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)
by Ryan Ponto | Jul 30, 2017 | Bird Netting
PARRY SOUND — Have you ever noticed a hole or two in the trunk of a tree? These holes, also known as cavities, are incredibly important. Over 50 species of birds and mammals in Ontario depend on cavities in trees for countless purposes. These holes are used for feeding, nesting, roosting, storing food, denning, escaping predators, providing shelter, raising young, and hibernating.
Although cavities occur naturally, many are also created by hardworking birds like woodpeckers, chickadees, and the red-breasted nuthatch. A common cavity created by a woodpecker is a feeding cavity. These cavities are 5-20 cm deep and often have a rectangular or irregular shape with rough edges. If you see at least two oval-shaped cavities in a large hollow tree, it may be a roost cavity for pileated woodpeckers. There are at least two holes so that the bird can escape if a predator comes. Cavities for nesting tend to have circular entrances as well but this time the woodpecker has hollowed out a chamber inside the tree. Rarely are two nest holes less than 1 m apart. Nest cavities can also form when a branch dies and leaves a more irregular hole.
Many excavating birds do not use the same nest cavity twice. This allows many other birds and mammals including the saw whet owl, kestrel, eastern bluebird, deer mouse, marten, and fisher to move in. Other wildlife can also use natural cavities called escape cavities as shelter or protection from predators. These are not suitable for roosting or denning because of their size or where they are found. Escape cavities could include natural openings at ground level or hollow trees with large seams.
Cavities are often found on less vigorous or declining trees. In managed forests, the least healthy trees are usually removed first so that the forest can improve and thrive. So how are local foresters ensuring that these important habitat features remain in our crown forests? Westwind Forest Stewardship Inc., that manages forested Crown land in the Muskoka-Parry Sound region, ensures that at least a prescribed minimum number of cavity trees are being maintained. Certified tree markers are selecting good cavity trees to stay. By putting a blue spray paint “W” or dot on a tree, they let operators know that this tree cannot be harvested.
All cavity trees, however, are not created equal. Trees with nest or roost cavities are more valuable for wildlife than feeding or escape cavities. More valuable cavity trees are prioritized when selecting wildlife trees to keep in a stand. Sometimes, like in the case of roost cavities, there is even a harvest-free reserve put around the tree to further protect it.
So why don’t dentists like foresters? Because we keep too many cavities.
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 29, 2017 | Bird Netting
If anyone is under the impression that only mammals possess the drive to fight for their young and create strong family bonds, this video will clearly prove them wrong. The footage shows just what an incredible risk a bird mother is willing to take to protect her future family, even though the danger is nothing less than lethal.
The woodpecker mother is seen fighting mercilessly with a large snake emerging from her nestin a trunk of a tree. Even though the snake attacks her time after time, the bird comes back repeatedly to make the animal get away from her eggs. The conflict goes so far that the snake ends up with a bunch of the woodpecker’s feathers in their mouth after getting hold of her. But the bird does not tire – and seems like abandoning the eggs to the predator is not even an option.
This unbelievable scene is a great proof of how vitally important their young are to bird mothers – so much so that the woodpecker confronts the predator with determination despite the obvious fact that doing it, she is also very much risking her own life.
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 28, 2017 | Bird Netting
While the approximately 200 species of woodpeckers can be found over much of the planet, there are seven species in Florida, several of which might be seen in wooded areas of Leon County.
Our most common woodpecker is the red-bellied, which readily comes to feeders for sunflower seeds or peanuts. Our largest is the pileated, and is familiar for its red crest and noisy hammering. The downy woodpecker is the smallest we generally see, and is not much larger than a sparrow. They, too, readily come to backyard feeders for seeds and suet cakes.
Almost identical to the downy, the hairy woodpecker is a bit larger and is not as common. Our only brown woodpecker is the northern flicker, often seen on the ground, flicking aside leaf debris in search of ants. In steady decline is the red-headed woodpecker due to loss of habitat and competition for nesting sites from starlings. And finally, our rarest, and federally protected woodpecker is the red-cockaded.
