ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani pigeon fancier has taught his pet to fly alongside him while he rode a motorbike at 50mph.
The man was filmed travelling along a road at sunset while the pigeon fluttered alongside him. He released the bird after starting up his motorbike and it flew just behind him as he built up speed. After a few minutes, the pigeon was clearly straining to keep up, so the man pulled up by the roadside to give it rest.
Racing pigeons usually travel at speeds just under 40mph and are known for their ability to navigate home across long distances. A recent study found that pigeons increase their homing speed by around 7mph while travelling through polluted conditions. Scientists are not certain why this happens, but it may be because pigeons do not like the smell of fog. So they fly faster to get away from it.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
This photograph illustrates one important reason for maintaining and hopefully extending the population of our native wood pigeon or kereru.
About to be swallowed is a red plum about the size of a $2 coin. Most observers, when comparing the size of the plum with a pigeon’s quite narrow red bill can’t really imagine how the bird’s bill could open wide enough to allow the plum to be swallowed.
However, a few seconds after the photograph was taken the plum was gone.
The bill is hinged in such a way that quite large fruit can be swallowed whole with ease. Five more plums were eaten before this bird flew away to a nearby gum tree for a rest.
Now a number of our native trees such as miro, karaka and tawa have large fruit and the native pigeon is the main disperser of the seed of these trees.
Without the pigeon, conservationists predict that there would be minimal regeneration of these important native forest trees.
The trouble is that kereru is under threat.
Predators such as stoats, cats and opossums take both eggs and young pigeons and unfortunately they are still being poached by short-sighted humans who believe that a feed of pigeon is more important than the efforts to conserve this valued species.
Fast moving cars also injure and kill a number of low flying pigeons and it’s good to see “watch out for kereru” road signs appearing in many districts.
Four pigeons visited this particular plum tree and during about a week the red plums were gone, and so were the pigeons.
Where did they go to?
Just down the road was a yellow plum tree with slightly larger plums and the change of colour didn’t seem to bother the pigeons.
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.
PIGEONS have become the talk of Caldicot town centre with local councillors aiming to crack down on the public feeding them.
Councillors Jim Higginson and Frank Rowberry are calling for firmer backing from Monmouthshire County Council to control the pigeon population.
In recent years the local authority’s environmental health department have installed posters around the town centre dissuading people.
Head of public protection David Jones said: “Monmouthshire’s Environmental Health team has liaised with the town council and local shop owners to raise awareness of the difficulties caused by the increased number of pigeons in Caldicot’s shopping centre and give advice on appropriate measures to control the problem.
“Posters have been placed on local notice boards asking visitors and residents not to feed the pigeons.
“Our environmental health officers will approach any persons who are seen feeding the pigeons on a regular basis and will advise them of their responsibilities under littering laws.”
But Cllr Frank Rowberry believes that more permanent measures need to be taken to combat a “serious health and safety risk”.
“We’ve called for culls and a by-law to be put in place by the county council but we just keep getting knocked back.
“There were concerns about a hawk attacking pigeons in front of people.
He added: “We haven’t got a problem with them doing it in the wild, why shouldn’t we here?”
An image of members of the public feeding birds in the town centre posted on a Facebook page last week attracted more than 100 comments and interactions.
The post on the Caldicot Community Page has since been closed by the page’s administration.
According to Cllr Higginson, the council are aware members of the public continue to feed the birds.
The county council chairman has also claimed that he was threatened outside one of the village’s eateries when the attempted to stop someone from feeding the pigeons.
He said: “It’s a nuisance, especially to youngsters in particularly who frequent the town centre who can get scared by the birds flying quite close to them.
“At the end of the day, feeding these pigeons is littering and in my opinion it is completely indefensible.”
A spokeswoman for London & Cambridge Properties (LCP), the property developer who own the majority of buildings in the town centre, said: “We are aware of the issue with pigeons, and we will be working with the town council and local authority to address the problem going forward.”
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.
LAHORE – Police have launched investigations after some 150 racing pigeons were stolen from the rooftop of a roadside building located in Sundar police precincts.
Police said the stolen birds are estimated to be worth Rs 500,000. A criminal case (under section 457/380 of the Pakistan Penal Code) was registered with the Sundar police on complaint of the owner, Maqsood Ahmed. Investigators are probing into the incident with no arrest made yet.
The owner told the police that he had set up a pigeon box on the rooftop of a multi-storey building, Jaan Traders, on the Multan Road. Maqsood, who sells building material in the area, further said that unidentified thieves broke into his building late night on January 9. The thieves reached the rooftop, broke the lock of the pigeon box, and made off with more than 150 racing pigeons.
A police officer last night told The Nation that they were working on the case to recover the stolen pigeons and arrest the thieves.
DANCE PARTY RAIDED
City police yesterday raided a dance party in the Ghalib Market area and seven persons including three young women.
The arrests were made as police raided a guesthouse in the posh locality after midnight. A police official said the arrested men and women were heavily drunk. The police team also seized bottles of liquor from the guesthouse. The police registered a case against the accused and sent them to the lock up. Further investigations were underway.
AUTO LIFTERS ARRESTED
City police arrested three motorcycle lifters and seized seven stolen bikes from their possession. The suspects were named by police as Shan, Shafique, and Nadeem. A team of Sundar police conducted raids and arrested the suspects.
According to a police officer, they also seized cell phones and fire arms from their possession. The suspects were handed over to the investigation police for further interrogation.
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.
HOUSTON – Every day for the last 10 years, the owner of a gas station at the 59 Southwest Freeway at Weslayan puts out a bag of feed for birds on the sidewalk.
For lunch, breakfast and dinner, the birds eat for free outside the Chevron.
“I feel inner peace,” owner Ishwar Desai said.
He said he loves animals and especially birds.
“The birds (were here flying around) and they were looking for the food so I give them a little food,” Desai said. “It’s really interesting, so I started giving more.”
