by johnnymarin | Aug 19, 2017 | Pigeons in the News
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Aug 18, 2017 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Aug 17, 2017 | Bird Deterrent Products
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Aug 16, 2017 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Aug 15, 2017 | Pigeons in the News
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Aug 14, 2017 | Pigeons in the News
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Aug 13, 2017 | Pigeons in the News
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Aug 12, 2017 | Pigeons in the News
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by johnnymarin | Aug 11, 2017 | Pigeons in the News
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 10, 2017 | Bird Netting
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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 9, 2017 | Bird Netting
Pigeons have been ruffling the feathers of taxi drivers by leaving their calling card on a Tayside street.
Grant Donald, 57, said pigeons are roosting on the top of buildings at Monifieth High Street beside the taxi rank — and their mess is being brought into cabs on customers’ shoes.
He said: “Every day when we arrive here there is a terrible mess on the pavement below.
“Basically the pigeons seem to roost on the ledges of local buildings and their droppings leave behind a terrible mess on the pavement below.
“It’s very unhygienic — the pigeon poo is everywhere.
“There’s loads of it and people walking along the pavement can’t help walking through it.
“It’s getting brought into our taxis on the soles of people’s shoes.
“It’s also getting taken on people’s feet into the shops in the area, including several food shops.”
Fellow taxi driver Trevor Rooney said that the problem had been going on for some time.
He said: “I’ve complained to our councillors about it in the past, but it continues to be a huge problem.
“The pigeons sit above the street and their guano drops onto the pavement below.
“The council do try to keep on top of the problem by cleaning the street, but there’s always loads of it left even after they have been along to try to clear it away.
“Some other kind of action needs taken to deal with it.
“I would hope that there is something that Angus Council can do.
“The mess is unsightly and it is very unhygienic.
“I’ve had it in my taxi and it ends up on the soles of shoes and gets dragged into the local shops. Some days it’s worse than others, but it’s a problem that’s not going to go away.”
Shona Gibb, co-owner of the Coffee Pot, said retailers had attempted to tackle the problem in the past.
She said: “Around four years ago several of us decided to take the matter into our own hands. People in the block here clubbed together and we paid for spikes to be put on ledges above the shops to stop the pigeons gathering there. It appears to have worked, although the pigeons just seem to have moved a little further along the street.”
A spokesman for Angus Council said: “Removing food sources is the single most important factor in reducing the number of feral pigeons and gulls in town.
“Means of doing this can include reducing food availability or preventing them from accessing roofs or other areas where they could cause disturbance.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 8, 2017 | Bird Netting
These days, there are a multitude of different scams, each one designed to part innocent people from their hard-earned cash. From African princes to credit card scanners, pyramid schemes to hard luck online stories, they are as varied as they are many.
However, fraudsters in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province have turned to a more ‘pi-genius’ mode of theft – in the form of the common carrier pigeon.
The latest scam involves strapping fake lottery scratchcards to a pigeon’s leg and then waiting for unsuspecting passers-by to discover it and ‘claim’ their winnings.
One such victim was a woman in the city who was travelling to work on Wednesday. After peeling the card from the pigeon, she was amazed to find that she had won second prize, which just happened to be more than US$41,600.
When the lady dialled the number to claim her winnings, the voice at the other end of the line told her that US$7,400 in tax would have to be paid in order to free up the money. Fortunately, she realised it was a fraud and called the police.
The good news is that while the fraudsters appeared to be ‘winging it’, the pigeon has been released and officers are investigating.
Hopefully this is a scam that will not take off and that the criminals are cooped up for a long time.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 7, 2017 | Bird Netting
One part of Indonesia has experienced an unusual surge in divorce rates, attributing it to the pigeon-racing addiction that has gotten out of hand.
According to an official at the Religious Court in Purbalingga, Central Java province, their office received 90 divorce petitions in July alone, which is a dramatic increase compared to just 13 in June, the Jakarta Post reports.
Most of the divorce petitioners are women, for a number of obvious reasons, especially financial, as men are racing pigeons instead of working and thus helping their wives feed their families.
“Most of the petitioners are wives who have filed divorce petitions for economic reasons because their husbands are too addicted to pigeon racing,” court clerk Nur Aflah.
“In Purbalingga, there are many female workers while most men are unemployed. Most of the husbands end up becoming ‘pilots’. Here, a ‘pilot’ does not fly a plane but races pigeons,” she explained.