All of these woodpecker species excavate nesting sites in trees. Some have definite tree preferences. For example, the endangered red-cockaded excavates its nesting cavity only in older living pine trees that are infected with red heart rot and located in relatively open areas. Most woodpeckers, however, create nest cavities in dead or decaying wood. Removal of dead or dying trees from forests, parks, and yards results in declining habit for woodpeckers in search of nesting sites.
Standing dead and dying trees called “snags” are important for cavity nesters. Snags may occur as a result of disease, lightning, fire, animal damage, too much shade, drought, root competition, or just old age. All trees are potential snags, but many are cut down without thought to their value as nest sites. Many snags can safely be left in place.
Different kinds of trees develop cavities at different ages, and woodpeckers use both hardwood and cone-bearing trees. The best snags for cavity-nesting birds are those with hard sapwood and decayed heartwood, making them hard on the outside and softer in the middle.
Woodpeckers are considered “primary cavity nesters” as they generally create new nesting holes each year. “Secondary cavity nesters” such as bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches, wood ducks, owls, and squirrels are highly dependent on abandoned woodpecker nesting sites.
Snags can be incorporated into your landscape. Try to keep old and damaged trees when possible and when safe to do so. In urban areas, tall snags are best located away from high activity areas so they will not pose a safety hazard if they fall.
Trees that lean away or are downhill from houses and other structures may present little or no risk. You can tell if a tree is a future snag if it has running sap, one or more splits in the trunk, dead main limbs, fungi on the bark, or current evidence of animal use such as woodpecker holes.
You can also create snags on your property by removing the top third of the tree and half of the remaining side branches, or leave the top the way it is and remove a majority of the tree’s side branches. Consider doing this with trees that currently create a hazard due to weak wood or disease, trees that are creating too much shade where you want sun, trees with invasive roots threating a drain field or septic tank, a tree in a group that needs thinning out, or a tree in an area where there are currently no snags.
Always hire an expert tree service to handle this work. Many certified arborists with the International Society of Arboriculture specialize in snag creation and maintenance.
It is highly probable that any snag you provide for birds and other wildlife will be used. Even a tree that is partially dead can provide habitat, as long as the tree is large enough in diameter. In addition to providing nesting sites in snags, backyard birders can provide properly built birdhouses or nest boxes that mimic natural cavities and help to increase the availability of nesting habitat.
Check out the online UF/IFAS EDIS publication, “Helping Cavity-Nesters in Florida,” for specifications for woodpecker (and other bird) nest 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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Jul 27, 2017 | Bird Netting
Nuthatches are the only North American birds that search for food much of the time by going head-first down a tree branch or trunk. It is thought that they do this to find food woodpeckers miss on their way up the trunk.
They’re looking for insects, their eggs and larvae hiding in bark crevices. In winter, they often hide seeds in these crevices, to be eaten later.
While the white-breasted nuthatch is widely distributed in all 48 contiguous states, Mexico and Canada, the brown-headed nuthatch lives only in the southeastern US.
This bird favors pine forests, often nesting in pine snags, foraging for insects on pine trees, eating seeds of pine trees, even using parts of these seeds to line its nest.
In winter, brown-headeds often roost for the night in former nest cavities, and it’s usually more than just the breeding pair that spends the night together. As many as ten have been observed crowding into one cavity — a virtual bird slumber party! It may seem cramped for space, but it enables the birds to share each other’s body heat. They all stay a lot warmer that way on cold winter nights.
Sharing a roost cavity isn’t the only way these birds cooperate. Unlike other nuthatch species, brown-headeds frequently get some help with the child-rearing, as well. Breeding pairs are aided by others, probably relatives, with territorial defense, nest excavation, nest sanitation, and feeding of the female at the nest, nestlings, and fledglings. This behavior makes nuthatch baby rearing a family affair.
