IS IT TRUE that tempers flared in George Street on Wednesday and Cabinet on Thursday over Minister of Commerce Donville Inniss’ call for somebody to be held responsible for the environmental issues currently affecting several businesses on the South Coast?
Is it true that some ministers expressed frustration with the manner in which Inniss continually speaks out on issues in a manner that could be interpreted as him distancing himself from them?
Can someone break the silence that characterises the Government’s handling of most issues and state if it is true or not that many in Cabinet are concerned that by his statements Inniss is seeking to promote his leadership credentials over and above Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and Richard Sealy?
Can someone in the Democratic Labour Party’s hierarchy confirm or deny that there is a general consensus in the party and Cabinet that Inniss’ statements tend to hurt the image of both as effective institutions and moves have been quietly discussed on what can be done to muzzle him?
From what Cou Cou has been told, media-savvy minister Stephen Lashley has been tipped to take over responsibility for information and to be the primary spokesperson on all matters for every ministry to ensure the Government’s response to anything going forward is handled in a timely, efficient, professional manner.
Cou Cou awaits word on each of these with bated breath.
Holding noses over Boyce
A POLITICAL STINK is brewing on the South Coast even worse than the overflowing sewage seeping through the manholes and on to the road.
It involves the support businesses and residents will give to incumbent Christ Church South representative John Boyce when the time comes after he was a no-show at a town hall meeting to discuss the impact the sewage problem was having on them.
Cou Cou was told some business people and residents at the meeting were overheard saying among themselves that if Boyce could not be there to hear them in their time of need, then he better think again about coming to ask for their support in the forthcoming general election.
We are not sure what they meant by “their support”, so we can’t say if they were talking political or financial support. What we can say for sure is that the minister seems to be in “doo doo” over his non-attendance.
A container of worms
AN EMBARRASSING incident over the repossession of a newly renovated container is causing a bumpy ride in a certain ministry.
According to usually reliable sources, the rented container was renovated for $60 000 to house an outpost of a Government department. It had all the creature comforts – a roof, air conditioning and electrical fittings – and only needed tenants to move in.
But it appears someone in the ministry dropped the ball. Or there was no money to pay for the lease.
Whichever is the case, the fact is that the office which is supposed to house Government employees whose job it is to help the public prepare for a major exercise in the coming months now sits closed up, the new roof off and no one knows if it will be removed from the site or not.
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 has told magistrates they can send him to PRISON but it won’t stop him from feeding the birds.
Paul Charlton got his nickname thanks to his act, in which he balances pigeons on his arms, shoulders and head and giving members of the public grain to feed them in exchange for loose coins.
But the 42-year-old is fighting an attempt by Bath and North East Somerset Council to stop him performing which could see him fined up to £2,500.
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.
Dressed in a dark suit with shirt, tie and waistcoat, 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.”
In response, lead magistrate Roger Witt said: “No, you have done something that you have been asked not to do by the local authority.”
Last year, Charlton was issued with a community protection notice by B&NES Council ordering him to stop feeding the pigeons.
But on May 9, May 10 and September 23 he was seen by council officers to be carrying on his act.
Charlton denied three counts of breaching the notice against him but was convicted in his absence on November 21.
At court for Charlton’s sentencing 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.
“Mr Charlton was observed doing exactly what he was told not to do by the terms of the community protection notice.
“When spoken to by council officers he was quite clear in his admissions that he continued to feed the pigeons despite the terms of the notice against him.”
In response, Charlton claimed a “senior psychiatrist” had told him to continue feeding the birds.
Remonstrating with the clerk of the court, he told her: “I’m bored of you.”
Charlton, of no fixed abode, faces a £2,500 fine for the three offences.
B&NES Council has also asked for £450 costs.
The 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.
Power outages, however long they may be, slippery walking conditions, snow-covered ground and very cold temperatures all let us know we are in a Maine winter. These conditions rule our lives and the lives of all creatures in the natural world for awhile, but as we all know, life goes on, and we adapt the best we can. Some humans and some other forms of wildlife revel in the snow and ice.
