed toilet block at Galmington Allotments to serve an emergency fire escape door which is to be made in the fence dividing the allotment site and the adjoining Trident Centre Play Group.
To meet 50 per cent of the £5,000 cost of enabling 12 young people from the Taunton Academy to participate in a ‘Phoenix’ course to be run by the Devon and Somerset Fire Rescue Service. The course will provide a unique opportunity for the young people who are at risk of being excluded from school and/or involved in anti-social behaviour to work with the Fire Service and take part in a variety of physical and mental challenges that will help develop life-long skills.
A contribution of £500 to the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society towards the £1,800 printing costs of a book on the life of Sir Benjamin Hammet.
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.
Dr. Shine observed that most of the sea snakes there were black — as they were in a remote atoll nearby that was used as a bombing range. This was weird, he thought, because in the rest of their range, from northern Australia to Vietnam, about 95 percent of the sea snakes wrapped themselves in skins of blue and black bands or speckles.
There seemed to be no advantage.
But then Claire Goiran, a marine biologist at Labex Corail & Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie in New Caledonia and lead author of the study, told Dr. Shine about black pigeons that dominated the streets of Paris. She had learned that in their black feathers, they collected metals from the city and shed them when they molted. Maybe the sea snakes did something similar.
To find out, the researchers tested the shed skins of black and banded sea snakes for more than a dozen trace minerals, including zinc, arsenic, cobalt and nickel. As expected, the black skin — whether it belonged to a whole black snake or just a black band — contained more of the metals.
Trying to figure out the evolutionary advantage of this correlation, the researchers determined that it wasn’t camouflage. And it didn’t make snakes sexier to other snakes. They reasoned that the minerals accumulated in the water, moved up the food chain and became sequestered in the black skin. The dark skin also attracted an algae, which took residence on the snakes’ bodies, creating a heavy, velvety cloak. To get rid of the algae, which slowed them down in the water, the snakes shed their skin more often, protecting them from levels of metals that are toxic in other animals. Like the urban moths and pigeons, their skin may have adapted to deal with a stressful environment.
“On the one hand it’s encouraging that wildlife can adapt very rapidly to the new challenges we’re imposing on them. On the other hand, there are bound to be limitations to that resilience,” Dr. Shine said. “We can’t keep treating natural ecosystems the way we do without losing some pretty spectacular animals.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
At present we are treating more than 12 birds at our hospital,” said Dr. Raj Kumar, in-charge at Charity Birds Hospital. More than a dozens of birds — who got injuries from kite strings — are being treated at the Charity Birds Hospital, located at Sadar Bazar, the only bird hospital in the city. The doctors have received calls from South City-1, DLF Phase-1 and Sector 50 to pick the injured birds. The injured birds include pigeons, crow, mayna as they live close to human habitat and they construct their nests in and around houses,” said Kumar. “We have received 10 calls today from various locations in the city regarding injured birds.
More than a dozens of birds — who got injuries from kite strings — are being treated at the Charity Birds Hospital, located at Sadar Bazar, the only bird hospital in the city. Every year, due to the kite flying ceremony usually observed by the residents of the city during Independence Day, many birds get injured. “We have received 10 calls today from various locations in the city regarding injured birds. At present we are treating more than 12 birds at our hospital,” said Dr. Raj Kumar, in-charge at Charity Birds Hospital. The doctors have received calls from South City-1, DLF Phase-1 and Sector 50 to pick the injured birds , As Reported By Hindustan Times.
According to the Newspaper,Few birds have lost their legs as they were trapped in the glass coated strings, while some have injuries around their neck. Most of the injured birds have their wings damaged. “We also came across dehydrated birds and their wings were badly injured. The injured birds include pigeons, crow, mayna as they live close to human habitat and they construct their nests in and around houses,” said Kumar. These birds are given glucose and they will take a week to recover, said Kumar.
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.
ST ANDREW, Jamaica — The 2017 Game Bird Shooting Season will start this Saturday and close September 24, according to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA).
NEPA said, during the season, hunting sessions are from sunrise to 9:00 am and 2:30 pm to sunset on Saturdays and from sunrise to 9:00 am on Sundays.
The planning agency, in a newspaper advertisement today, advised that only the following birds may be hunted: Zenaida Dove/Pea Dove, White-winged Dove, White-crowned Pigeon/Bald-pate and Mourning Dove/Long-tailed Pea Dove.