Not everyone feels Desai’s passion for the birds.
I asked David Smith, a man getting gas, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your feelings towards birds?
“A four, and that’s being pretty generous,” Smith said.
At $19 a bag, the bird feed isn’t cheap, but fortunately, Desai has some support. He said some of his regular customers offer him money to keep paying for the feed.
“I feel inner peace. If I give them the food and then I see them eat the food, I really like it,” Desai 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.
Overcast with a chance of rain, only -3 Celsius outside and this is how 2017 arrives in our area.
Rock pigeons are freely clustered around a slice of offered white bread just across the street from CBC as I walk by. Two European starlings; European, because they were introduced around the 1890s in New York’s Central Park, fly from an open window area in one of the downtown renovation projects.
No doubt they have a warm temporary niche in one of the buildings at night and are leaving some gifts on the floor.
I have to kill some time while waiting for an appointment so I walk by several regulars on the street and make my way into the downtown mall that use to be Sudbury’s sole mecca. Winter promises to be cold for bird watching and nothing beats a warm head like the colourful touques of wool made in Nepal.
I decide to visit one of the more unique stores in the mall and check out his fine collection of hats and mitts. Entering the portal, I break a beam of hidden light and off goes a Christmas tune to announce an arrival. A very friendly and sincere greeting awaits from a gentleman sitting low behind a counter.
The New Year is a start of meeting new people and having new experiences. I casually ask the owner if Christmas was good to him and with a friendly response he says, “It was.” We get into a brief conversation about Buddha, Christ and other religions and how life can be good or bad, but to face these challenges, we can always think about others and how they may have had to cope with their individual and group challenges.
Quiet a conversation while looking for a hat! We ended our chance meeting on a friendly note with the caveat that a positive outlook certainly helps the day go by.
As I leave the mall, the outside walkway and snow triggers some reminiscent thoughts about the time the mall was called Bonimart, and a time when Eaton’s was here.
A bird we took for granted lived along the eaves of the upper parking lot and would use the Virginia creeper that used to attach itself to the walls of the adjacent buildings. House sparrows were introduced at the turn of the past century like the European starlings. They made their way across much of the country over the years and had been established in Greater Sudbury, numbering in the hundreds downtown.
Sudbury’s annual Christmas bird count says it all. In 1981, there were 1,361 house sparrows counted. In 1991, there were 162 counted. Ten years later in 2001, there were none found, and have not been seen since during the count.
Their disappearance is a mystery, but habitat changes, insect availability and a possible disease are not ruled out. The species can still be found in other larger cities like Toronto.
It might be expressed as part of the yin and yang of wildlife. Some species do well, become established and last a long time in a given area, while other species come across an obstacle that alters their lifestyle. Sudbury is no different in offering these changes as time moves on.
As for the hat, orange and white seems good this year.
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.
Possibly the world’s first domesticated bird, the pigeon, and its association with mankind is recorded in more than five-thousand-year-old Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets and Egyptian hieroglyphs. The bird which over centuries has garnered a reputation for carrying messages, a symbol of peace that has also proved invaluable in wartime, has nowadays become Noakhali’s bird of hope. Across the district both established farmers and otherwise unemployed hobbyists are achieving success and economic self-reliance through raising pigeons.
Since he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Md Mohsin from Noakhali municipality’s Maijdee has been unemployed. “As I had no job, I started a pigeon farm with 50 pairs of birds. Already my flock has grown to 150 pairs,” he says. “After expenses I make a monthly profit of up to Tk 18,000.” Mohsin is looking for government or private sector assistance to help him expand.
Second year honours student Fazlur Rahman from Krishnarampur village in Sadar upazila began raising pigeons as a hobby, with ten pairs. “Already I have 125 breeding pairs at my pigeon farm,” he says.
Dedicated pigeon farmer Jamal Hossain Bishad, 38, from Sadar upazila meanwhile has established a larger operation on a floor in his rented house in Maijdee. “I have around 225 pigeon pairs. It’s a Tk. 2.5 lakh farm,” he says. “After costs like food and medicine for the birds and staff salaries I earn upwards of Tk. 30,000 per month, slightly less during winter.”
His colleague Dolon Kumar Nath, 42, houses his pigeon farm on the second floor of his own building which fronts Sadar upazila’s main road. “My farm is completely business oriented,” he says. “Currently I have 300 pairs of local and foreign pigeon varieties. I started the farm with Tk 3.5 lakh capital and now earn Tk 40,000 per month in profit.”
Several farmers expressed hopes that pigeon-rearing could prove to be a useful activity for the district’s drug-affected youths, to steer them clear of the menace.
Yet Noakhali’s pigeon industry faces a number of hurdles in operating with limited technical cooperation, no dedicated treatment facilities and no government financial assistance. While medicines for cattle, chickens and ducks are available in the market, for example, medicines designed specifically for pigeons aren’t. Pigeon farmers currently rely on medicines targeting other poultry to treat their flocks.
Nonetheless pigeon-rearing either as hobby or profession is growing in popularity. Recognising an opportunity, local youths are bringing different varieties of pigeons from the capital and Natore in particular, to be sold across Noakhali, Lakshmipur and Feni districts. Depending on the variety, a pigeon pair can sell for between Tk 3,000 and Tk 1.2 lakhs, according to farmers.
Indeed, inspired by the success of Noakhali’s professional pigeon farmers, many youths are simultaneously establishing their own flocks, on rooftops, in yards or even within their homes.
Noakhali’s District Livestock Officer Md Ziaur Rahman says there are at present 284 big and small pigeon farms in the district, housing an estimated 7,142 pairs of birds. “If the farmers visit our livestock office we do our best to provide them with advice,” he says, “though due to manpower shortages the service available to them isn’t always optimal.” Rahman says additional recruitment will be completed 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.