Getting food is very important for all creatures in order to survive. Feathered residents and visitors to the islands keep feeders especially busy in December. Redpolls arrive and stay through the first part of April. They come with the snowflakes and leave when spring approaches. These birds are about the size of chipping sparrows, are darkly streaked, grayish brown and have white wing bars. The breast and rump are pink, and the adult has a red cap and a black chin. You’ll notice them when they arrive. These colorful wanderers drift into the Northeast every winter in considerable numbers and are lovely to see. From a distance, you could easily mistake them for goldfinches until they get close enough for you to see the pink breast and red cap of the male redpoll. Redpolls often flock with goldfinches and pine siskins.
In the winter, they spend the short days searching for food and eating. At darkness, they retire to a thicket of evergreens to sleep. Their food consists mostly of the seeds of birches, alders and grasses. At your feeder, offer them sunflower seeds, millet, hemp, hayseed and rolled oats.
If you notice a new or different bird at your feeder, make note of the kind of bill the bird has. Grosbeaks, for instance, have thick, large bills rounded in outline. Finches, sparrows and buntings have bills much like that of a canary. A crossbill‘s bill is like none other, with its unusual crossed mandibles. Noting these facts makes identification so much easier.
Also note how the bird searched for food. Did it look for insects and grubs beneath the bark? Such birds usually have tweezer-like bills in order to grab tiny pieces of food. Owls and hawks have hooked bills for ripping apart their food. Birds flying through the air catching insects have big mouths and small bills. Noting these different characteristics will help you identify a new bird very well. It’s also good to snap a photo if you can. Even a poor photo is helpful sometimes.
Wherever I have traveled in the world, I’ve been able to figure out a new bird or at least the type of bird I was seeing for the first time by these methods. A memorable moment for me in Greece happened when I saw a nuthatch around the walls of some ancient temple. The bird was going in and out of a nest. There was no doubt that it was some sort of nuthatch, a new one on my “life list.” In South America, an oriole-type bird attracted my attention, and I was able to key it down using these helpful hints. Kingfishers, of course, are easy. Wherever you are in the world, if you see a small or large kingfisher, you know to which family it belongs even if you don’t recognize that particular kingfisher. Here on Mount Desert Island, we only see the belted kingfisher. Tropical kingfishers may be very large or small and different colors, but their shapes and habits loudly say, “I am a kingfisher.”
Where you see the new bird should be noted as well, and note what it was doing. Be a good detective and gather lots of clues to help with identification. I’m always glad to help if I can.
Mallards display their courtship antics in November and December, so watch them if you get a chance. When their favorite ponds freeze, you’ll find them in local harbors. You can even do your bird watching from the comfort of your car if you have good binoculars with you. The courtship ritual is often done after they have fed well. It’s fascinating to watch and sometimes very funny.
One chilly day, I passed several mourning doves drinking and bathing in some melted waters next to the road. In spite of the snow and cold temperatures, the birds were splashing and preening. There’s nothing like a good bath. During our winter, mourning doves gather in large flocks and roost together. If the winter snows are not too crusty, they will winter well, for they feed on grass and weed seeds and any berries they can find. In periods of freezing snow and when an icy covering encases seeds and everything else out of doors, they have great difficulty in finding food, except at a feeder. Their feet are not strong enough to scratch through crusted snow. Some mourning doves do migrate, but others stay here all year.
In the air, mourning doves are quite special to watch, for they bend their wings back after each wing stroke, and their long, pointed tails stream elegantly behind them. If you are close enough to hear them take off, their wings make a whistling sound you can hear easily. The call of the mourning dove is a plaintive “coo-coo coo coo” rising and falling in pitch and repeated many times. You probably won’t hear them call until spring. It is then they pair off and do their cooing.
You commonly see larger doves or pigeons at local docks. Actually, these larger doves are not native to America but were brought by the European settlers. They have adapted well. The tall buildings of a city are similar to the cliffs on which they prefer to live. If you live near a dock or the water where they hang about, you may have them coming to your feeder in large numbers. My suggestion to this situation, if you don’t want them coming, is to stop feeding for a week or so in hopes of discouraging them so they will go find food elsewhere.
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.
Chickens and pigeons have been kicked to death by thugs in an “absolutely horrific” spate of attacks.
And in one particularly cruel act, a 15-year-old goose was killed after the culprits seemingly stamped it to death – before they buried its head in mud.
Police say allotment holders – including pensioners – have been left “heartbroken” after discovering the shocking acts of violence against the animals.
It appears the livestock were kicked and even stamped on, while others were seemingly let out to escape at the council allotments in Hartlepool.