NEPA said the bag limit for each shooting session is 20 birds, of which no more that 15 should be White-crowned Pigeon/Bald-pate. It also said the feathered heads of all Game birds must be retained for inspection.
Bird shooters are being reminded that shooting within Game Reserves/Sanctuaries, Forest Reserves and 50-metre distance away from Game Reserves/Sanctuaries is prohibited.
A copy of the Hunter’s Handbook for Game Birds in Jamaica is available on NEPA’s website.
Meanwhile, NEPA said Hunter’s Licence may be obtained from NEPA and authorised vendors at a fee of $20,000. It also said all hunters should have a valid firearm’s licence or user’s permit and Hunter’s Licence on person.
NEPA warns that each breach under the Wild Life Protection Act will attract a fine up to $100,000 and/or up to twelve months in prison.
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.
SOUTH SALEM, N.Y. – A tagged pigeon is on the loose in South Salem and some Good Samaritans are hopeful of reuniting it with its handler.
A South Salem resident reported to Lost Pets of Westchester County on Tuesday morning that a pigeon had flown onto her deck in South Salem and was approachable before eventually flying off to a nearby tree.
The woman reported to the organization that she was able to get a look at the band on its leg, which bore the characters AU 2017 and 5969.
According to the National Pigeon Association, domestic pigeons with individually identifiable leg bands are registered with one of several National Pigeon Organizations. The AU on the band stands for the American Racing Pigeon Union.
Anyone who may be missing their pigeon or has information about the missing bird can contact Lost Pets of Westchester County here.
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.
THERE was a flood of maximums when Swan B won 2-1 at George A in a high-quality Section 1 encounter.
No fewer than five players clanged off sixes as the visitors kept up their title challenge with a 27-24, 29-24, 25-29 success.
Gary Bailey (4-6-5) and Simon King (5-6-3) were Swan’s top men, but the hosts had more maximums, through James Morrison (5-4-6), Kevin Stuart (4-4-6) and Luke Purcell (6-2-3).
Leaders Three Pigeons had their wings surprisingly clipped in a 3-0 defeat at home to Red Lion A.
An impressive haul from Eddie Edwards (6-4-5) was in vain for the hosts, while Eddie Lacey (4-5-4) was Lion’s top performer.
Fellow high-fliers Woodman also crashed to a 3-0 loss, at Black Prince.
Rob Bradford (4-5-5) led the way in the 31-26, 23-21, 26-20 romp.
Gladiators A put down a marker with a 3-0 triumph at New Club A in the meeting of the Premier Section’s top two.
Kevin Giles (5-6-5) bagged 16 dolls, backed up by a baker’s dozen from Andy Beal (6-3-4).
Roger Goodall (4-4-6) was top dog for New Club, but it could not prevent the 26-22, 30-27, 35-31 defeat.
Swan A’s hopes of retaining their title are still intact following a 25-22, 26-25, 33-27 whitewash at home to Garsington Sports.
Jon Townsend (4-5-5) was their star.
There are still five teams in the Section 2 title race.
Six Bells E, helped by Andrew Hudson’s first six, lead the pack, but dropped a vital home point to lowly Vikings Sports A.
Bullnose Morris A were fortunate to win 2-1 at Black Horse C.
The hosts looked well-placed chasing in the opening two legs, only to collapse late on to lose 22-21, 17-16, 18-21.
Long-time leaders Chequers C fell to their sixth defeat in seven with a 2-1 reverse at Donnington Club A.
Mark Simpson (5-4-4) led the way for the hosts, who bounced back from losing the first leg 27-18 to take the next two 24-11, 21-19.
Section 3 leaders Chequers A collapsed dramatically to a 3-0 defeat at King & Queen, for whom Simon Jones (3-5-5) starred.
New Club B failed to cash in as they lost 2-1 at Tiddington Cricket Club.
The visitors won the opener 15-12, but Tiddington levelled 12-11 before taking the decider on three sticks after a 16-16 draw.
White House are just in touch after coming away from Six Bells A Kidlington with a 2-1 win, with leg scores of 21-18, 16-21, 20-15.
THE last unbeaten record in the league came to an end when Section 7 leaders Red Lion B Yarnton lost 2-1 at home to Northway Club B.
The visitors took advantage of Lion’s low scores to win the first two legs 13-11, 15-10.
Lion hit back to avoid the whitewash by taking the final leg 15-10.
Mick Walsh (4-4-5) led the way for Masons Arms A as they came from behind to beat George B in Section 4.
Masons lost the first leg 19-17, but recovered well to win the next two 21-17, 25-13.