Eastern bluebird populations have benefited tremendously by nest box programs begun in the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, there may be more bluebirds now than ever before.
The brown-headed nuthatch could use your help in the same way.
If you live in an area with pine trees, put up a bluebird nest box with a smaller entrance hole — 1 1/8 inches in diameter is just right — and brown-headed nuthatches may nest in it. Or, maybe chickadees will, and that’s okay, too.
These two nuthatches are easily distinguished by appearance. Both have white breasts, but while the white-breasted nuthatch has a black cap, the brown-headed’s cap is … your guessed it, brown. The white-breasted is twice the size of the tiny brown-headed nuthatch.
They can also be recognized by their voices. White-breasted nuthatches have a persistent, nasal call, yank-yank-yank, while the brown-headed nuthatch sounds like a squeaky toy, saying dee-dee-dee, dee-dee-dee.
Both nuthatches are readily attracted to feeders stocked with sunflower seeds and suet. For a small investment in the purchase of these bird foods and a couple of feeders, you can draw them up close and enjoy their company year-round.
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 26, 2017 | Bird Netting
One of about 50 endangered animals whose habitat includes Virginia just got a new lease on life. Late in June, the Center for Conservation Biology (CCB), a joint program of the College of William and Mary and Virginia Commonwealth University, announced the first successful breeding of the red-cockaded woodpecker in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. The Great Dismal Swamp meanders through southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, between Norfolk and Elizabeth City, N.C.
Previously the only habitat in Virginia for the bird was the Piney Grove Nature Preserve in Sussex County. The preserve, owned by The Nature Conservancy, has the northernmost population of this woodpecker. “In 1999, The Nature Conservancy and its partners began restoring the pine savanna habitat to pull the woodpeckers back from the edge of extinction in Virginia,” said Brian Van Eerden, director of TNC’s Virginia Pinelands Program. “Growing the population from a starting point of 12 birds to 70 today started the track record of success for the species’ recovery at its northern limit.”
CCB Director Brian Watts said in a news release that the Great Dismal Swamp breeding program is “a milestone in an ongoing effort to establish a breeding population within the refuge.” Conservationists were concerned because of the risks of having a habitat in an area prone to hurricanes and other natural disasters, so the breeding program in the Great Dismal Swamp was started in 2015. At first the effort seemed like a long shot. “During the run up to the breeding season, only five of the 18 birds that had been moved from other populations remained within the refuge, including two males and three females,” Dr. Watts said.
“By early May, the birds had formed two breeding pairs and soon each had laid three eggs.” The eggs hatched on May 13. Twenty days later, the young birds were “flying and foraging,” Watts reported.
Near-extinct species that have habitats in Virginia include such creatures as the bog turtle, the smallest turtle in North America, and the Shenandoah salamander found only in the Shenandoah National Park. Another example of a Virginia endangered species is the spruce-fir moss spider, one of the smallest tarantulas. It lives in the highest peaks of the Appalachian Mountains.
Efforts to save these and other species, including the red-cockaded woodpecker, are just a few of many such projects around the world. Other examples are described in a visually stunning three-part PBS documentary titled “RARE: Creatures of the Photo Ark,” to air on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. on WCVE PBS beginning July 18. “RARE” follows National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore as he photographs animals at risk of extinction. The series also focuses on factors causing extinction, such as deforestation, rising sea levels, pollution and human encroachment. Sartore said at least 100 species become extinct every day. “It’s a race against time. Fifty percent of all animals are now threatened with extinction,” he said. “It’s folly to think that we can drive half of everything else to extinction but that people will be just fine.”
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 25, 2017 | Bird Netting
The first time I saw and heard a Hairy Woodpecker I was astonished at how fast they struck a tree with their bill. If you have never seen one working on a hole in a tree, just listen to their pattern at the end of the audio on this link. http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/hairy_woodpecker
That’s fast work.