Cleveland Police say the allotments, between Elmwood Road, Thornhill Gardens and Wiltshire Way, were targeted between Sunday and Monday.
A 69-year-old man was left distraught when between 1pm on Sunday and 9am on Monday someone got into a shed and opened a chicken coup.
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.
Five-year-old Jannatul Maida was having the day of her life to see so many colourful exotic birds up close under one roof.
The exuberant young girl was seen enjoying herself and moving from one stall to another with her father at the fancy birds and pigeons exhibition in the city yesterday, held at Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU).
The exhibition was jointly organised by Chittagong Bird Breeders’ Association, Chittagong Fancy Pigeon Breeders’ Association and Association of Avian Veterinarians, Bangladesh. Workshops and training for pet bird owners were also organised during the event.
Sakhawat Hossain, father of nursery student Jannat, said, “My daughter loves birds very much. I brought her to this exhibition since it’s a great opportunity for seeing varieties of fancy birds and pigeons in one place.”
Emon Chowdhury, a student of Premier University, and his two friends were among the hundreds of bird lovers who thronged the day-long exposition with their family and friends.
“We didn’t want to miss this chance of seeing so many beautiful birds at the same time,” Emon said in between taking photographs and selfies with his friends and the colourful birds.
Shamsul Arefin, deputy commissioner of Chittagong, told reporters at the exhibition, “Never before have I seen such a large number of birds at one place.”
Chief patron of the exhibition, CVASU Vice-Chancellor Prof Goutam Buddha Das, said, breeding of pet birds needs to be encouraged to save wild birds and such breeding of birds could “generate income as well”.
Near about 50 species of 150 fancy foreign birds and 100 species of around 200 pigeons were on display as well as on sale during the event, said Dr Saddam Hossain, executive secretary of Association of Avian Veterinarians, Bangladesh.
Budgerigar, Cockatiel, Lorikeet, Goldfinch, Eastern Rosella, Western rosella, Sun Conure, Blue Crowned Conure, Love Bird, Long-tailed Finch and White Finch were a few to name among the fancy birds displayed at the show.
A few noteworthy varieties of pigeons were Jacobin, American Fantail, Bokhara, Potter and Shakar.
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.
PLANS to remove two trees by the water tower in Tower Close, Emmer Green, have been postponed as one of them has been found to have a pigeon nest with eggs in.
Thames Water said the work would not take place until the nest is empty, which was not expected to be before mid-December at the earliest.
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.
Unsure of how to control a tourist boom that has prompted street protests, Barcelona has at least come up with a way to stop an invasion of the feathered variety: by putting pigeons on the pill.
Experts estimate there are 85,000 pigeons in the city and they blame the birds for spreading illnesses and covering people in excrement.
Now authorities plan to introduce the contraceptive nicarbazine, which does not harm the birds’ health, in 40 feeding tanks. It is hoped the population will fall by 20 per cent in the first year and 70 per cent within four years.
Ada Colau, the left-wing Mayor of Barcelona, has opted for an “ethical” solution. In the past, council workers captured pigeons in nets and killed them using carbon dioxide.
A more difficult problem comes in the form of tourists, nine million of whom visited Barcelona last year. Residents have taken to the streets to protest against the numbers, fearing that the city will be overwhelmed. The council has fined accommodation rental websites Airbnb and HomeAway €600,000 ($850,000) each for advertising flats without tourist permits.
Meanwhile, Ms Colau has been criticised by tourism companies for a plan to cut the number of hotels in the CBD.
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.
Unsure of how to control a tourist boom that has prompted street protests, Barcelona has at least come up with a way to stop an invasion of the feathered variety: by putting pigeons on the Pill.
Experts estimate that there are 85,000 pigeons in the city and they blame the birds for spreading illnesses and covering people in excrement.
Now authorities plan to introduce the contraceptive nicarbazine, which does not harm the birds’ health, in 40 feeding tanks. It is hoped that the population will fall by 20 per cent in the first year and 70 per cent within four years.
Ada Colau, the left-wing mayoress of Barcelona, has opted for an “ethical” solution. In the past council workers captured pigeons in nets and killed…
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
A flock of doves at Bristol Zoo have taken on the challenge of becoming foster parents – and raised a group of endangered Mauiritius pink pigeons.
Different pairs of Barbary doves took on the job of hatching the rare pigeons after their own mum proved unreliable at incubating the eggs.