Neglect is also another important reason, as husbands seem to be spending way too much quality time with the birds instead with their families. Things are made even worse because pigeon racing is usually accompanied by gambling on the potential winners. This habit has apparently further deteriorated the families’ financial situations.
The court has ordered the local government and clerics to try and reduce the divorce rate in this regency by talking with the men and providing advice. A similar phenomenon has also been reported in Banyumas, Central Java.
“His bird is the first thing he grabs when he wakes up. At around 10 o’clock, he goes out with his friends to play with their pigeons in the fields nearby,” said Sartini, 35, a villager of Bojongsari. Although her husband sometimes gives her money from his winnings in pigeon races, he more often asks her for money for cigarettes.
Interestingly, the last pigeon to return to the coop is declared the winner, not the first.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 6, 2017 | Bird Netting
Previous Earth First articles have dealt with the issue of threatened species, how human activity has contributed to their threatened status and what could be done to save them from extinction.
This week readers are invited to read about three examples of human-bird interactions which should cause us to consider our responsibilities to the other living creatures on our planet.
The passenger pigeon in the mid-19th century was not only the most numerous bird in North America, but probably in the world, with an estimated population of three billion.
Reports were made of a huge flock a mile wide which blocked out the sun for three days.
Demand for their tasty flesh resulted in the passenger pigeon being being hunted indiscriminately, which, added to habitat destruction due to forest clearing, resulted in their downfall.
By 1871 their numbers were down to 136 million.
Despite this dramatic reduction in their population, a leading huntsman stated “shooting and hunting (of these birds) should continue. No exploitation could endanger a creature so abundant”.
So shooting, trapping and the torching of nesting sites continued.
Our huntsman was wrong. By 1900 there were no passenger pigeons left in the wild.
Two other bird species on our own doorstep have been also savaged by the human race, but have so far avoided extinction.
The magpie goose, an Australian native species with a population of approximately three million, has been killed in great numbers for food.
Quotas have been reduced in the face of dwindling numbers and open season now only lasts 11 weeks.
Nevertheless a licenced shooter can take seven geese a day, so if 100 licences are issued, the “take” could theoretically still be as high as 54,000 birds.
The American hunter believed no amount of exploitation could affect a creature so abundant … and they had three billion pigeons, while we have only three million geese. Can we learn from the American experience?
Another example is the short-tailed shearwater, also known as muttonbird because of its tasty flesh and the fact that it provided a staple diet for generations of early white settlers.
Mutton bird oil lit lamps and was used for cooking. Their eggs were a highly-prized delicacy.
Unfortunately, since white settlement millions of muttonbirds have been killed for their eggs, flesh and oil, but unlike the passenger pigeon, they seem to have weathered the slaughter and their numbers remain strong. They are now protected.
Some would say that these examples are from less enlightened times, and that we have developed a better and more ecologically sound relationship with our feathered friends.
Let us hope so, but the past shouldn’t give us cause for too much optimism.
The value of Where Song Began by Tim Low and Viking Books for the statistics in this article is gratefully acknowledged.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 5, 2017 | Bird Netting
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A home near Paseo del Norte and Wyoming looks quiet during most of the day, but around traditional meal times, it becomes a home base for dozens and dozens of pigeons.
“It started a year ago in about March and escalated since then. The neighbor is feeding more frequently and now the birds know there’s food so they come in flocks,” said a neighbor.
Neighbors say it happens two to three times a day and that it is not unusual to see approximately five to six dozen birds.
Neighbors say the homeowner who is feeding the birds scatters seeds on the ground, which attracts birds and some other unwelcome guests.
“With all the mice it has drawn the hawks in and the hawks started killing my chickens,” said a different neighbor.
Albuquerque’s Environmental Health Department says this house has been on their radar for about a year, which is the same amount of time neighbors have been filing complaints through 311.
“Approximately every two weeks. Nothing has changed,” said a neighbor.
Nick Pederson with the city’s Environmental Heath Department says he’s visited the home about four or five times. However, on his visits, he’s never actually seen the homeowner feeding the pigeons.
Pederson says for the city to be able to do anything about the complaints, they need to see the problem actually happening. He did say the Environmental Health Department is considering changing their rules to allow time stamped photos and video as a replacement for witnessing the complaint first hand.
Feeding pigeons is against Albuquerque City Ordinance, in part because the birds can carry diseases.
“I just would hope she would understand what the city ordinance is and there’s a serious reason why we don’t feed them,” said a neighbor.
KRQE News 13 spoke with the homeowner in question and she told us she doesn’t feed pigeons.
“I just feed the songbirds. That’s my intention and if anything else shows up I’m unaware of it,” said the homeowner.