Incoming US President Donald Trump threw a cat among the European pigeons this week after he said that the EU was heading for breakup and that he didn’t care much if that were to happen.
In interviews with British and German newspapers, Trump said a whole lot more too. He described Britain’s decision to split from the EU as a “great” move, and that more countries would follow the Brexit; he called German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door immigration policy a “disaster”; and on the NATO military alliance, the new president said it was “obsolete”.
The following day, EU leaders were huffing and puffing with rage and exasperation that Trump should dare be so disrespectful.
“Trump’s NATO, EU comments spark fury, fear across Europe,” reported the Washington Times.
Germany’s Merkel and French President Francois Hollande told Trump to mind his own business. EU foreign policy chief Federica Morgherini claimed that European states followed their own independent course and did not need Washington anyway. Former French prime minister Manuel Valls, always prone to histrionics, even went as far as decrying Trump for “declaring war on Europe”.
The hilarious thing is that Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, and the EU leaders have been for months claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the one who is secretly plotting the breakup of the European bloc and the transatlantic alliance.
But after all this rabid scaremongering against Russia, it is an American president, Donald Trump, who is publicly declaring that the days are numbered for the transatlantic status quo.
Russia did indeed welcome Trump’s comments about NATO being “obsolete”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “NATO is truly a relic of the past… its entire structure is dedicated to the idea of confrontation; of course, it can hardly be called a modern structure that meets the ideas of stability, sustainable development and security.”
Moscow also said that it welcomed the opportunity to normalize relations with Washington as Trump has indicated. He has intimated that he is prepared to lift economic sanctions that Washington imposed on Russia since 2014 over the Ukraine conflict.
Despite their pretentious bluster, the truth is that European leaders of all political shades have been absolute lackeys to Washington for the past several decades. Not one European state has dared to stand up to American foreign policy misconduct.
In reaction to Trump’s latest broadsides, European leaders are piously claiming to be independent from Washington. Nothing could be further from the truth about the current and past crop of European politicians.
Germany’s deputy Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel hit back at Trump’s savaging of Merkel’s “disastrous” immigration policies. He said that the real cause of the refugee crisis in Europe was America’s military interventions in the Middle East and Central Asia. Well, yes, that is true. But if Sigmar Gabriel knew that was the real cause, then why hasn’t Germany – the most powerful EU member – stood up to Washington to oppose its relentless warmongering.
The fact is that the EU has gone along with each and every US-led war around the world over the past 25 years. Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya among others.
Look at Syria, for instance. The EU has imposed economic sanctions on that forsaken country, in line with Washington’s agenda for regime change, thus exacerbating the exodus of refugees. If the EU had some independent backbone, as it likes to pretend, then it should have firmly opposed the US-led covert intervention in Syria. But it didn’t. The EU is fully complicit.
The pernicious role of Britain has to be acknowledged here. No other member of the EU has been such an avid cheerleader for NATO and American atlanticist sway over European affairs. Britain has loyally followed the US into foreign wars, thereby dragging Europe into such follies. If Britain had not been a member of the EU, perhaps the bloc might have had more critical foreign policy, one that was more critical of Washington’s lawless depredations.
Ironically now, Britain is leaving the EU after 43 years of membership. But it bequeaths a legacy of subservience to Washington that all remaining EU members find themselves bound by.
Perhaps the clearest example of European servility to US foreign policy is its acquiescence to Russophobia and the hostile expansion of US-led military forces along Russia’s borders.
European governments have colluded with Washington to meddle in the affairs of Georgia and Ukraine and then seek to cover up the tracks of conflict by blaming Russia for the unrest. Moreover, the EU slavishly followed Washington’s lead to slap economic sanctions on Russia. Those sanctions have caused minimal disruption to America’s economy, but they have wreaked havoc on European farmers, workers and businesses.
The incumbent European governments are pathetic. Special mention must be given to French President Hollande, the most unpopular leader ever. To illustrate the puppet status, recall the Mistral helicopter-ship deal worth about $2 billion with Russia. Hollande axed the contract and hence hundreds of French jobs because the Americans instructed him to do so, allegedly to maintain a unified sanctions policy on Moscow.
Europe is facing several key national elections this year, in the Netherlands, France and Germany. As with other EU countries there is a popular revolt against the status quo. The mainstream media paint the opposition parties as extremist and racist. The media also claim that Russia is covertly subverting European democracies. This is just scapegoating. Closer to the truth is that ordinary EU citizens are fed up with governments that are in hock to a foreign power – Washington.
The atlanticist “alliance” has been nothing but a euphemism for Washington to dominate politically, financially and militarily over Europe. To the point where Europe has trashed its historic links and natural relations with Russia.
After decades of kowtowing to Washington, there is now a new US president who is snubbing the “loyal Europeans” and showing disregard for atlanticism.
Trump’s comment that he trusts Vladimir Putin equally with Angela Merkel is surely a sharp putdown to Europeans who have allowed his predecessors to dictate disastrous policies for the EU.
Under Trump, the US may well move to cancel its sanctions on Russia. What will European lackeys do then? Keep their own futile anti-Russian sanctions that are wrecking their economies, or sheepishly repeal the sanctions because the Americans have done so?
But by then it will be too late for the EU. The European Union is already teetering on implosion because for decades its leaders had no courage or vision to serve the interests of their citizens instead of Uncle Sam’s atlanticist designs.
Trump’s indifference towards European subservience and the NATO project is a potentially promising new direction to a more balanced international configuration, especially with regard to restoring relations with Russia.
It may not work out, of course. Trump has plenty of enemies at home among the Washington establishment who see atlanticist domination of Europe and antagonism towards Russia as a cornerstone of US global hegemonic ambitions.
Nevertheless, Trump’s skepticism towards the EU and NATO is setting the cat among the European pigeons. Because it is exposing them as impotent flunkies who have ruined their countries by prostrating themselves as pathetic dependents on American patronage.
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.
