by Ryan Ponto | Jul 10, 2017 | Bird Netting
The importance of good genetics in racing pigeons cannot be understated. The foundation stock of South Africa’s renowned pigeon racing loft, Kitchenbrand’s Loft, is a case in point.
Co-owned by Mark Kitchenbrand, the Kitchenbrand’s Loft’s Ace Pigeons are bred for performance and speed, and the loft’s incredible gene pool is sourced from the best genetic stock worldwide.
The genetic strength of top racing pigeons will secure results on race day. As such, ambitious fanciers are continuously on the hunt for top genetic pigeon stock, which results in them often purchasing offspring from the same foundation stock.
Therefore, the genetic composition of champion Olympiad pigeons in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, for example, may often intertwine, making them distant relations of each other.
Because they are also sellers, the offspring of foundation pigeon stock owned by top breeders such as Pieter Veenstra, Jan Hooymans, C&G Koopman (Dutch champions), Alfons Klaas, Hardy Krüger, and Gaby Vandenabeele (Belgian champions), are bred into the racing pigeon population by them and various other buyers.
Speed
Olympiad pigeons are categorised according to the following: best sprint-, middle-, or long-distance racers, and all-rounders. However, regardless of the distance, the pigeon that flies the shortest route home, at the highest speed, will always be the winner.
Kitchenbrand bought the now champion all-rounder, Birdy, for R800 000 at the South African Million Dollar Pigeon Race (SAMDPR) auction in 2007.
Birdy was awarded the SAMDPR 2008 Knock-Out Competition Champion, Grand Average Ace Pigeon, and Hot Spot Average Ace Pigeon titles , and has passed her extraordinary genetic strength on to her offspring.
Bred in SA since 2008, Birdy’s offspring are amongst the world’s most powerful hereditary transmitters, producing top results: Birdy’s first six direct offspring all bred multiple first prize winners. Four of her direct offspring were in the top 200 in the 2011 Sun City Million Dollar Race.
While Kitchenbrand thus has access to Birdy’s superior genetic line through her offspring, he recently acquired some of Stefaan Lambrecht’s sprint pigeons, currently the fastest pigeons in the world.
Birdy and Harry
Dutch pigeon racing champion, Jan Hooymans, bought Birdy in October 2015. Since then, famous Dutch Ace Racer, Harry, a blue cheque cock owned by Hooymans, has been mated to Birdy.
None of their direct offspring have been put on sale.
Harry is one of the best racers in the world, after winning two races against 22 340 and 37 728 pigeons, and scoring third place against 21 520 pigeons. Harry’s progeny won against 11 337 pigeons, and a grandson won against 44 293 pigeons.
Key genetic links
As a result of their outstanding genetics, Harry and Birdy’s progeny should be phenomenal racers. Both Harry and Birdy are related to renowned pigeon foundation stock: Harry was bred from the genetic foundations of C & G Koopman and Gaby Vandenabeele.
Birdy’s dam is closely related to the same Louis van Loon and Janssen brothers pigeons used in the formation of the C & G Koopman genetic pool. In SA, Birdy was mated to top bird, Zander, bred by
Dutch champion, Pieter Veenstra. Veenstra’s birds have a strong C & G Koopman foundation.
Birdy’s offspring with Zander thus have a golden link to the Janssen birds, as the base birds in the Veenstra loft also connect with this line.
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 9, 2017 | Bird Netting
A Missouri man has a fish story that he will likely be telling for years.
Monroe MacKinney, 22, was fishing at his parents’ pond on My 31 when he caught a most unusual bass, reports the Daily Mail.
When he went to remove the hook, he noticed something peculiar inside the fish’s mouth.
“I went to lip him so I could remove my hook and that’s when I saw something in its mouth, MacKinney explained. “I didn’t know what it was and I almost dropped the fish back in the water. I was hesitant to remove the hook, but upon further inspection I realized it was a mole inside the fish’s mouth.”
The rodent was fully intact, looking like it just emerged from its hole. Except that it was dead.
“I had no idea how the bass got ahold of a mole,” the young fisherman continued. “I was speechless – I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I knew I had a once-in-a-lifetime catch, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to get a few pictures of it.”
Fish that feast on land animals is rare, but not without precedent.
For example, there are catfish in Australia who have been known to eat pigeons, reports an article in New Scientists. “Lesser salmon catfish,” as they are called, occasionally ambush pigeons at the water’s edge. But more often they eat animals when they drown.
In a survey of 18 lesser salmon catfish from Ashburton River in northern Australia, almost half had mice in their stomachs.
Two of the fish had three animals each in their stomachs, and some fish had up to 95 percent of their stomachs filled with small mammals.
The primary prey in these cases was spinifex hopping mice, which do not enter water voluntarily. “These mice often live in small colonies within a single burrow system,” says Erin Kelly of the Centre for Fish and Fisheries Research at Murdoch University, Perth, who led the research. Therefore, “collapse or flooding of one or multiple burrow systems along the Ashburton River could have inadvertently introduced them into the water.”