As she said that, there were at least two dozen pigeons on her roof or in her yard.
When KRQE News 13’s Brittany Bade asked about the dozens of pigeons in plain view on her property, the homeowner replied, “Hmm, I don’t know anything about that.”
Neighbors just hope the homeowner stops throwing seeds in the yard and that the pigeon problem goes away soon.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 4, 2017 | Bird Netting
LUBBOCK // Texas Tech University will soon begin giving birth control to pigeons. The university spends more than $100,000 a year trying to deter the birds from nesting on the campus, administrator Sean Childers told KLBK. Starting this fall, staffers will fill bird feeders with a tasty blend of cracked corn and OvoControl, a commercial product that prevents the birds’ eggs from being fertilized. “We’re hoping to humanely decrease the population by 90 to 95 percent,” said Erin Bohlander, a graduate student studying natural resource management.
VICTORIA // In what this writer considers a persuasive argument for good copy editing, a highway sign was printed with spelling errors not once, but twice. The Victoria Advocate reports that for years, a sign on U.S. Route 59 directed drivers to the Dorothy H. O’Connor Pet Adooption [sic] Center. In June, the Texas Department of Transportation replaced the sign and fixed that typo, but the new version misspelled O’Connor’s name as “Dorthy.” “It happens,” Victoria County Commissioner Clint Ives said. “We’ve got 160 miles of county roads.”
LEVELLAND // Two friends riding in a pickup truck were startled to see a surprise visitor wriggle out from under the hood. Swade Moyers and Zakary Wyatt were on State Highway 114 when a bull snake crawled onto the windshield. In a cellphone video he later posted to YouTube, Moyers can be heard shouting, “Get your booty out of here! Oh my lord, please leave.” The men feared the snake would crawl through an air vent, Wyatt told KMAC. “We picked up anything we could have, which was an umbrella,” he said. “It was game on.”GRAPEVINE // Goat yoga has taken northeast Tarrant County by storm. The latest trend at the intersection of farming and fitness has attendees doing downward dog alongside baby pygmy goats, who munch grass and meander from mat to mat. After Grapevine Recreation Coordinator David Mote heard a radio broadcast about a goat yoga class in Oregon, he knew what he had to do. “I Googled it, did some research and thought, ‘This is something we need to do in Grapevine,’” Mote told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The first free class, with spots for 45 human participants and 10 to 15 goats, filled up within 30 minutes.
CORPUS CHRISTI // The brave men and women of the Corpus Christi Fire Department took home top honors in the city’s second-annual Police, Fire and Media Rib-Eating Contest. Five firefighters bested the cop and reporter teams by downing all their ribs in just over 10 minutes as part of a Special Olympics fundraiser. “I think eating is something we do well,” Assistant Fire Chief Kenneth Erben told the Caller-Times.
DALLAS // The Dallas Museum of Art set the first Guinness world record for the number of people dressed as Frida Kahlo in one place. Artnet News reports that on July 6, more than 1,000 Fridas gathered as part a celebration of the Mexican artist’s 110th birthday. In addition to the requisite unibrow, participants had to wear a red or pink shawl, a below-the-knee floral dress and “a minimum of three artificial flowers.”
WACO // Officers were irked after a woman called 911 to report an overly long wait for an order of chicken nuggets. “Yes, we actually tied up two officers on this call,” Sergeant Patrick Swanton posted on the Waco Police Department’s Facebook page. Swanton refused to name the restaurant, but later told KCEN that “management worked with her [and] gave her money back.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 3, 2017 | Bird Netting
BOTHELL, WA – This is something out of an old Looney Tunes cartoon. A hard-working woodpecker in Bothell pecked nearly clean through a utility pole this week. An eagle-eyed local resident spotted the damage before the woodpecker was able to cause a power outage – or worse.
The Snohomish County Public Utility District was able to replace the pole within hours of the resident calling it in. The lineman who did the work was so surprised, he snapped a picture. The image has drawn thousands of comments on Facebook.
“Don’t put Red Bull in the bird feeders, people!” one person wrote.
Snohomish PUD spokeswoman Julie Cunningham said that the utility has dealt with woodpecker damage before, but never like this. The pole was so thoroughly chewed, some suspect that a beaver is to blame.
“That’s pretty high up for a beaver,” Cunningham said.
The woodpecker – who no one has actually seen – has even earned a new nickname as a result of his work.