Last week the Japanese islands were attacked by a great cold wave blasting south from Siberia. Even in the Kanto area nighttime temperatures dropped below freezing, and some of the more shaded ponds are now covered by a thin layer of ice. In the sekki, a traditional Asian calendar system that divides the solar year into 24 equal segments based on changes in weather and the natural world, we are still in the Shokan or “Small Cold.” This Friday, however, will mark the start of the Daikan or “Big Cold”!
But there is no cause for concern. The Daikan will last only until the Risshun or “Start of Spring” on Feb. 4. In fact, the winter Doyo starts today. Doyo are 18 day periods preceding the official start of each of the four major seasons. They are considered to be unstable times when the weather and other factors can change rapidly without warning.
Japanese traditional almanacs advise extreme caution when starting new projects during one of the Doyo. For people thinking of getting into bird-watching, however, right now is actually a great time to begin. Birds are easier to spot when the trees are leafless. Also, with food in the forests depleted, birds are far more likely to spend time on open fields and lawns.
All that is needed to start birdwatching is a pair of binoculars. For beginners I recommend 8-power magnification. More powerful models suffer from blurring due to hand shake, and also afford a very narrow field of vision, making it hard to fix them on a small bird. Weight and size are always a trade-off with image quality. Models with large front lenses produce brighter images, but are bulkier and heavier.
All birds are excellent subjects for study, even the ubiquitous feral pigeons and native turtle doves, both of which are common in local parks and gardens. Feral pigeons, called dobato or kawarabato in Japanese, are all derived from a species known as the rock dove, native to Europe and the Mediterranean, which was domesticated at least 5000 years ago and perhaps even much earlier. The first pigeons were brought to Japan between 1500 and 1000 years ago.
Pigeons have a fine homing sense, and when taken away and released will fly straight back to their home loft. Throughout history humans have capitalized on this ability by using them to carry messages. Specially bred and trained pigeons also compete in races, and pure white strains are released ceremoniously at weddings, anniversaries and other auspicious occasions.
Feral pigeons come in a variety of colors and markings, but those close to the original wild rock dove have dark gray and green heads and chests, with lighter gray bodies. The wings are light gray, with two black stripes on the upper surface. The base of a pigeon’s top bill is covered by a patch of waxy skin, called a cere (romaku), that protects the nasal cavities. Most members of the Columbidae or Dove Family (hatoka) have ceres, as do parrots and parakeets, and many birds of prey.
The eastern turtle dove is about the same size as the domestic pigeon, but has a gray or pinkish-gray head, neck and chest, and the brownish wing feathers are tipped with a beautiful shade of rufous. For this reason this species was formerly known in English as the rufous turtle dove.
At this time of year the bill and cere are black or dark gray, but during the spring and summer breeding season the cere, as well as the bare skin surrounding the eye, turn purplish. At any time of year the kijibato’s best field mark is a patch of light gray and black lines clearly visible on the side of the neck.
To Japanese ears these doves’ soft cooing sounds like “De-deh-poh-poh.” Hato or bato are the generic Japanese terms for dove or pigeon. The turtle doves’ formal name is kijibato or “pheasant-dove,” but most local people call them yamabato or “mountain-dove.” The kijibato is native to Japan, and is considered to be the same subspecies as that found across central and eastern Asia. The birds in the Ryukyu Islands, however, are designated a separate subspecies.
Many birds have a crop (ebukuro), a part of the gastrointestinal tract where food is stored before being digested. In the pigeons and doves a semi-liquid substance, called crop milk or pigeon milk, sloughs off from the inner lining of the crop. Crop milk is very rich in both protein and fats, and is used to feed the squibs, as pigeon chicks are called.
Both males and females produce crop milk, which allows the Columbidae to raise their broods without depending heavily on insects and worms.
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.
Scottish Parliament bosses look set to carry on flying hawks at Holyrood to scare away pigeons despite saying the number has come down as much as it is ever likely to.
Birds of prey were brought in eight years ago as a deterrent after other measures such as bird wire, netting and anti-roosting spikes all failed.
A year ago, the parliament said the £16,000 a year contract was due to be reviewed and Holyrood bosses were considering ending it.
Monthly monitoring had shown there were between 11 and 18 pigeons regularly on the Holyrood campus and officials felt it may not be possible to reduce it any further.
But no review has yet taken place and now the parliament says the future of the contract with NBC Bird and Pest Solutions will only be looked at when the bigger high-level maintenance contract comes up for renewal in October 2017.
And despite the previous suggestion that the use of birds of prey would probably come to an end, parliament officials now say it is likely to continue.
But MSPs questioned why Holyrood should carry on paying out money if the hawks have now done their work.
The pigeon problem plagued the Holyrood building right from the start with its many nooks and crannies proving attractive perches.
Pigeon poo and feathers were blown through vents on to researchers’ desks and some birds even got into MSPs’ offices.
Monthly monitoring reports for the past year, released under freedom of information, no longer give average totals for the number of pigeons counted at the Holyrood campus but do highlight hotspots, particularly the MSP block.
Some of the politicians working there urged a review.
Lothian Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour said: “If the contract runs out this year, it is a good time to review the whole situation. Just to renew it automatically would be a mistake.
“It’s quite a lot of money and if we have reached the optimum number [of pigeons] and the situation cannot be made any better, it is not the best use of public money.
“I will write to the chief executive and seek clarification of the position and ask if we have now got as much as we can out of it.”
And Lothian Green MSP Alison Johnstone also urged a review.
She said: “It’s important we know how effective this spending is. We should not continue with a contract that costs £16,000 a year unless we are clear it is proving effective.
“The evidence base must be available and I would welcome site of it to help parliament come to a decision as to whether or not this ongoing expenditure should be continued.”
A parliament spokeswoman said there were no plans to end the NBC contract early.
She added: “Like many buildings in Edinburgh, a small number of pigeons visit regularly.