And though a few freshwater fish species are known to dine on land vertebrates — African tigerfish have been filmed plucking a swallow out of thin air, for example — it is rare for them to eat so many.
But the lesser salmon catfish aren’t the only fish who have been reported to eat non-aquatic animals.
Trout in Idaho have been found with rodents in their bellies. In a trout population survey done at the Silver Creek Preserve, biologists catch trout to get their weight and measurements, reports the website Cool Green Science.
During each survey, the researchers sample the contents of select trout stomachs to see what they have been eating. As they opened brown trout stomachs during a survey in 2013, they found montane voles, which are small rodents common along Silver Creek.
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 8, 2017 | Bird Netting
She came out vehemently against a proposed pigeon cull in Vittoriosa but animal rights campaigner Moira Delia now welcomes the mayor’s change of heart and the drive to tackle this problem in a more humane way on a national level.
Interviewed on Times Talk, the television presenter laments the lack of enforcement of animal welfare legislation as she speaks of dog micro-chipping, horses in the sun and the use of chains as dog leashes.
Ms Delia also raises the concerns of animal lovers who would wish to keep their pets’ ashes after they die, after the closure of a small-scale crematorium that was operated illegally by a non-governmental organisation.
She also has her say on whether Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretary Clint Camilleri, a hunter, has a conflict in occupying that role.
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 7, 2017 | Bird Netting
When a tiny lizard is moved away from his territory and placed in a new “mystery” location, can he find his way back? If so, how?
Yellow-bearded anoles are territorial species, with males staking out a tree as home turf. Researcher Manuel Leal, a behavior ecologist from University of Missouri who studies anoles in Puerto Rico, attached miniature tracking devices to 15 male anoles, walked them to a new site while disorienting them, and tracked them to find out if they could make their way back to their home-turf tree within 24 hours.
What happened is surprising and creates a new set of questions about the abilities of animals to navigate despite overwhelming odds that should leave them lost for good.
The experiment focused on yellow-bearded anoles, but this impressive ability isn’t exclusive to these tiny lizards.
Homing pigeons are also famous for this ability. And a new theory for how homing pigeons find their way home is that they use sound waves that emanate from the Earth itself.
Popular Science describes the theory put forward by U.S. Geological Society geologist John Hagstrum: “The idea is that pigeons use these low-frequency infrasound waves to generate acoustic maps of their surroundings, and that’s how they find home even when they’re released miles from where they dwell. The theory not only explains how pigeons make their way home almost every time, but why they sometimes get lost. (High winds, supersonic jets and various other phenomena can disrupt these infrasound waves, disorienting the birds and setting them on a false course for home.) So while it’s by no means conclusive, this new theory seems at first glance a very tidy way of explaining a mystery that has baffled avian biologists for generations.”
Might anoles also use such sound waves? Or could it be another sense that picks up the cues to lead them home again, even when they’re quite lost?
The research that will give us the answers to these little lizards’ navigation abilities might also help us unravel other mysteries about animal senses.
“Leal says there are many reasons why anoles are a great system for studying evolution,” explains the University of Missouri website. “There are hundreds of species, they have colonized a diversity of habitats, and they exhibit a wide range of complex behaviors.”
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 6, 2017 | Bird Netting
It’s a bird-eat-bird world out there!
The sinister squawker is shown going full “Temple of Doom” on the poor pigeon as it writhes on the cement at the Kings Highway station in Brooklyn.A ruthless raven was caught on camera ripping the beating heart from a half-alive pigeon on a New York City subway platform.
“Only in New York City. It’s either eat or get eaten,” the video’s narrator says. “Yo, that’s a raven. He just ate his homey!”
The bird then tears out the pigeon’s gizzards as it flaps its wings one final time, the wild video shows.
Observers joked the ominous bird-icide is a metaphor for competitive life in the Big Apple — and the embattled New York City subway system itself, according to Gothamist, which first reported the video.
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 5, 2017 | Bird Netting
Shoalhaven City Council is taking action over a building it owns in the Nowra CBD which neighbouring property owners have described as a “health hazard”.
Following complaints about the Betta Electrical building in Berry Street, council’s maintenance team started work securing the building to stop pigeons from gaining access and roosting.
Local solicitor and CBD property owner David Nagle described the building as a “health hazard”, saying the property had become the home to numerous roosting pigeons, which were defecating all over the area, including the three-storey building he owns on the corner of Berry and Junction streets and Egans Lane.
Mr Nagle said pigeons were clearly getting into the building’s roof cavity, which had led to an associated rat infestation.
Council purchased the former Betta Electrical building as a viable commercial property for $1.05 million in December 2007 but the building has sat virtually vacant.
Council’s director Assets and Works Ben Stewart said talks were being held with property owners in the Nowra CBD and a team of council builders were securing the building.