Rock bottom Democrats A got off to the worse possible start against Swan C, when they could only muster a set of four in the opening leg.
They improved in the next two legs, hitting 11 in both, but it was nowhere near enough as the Swan won all three legs with 16, 14 and 18.
Bullnose Morris B’s slide in Section 5 continued as they lost their second game on the bounce, having won their previous nine.
Masons Arms B were the victors this time, winning the first two legs 18-17, 18-14 before Bullnose grabbed a point in the final leg 12-10.
Chequers B secured their first 3-0 home win of the season after beating Cricketers A.
Steve Jenkins (3-4-5) top-scored.
Florence Park’s ten-week winning streak in Section 6 came to an end when Original Swan A beat them 2-1 on their own patch.
Swan won the first two legs 15-13, 15-14, before Park won the last leg 18-14, which still gives hope of a title charge.
In the Greene King Cup semi-finals, Swan A had a comfortable 2-0 win over Section 2 side Crown, while Gladiators had a hard tougher battle to beat Three Pigeons.
Gladiators set and won the first leg 29-20, with Pigeons levelling in the next leg 28-22.
In the deciding leg Pigeons set with 25, which Gladiators matched.
In the three sticks, Pigeons could hit only nine which Glads passed with three players to spare.
In the last four of the Jim Whitbread Cup, Littlemore British Legion beat Vikings Sports C 2-0, while Donnington C overcame Florence Park 2-0.
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.
GAUTENG Pigeon Union (GPU) liberated the pigeons from Springfontein in the Free State on Saturday.
When the pigeons were liberated at 7.15am (young birds) and 8am (open birds), the skies were clear and the wind blowing a light north westerly. On the way back to the lofts the winds were blowing north easterly and south easterly in places.
This race was also the GPU’s second last middle distance race of the season.
Springfontein is an average distance of 518km for Riverpark which had 13 members flying 156 pigeons in the young bird race. The young bird race winning pigeon had a nett flying time of six hours 33 minutes and 33 seconds, which is 80km/h.
With his fourth young bird win under his hat, Blackie Swart’s Dark Check cock GPU 2016 12502 beat Doves Nest Guest House’s (Gawie Botha) Blue Bar cock GPU 2016 12438 by a margin of only 19 seconds. There were only five seconds between Doves Nest Guest House and Tallies Lofts (Johan Taljaard) in the third position.
The top 30 positions on the result sheet took 20 minutes and 19 seconds to fill up:
Blackie Swart 1st, 8th, 13th, 14th, 27th; Doves Nest Guest House (Gawie Botha) 2nd, 4th, 12th, 23rd, 24th, 26th; Tallies Lofts (Johan Taljaard) 3rd, 6th, 17th; Hilton Pitout 5th; Reinhold Brichta 7th, 20th, 22nd, 29th; Fred van Rensburg 9th, 25th, 30th; Sky Lofts (Corrie Moller) 10th, 11th, 16th; G & E Lofts (Graham Cheary & Elaine Russell) 15th, 21st; Bakgat Lofts (Danalien Snyman) 18th, 19th, and 28th.
In the open race, the club had 17 members flying 261 pigeons. The winning pigeon had a nett flying time of six hours 32 minutes and 22 seconds. With his second old bird win for the season Tallies Lofts (Johan Taljaard) pipped Hilton Pitout by two minutes and 54 seconds. Tallies Lofts and Hilton Pitout have now each won two of the open bird races this season.
The top 30 positions took only 14 minutes and 47 seconds to fill:
Tallies Lofts (Johan Taljaard) 1st, 10th, 19th, 23rd; Hilton Pitout 2nd, 8th; Albert Neilson 3rd, 20th; Beano Daschner 4th, 29th; Pine Pienaar 5th, 15th, 21st, 26th; Doves Nest Guest House (Gawie Botha) 6th, 11th, 16th, 17th, 22nd; Henry Mostert 7th, 18th; Sky Lofts 9th, 27th; Blackie Swart 12th; Connie Coertse 13th, 14th, 25th,, 28th; G & E Lofts (Graham Cheary & Elaine Russell) 24th and Fred van Rensburg 30th.
On Saturday the GPU will liberate the pigeons from Hanover in the Northern Cape. This is the last middle distance race of the season, about 660km for Riverpark members, and is also the derby race for the young birds.
This is the last race of the season for the young bird scheme as the balance of the races, long distance, are open bird races. Technically, Springfontein was the last young bird race for the season as the points from the derby race are allocated to the open bird scheme.