General Description: Hairy Woodpeckers are one of two very similar birds. They are about a third larger than the similar Downy Woodpecker and their bill is larger. The Downy’s shorter bill and rounder head appear to be “cuter” than the Hairy, and that’s about the only differences….size. Both are mostly black with white patches down the middle of their back and white spots on their wings, and the males have similar red patches on the back of their head. The Hairy Woodpecker is 7 to 10 inches in length, with a 13 to 16-inch wingspan, and they weigh anywhere from 1.4 to 3.4 ounces.
Habitat: Common just about anywhere on the Harbor. They prefer mature woodlands but can also be found on forest edges, in parks, at backyard feeders where black oil sunflower seeds and/or suet are offered and in cemeteries.
Behavior: Hairy Woodpeckers forage on the trunks and bigger limbs of trees, prying off the bark to get at their prey. They also choose bigger trees in which to excavate their nests. They hitch up tree trunks using their stiff tail feathers to prop themselves upright, lunging forward with both feet together. They can also sometimes be found at the base of ponderosa pines where a particular species of bark beetle can be found.
Nesting: Hairy Woodpeckers form a monogamous pair bond in late winter then usually continue that bond over the succeeding nesting seasons. Both male and female excavate a nest in soft or rotting wood; they prefer deciduous trees for their nest if they can’t find a snag. The nest hole is about 2 inches high by about 1.5 inches across, and the hole widens at the bottom of the excavation to accommodate the eggs and the incubating parent. The nest entrance is often on the underside of a main branch or stub to discourage flying squirrels or sapsuckers from taking over the nest. Both parents incubate the four eggs for about 2 weeks, and both feed the young. The young leave the nest after 28 to 30 days, then follow their parents around for some time afterward.
Migration: Considered a year-round resident in western Washington, but some non-resident birds may move down in elevation in the winter. There are also birds from farther north that may migrate south into our area in winter.
Conservation Status: I’m happy to say Hairy Woodpeckers are actually increasing in population although they have probably decreased from historic numbers due to forest practices of removing dead trees. They have also had more nesting and roosting competition from European Starlings and House Sparrows.
When and Where to Find on Grays Harbor: They can be found in appropriate habitat almost anywhere on Grays Harbor, but your best chance of watching them is in a forested area of bigger trees. The sound they make excavating a nest or brooding hole carries quite a distance, so listen before you enter a grove of trees. They can also be heard calling, so listen to the sounds on the link I previously mentioned. Then pick a quiet spot and watch the chips fly!
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 24, 2017 | Bird Netting
Former Channel 4 boss Luke Johnson has failed in his bid to fell a protected tree in the back garden of one of his multi-million-pound homes.
The entrepreneur had claimed it resembled “a large totem pole” and caused a “health risk” through roosting pigeons.
Mr Johnson, boss of private equity firm Risk Capital Partners, and his wife Liza fought a preservation order for a 15 metre-high sycamore in the £3.5 million house in Little Venice.
They claimed the tree at the eight-bedroom property harboured pigeons that could carry diseases and parasites, and its seed balls “can irritate the skin and cause respiratory problems”. They also claimed the roots had damaged foundations and garden walls and risked wrecking water and sewer pipes. The tree was protected in January after neighbours became concerned it would be removed as part of Mr and Mrs Johnson’s renovation of the property.
The couple promised to replace it with a smaller one. However, this week Westminster council’s planning committee upheld the preservation order.
After the decision the couple declined to comment. But in an earlier letter to Westminster they wrote: “The tree is simply too large for the nine-metre-square garden. It offers no amenity to the community. The tree is so tall and constrained within the spot that it resembles a large totem pole/telegraph pole. In addition the tree harbours large populations of pigeons which themselves pose a health risk with commonly psittacosis, but also salmonella, histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, candidiasis and other parasites.”