“We are working to try and deter the pigeons from entering the building,” Mr Stewart said.
“We are also talking with neighbouring properties owners about the problem.”
On Monday morning council teams arrived on site, erecting scaffolding to gain access to the roof area and erected another set of scaffolding on a neighbouring property to allow work on the southern end of the building where the pigeons were gaining access to the building.
The Register understands a piece of guttering had fallen off the building, taking the fascia board with it, which provided access for the pigeons.
“We have had similar problems with wild pigeons on other buildings, such as the School of Arts, and we will be working on similar methods we used there to prevent pigeons landing or roosting on building surfaces,” Mr Stewart said.
“We will also look at other measures like installing spikes and mesh to stop roosting opportunities.”
He said council was looking into control methods for the pigeons.
“Once the work is complete we will also be looking at other pest control measures,” he said.
“Everyone is aware with pigeons comes other vermin and that is a problem not only in this city. It is a problem in other states and countries.”
He said the Betta Electrical building was one of a number of strategic properties council owned throughout the city.
“The block of land was part of the Egans Lane expression of interest process to activate the area through a proposed development in 2016,” he said.
“Council is still considering that plan and looking for alternative proposals from interested parties, with the objective to see the commercial/retail development of the site.
“Staff will be reporting back to the CBD revitalisation committee regarding the future of the site.
“Twelve months ago we opened up the thoroughfare access from Berry Street to Egans Lane based on feedback to make a user friendly, community, passive recreation space.
“There are a number of strategic sites in the Nowra CBD council has been looking for opportunities to activate, including areas like Stewart Place and Egans Lane. Council owned properties are critical to any future proposals.”
He said council’s carpentry staff had recently been focused on community assets, such as public toilets, halls and libraries.
“In the recent one year rate increase, $200,000 will go towards the maintenance of buildings,” he said.
“Council manages more than 1400 buildings and structures ranging from gazebos to the Betta Electrical building and through to the entertainment centre.”
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 4, 2017 | Bird Netting
Having written about the role pigeons played in the success of the D-Day landings last month, I was reminded of a wonderful collection of family papers that we hold at the Plymouth and West Devon Record Office, writes Debbie Watson.
Rupert Henry Ghillyer of 43 George Street, Devonport played a vital part in this. He had a loft for racing and homing pigeons (shown in the photograph on the left) between his home and St Stephen’s School, the bomb damaged building shown in the background. He offered his time and pigeons voluntarily to help with the war effort.
Rupert was a skilled labourer in Devonport Dockyard, but during the Second World War he volunteered as the Area Officer for the National Pigeon Service, Plymouth Group in his spare time. As part of this role he was authorised by Herbert Woodman, the Chief Pigeon Supply Officer, to visit any loft and birds in his area and inspect them.
Under the Defence Regulations 1939, any person keeping racing or homing pigeons had to have an official permit and was not allowed to liberate any pigeon from its own loft or carry any pigeons without an official label from the Secretary of the National Pigeon Service in Gloucester!
Rupert received his permit on November 5, 1939 and was a member of the National Pigeon Service. You may remember from the previous article that the Plymouth pigeons and their owners played a vital role in carrying communications between here and France in connection with D-Day and other military operations.
In 1945 and 1946 Rupert received documents of gratitude from the Chief Constable of the Plymouth Police force and the Royal Air Force for his contribution. Like many, Rupert was an unsung hero.
Rupert’s wife Iris also played her part in the local community and can be seen in the photograph at the top with a stall of dolls at an event at the Old People’s Club in St John’s Church, Devonport. The little girl looks very pleased!
Another Ghillyer family member who served his country well was Rupert’s father, also called Rupert.
He was born in Colchester, Essex in 1889 and joined the Royal Navy in 1907 as a stoker. He was an acting leading stoker from 1913-1914, with official promotion to this rank from April 1915, a position he retained until 1929 when he completed his service.
His record confirms that he served in the First World War for which he received three medals including the 1914-1915 Star. His record also gives his height, hair and eye colour, complexion and a description of his tattoos. Among many of the ships he served on were Monmouth, Vivid II, Indus, Tiger, Valiant, Ajax and Hood. His conduct was noted as ‘VG’ (very good) throughout.
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 3, 2017 | Bird Netting
AMANZIMTOTI Racing Pigeon Club reports on race nine and 10.
On Saturday, 24 June, seven members flew a total of 108 birds from Vrede.
First Doug Fry, second Basil Tait, third and fourth Doug Fry, fifth to 11th Basil Tait.
From Paul Roux, race 10 saw 55 birds compete in total, with three members taking part.
Coming in the top four positions was Basil Tait, fifth to seventh went to Doug Fry, eighth Basil Tait, ninth and 10th Doug Fry.
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 2, 2017 | Bird Netting
One New Yorker was thoughtful enough to capture the grisly scene on film so we can all marvel at the city’s wildlife.