The female pink pigeon had recently arrived to the zoo’s sister attraction, Wild Place Project, in the hope she would pass on her valuable genes.
After hatching, the doves fed the pink pigeon chicks as if they were their own, despite them growing to be larger and a different colour to themselves.
In a further twist, the fifth youngster was raised by another threatened species – a pair of Mindanao bleeding heart doves, which originate from the Philippines.
Wild Place manager Will Walker said: “Like all pigeons, it’s not unusual for some pink pigeons to be distracted from their parental duties.
“However, each egg is incredibly precious and, crucially, each chick represents valuable genetic diversity for the species.”
The island of Mauritius is located around 2,000km off the southeast coast of Africa, and was notably the home of another rare bird, the now extinct dodo.
In the early 1990s, the pink pigeon population had declined to fewer than 20 birds remaining in the Mauritian forests.
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.
TREVOR WEEKS: Injured pigeon was found to have been shot WRAS Rescuer Iain with the rescue Canada goose at Piltdown Pond SUS-161123-101421001 07:00Sunday 27 November 2016 0 HAVE YOUR SAY We were horrified on Monday when we received a call to a grounded pigeon in Hailsham High Street. Barely able to muster the strength to stand let alone get away, the pigeon was picked up and immediately it was clear he had a horrific wound under his wing. He was rushed to the casualty centre where Kathy, Katie and I examined him and immediately suspected he had been shot due to the compacted feathers pushed into the wound. Sure enough as the plug of feathers was pulled out so was a large 8mm ball bearing, along with more damaged tissue and feather behind it. The pigeon was in good condition and good age before this happened, so it is very upsetting indeed to see him suffering in this way. Shooting animals or birds and leaving them sick and injured to die a long, lingering death is just plain cruelty and illegal. Due to how recent his injury was Sussex Police was informed. This is one of a number of shot birds we have had in from Hailsham. If anyone has any information on who is doing this please contact the police or us privately. If anyone witnessed the incident please contact Sussex Police by dialing 101 and quoting ref 0904 of 21st November 2016. Another upsetting case was a juvenile gull rescued at Norman’s Bay. The poor bird has a huge fishing hook through the soft tissue at the corner of mouth. After working on the bird at our casualty centre the hook was safely removed. We have had a beautiful grebe admitted from West Rise Junior School in Eastbourne on Tuesday. He is being taken straight to the Swan Sanctuary by rescuer Tony for specialist care. We are very low on newspapers and desperately need our supplies topping up! Any size newspapers but try to avoid the magazines that come with them if you can. If you have any, please bring them to our Casualty Centre, The Shaw Barn, A22, Whitesmith, BN8 6JD. We have two donation bins outside our reception at Unit 2. Rescuers have been all over East Sussex this week, from Hastings to Burgess Hill and everywhere in between. Rescuers Andrew and Charlotte dealt with a baby hedgehog out during the day, they have been to a crashed goose, looked for an injured swan in Eastbourne and released a sparrowhawk back to the wild. Kathy and I had our Sunday lunch interrupted after a poorly pigeon was found in Uckfield High Street. We rushed down which is thought to have had a collision either with a vehicle or window. We gave emergency first aid before the pigeon was brought back to the Casualty Centre to be further assessed. Chris Tucker at Bexhill Wildlife Rescue dealt with a window strike owl for us in Sedlescombe. Luckily the owl was only stunned and flew off before capture. Rescuers also dealt with a cygnet crash landed in Linfield Road Eastbourne, a hedgehog and a partridge in Ringmer and a dove in Newhaven. At one point we had all our ambulances out on the road plus volunteer in their own vehicles all at the same time! I was called out Saturday morning to deal with a collapsed fox in Uckfield’s Victoria Park Pleasure Ground. My first visit was unsuccessful in finding the fox. The finder was waiting for us but luckily local councillor Ian Smith spotted the fox and rang us for help and met us at the car park to show us direct to the casualty. The fox was in a very serious condition and was rushed to Henley House Vets where they were able to stop the fox from suffering further. Tony meanwhile rushed to Old Heathfield after a woodpigeon smashed through a window. Surprisingly the bird had no severe injuries apart from a graze to the head. The window definitely came off the worst! Katie was also busy with a hedgehog being delivered to the centre after being found early in the morning. Luckily nothing wrong other than just being way too small for hibernation. Rescuers Kathy, Iain and I visited Piltdown Pond to check on a Canadian goose with a damaged leg. Kathy was able to encourage the goose away from the water’s edge where she was able to quickly catch the goose before Iain and I had finished screwing net heads on our rescue polls. A huge thank you to everyone