Neighbour Lisa Schneider said she was “delighted” it had been saved, adding: “It’s been here longer than any of us and is a haven for wildlife, none of which cause health problems.”
The council’s senior arboricultural officer Barbara Milne dismissed claims about a risk to health. She recommended a bird scarer, saying “the problem of pigeon droppings is recognised as inconvenient, it is not considered to be of such merit as to warrant removal of the tree”.
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 23, 2017 | Bird Netting
A house in Soi Udomsuk on Sunthornvinitchai Road has been known as the “House of Pigeons” for more than a decade.
However, the owner, Weerasak Sunthornjamorn, 60, was not loved by his neighbours and passersby due to a massive number of birds roosting on electrical wires outside his house and huge piles of droppings in and around the area.
After retirement last year, Weerasak became a scavenger and kept what he found in garbage dumps at his house.
The piles of garbage combined with the birds and their droppings made his house a foul-smelling eyesore to his neighbours, the public and nearby restaurant owners.
His neighbours have complained many times to Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)’s Huay Kwan district office since 2012. Weerasak was summonsed to the district office and initially fined Bt500. The fine reportedly increased to Bt2,000 as he failed to stop feeding the birds and other animals.
The BMA failed to solve the issue until a user on the popular Pantip discussion forum posted photos and a story about the house. The user complained that the house and the bird droppings sent a strong smell through the area and asked authorities to fix the problem.
The posting drew massive comments, mostly against Weerasak. After that the BMA sent a team to clean the area.
Sucheep Areeprachapirom, chief of Huay Kwang district office said that he asked Weerasak if the workers could clean his house and told him to stop feeding the birds.
“The man however has still kept mum on the request. I will continue to negotiate with him as it is a sensitive issue,” Sucheep said.
Methipot Chatametakul, a director of the BMA’s Sanitation Office said that his office had already sprayed an antiseptic substance in and around the house and used repellent gels to prevent birds from returning to the house.
Neighbours were urged to wear masks and close windows for sanitation reasons.
It was reported that Weerasak won a case in an Administrative Court three years ago when a complainer sought a court order to stop him feeding birds.
Weerasak told reporters that he has been an animal lover for a long time and was previously a committee member of animal welfare organisations.
“Today, I agreed that the BMA workers could clean my house to make all parties concerned happy. I now have some money so I will give up working as a scavenger,” he said.
He claimed he followed tradition to do merits by giving food to birds and other animals. He said if anyone thought it was dirty, they should find a place for him to take care of the 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 Ryan Ponto | Jul 22, 2017 | Bird Netting
If you don’t know Rufus, you’re not a real tennis fan.
Since 2007, Rufus the Hawk has been scaring off pigeons, protecting Wimbledon attendees and players from flying bird feces and game delays. The birds of prey first appeared high above All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 2000.
Rufus’ handler Imogen Davis, also his social media manager and the director of Avian Environmental Consultants Ltd., told the Telegraph employing hawks to ward of pigeons was an ingenious idea.
“Pigeons don’t know the difference between eating grass seed when the tennis is on and when there is no play, and that can cause big interruptions. As a player concentration is crucial, so we do our bit to limit that disruption,” she said.
Not just any old hawk can land such a prestigious gig. Davis said each bird goes through “an intensive training process,” all of which is motivated by food.
That said, the hawk handler makes sure Rufus and her other hawks don’t get too greedy during training. Davis said monitoring their weight is “the most important part” of her job.
“His optimum flying weight is 1 Lb., 6 Oz., so if he is at that weight I know that he is going to be keen enough to chase any birds away but not so keen that he is going to grab it and fill himself up on pigeon,” she shared.
Although hawks are hunters by nature, Davis said Rufus’ work is “incredibly tiring.” The two are up at 4 a.m. before a match and, during the championships, work until about 10 a.m.