“We are aware the problem can never be fully eradicated and it is likely we will continue with the current approach.”
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.
Fire crews from Sunderland and North Moor were called at 3.31am to the fire at a cree within an allotment in Hollycarrside Road, in Sunderland. Eight fire fighters used three jets and one hose reel to extinguish the flames, but 100 pigeons perished in the blaze. The cree was also 100% destroyed. Crews left the scene at 5.30am and say the cause of the fire is unknown but they are treating it as suspicious.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
The threat to cyber security is a problem the world is facing right now, and it appears Donald Trump may have come up with a solution: courier deliveries.
The president-elect expressed his doubts about the security of online communications his administration is likely to use for everything from day-to-day planning to international relations, saying “no computer is safe” when it comes to keeping information private.
He told reporters during his annual New Year’s party that he believes in writing out important messages and having it delivered the old-fashioned way.
He said: “You want something to really go without detection, write it out and have it sent by courier.”
And of course, the internet had only one thing in mind: Make carrier pigeon great again!
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Chennai: Being a resident of Chennai, one knows very well about the thousands of pigeons that are being fed every day at the Marina beach.
It is a humane initiative by a Rajasthani family that shows its benevolence towards every living being on the planet. Standing there amid the thousands of birds is surreal. It is a photographer’s paradise and a magical experience for every child.
But you don’t have to trek all the way to Marina for this experience. On the small terrace on top of a serene apartment at Ramasamy Salai, K K Nagar, Ashok nagar, Chennai, K Harish Kumar feeds hundreds of wild pigeons every morning. The reason, he says, is that it simply makes him happy and the rest of his day is made.
Harish has been a resident of K K Nagar for the past 40 years. As a landscape consultant by profession, he is an admirer of nature and every living being on earth. His ideas, such as the ‘Birthday Trees’, wherein a person would plant a tree every birthday, was a way to help and care for nature.
While commuting to places, he always carries a packet of biscuits for his four-legged ‘friends’ on the streets. “There isn’t a street that is without dogs that come to play with me and expect the biscuits I have in the bike,” smiles Harish.
What started as a handful of wheat for a couple of pigeons, which sat on his balcony, has now became several kilograms of wheat for almost 500 pigeons every day. During his childhood days, Harish raised pigeons, which made him very fond of them.
Even though he is unable to create a loft and have homing pigeons on his own, he is more than happy just to feed feral pigeons (Columba livia) that come to his terrace. “It gives me peace when I see about 500 pigeons fly around the terrace and have their fill,” he reminisced.
He has been observing their flying pattern and behaviour even as he feeds them. On the day Cyclone Vardah hit Chennai, the pigeons cramped together in any crevice they could find. And when the rain and wind stopped for a while, the birds flew haphazardly, unlike the synchronised flying formation they indulge in on normal days. This, he says, is because of the tremendous stress the birds underwent during the storm.
Almost 10 kg of wheat is used on a single day. Harish, who gets the grains by spending from his own pocket, says that he has been buying around 300 kg of wheat every month. “Nothing goes waste. Every grain is polished off by the pigeons,” laughs Harish.
A pitcher of water is regularly filled several times in a day, which is actually a birdbath.
Along with his spouse, Harish hopes to never let any animal, bird or plant go without proper love and care. Any injured or sick animal is given asylum in his house and he takes care till they are cured.
He jests, “The only drawback of 500 pigeons eating 10 kg of wheat every day is the menace they are to the neighbour’s cars!”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Police do not actively pursue them despite complaints
A rash of racing pigeon thefts across the city have left many breeders high and dry. Having lost their expensive birds to theft, many say that police seldom pay attention to their ‘pigeon theft’ complaints.
For years now breeding of exotic birds has been lucrative business for professional breeders. However, of late, protecting these birds from thieves has become a difficult task.
Many instances over the last few weeks had shown that there was very little help from police in rescuing the birds, breeders said. According to them, police authorities have their hands full with law and order cases and seldom show any interest in recovering the stolen birds.
R.T. Venkatesh, a resident of Marai Malai Nagar, has been a bird enthusiast and a breeder for several years. Recently, he had been shocked to find over 20 of his pigeons — many of which were prized one — missing. He said that although the police took his complaint, he was unable to get much help from them as they had other ‘pressing’ matters to attend to.
R. Murugan, another pigeon breeder residing in Perungalathur, had a similar experience. Over 100 of his racing pigeons had been stolen and when he had approached the police, they had asked him for photos of his pigeons and also sought information about persons he had his suspicions on.
M. Karunanidhi, a retired Superintendent of Police, said such kind of thefts would be registered under cattle and poultry theft. But cases where the stolen birds were in large numbers, it is considered a serious crime.
He said even if the police were able to apprehend the thieves the victim’s task of proving that the robbed birds belonged to him/her is onerous.
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.
Bath’s Pigeon Man is back doing his act just 10 days after telling magistrates that even a prison sentence wouldn’t stop him feeding the birds.
Paul Charlton appeared at Bath Magistrates’ Court on December 19 having been convicted of three charges of failing to comply with a community protection notice ordering him to stop feeding pigeons.
Despite the court threatening him with a £2,500 fine, Charlton was back today (December 29) by the Pump Room in the centre of Bath, balancing pigeons on his arms, head and shoulders and offering members of the public a chance to pose for photos with his winged friends.
He told the Bath Chronicle: “This has been my job for the past four years. It is how I pay my rent and my bills. I make a living out of it.
“It’s my occupation whether people want to see it as an occupation or not.
“It makes people happy.”
The 42-year-old is fighting an attempt by Bath and North East Somerset Council to stop him performing.
At court for what was meant to be Charlton’s sentencing hearing on December 19, a barrister acting on behalf of B&NES Council argued the defendant’s act caused “quite a lot of inconvenience” to cafés in the centre of Bath.