who donated towards our thermal imaging cameras. After reports of a hoglet running around Eastbourne sports park, centre manager Chris Riddington thought he would just take a look on his way home. Using the new thermal imaging cameras he managed to spot the hoglet running through some undergrowth. Thinking job done, Chris continued to play around with the camera on the way back to the van and when a small glow appeared, he quickly investigated. One became two hedgehogs. Both too small to hibernate and were quickly on their way to a nice dinner in Katie’s warm orphan room. These two would not of made it without kind donations from members of the public. Chris would have had no chance finding them otherwise. Donations will also help to pay for these guys to stay with us over the winter whilst they fatten up for spring. Thank you so much for all of your support! It really makes a difference, they only weigh 135 and 160g! A sparrowhawk has come into care after flying inside City Electrical Factors in Hawthorn Road Eastbourne. Flying around the bird was hitting the beams and glass windows. WRAS rescuer Tony Neads was able to catch the bird which has now been admitted to WRAS’s Casualty Centre for observation and because a blood on its head. We hope he will be a quick turn around and be back out in the wild shortly.
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 city’s Department of Environmental Protection has suspended its plans to string bird-deterrent wires across Jerome Park Reservoir, officials told The Press this week, after the community denounced the project as a needless expense that would further blight the historic reservoir’s natural beauty.
When the DEP submits its “rehabilitation project” for the reservoir to the city’s Public Design Committee for approval in January, “this submission will exclude the bird deterrent system,” DEP deputy commissioner Eric Landau said in a letter to the chairwoman of the Community Board 8 environment and sanitation committee, Laura Spalter, a copy of which his office provided to The Press.
The letter, dated Dec. 7, indicated, however, that the bird-deterrent system was not completely off the table and that plans to build it may be restored later.
When the DEP had developed its plans for bird-deterrent wires at Jerome Park Reservoir, the goal was to reduce pollutants, particularly fecal coliform bacteria, from waterbirds and to allow the Croton Filtration Plant – which purifies the reservoir’s water before it flows into the city’s taps – to “run more efficiently,” Mr. Landau said in his letter.
“As the plant has been up and running for only a year and half, we have determined that it is prudent to collect additional data on operational efficiency, especially now that the plant is running at full capacity, before a decision about whether to install the bird-deterrent system is made,” Mr. Landau said. But he reiterated that the bird-deterrent system will be “removed from the current construction contract … to rehabilitate the reservoir.”
Ms. Spalter described the letter as “excellent news,” saying in an interview with The Press on Tuesday: “We’re very pleased that this [bird-deterrent system] has been removed” from the project.
The DEP presented its reservoir-rehabilitation project to Community Board 8’s environment and sanitation committee on Nov. 16. The large-scale project included building a fence-like structure around the reservoir, which is already encircled by two fences. The new structure was to comprise poles set about 25 feet apart to hold wires that were to stretch across the reservoir to deter birds from landing on its surface.
Critics, who included a dozen or so board members at the gathering and several environmental activists from outside the board, charged that the wire system would further add to the array of barriers surrounding the reservoir. A bird-deterrent system is not required by any environmental laws or regulations, according to the DEP, and the reservoir holds only untreated water, which then goes for purification at the nearby filtration plant.
After the DEP scrapped the bird-deterrent plan, Karen Argenti of the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality praised the city agency as being “very reasonable” in rescinding the plan. An ardent advocate of opening the reservoir for public access, Ms. Argenti has been a vocal opponent opponent of the bird-deterrent plans during the November meeting.
“I think it’s good that they [DEP officials] listened to the people,” she told The Press this week.
Community Board 8 chairman Daniel Padernacht also had only words of appreciation for the DEP, saying Mr. Landau and others seem to “really make an effort” to heed community views.
With the bird-deterrent plan scrapped, the DEP has addressed what Mr. Padernacht said appeared to have been “the two biggest concerns” raised at the Nov. 16 meeting. The other involved the DEP’s plan to reduce the height of the reservoir’s inner fence to 4 feet from the current 10 feet or so. Community activists worried that lowering the fence would provide the city with a pretext to further block public access, as a security measure. But the DEP’s Mr. Landau has provided written assurances this would not be the case, Mr. Padernacht told The Press on Tuesday.