Through his training, as well as his many years working Wimbledon, Rufus has become an expert at controlling the pigeon population in the area. His handler told the Telegraph he “knows all of the pigeons’ favorite spots to hang out.”
His hard work has paid off immensely, at least in terms of his fandom. Rufus the Hawk has more than 10,000 followers on Twitter.
In addition to updates on player’s wins and losses, the account regularly features photos of Rufus and news about the bird.
While some of his fans show their love on social media, others bring it to the matches. Fellow Wimbledon celebrity Chris Fava — known to many as the Strawberry Man — was recently spotted courtside dressed as the beloved bird.
“I knew I had a lot of points to defend from last year because Strawberry Man was such a big hit that I wanted to do something that was iconic and Rufus is probably an icon already,” he told Wimbledon.com on Monday.
“I knew I wanted it to be Wimbledon-centric. I took about two months to do the costume…Everyone’s reaction when I’m here is really cool,” Fava continued.
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 21, 2017 | Bird Netting
Birds of prey may be called in to tackle Morecambe’s pigeon problem.
A task force wants to control the number of pigeons in the town and has suggested using hawks or similar birds to scare them away or even a cull.
John O’Neill, Morecambe BID chairman, said talks were at an early stage and were aimed at reducing droppings and possible disease. But pensioner John Wilkinson, known locally as ‘The Morecambe Birdman’ due to his love of feeding pigeons, says the proposals are “barbaric”.
John describes himself as the ‘dad of pigeons.’ His reaction comes after Morecambe Business Improvement District (BID) said they were in early talks with bird groups to tackle the town’s pigeon problem.
“It is barbaric, they should leave the birds alone, the birds are bothering no one,” said John, who lives on Cavendish Road in Morecambe.
“All the birds want is something to eat and I do what I can to try and improve the lives of birds and animals. “I don’t accept there is a problem, there is a problem with criminals, feral children and criminal damage.”
In Morecambe there is a large pigeon population that needs reducing, said John O’Neill, chairman of Morecambe BID, a task force set up to boost town centre business. “These birds will always flock to the easiest meal, and that’s provided by humans who drop scraps and inadvertently feed them – they are opportunistic feeders,” said Mr O’Neill.
“Ironically, unlike some other seaside towns, I think our seagulls are pretty well behaved and they tend to be seasonal. Pigeons, on the other hand, tend to roost all year, leave their droppings everywhere and carry diseases. “Morecambe BID is studying ways we can help assist keep the pigeon problem down but it will be in the longer-term, rather than immediate.
“To eradicate the problem you have to break the breeding cycle and move the birds away from the town. This can be done by way of raptor control (scaring the birds away with birds of prey) and culling.” Feral pigeons which towns see today are descended from the rock dove, a cliff-dwelling bird historically found in coastal regions. Millions of these birds are seen across the world and the most famous flock resides in Trafalgar Square, London. Councils across the UK have control programmes in place to reduce the number of urban pigeons. But John Wilkinson said if the birds are fed well they are not likely to carry disease.
“I feed them everyday, I use poultry and game feed,” he said. “They all think I am their dad. I have become known as the birdman but that is only one of my hobbies. I collect things and do research. I am just interested in wildlife.” Mr Wilkinson hit national headlines in 2014 when he was sent to prison for six weeks for breaching an anti-social-behaviour order to limit his bird feeding habits. Outraged supporters of Mr Wilkinson ran an online campaign to free him.
A Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) spokesman said: “Feral pigeons can have up to six broods of two per year. “They incubate for around 18 days and the young fledge after a further 36 days with both parents sharing duties at all stages.
“Feral pigeons are covered under a general licence that permits landowners (or people with their permission) to humanely destroy pigeons, eggs, chicks and nests for the purpose of preserving public health and safety.
“We believe lethal control should only be used as a last resort when all non-lethal methods have first been considered.” The RSPB is the country’s largest nature conservation charity, aiming to inspire people to give nature a home and secure a healthy environment for wildlife.
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)