Carrie-Ann Evans told the court: “Essentially the notice asked him [Charlton] to stop giving grain to members of the public to feed the pigeons and stop giving grain to the birds himself.
“This is causing quite a lot of inconvenience for neighbouring cafés who have birds flying onto their stock
“As a result quite a large amount of stock has to be thrown away.”
But today Charlton told the Bath Chronicle the city has a pigeon problem without him and that his act can be good for business.
“One of the cafes says it is good for business and the other says it is bad for business,” he said.
“If they leave food out on the tables, they are going to have a pigeon problem anyway.”
When Charlton appeared in court he told magistrates: “You can put me in prison for as long as you like but when I come out I will go back and feed the pigeons.
“I’m being treated like a criminal here and I haven’t done anything wrong.
“I have done what I have been asked to do by the Government.”
His case was adjourned until January 23 pending the preparation of a psychiatric report. Charlton was granted unconditional bail until then.
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.
Superb Story can add the totepool Hogmaneigh Handicap Hurdle (2.50) to his big Cheltenham Festival win at Musselburgh.
Young Skelton pulled off a fine training performance to bring him back from a lengthy lay-off to prevail in the ultra competitive County Hurdle at the big meeting, but suffered the reverse side of the coin when the gelding had to be pulled up in the Galway Hurdle in the summer.
Given plenty to of time again to recover from those exertions, Superb Story is back in great heart and connections have long targeted this valuable objective. He still looks well handicapped despite a big weight and he’s the type to continue to improve in readiness for a return trip to Prestbury Park in March.
Vyta Du Roc was not beaten that far in the Hennessy on his return to fences five weeks ago and he looks to have found a good opportunity in the Watch Live Racing On BetBright.com Handicap Chase (12.50) at Cheltenham.
Henderson opted to give the Welsh National and a return bout with Hennessy hero Native River a miss with the eight-year-old in favour of this less demanding test and the move should pay dividends. A smart novice last season, he is back in A1 nick at home.
Whisper is a difficult horse to read at times, but he seems on great terms with himself at the moment and should maintain his unbeaten record this season in the BetBright Dipper Novices Chase (1.25).
Henderson has had plenty of problems with this high-class staying hurdler over the past 12 months, and he was only hopeful he might prevail on his chasing bow at Exeter on this day 12 months ago. However, Whisper never fired at all. Once again, expectations were not that high on his return here last month, but that was only down to a lack of peak fitness.
Under a fine ride from Davy Russell, he jumped nicely and overcame the pre-race fears by galloping on strongly up the hill to notch his first win over larger obstacles. He took some useful scalps along the way and the Seven Barrows shrewdies are now looking for him to step up another level, especially after an accomplished schooling session under Noel Fehily on Mandown in Upper Lambourn on Friday morning.
Stablemate O O Seven will also go well but the Nicholls-trained Clan des Obeaux should be the toughest nut to crack.
Lough Derg Leader can emulate former stablemate Singlefarmpayment and win the Betbright Casino Handicap Hurdle (2.35) for Tom Lacey.
The six-year-old has made great strides north in the ratings so far this season and should be more than able to overcome a lumpy 11lb hike in his assessment for an impressive win at Doncaster last month.
The concluding EBF Stallions & Cheltenham Pony Club NH Flat Race looks a fascinating renewal, with some of the top trainers around represented, but perhaps Newmarket mayor John Berry will be able to strike a blow with White Valiant.
The son of Youmzain overcame odds of 80/1 to win on his racecourse bow at Huntingdon, scoring in great style under Daryl Jacob.
Jacob is required to ride Daphne Du Clos for Henderson and Potensis Bloodstock on Sunday but Davy Russell is an eyecatching booking for Berry, who looks to have a very useful tool to go to war with.
The very much in-form Fehily forsakes Cheltenham for the delights of Haldon Hill and Exeter, and he should kick the afternoon off on the right note with the highly-rated and impressive bumper winner Neon Hill in the opening Passage House Inn Topsham ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle (12.40).
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.
It was one of those trees that one sees and still does not see, hiding in plain sight. I had walked near it many times and often glanced at it when scanning the landscape, but never actually looked at it. Perhaps its size was the reason. It was small for a banyan, barely two stories tall, standing behind a shack at the corner of a village crossroad near a cluster of tea shops. On one side were small patches for growing vegetables, followed by a bamboo grove. On the other side, a rapid descent into a rectangular plot where the earth had been dug out neatly. Underneath the banyan grew smaller trees, weeds and tall grass. Tucked away at a neglected corner of the road to nowhere in particular, the banyan never gave me reason for a second look.
I would have continued ignoring it were it not for a village boy. One day, when I was searching for birds in the village, he appeared at my side. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“Looking for birds,” I replied.
“Did you check out that bot tree? It gets many birds.”
“That one?” I pointed. He nodded.
I looked at the tree carefully now, top to bottom, side to side. Nothing was moving in the thick round crown of deep green.
“But it is empty,” I said.
“You just have to visit it at the right time of the day, and look carefully.”
“What is the right time then?”
“Oh, I don’t know… mornings, but afternoons also, and some days at noon…” he said unhelpfully, “but, you can see lots of pigeons in that tree – green pigeons.”
After that conversation I was more attentive to the banyan. One afternoon, I was in the neighbourhood, looking for a coucal – a dark-red bird that looks like a cross between a chicken and a crow – that had ran into a roadside bush. Unexpectedly, I heard the loud flutter of wings and looked up to see a flock of green pigeons descending on the banyan.
I was thrilled. I had been trying to photograph these yellow-footed green pigeons (horials) for a long time. Here they were, playing in the tree, swaying and jumping from branch to branch, gobbling up the banyan fruit. Their meal lasted for a few minutes and they took off, all together, in search of the next fruity tree.
Spending more time at the banyan since that day, I discovered that its fruits attract coppersmith barbets, doves, bulbuls and many other birds in addition to the horials.