New York City is a lush, majestic landscape teeming with wildlife—and not just street punk warthogs who dress like they listen exclusively to PiL. The city is home to deer, coyotes, an unnerving number of loose crabs, and, apparently, at least one vicious raven.
Earlier this week, NYC subway riders were treated to the sight of a raven completely mutilating a still-living pigeon right on the above-ground Kings Highway Q platform. One courageous straphanger was thoughtful enough to capture the entire grisly scene on film, so we can all bask in the wonders of New York City nature.
“New York City, it’s either eat or be eaten,” a guy in the video says while the raven mercilessly pecks the guts right out of a flapping pigeon’s chest cavity. “This dude just ate his whole stomach out!” The camera briefly pans away from the Lecter-like bird to another pigeon, who stands awkwardly a few feet away, ignoring his brethren’s disembowelment.
The dying pigeon’s flaps grow weaker as the raven splays its guts across the concrete platform. Finally, borrowing a page from Kano in Mortal Kombat, the raven tears the pigeon’s beating heart out and flies away, leaving only a tattered carcass in its wake.
Watch the entire low-budget Planet Earth scene above and marvel at the beauty of Mother Nature while one bird shreds the innards of another bird. Have a great morning everybody!
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 1, 2017 | Bird Netting
Let’s imagine there were no pigeons: If we could design a drone that would disperse diseases harmful to humans while splattering a corrosive substance onto cars, buildings and monuments… would we?
Well, if we could throw breadcrumbs at it and watch it scuttle toward us, we might.
Now pigeons can live very well on grass seed and insects just as their distant ancestors did in the wild. They can also range up to five kilometres between roosting, nesting and feeding sites.
The birds multiplying in our streets should not be considered as wildlife. It’s beyond me why Birdlife Malta should bother to comment on the culling of these urban pests by local councils.
The first feral pigeons to appear in our public spaces were probably escapees from racing pigeon clubs.
The domestic strain originally came from the wild rock pigeon, fond of nesting in high cliff areas. That’s why their descendents still nest high up with a strong liking for uncovered ventilator openings in our homes.
According to a study by the University of Basel, Switzerland, pigeons are potential carriers of no less than 60 diseases harmful to humans. Nine are bacterial, five are viral and the rest are mostly fungal agents.
Let’s have a coordinated campaign to protect the public from health risks of the pigeon invasion
So why isn’t the Health Department warning us against these dangers?
Actually, unless you are handling pigeons, they generally pose a much lower disease transmission risk than rats or flies.
So it’s not highly likely that you or your child would pick up viral encephalitis or cryptoccocal meningitis from a bird cooing away in your ventilatur.
If you do have direct contact with pigeons then symptoms similar to pneumonia can arise. However, the same is true for anyone keeping parrots, budgies, cockatiels, hens, sparrows or seagulls. (Not to worry – ‘Parrot fever’ is not the same as bird flu.) But normally mild or symptom-free respiratory diseases carried from pigeons to humans can be fatal in vulnerable individuals.
When pigeon poo dries it turns to a powdery dust, kicked up into the air by passing feet. The smaller the child, the higher the exposure.
Demolition of abandoned buildings where pigeons have been roosting can pose a threat to neighbours too, as particles of pigeon debris contaminate the air they breathe.
A pigeon is capable of producing 48 chicks a year. The advice from pest management companies is to tackle the problem while pigeon numbers are still low (one or two).
Peregrine falcons seemed to work for Trafalgar Square. But if natural predators are brought in for the job here they might end up as collectors’ items.
Poison is out, not just because it’s a cruel death for the bird but also a danger to human health.
Traps are unwieldy and egg-destroying ventures may still attract the ire of some animal welfare extremists.
Putting contraceptive chemicals in feed has already been tried by local councils with limited success. Unless people are prevented from feeding the pigeons the birds will spend more time breeding than foraging.
Even culling by shooting will only have a very short-term effect unless a total clampdown on feeding is brought in.
Let’s have a coordinated campaign to protect the public from health risks of the pigeon invasion; not to mention the disfigurement of our beautiful stone buildings.
Everyone must be urged to take action and discourage feeding of the urban pests wherever possible.
Had we enforced by-laws where they exist the problem would not be with us today. Applied piecemeal, the pigeons just move on.
Now a legal notice is needed to ban the feeding of pigeons in public areas, with enforcement and steeper fines for putting public health at risk.
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 | Jun 30, 2017 | Bird Netting
Lake City Racing held its last two old bird races of the season last weekend
Wayne Langenfeld’s pigeon took first in the 200-mile race from Onawa, Iowa. Don Meyer was second.
Langenfeld’s birds led with 636 points, followed by Meyer’s 517 and John Rittmann’s 292, Rich Anderson 186 and Greg Benthin 122.
The second race was the 410-mile Midwest Classic from Topeka, Kan. More than 1,500 birds took part.