“Somebody said that the woodpecker’s name should be ‘Timber,'” Cunningham said laughing.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 2, 2017 | Bird Netting
Have you ever wondered why woodpeckers don’t get headaches? It is quite remarkable when you think about it. This bird, on a regular basis, subjects its brain to 1000 g of deceleration every time it pecks (g represents the acceleration due to gravity acting on all bodies on the surface of the Earth), and it does so in bursts of 10 – 20 pecks at a time, many times a day! Fighter pilots need specially designed g-suits to not lose vital biological functions at only a handful of g’s.
Studying the woodpecker, then, enables an important question: How can the biophysics of pecking help humans avoid head injuries? This is important because head injuries are a common occurrence. Humans hit themselves in the head a great deal, and so any engineering solution that can additionally prevent severe injury would be beneficial compared to the state of the art. More and more, engineers are turning to nature to seek “bio-inspired” solutions (a field called “biomimicry”). The reason is simple: no need to reinvent the wheel; after all, evolution has selected the best adaptations to behavior. Whatever edge the original pecker birds had to find their food, evolution has rewarded them with ingenious adaptations that now allow furious pecking without injury!
In a paper published in PLOS One by a team led by Dr. Lizhen Wang of Beihang University in China, new insights into the “safety features” of the woodpecker have been identified. In a comprehensive study of the biophysics, involving X-ray analysis of the skull, strength testing of bones, and detailed computer simulations of the stresses on the skull resulting from pecking, the researchers concluded, unsurprisingly, that the woodpecker is incredibly well adapted to pecking. What was surprising was the co-existence of clever adaptations that, hopefully, will weave themselves into original engineering solutions for head protection.
The most incredible adaptation is the hyoid bone. In humans, the hyoid bone is a tiny relict bone in the neck. It is used to anchor muscles that enable tongue movement and swallowing. For forensic scientists it is useful because its fracture is a telltale sign of deadly forced strangulation.
The researchers were able to confirm this spongy material using high resolution X-ray computed tomography, which is a fancy way of saying “non-destructively slicing the skull with X-rays to see inside.” Using their newfound knowledge of the how the skull is built. They designed, using a computer, a model of the skull. In this computer model they assigned a strength value for each bone (that they had measured mechanically by breaking them in a gauged instrument in a previous set of experiments), linked them all together on the computer, and simulated a peck. Using state-of-the-art engineering mathematics (called “finite-element analysis”), they were able to investigate (and predict) the amount of stress that the beak experiences during a peck, and how that stress travels through of the bones of the skull. It is this study that revealed just how ingenious the hyoid bone is in channeling a great deal of pecking stress through it, sparing more sensitive parts of the skull.In the woodpecker, the hyoid bone is much more developed and truly amazing. It begins as an attachment to the nostrils in the upper beak. It splits into two between the eyes, wraps around the head, and rejoins in the neck and ends as the muscle attachment to the tongue of the animal. During pecking, the tongue is thrust forward as far as it can go while still inside the beak. This thrust pulls the bone taught around the head, acting as a seatbelt to the cranium, spine, and the brain, and thus minimizing brain movement inside the cranium during deceleration. This, coupled with the spongy cranium material to cushion the impact essentially wipes out risks of injury.
The woodpecker is uniquely designed to experience high g brain decelerations. Humans brains are not, but are impact-tightening helmets in the horizon? Studies like those of Dr. Zhang and her team are sure to inspire the next generation of safety engineers.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 1, 2017 | Bird Netting
Lee Sorenson of Post Falls enjoys reading Ammi Midstokke’s adventures in the S-R Outdoors pages.
It reminds him of “the years of commutes, winters, and Mother Nature’s jokes” in the Spirit Lake and Blanchard Valley areas. Lee emails: “I feel her reality.” Lee is reminded in particular of a woodpecker that loved the corner of his then 15-year-old son’s room.
It was 1998. The family had just moved into a two-story house. Lee and family did everything to discourage Woody Woodpecker from drilling. The son would chase it off in the early mornings. But it would return pecking before the boy drifted back to sleep. Lee dabbed hot sauce in Woody’s favorite spot. No dice. Then, he hung a fake owl from the eaves. Nothing. Finally, he tried hanging shiny CDs nearby and nailing tin over the woodpecker’s fave spot.
But Woody hammered on. The old hands at the hardware store said a box of 22s was the only solution. They were right. The family felt badly afterward.
Now, Lee lives in the “megalopolis” – his word, not Huckleberries’ – of Post Falls. The only annoying bird in his life is a robin that likes his strawberries. Which is OK. As long as it doesn’t knock first.