One afternoon, while waiting for the horials, I saw something move in the bushes underneath the tree. It was a brown shrike, here for the winter from colder places, hunting for insects. And while I was watching it, a cuckooshrike landed on a plant right in front of me. It hopped around looking for its own insects. Then a drongo appeared – it was probably hunting in the fields – and buzzed the cuckooshrike repeatedly, trying to drive it away. But the cuckooshrike persisted, jumping from branch to leaf to grass, and kept hunting.
And so life played out its ever mysterious moves in and around the banyan. If there is a banyan near you, this winter might be a good time for a closer look.
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.
In the waning hours of 2016, Donald Trump issued a statement that sensitive and classified information should not be transmitted using computers. To back up his claim, he cited the expertise of his ten-year old son.
“It’s very important, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old-fashioned way because I’ll tell you what, no computer is safe. I don’t care what they say, no computer is safe. I have a boy who’s 10 years old. He can do anything with a computer. You want something to really go without detection, write it out and have it sent by courier.”
As Trump is due to be sworn in as the next President of the United States in January of 2017, it is important that scientists look toward a way of implementing his preferred standard.
Thankfully, the Internet Engineering Task Force, the organization that sets the standards for the Internet has already released such a protocol, and they did it back in 1990.
RFC 1149, or A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers, was the first draft of a protocol that addressed the reliability and speed of carrying data traffic via avian carriers, or homing pigeons. The protocol demonstrates that high delay, low throughput, and low altitude service can be accomplished with a point to point topology. Even though there is individual low throughput with individual carriers, multiple carriers can be used because they operate in a three-dimensional space, as opposed to the one-dimensional space used by current internet standards.
Other benefits of RFC 1149 are that the packet carriers are self-regenerating (albeit at a very slow rate), and that they self-generate auditing trails, usually found on logs, cars, and the occasional unfortunate person underwing. Unfortunately, transmissions made via RFC 1149 are subject to dropped packets, and the transmissions are extremely vulnerable to storms. When used in tactical environments, the packets should also be encrypted to avoid data interception.
Because nothing in the world of communication is ever static, the RFC was revisited and a new experimental protocol was issued. RFC 2549, or IP over Avian Carriers with Quality of Service, was issued in 1999 and served to amend RFC 1149.
RFC 2549 introduces new service levels for Internet Protocol over Avian Carrier (IPoAC). The levels in decreasing order of speed and reliability are Concorde, First, Business, and Coach. Using this network allows the user to also gain frequent flyer miles as well as bonus miles if Concorde or First classes are chosen. An alternate carrier that has a greater bulk capacity was also introduced, but ostrich delivery is slower and requires bridges between domains.
The protocol stresses the advantages of IPoAC, as they will avoid standard tunneling or bridging, enabling them to avoid long queues. However, when they deal with web traffic, spiders are often absorbed into the packet carrier and ejected in a more compact form. If data encapsulation is required or requested, standard saran wrap can be used. Alternately, encapsulation of the data carrier in a hawk has been known to occur, but the data is often mangled and irretrievable.
The protocol has been tried in numerous real world applications. The first test occurred in 2001, when the Bergen Linux user group tested out the Carrier Pigeon Internet Protocol (CPIP) over a three-mile test distance. There were 9 packets transmitted but only 4 packets received, resulting in a 55 percent packet loss. The ping was an atrocious 5222806.6 ms, however.
Another test occurred in 2009, when CPIP was used with a data carrier named “Winston” raced against a Telkom SA ASDL line. The test was to send 4 GB of data over 60 km. The CPIP beat the ADSL transfer handily, completing transmission in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 57 seconds. The ASDL line had only completed 4 percent of the required data transmission at that point.
While some may lambast President-elect Donald Trump for not being computer savvy, his awareness of this little-used Internet Protocol actually shows great awareness of the evolving conditions of technology. Here’s hoping that President Trump is able to find a way to fund RFC 1149 and 2549 so that American state secrets can remain even more secure in the future.
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.
Children or tourists feeding pigeons in Istanbul’s famous Eminönü district is an iconic scene of the city. On weekends, there is another place where pigeon fanciers from across the city come to see or buy pigeons at a bazaar in the city’s Edirnekapı quarter, which is sure to amaze expats
Many of the less fortunate tourists in our fairy city of Istanbul miss the more interesting things, perhaps, because they are not in the right place and the right time. Sultanahmet features various transport links, including a tramway and a big bus route, and is only a fifteen minute walk from a train station and a dock — it also has fairly good publicity. A vast visitor’s infrastructure draws in the tourists and keeps them there with ice cream, Turkish tea, hookah and köfte (meatballs).
If you wind your way to the outskirts of the old city, the limits of historic Istanbul, you will find a less-trafficked but no less impressive site: the Theodosian Walls. The Byzantine emperor Theodosius rebuilt his city’s fortifications — as even the oldest things in city had to be rebuilt — in 447 after they collapsed in an earthquake.
Currently, the walls are used by nearby cafe owners the same way they use canopies or heat lamps. Along their entire 7-kilometer length, only a few displays and signs are present to orient visitors. No ice cream, no hookah and no Turkish köfte can be seen, but only a few cafes — and of course you can find Turkish tea. The old city walls are an under-visited (and let us not forget, entirely free) area, where you can spend an entire Saturday afternoon. Next to them, the street markets of Balat and Fener offer a different atmosphere to the jaded stroller of the Istanbul neighborhoods.
One of my very favorite day trips is to go to a section of the venerable standing stones and clamber all over them or explore the neighborhoods lying in their shadow. My university friend Zoey was in town and I was determined to show her a slice of the city often missed by big-ticket tours. We selected Edirnekapı because a few weekends ago my friends Orkun, Harriet and I had explored the other half of the walls all the way down to Yedikule.