Benthin’s pigeons took first and second with Rittmann third.
In overall points it was Benthin 558, Meyer 237, Rittmann 334 and Langenfeld 224.
The young bird season starts in August.
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 | Jun 29, 2017 | Bird Netting
Most downtown dwellers and workers in Wichita are keenly aware of the city’s Douglas underpass.
It’s musty, dark and populated primarily by pigeons (and their poop).
However, that stretch of walkway – west of Union Station and east of Naftzger Park – remains one of the primary connectors between Old Town and downtown Wichita.
This Final Friday, a collaborative of Wichita arts groups are teaming up to make walking under the bridge downtown a little less messy.
For “Under the Bridge,” those groups – the North End Urban Arts Festival, the Yellowbrick Street Team and the Wichita chapter of the League of Creative Interventionists – are bringing in LED lights, a DJ and a graffiti artist for a pop-up experience at the underpass.
There’s already been some concrete improvements to the space. The city power-washed the pigeon poop off the sidewalk just the other day, according to Thomas Dalton, co-founder of the North End Urban Arts Festival. The festival happens in the NoMar Market area near 21st and Broadway every fall.
But what about the pigeons? Will people really come to an art experience in an area where pigeons fly low overhead and frequently drop droppings?
“We hope to scare them away as we get set up Friday,” Dalton said. “With any luck, there will be minimal pigeon interference.”
The makeshift gallery, funded by an Up the Ambition Grant from the Wichita Community Foundation, will pop up again at Final Fridays in July and August.
Perhaps the idea of art in the underpass is not so foreign, after all: A city of Wichita study in 2012 proposed adding public art to the underpass and significantly upgrading the pedestrian experience. The city released a proposed design for the space in 2014. The project is still in the works; the first phase – which will include lights, color and “pigeon mitigation” – is scheduled to be complete by March, when the NCAA tournament comes to Wichita, according to Downtown Wichita.
Dalton is using the opportunity to promote graffiti artists – this Final Friday, local graffiti artist Sam Agoita will paint a 12-by-18-foot graffiti panel during the exhibition. Graffiti artists are featured in the annual North End Urban Arts Festival, but “Under the Bridge” gives them the opportunity to be seen by the Final Friday masses, Dalton said.
“We’ve always had these great panel of graffiti artists, and we’ve always wanted to show them off, and this was right after the time the (city) did their initial study for the Douglas underpass,” he said. “We thought this would be a great place to show off the panelists and get them more exposed to the downtown crowd.”
“Under the Bridge” will also feature a mural on which attendees can paint and share their vision for the area under the bridge.
Jenny Wiley, a fellow at the Wichita chapter of the League of Creative Interventionists – launched earlier this month – said she hopes people who come to “Under the Bridge” will imagine possibilities for the ugly “but pretty critical gateway in between Old Town and downtown.”
It’s the latest piece of creative placemaking in downtown Wichita – Gallery Alley, which transformed a narrow alley into a community hangout just west of the underpass, just opened last month.
“It’s kind of scary. … It’s just not the most pleasant place to walk through,” Wiley said of the underpass. “We thought (‘Under the Bridge’) would a great space to really illustrate what transformation can happen with just a little bit of elbow grease.”
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 | Jun 28, 2017 | Bird Netting
What should we talk about today? How about…
- Lakewood City Council’s Rental Inspection Program (RIP)?
- Homing pigeons?
- The size and impact of Joe Boyle’s carbon footprint?
Okay, you pick homing pigeons. Homing pigeons, it is. First, you might wonder how in the world could I write about homing pigeons? Let me explain.
One day I was hanging out at Topside Coffee Cabin (TCC) in Steilacoom (215 Wilkes St, Steilacoom, WA 98388. T: 253-244-7190. 6:00a – 3:00p).
Two of my new TCC friends, Mike and Una’ McLaughlin, were hanging out too, because that is what retired people get to do. We drink coffee and swap stories. Mike and Una’ introduced me to their friend, Jessie Garza. Jessie, a US citizen, is the third generation in his family to have lived in the Yakima Valley. His Hispanic grandparents moved to the Yakima Valley from Mexico during the 1930s. Interestingly, Jessie’s grandparents were two of the first seven Hispanics to settle in the valley. Jessie recently moved to Steilacoom.
When you meet Jessie you think to yourself, “Our world is a better place because Jessie Garza is with us.”
Jessie is interesting in three ways. One of those ways relates to the fact that Jessie Garza is an internationally recognized homing pigeon expert with over 46 years pigeon experience.
The only other guy I knew who possessed an abundance of knowledge about birds was my father-in-law who was a brilliant veterinarian poultry disease research scientist. While dating his daughter during the days of my reckless youth, I lovingly told my friends my future father-in-law was the biggest bird brain in Washington State.