Bad, bad owner
David Townsend of Coeur d’Alene spotted a dog tied to a tree next to his car when he exited Costco Sunday evening. She had water and was in the shade. But she was distressed. David petted her for 20 minutes until the owner showed up. He had feared that the dog might have been abandoned because she was an older one. Dave had begun a countdown in his mind when the owner arrived as the store shut. He had planned to take the dog home and call animal control. Instead, he told the woman that it was illegal to leave a dog unattended in Coeur d’Alene. The woman was defensive. She said it was better to leave the dog outside with water than in a hot car. Yes, Dave responded, but it would have been better still to leave the dog at home. Dave, who still mourns the loss of his beloved 14-year-old pup last fall, sums up the feeling many would have: “I have little patience with people who don’t appreciate a good dog.”
Huckleberries
Poet’s Corner: Palouse winds blow heavy/and they blow very far;/now somebody’s wheat field/is all over my car – “The Bard of Sherman Avenue: Poems by Tom Wobker” (“Windstorm”) … So a Huckleberry Friend is eating lunch in a family restaurant in Priest Lake when a beautiful young woman enters wearing only a thong bikini. Everyone had a bird’s-eye view of her back side, including children from 3 to 7 years old. Our Huckleberry Friend is no prude. But she said after the fleshy display: “You’re in a family restaurant, put something on.” Bingo … The Uber Phantom gave a ride to a married couple who told him of an interesting way that they keep the lines of communication open. Once a month, the husband asks his wife to tell him something about her that he doesn’t know. It seems to be working for them. Says Uber Phantom: “I love the idea” … Poll: My Huckleberries blog readers are fussy. Fifty-five percent of them won’t eat roadkill. Moi? Only if I don’t know that it is.
Parting Shot
Coeur d’Alene Councilman Dan Gookin was having none of Chairman Brent Regan’s lame explanation why yet another moderate Republican had quit the Kootenai County GOP Central Committee. After tendering her resignation from the Central Committee, main-streamer Christa Hazel blasted Regan’s organization as extreme ideologically and conspiratorial in a Coeur d’Alene Press column Saturday. Regan responded with his own column in the Press Tuesday. And Gookin cut Regan off online: “”How can you say that the committee is diverse when many people – good longstanding Republicans – have left in utter disgust? Ms. Hazel is only the latest refugee in a lengthy queue of respected party members who’ve had enough of this circus.” Kootenai County Republicans folded their big tent years ago.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Jul 31, 2017 | Bird Netting
THEY say curiosity killed the cat, but it was greed that nearly killed this hungry baby woodpecker.
The nestling in a tree at Wolvercote lakes plunged 30ft from his nest after reaching too far to get a meal from his doting parent.
Still too young to fly, he then had to valiantly climb all the way back up.
Luckily, the whole saga was caught on camera by amateur photographer Ian Curtis.
Mr Curtis, who lives in Wolvercote with his wife and their two children, had been watching the young woodpecker family growing throughout May.
He said: “Predictably, the chicks were very demanding, and whichever was at the entrance would stretch out their necks when they saw the parents flying towards them.”
Then, one day it happened: one youngster got a little overexcited.
Mr Curtis, who works at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, said: “He overreached and was suddenly spread-eagled against the bark, hanging on.”
The next second the fledgling was doing a chaotic parachuting pirouette into the undergrowth 30ft below.
Mr Curtis said: “I was then faced with one of those photographer’s nightmares: do I step in and help or let nature take its course and click away?”
He went closer to see if he could help and spotted Woody had crashed-landed in a dense mass of brambles which he could not have penetrated even if he wanted to.
He said: “Almost immediately I could see Woody emerging from the brambles and scrabbling up a tree trunk at the start of a determined return journey.”
Instinctively not wanting to draw attention to his vulnerability, Woody stayed silent while following the chirping coming from his sibling back in the nest.
Slowly but surely, clambering forwards, sideways, upwards and occasionally backwards, Woody made good progress.
It was only when he got to the top he realised he had climbed the wrong tree.
Undeterred, he hopped across to the right one to make his final ascent.
When he made it home, he clambered onto the top of the trunk and sat down for a rest.
Seconds later a parent flew in with another beak-full, but rather than give it to the exhausted Woody, fed it to his less greedy and more patient sibling still in the nest.
Well, good things come to those who wait.
Mr Curtis said: “At the time, it had seemed an amazing, stroke-of-luck, encounter with the sheer determination, single-mindedness and survival instinct of one small struggling woodpecker chick.
“And he certainly hadn’t needed any help.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