Unknown to us, Yedikule was closed, so though we were able to walk through the cemetery near the Kazlıçeşme metro stop to get to the seven towers, we found the iron door bolt shut. We peered in through the gaps and saw a courtyard littered with gravel and a few upside down “Giriş” (Enter) signs. We walked around to the opposite side where a Roma neighborhood had been erected against the walls. Then, an old man emerged with a long branch. He hunched at the end of the road and encouraged us to leave. We walked across a bridge and found the Yedikule Dog Park, where the city takes care of dogs, providing shelter and vaccinations.
So, we decided to go to Edirnekapı. I used to work out at a music school near the Chora Church, and so we formed a loose plan to wander on top of the walls, pop by the church, and round off the day with a stroll through Balat and Fener. We hopped off the metrobus at Edirnekapı, where an enormous cemetery surrounds the highway.
Why are there always cemeteries in between the bus stop and the walls? Commuters streamed through the sacred grounds. We had to scramble across a highway to get to Edirne gate, but finally we emerged. It is strange, as an American, to see this ancient stone structure incorporated into the trappings of daily life, side by side with cafes and small houses, with stacks of firewood and construction materials leaning against it.
We began our walk alongside the Theodosian Walls. I was disappointed to discover that they had fenced off the stairs to the top. Several years ago I was able to climb to the top and get a panorama view of the city. This is, however, probably better in terms of historical preservation. We walked down the street, keeping the tall yellow stone on our left. We got to a soccer field where a few old men were hanging around selling songbirds. They asked me if I wanted to go in.
“Where?” I asked.
“To the bazaar,” they said. “It’s 3 liras.”
I paid for three tickets for all of us. Inside was a hundred men, only men, wandering between rows of brown cages on stilts. Everywhere, pigeons. Pigeons on strings, pigeons preening, pigeons stretching, pigeons scrambling for seeds, pigeons with squat fluffy feet, pigeons with lascivious pink beaks, pigeons with floofy necks, pigeons with different splotches of color on the tips of their wings, pigeons that looked like dwarfs, pigeons that looked like giants. I had no idea there were so many varieties of pigeon in the world.
One man with a thorny white beard thrust a pigeon at us. “This is a Baghdadi pigeon,” he said. I’d forgotten the word for pigeon in Turkish, which is “güvercin” and it snapped me out of my reverie.
“What do you use them for? Do you eat them” I asked. No, no, he shook his head. But he also didn’t answer the question. We stopped in front of a row of cages staffed by a fat kid. “It has to be really expensive right,” Zoey asked. “Right?” I asked how much it would be for one of the boy’s slender white pigeons with the purple neck.
“Ten lira,” he said, every inch a businessman. We all looked at each other, and I forked over 10 lira. He forked over a pigeon. What do we do with it? The old man next to the fat boy found it immensely funny that three foreigners, two of them women, had bought one of his pigeons. I found it immensely funny as well, but also immensely weird.
We left the cage of the bazaar in the soccer field. We named the pigeon Geronimo. What were we going to do with it? My friend, Harriet observed that the pigeon’s wings hadn’t been clipped, so we decided to find a good spot and set it free. We walked through a bunch of local streets where kids in dirty clothes played soccer in the street and pink shirts had been hung out to dry in every window. Geronimo seemed sedate, very zen about the whole experience of being clutched.
We let Geronimo go near a mosque and he flew to the top of the minaret. All of us tried to process the experience. I still have no idea why dozens of men breed pigeons (They probably have a serious devotion to them) and sell them on Sundays near the Edirnekapı exit of the city walls. But I can tell you often, tourists miss the more interesting things.
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.
Scottish Parliament hawks to remain to control pigeons Hawks at the Scottish parliament. Picture: PHIL WILKINSON 10:11Monday 02 January 2017 1 HAVE YOUR SAY SCOTTISH Parliament bosses look set to carry on flying hawks and falcons at Holyrood to scare away pigeons – even though they accept the number has come down as much as it is ever likely to. Birds of prey were brought in eight years ago as a deterrent after other measures such as bird wire, netting and anti-roosting spikes all failed. A year ago, the parliament said the £16,000 a year contract was due to be reviewed and the Evening News revealed Holyrood bosses were considering ending it. Monthly monitoring had shown there were between 11 and 18 pigeons regularly on the Holyrood campus and officials felt it may not be possible to reduce it any further. But no review has yet taken place and now the parliament says the future of the contract with NBC Bird and Pest Solutions will only be looked at when the bigger high-level maintenance contract, of which it is a part, comes up for renewal in October 2017. And despite the previous suggestion that the use of birds of prey would probably come to an end, parliament officials now say it is likely to continue. But MSPs questioned why Holyrood should carry on paying out money if the hawks have now done their work. The pigeon problem plagued the Holyrood building right from the start with its many nooks and crannies proving attractive perches. Muck and feathers were blown through vents on to researchers’ desks and some birds even got into MSPs’ offices. Monthly monitoring reports for the past year, released under freedom of information, no longer give average totals for the number of pigeons counted at the Holyrood campus but do highlight hotspots, particularly the MSP block. Some of the politicians working there urged a review. Lothian Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour said: “If the contract runs out this year, it is a good time to review the whole situation. Just to renew it automatically would be a mistake. “It’s quite a lot of money and if we have reached the optimum number [of pigeons] and the situation cannot be made any better, it is not the best use of public money. I will write to the chief executive and seek clarification of the position and ask if we have now got as much as we can out of it.” And Lothian Green MSP Alison Johnstone also urged a review. She said: “It’s important we know how effective this spending is. We should not continue with a contract that costs £16,000 a year unless we are clear it is proving effective. “The evidence base must be available and I would welcome site of it to help parliament come to a decision as to whether or not this ongoing expenditure should be continued.” A parliament spokeswoman said there were no plans to end the NBC contract early. She added: “Like many buildings in Edinburgh, a small number of pigeons visit regularly. We are aware the problem can never be fully eradicated and it is likely we will continue with the current approach.”
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.