Talking father-in-laws; Jessie’s father-in-law, John Heilman, gave Jessie two young 5-week old pigeons named Man and Woman on Jessie’s wedding day back in 1971. I am confident Jessie never made the mistake of calling his father-in-law a big bird brain.
The wedding pigeon gift makes it easy for Jessie to remember his wedding anniversary. Let’s do the right thing, shall we? Don’t tell Jessie’s wife his pigeon gift-day is the only way he is able to remember their wedding anniversary.
When young pigeons are about 6 – 7 days old, each bird gets an I.D. band on their left ankle.
Eventually, Jessie’s wife built their new dream home in Zillah, Washington on a 2-acre parcel. Jessie built his dream pigeon loft.
When the birds were about 5 weeks old, Jessie started to HOME the pigeons, which is a process used to teach the pigeons to acclimate to their new home. The pigeon home is called a pigeon loft or pigeon roost. The pigeons learn how to enter and exit their home through special pigeon doorways. They learn where home is so they do not get lost.
At around 8 weeks, Jessie started ROUTING training. The pigeons fly around the loft. The birds take off on exploration trips for maybe a half an hour and then return home.
Once the ROUTING is complete, the birds are ready to train for long distance. Jessie would take his birds out about 5 miles to where the birds would have a direct line back to the loft. The first training toss normally would include 25 – 50 birds.
If Jesse beat the pigeons home, another training toss was needed. When the birds beat Jessie home, he doubled the distance from 5 to 10 miles and then from 10 to 20 miles. The longest training toss was 55 miles. Once the birds are comfortable with 55 miles, they are ready for an 110 – 120-mile race.
Jessie’s first race was from Shaniko, Oregon to Toppenish, Washington for 115 miles on April 21, 1973.
Down through the years there were many races following that first race. Jessie and his pigeons won a garage full of plaques and trophies along with some cash prizes. Just like horse racing, there is a million dollar pigeon race in Africa.
As the years passed, Jessie’s entire family became involved with homing pigeons. which included Jessie’s wife, Kathy, three children and six grandchildren, right down to a 4-year-old grandson who learned many things while handling pigeons, such as how to be loving, caring, and gentle.
Jessie has flown 300 or more pigeons over the years. That is a lot of pigeons. This does not count all the birds Jessie has bred* and sold or given to others. Jessie’s birds are now all over the world in places such as Mexico, Alaska, and Australia. Jessie just received a Facebook message which said, “Jessie, I just want to let you know you are becoming famous in Mexico. Your pigeons are winning like crazy.
When competing in a homing pigeon race, all the birds registered to compete are driven to the toss location by a hired driver. The driver is instructed to check the weather before making a final decision to release the birds. All the birds are fed, watered and then released at the same time. The birds will circle the toss location two or three times and then after getting their bearings, the pigeons will race back to their roost. A high tech electronic computer band helps determine the finish time for each pigeon.
If there is heavy wind or rain, the release is canceled to avoid putting the birds in danger. Heavy rain can push the birds to the ground which can cause them to lose their way or to be targeted by hawks. For Jessie, typically, 99% of the birds return to their loft roosts safely.
The birds are able to race until they reach 6 – 7 years old. After retiring, the pigeons can live to age 21.
I have a question for you. Do you know the name of the most famous homing pigeon of all time? The bird’s name was G.I. Joe, a pigeon hero from World War II. G.I. Joe carried paper messages back on their ankle. The name was later transferred to the G.I. Joe doll. The pigeon had the G.I. Joe name first.
My next Jessie Garza article will describe how Jessie helped kids with his pigeon plan including preventing a teenage suicide.
My third Jessie Garza article will describe how Jessie’s career activities for making our world a better place are still relevant today.
Jessie is new to Steilacoom and we are lucky to have him. Welcome to Steilacoom, Jessie Garza.
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 | Jun 27, 2017 | Bird Netting
SHOCKING footage shows a ruthless raven eating a pigeon ALIVE before ripping out its beating heart from the tragic creature’s chest.
The viral clip was filmed in broad daylight at a subway station on the mean streets of New York.
The cameraman gives a running commentary throughout the savage killing and at one point says: “Only in New York City. It’s either eat or get eaten.”
During much of the horrifying video, the pigeon is clearly still alive and can be seen flapping its wings while its guts are splashed all over the concrete ground.
The thuggish raven continually picks different protein-rich organs out of the prey’s split-open stomach.
The fearsome feathered beast eventually ends the pigeon’s life by ripping its heart from its chest and smashing it on the cold hard platform.
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 | Jun 26, 2017 | Bird Netting
Authorities say birds are dirtying the towers while a few devotees say it’s a deathtrap for them
Rajarajeshwari Nagar temple, located off Mysuru Road, has come up with an idea to prevent pigeons dirtying the recently built temple towers: wrapping them in a synthetic mesh. While the temple authorities heave a sigh of relief, some fear the move could turn deathtrap for birds.