Jerome Park Reservoir opened for public access for one weekend in late November – although visitors had to pass through security gates manned by officers armed with automatic rifles and to leave all cameras, bags or cellphones outside. The DEP also plans to open the reservoir for another weekend in May.
After the DEP suspended the bird-wire plan, Mr. Landau also expressed hope in his letter that the environment and sanitation committee of Community Board 8 will support other parts of the department’s reservoir-rehabilitation project.
The committee was to adopt a resolution on the project at its next meeting, scheduled for Dec. 21, and planned to send the document to the city’s Public Design Committee.
The chairpeople of Community Board 8 and of its environment and sanitation committee declined to say whether they would back the remaining parts of the DEP project.
“I’m going to wait until the community discusses it that night,” Mr. Padernacht 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.
ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) – When you look up at the Orange County Courthouse, you may spot vultures in the sky or on a top floor.
“There was a circle of about 50 or 60 of them when I saw them,” said Michael Deen, who works at the courthouse. “I guess it’s kind of ominous.”
But experts say the birds of prey just like how the building is laid out with places to perch and rising air currents.
“You’ve got to have the right structure and they apparently have the perfect structure for vultures,” said Dianna Flynt with the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland.
Orange County officials say the vultures haven’t been around the courthouse for a while because a hawk moved in. They’ve returned over the last few weeks with the predator now gone.
Flynt says the birds aren’t dangerous but they can cause some problems.
“They’re nosy and they’re curious and they have a tendency to be very destructive to some things,” she explained.
Damage to the building and bird droppings is why the county is working to get the vultures to move out. We’re told a bird deterrent system is in the works. That could include wires so the birds don’t perch there. County officials say they don’t know how much the plan will cost yet.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Boone and Ames police are investigating about 14 reports of vehicles being damaged by clay pigeons overnight Sunday.
Mathew Boley said he is still unhappy about what he woke up to Sunday morning outside his home in Ames.
“I came outside and there were clay pigeons all over the ground next to my car, a few scratches and nice circle size welts on the side of it,” Boley said.
Police said they hope the public will provide helpful information for the ongoing investigating.
“We really would ask the public to come forward if they have any information, if they saw suspicious activity near Aplin Road or Story Street sometime Saturday night,” said Commander Jason Tuttle, of the Ames Police Department.
Residents in Boone said they experienced the same type of vandalism.
“I just noticed there were these clay things all over the road and especially on vehicles all the way up to First Street here,” Boone resident Ryioko Peterson said. “It was car after car.”
John Wilson said he saw the same as he was getting into his car to attend Sunday morning church service. He said he is frustrated and cannot understand why anyone could commit what appears to be a random act.
“People gotta have better things to do than mess around, tearing up people and destroying property,” Wilson said.
Police advise residents to park their vehicle in a garage or driveway if possible to protect their cars. Otherwise, police said it is best to park under a street light.
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.
Army Capt. Ray L. Delhauer in 1922 arranged for three World War I fliers to attend the first L.A. County Fair where they greeted the crowds — from their cages.
These three war heroes — with the names of Mocker, Spike and President Wilson — were carrier pigeons, birds that had played key roles in serving the military in France, explained Ray Nolan, a member of the Los Angeles Pigeon Club which holds its national pageant this weekend in Ontario.
Delhauer, who lived most of his 67 years in Ontario, might be called the father of the Army pigeon corps, both during and after the first World War. And that love of the birds continued after he became a faculty member at Chaffey High in Ontario, encouraging hundreds of students there to learn about and raise pigeons as a hobby.
Lest you think pigeon could serve no real role in wartime, the military relied on these birds to play vital roles in communications. In those days, radios were at best rudimentary and telephone lines often were tapped by the enemy. As many as 10,000 pigeons carried messages for both sides during the war.
One of those, Spike, was credited with 52 deliveries of messages from the trenches to army headquarters, each time dodging bad weather and enemy sharpshooters. Spike survived these harrowing tasks and lived to age 17, dying in retirement at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, according to the San Bernardino Sun of April 26, 1935.
This love of pigeons like Spike was a lifelong avocation for Delhauer whose family came to Ontario from Ohio when he was 4 months old.