Riverpark will also have the second and last leg of their hat draw competition during this race.
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.
Honouring freedom fighters and their family members, distribution of commendation certificates to 183 government servants and welfare assistance worth Rs. 10.56 lakh to weaker sections marked the Independence Day celebrations at the Mahatma Gandhi Stadium here on Tuesday.
District Collector V. Sampath hoisted the National Flag and inspected the guard of honour presented by police personnel.
Mr. Sampath, and P. Rajan, Superintendent of Police, released white pigeons. Later they honoured the freedom fighters.
The Collector distributed welfare assistance provided by Different abled welfare department, backward class welfare, revenue, rural development and other departments to the people belonging to weaker sections.
G. Subbulakshmi and Ramakrishnan, both Deputy Commissioners of Police, R. Sukumar, DRO, R. Vaithinathan, Assistant Collector (training) and other officials, were present. Students from various schools presented cultural programmes at the end.
R. Sadheesh, Commissioner, hoisted the National Flag on the Corporation premises and paid floral tributes to the portrait of Gandhiji.
He gave away commendation certificates to the staff who had completed 25 years of service and also special awards to the SSLC and Plus Two toppers.
K. Pandi, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) hoisted the National Flag at the head office. He gave away special award and commendation certificates to 11 drivers for accident-free driving, 36 conductors for maximum ticket collection.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pandi said there was a marked increase in the revenue of the Corporation compared to previous years. The corporation was also able to save much in the diesel front, thanks to the cooperation extended by the bus crew.
At the Noorul Islam Madrasa at Suramangalam in the city, M. A. Haroon Rasheed, Muthavalli, hoisted the National Flag. Moulvi A. K. Kamaluddin Baqavi, chief Imam, Azad Nagar Mosque, and Moulvi J. A. Nainar Mohammad Baqavi, vice-principal of the Madrasa spoke. Qari Abrar Ahmed Qasimi, principal, hoisted the National Flag at the Markazhul Uloom Al-Islamiya Arabic College at Hasthampatti in the city.
In Namakkal, District Collector M. Asia Mariam hoisted the National Flag, at a colourful function held at the district sports stadium.She inspected guard of honour presented by police personnel.
Ms. Mariam released pigeons and honoured freedom fighters and their family members. She distributed commendation certificates to 31 police personnel and 108 government staff and also welfare assistance worth Rs. 57.73 lakh provided under the different government schemes to 136 beneficiaries.
School students presented cultural programmes.
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 lane behind a number of popular Swansea city centre restaurants has been labelled an environmental threat because overflowing bins there are claimed to be attracting rats.
The lane in Castle Street is where a large amount of rubbish from several sources is left out for collection in the same place.
Kevin Casey is a resident of Baron’s Court which overlooks it and was extremely concerned by the situation.
“I used to live in Townhill and people say that Townhill is a dump, but it’s heaven compared to this place,” said Mr Casey.
“There is a lane behind a number of shops and restaurants in Castle Square and it is absolutely filthy.
“There is rubbish all over the place and there has even been rats there.
“There’s about three bins that are overflowing and there has been some dead pigeons on the floor for weeks.”
“I know the council come and clean some of it up but they don’t solve the root cause of the problem.
“They need to send enforcement officers and tell people to stop leaving rubbish all over the floor.
“I have complained to the culprits. The Council are soft and just don’t do enough.
“There are another three restaurants going in there in the near future and I dread to think how much worse it is going to be.”
But the owners of various restaurants and businesses in the area said they were unsure as to who was responsible.
“It is absolutely disgusting but we don’t have a lot of rubbish ourselves,” said Anna Redfern, the owner of Cinema & Co.
“It really needs to be cleaned up because it is an environmental risk and there is often a lot of glass on the floor.”
A restaurant owner, who asked not to be named, said: “We don’t know who the culprits are but it is annoying us as well and we have been on to the council.
“We have four bins round the back and we always put our rubbish out properly.
“But as for the main culprit I couldn’t tell you.”
A Swansea Council spokesman said: “Our cleansing team regularly visit this area to ensure that fly-tipped waste is removed, but we will continue to monitor the lane and will contact businesses there to remind them of their waste management responsibilities.
“There have also been a number of incidents recently where illegally parked cars have blocked our waste collection vehicles from accessing the lane to pick up commercial waste, so we’ve alerted our parking services team. Anyone caught illegally parking there runs the risk of a penalty charge notice.”
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.