Venkateshwara, a temple official said, “We have spent many lakhs to build and paint the gopurams and the temple premises. We cannot afford to get it soiled again and certainly we cannot spend a few more lakhs.” Close to 10 towers, including the imposing one at the entrance, are covered with a mesh to prevent pigeons from perching on the structures. One of the priests told Mirror, “Every week, we would depute people to clean up the mess. We have made a separate pond and a cage-like structure for birds. But pigeons have not yet got accustomed to the new set-up again. They are so used to sit on the towers that it has become a serious problem for us.” Temple authorities say they are open to suggestions to make the premises safer for birds.
One of the officials said, “If there is any other solution, let people approach us. We are equallly helpless. It was difficult for devotees to even walk through the sanctum sanctorum because of bird droppings. We also feel for pigeons. We have kept grains and water at the separate enclosure to woo them, but they haven’t gone there yet.”
Kamala Devi, a devotee said, “I spotted at least four pigeons lying dead in the towers. A few birds were struggling to get inside, and some were scrambling to come out. Some squirrels too were trapped inside.”
Jayanna, who lives close to the temple, said: “On its part, the temple has kept aside a piece of land just for birds. Authorities must have spent many lakhs to erect these nets.”
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 | Jun 25, 2017 | Bird Netting
Nowhere is the biological paradigm “survival of the fittest” better illustrated than it is in New York City. Passengers at Kings Highway Station saw the law of nature in action on Monday when they witnessed a massive black crow feasting on the guts of a flailing, gore-covered pigeon. The macabre scene was captured in a viral video that tracked the crow’s efforts to scatter its victim’s entrails across the subway platform. The crow succeeded, with aplomb; it congratulated itself by pecking out the pigeon’s still-beating heart — the bloody cherry on top of a sumptuous meal.
“New York City, it’s either eat or get eaten,” the video’s narrator, who mistakes the crow for a raven, says. “He just ate his homie! Damn.”
While it’s easy to label the crow a demonic cannibal-murderer, crow expert Kaeli Swift, a University of Washington Ph.D. candidate studying corvid thanatology — crow death — tells Inverse not to be so hasty. While the situation certainly casts the crow in a homicidal light, she points out, we don’t actually know what the pigeon’s deal was before the crow got to it. She suggests the crow might in fact be innocent, because the pigeon was already dead.
“I would be more surprised if the crow killed the pigeon,” Swift says in an e-mail. “My guess is it had a run in with a train or particularly unpleasant person.” Cornell University veterinary pathologist Dr. Beth Buckles, DVM, supporting Swift’s theory, adds that “If it had been alive there would have been a blood spurt.”The pigeon’s panicked twitching, she points out, was probably due to residual nerve activity.
Our sympathy for the pigeon shouldn’t distract us from the fact that they, too, can be nasty. “In my experience, adult pigeons can hold their own against crows and I’ve even seen them chase crows away from food,” says Swift.
Murder charges aside, it’s the crow’s cannibalistic behavior that really has New Yorkers freaked out. But Swift is nonplussed. “Nothing about this behavior strikes me as particularly unusual,” she says, in spite of one particularly gruesome scene where the pigeon’s intestines stretch out before it, like a blood-slimed leash. “Although eating carrion or active predation make up only a minority of an American crow’s diet, they take what they can get.”
Crows are considered omnivores, which means they’ll pretty much eat anything: small mammals, reptiles, eggs, seeds, fruit, and yes, other birds. They are also known to scavenge — a technical term that biologists use to describe animalsthat eat dead animal flesh, not garbage. If a fresh meal presents itself to a crow, especially in the middle of New York’s food desert, that crow is unlikely to let it go to waste. “Taking advantage of weak animals is also not unusual, and why they have such a vitriolic relationship with sheep farmers,” Swift points out, referring to reports of crows descending upon farms to devour baby sheep.
“Not a particularly pleasant way to go but wild animals aren’t here to appeal to our moral sensibilities,” says Swift. “They’re just here, doing their badass thing whether we find it awesome or awful.”
On second watch, the crow’s behavior doesn’t appear any less brutal, but the relish with which it feasts on the mutilated pigeon corpse may stir up familiar sensations. As it triumphantly plucks out its prize — the pigeon’s ruby heart (it might actually just be a gizzard)— and thoughtfully considers it, you might recall how it feels to contemplate a fine slice of tuna sashimi, or a ripe heirloom tomato, before surrendering it to your lips. That feeling is what binds humans, crows, and all of our animal brethren; the one true law of nature — hunger.
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 | Jun 24, 2017 | Bird Netting
Gift of Life Foundation president Paul Vincenti has vented his frustration over the fact that the authorities and public caused an outcry over the pigeon cull which was going to take place in Vittoriosa while acting indifferently before threats to human life.
Posting a video on the social media, real estate guru Paul Vincenti said that society suddenly cares more for a pigeon than a human life. He was referring to embryo freezing, a practice which the foundation is against.