He turned his hobby to good use after he was called to service in 1916-17 as a member of Ontario’s National Guard company. At Nogales, Arizona, during the border troubles with Mexico, he brought some of his birds and established a station, using them to carry messages, reported the Sun on Aug. 16, 1921.
When America moved closer to entering the World War, Delhauer urged the military to begin breeding and training pigeons to serve as messengers.
After some initial reluctance, Army officials assigned him to begin training not only the birds but those who would handle them in combat. Many of his own Ontario pigeons were “enlisted” for breeding purposes at the training center at Fort Monmouth.
In addition to being in the trenches, pigeons were often used by Army and Navy pilots. They would carry birds with them on reconnaissance missions and release them to carry back information or to contact rescuers when planes were downed.
The British also used pigeons, including a legendary bird, The Duke. The pigeon carried numerous messages across the English Channel from France to London. The Duke was given to Delhauer after the war and lived in Ontario until his death in 1930.
Delhauer remained in the Army for a few years after the war, continuing to expand the military program. After retiring in 1925, he was hired at Chaffey High where, for 23 years, he was not only a teacher but ran the pigeon-breeding activities in the school’s agricultural program.
At times the school’s Pigeon Club had as many as 100 members, and students regularly entered their birds in local competitions. At the 1933 L.A. County Fair, 46 Chaffey pigeons received 44 awards.
Delhauer was an impassioned advocate of the benefits of young people raising pigeons.
“Every effort should be made to encourage every boy to becoming interested in a growing bird or animal,” he was quoted in the Ontario Daily Report, Aug. 12, 1946. “All normal boys are interested in live things. Pigeon raising can help round out the character and help develop the boy.”
While at Chaffey High, Delhauer continued working on a global scale. He encouraged the nation’s new air mail program to carry pigeons in planes in case they were forced down in a crash or bad weather. He also undertook a program for the military to breed a pigeon whose camouflaged coloring would make it harder to be seen by an enemy on the battlefield.
He retired from Chaffey in 1948 but his white pigeons were a fixture when they were released as part of the annual Memorial Day ceremonies at Bellevue Cemetery. Delhauer died in 1951 at age 67.
This weekend, Ontario will play host to more than 4,000 birds on display at the Pageant of Pigeons, an event put on by the Los Angeles Pigeon Club for more than a century. Previous shows have also been at the Orange Show in San Bernardino and the fairgrounds in Pomona.
Entries are from all over the nation and birds from as far away as Dubai and Australia will be displayed, according to Nolan.
The event will be at the Ontario Convention Center, 2000 E. Convention Center Way, on Thursday afternoon and all day Friday and Saturday.
Admission is free, though there is a charge for parking. Information: www.losangelespigeonclub.com.
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.
Autumn again and countless birds are preparing to fly south for the winter, unaware of what their journey will bring. During China’s National Day holiday in early October, volunteers took down two large swathes of illegal bird nets, stretching over 20 kilometres.
Over 8,000 birds were trapped in the nets, with only 3,000 of them still alive. Many Chinese people watching this on the news were unaware of the mass slaughter of wild birds being carried out in the countryside around their cities.
Net gains, net losses
Members of the China National Net Removal Centre have been busy lately. The 300 members of this WeChat social media group are dedicated to taking down bird nets found in forests, reeds, and farmers’ fields. Some are over 10-metres high and 40 or 50-metres long. Wherever nets are found the voluntary teams take them down.
At this time of the year the number of clashes between trappers and activists spikes. A number of important migratory pathways pass through China each year. Populous cities such as Tangshan and Tianjin lie on the East Asia-Australasian flyway, used by around five million birds travelling between Alaska in the north-west and south Asia. Bird trapping is rife along the China-stretch of this path which has become a battleground for removal teams and hunters.
Liu Yidan, China’s best known volunteer bird conservationist, is mainly active around Tianjin, a big industrial city north of Beijing. She told chinadialogue that she has freed 40,000 birds so far this year.
Migratory flyways pass through populous areas, which are often rich in resources and suitable for both agriculture and industry. This can bring people and birds into conflict. Image: WWF China / Li Yiwei, Zhang Yimo
Those concerned about the safety of migratory birds have been able to find each other and connect via social networks. The WeChat forum used by many of the net-removal volunteers keeps its 300 members up-to-date on efforts to save the birds.