“Why do we react with such determination when it comes to protecting what some people see as a pest, a flying rodent? Why does the government react so positively and in favour of animal rights, but when we speak about the embryo and IVF, you and I become something less than a pigeon?” Vincenti was referring to the recent pigeon culling which was to take place in Vittoriosa. The Local Council followed in the footsteps of other localities which were ‘infested’ by pigeons and took the decision to shoot the pigeons. The culling caused outrage, as it had when a similar exercise was going to take place in Sliema. Animal rights activists also voiced their concern and the government quickly reacted to convince the Local Council to cancel the cull.
The government’s will to interfere in the issue and save the pigeons was welcomed by many, but it seemed to frustrate pro-life campaigners such as Vincenti, who deemed it fit to compare it with the embryo freezing issue.
“All of a sudden we are a disposable commodity which could be considered becoming spare parts,” he adds in his ten-minute video.
He said he is convinced that the majority of the Maltese people value life in conception, and they are against the idea of creating excess embryos. “The last thing we want is to create excess embryos which always die when they are being thawed to be placed in the womb of the mother, basically abortion by a different name.”
Then he moves on to compare the embryo left in freezers issue with slaves. “It is history repeating itself. It happened with the slaves owned by plantation owners.” The comparison is then extended to the Second World War atrocities like AuschwitzBirkenau. “The people thrown into concentration camps were treated as non-persons. Are we going to repeat the same problem?”
“Why do we emotionally connect with a pigeon, but completely undermine our own dignity as human beings and shoot ourselves in the foot?”
The current law on embryo freezing and IVF prohibits embryo freezing except in instances where the fertilised eggs cannot be transferred because of exceptional circumstances.
“Good luck if you are a pigeon in Malta. It seems there are those willing to defend you. Can we hope that defence of human life receives the same enthusiasm? Can we be mature and progressive enough to realise that history repeats itself?”
He concludes by addressing the Members of Parliament. “If all the MPs from the three parties elected to Parliament declared they are pro-life, then they cannot use that power to say they have changed their mind.”
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 | Jun 23, 2017 | Bird Netting
A pigeon briefly disrupted a Wimbledon qualifying match Tuesday between Amandine Hesse and Miyu Kato. Hesse swatted at the invader with her racket and a ball boy chased after it, trying to scare it off the court. Unperturbed, the pigeon alighted briefly on the net, before heading to a tree next to the court.
Rufus, the hawk that patrols the Wimbledon skies and scares off pigeons and other winged annoyances, was not yet on duty.
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 | Jun 22, 2017 | Bird Netting
The pigeon, trained for long-distance flight, landed in the residential area abutting the historic fort after deviating from its scheduled flight path.
A local youth, known for his penchant for rearing pigeons, turned a saviour for a racing pigeon from a far-off place that made an unscheduled stop at Khammam two days ago.
The pigeon, trained for long-distance flight, landed in the residential area abutting the historic fort after deviating from its scheduled flight path on Tuesday evening.
On noticing the bird lying along a roadside shop in a feeble condition tagged with a red colour banded ring on its leg, the passer-by initially grew suspicious of the bird, mistaking it to be a trained avian sent on a “spying mission”.
A ‘paan’ shop owner alerted Mohammad Shafi, a bird lover of the residential locality surrounding the fort, about the bird.
Mr. Shafi examined the leg-ring of the bird and established its identity as a racing pigeon belonging to a Chennai-based racing pigeon club. He then took the bird to his house, gave it nutritious diet and kept it in a special enclosure.
Speaking to The Hindu, he said the bird might have lost its flight direction due to exhaustion. An identification code (NHPA15 2907) and a mobile number (9944495035) are printed on the banded ring fixed to the pigeon’s leg.
“I have called the mobile number and passed on the information,” Mr. Shafi said.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Jun 21, 2017 | Bird Netting
Hong Kong people were in a flap when they spotted a few pigeons in Victoria Park sporting suspicious looking red sticks on their tails, but an expert allayed their concerns, saying the attachments were simply whistles.
Pigeon racing expert Leung Kam-hung told Apple Daily that the suspicious looking red sticks objects were whistles, which helped alert owners that their birds had return home from a long distance flight. The whistles created a buzzing sound as the birds flew.
Leung said these pigeons might have been set free by their owners after the government began reducing the number of licenses allowing people to raise pigeons following the bird flu outbreaks that flare up in the city.
Officers from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said the whistles would be a burden to pigeons, and affect their mobility and flexibility.
SPCA officers made on-site observations, but failed to capture the pigeons with whistles for further examination. It said it would try to remove the whistles from the affected birds later.
Pigeon racing was once popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but its appeal has since declined due to the bird flu virus and controversies over illegal betting in the sport.
In 2013, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) from the United States found that around one million pigeons died in long distance races every year in Taiwan.
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)