Blogs and other online platforms facilitate discussions between the animal rights activists and the public. One volunteer who blogs under the pseudonym “net removal worker” writes in one article about taking down 90 bird nets in six days in the township of Chenjia, on Chongming Island, Shanghai. Chongming is known as a winter refuge for migratory birds.
E-retailers must take responsibility
But the nets are going up faster than they can be taken down. The volunteers have found that online shopping sites have spurred the trade in captured birds. They complain that Taobao, China’s largest online retailer which is owned by Alibaba, has made it easier and cheaper for hunters to acquire tools, meaning disaster for migratory birds and other animals.
A search on Taobao for “bird nets” brings up 5,000 suggested purchases, including one net that is 5-metres high and 30-metres wide for only 30 yuan (US$5). Cheap prices and quick delivery makes acquiring nets simple.
One volunteer, who preferred to remain anonymous, complained that: “Nets, lures; you can get anything you want on Taobao, and the sellers even tell you how to use them. E-commerce has sent the bamboo partridge to the brink of extinction.”
The trade in captured birds is also increasingly reliant on the internet. A 2014 report from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Wanted – Dead or Alive, Exposing Online Wildlife Trade, exposed illegal online trading of many CITES Appendix 1 and 2 listed endangered species. In China the online trading of live wild birds takes place on sites like Alibaba’s Taobao, second only to that in turtles and tortoises.
The industry behind the nets
Zhang Yimo, head of the WWF China’s migratory birds network, told chinadialogue that flyways in China are much more densely populated than in other places where migratory birds rest, such as Russia and Alaska. And so the birds come into conflict with people more often, relatively speaking.
The netting of the birds is just one part of a business. Many of the wild creatures are then sold to restaurants in large numbers. In the chat room one volunteer reported large numbers of nets in a Zhejiang tourist spot, with restaurants openly advertising wild-caught game. The Yellow-breasted Bunting, once a common sight, is now as endangered as the Giant Panda.
Also, some Chinese people like to keep birds as pets, and a rare songbird can mean huge profits. According to one volunteer, one Siberian Ruby Throat hummingbird, known for its pleasant song, can fetch as much as 8,000 yuan (US$1,156).
Effects of new law remain to be seen
Zhou Haixiang, head of the Ecology and Environment Laboratory at Shenyang Ligong University, does not think taking down the nets will prevent trapping. He toldchinadialogue that this has no deterrent effect and that efforts should be directed towards catching the poachers.
“A net is cheap, you take one down and they will put another up,” said Zhou Haixiang.
Some of the volunteers are disappointed by the lack of law enforcement. “Net removal worker” wrote on his blog:
“Just taking the nets down simply isn’t enough. If you don’t strike at the people trapping birds, trading birds, eating birds and keeping birds then you can take down as many nets as you like but they will just get put back up.”
The punishment for trapping birds under Chinese law is minor but the potential profits are huge. For many it is worth the risk. Zhou Haixiang explained that in some places farmers make several thousand yuan a year by planting crops. However, you can make more, and faster, by spending a few days trapping birds during the migration season.
Zhou thinks the most effective approach would be to fine anyone caught with a wild migratory bird, regardless of whether they are the buyer, seller, or poacher.
There are differing opinions on whether the new Wild Animal Protection Law, due to come into effect in 2017, will offer much protection to migratory birds. The sale of nets online will be restricted, as the law is expected to ban online trading platforms from allowing the illegal sale of wild animals and hunting implements. It also bans the use of poisons and nets to hunt wild animals.
Xie Yan, a deputy researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Zoology, said that the new law is the first law designed to protect the birds’ habitats and to ban hunting, including on the migratory routes of birds that are not necessarily protected species.
But Zhou Haixiang thinks the law still focuses too much on the protection of rare and endangered species, rather than the ecosystem as a whole.
More importantly, it’s hard to see the new law having much impact if enforcement isn’t improved.
“The question now is how to ensure the law is strictly enforced,” said Liu Detian, head of the Liaoning Panjing Society for the Protection of Chinese Black-headed Gulls. Under the law, the poaching of more than twenty wild animals is to be treated harshly; and one net can easily catch hundreds of birds. Lu thinks law enforcement agencies aren’t doing enough to combat bird netting, and imposing fines just means the poachers trap more birds to cover the costs. He thinks prison sentences are needed to solve the problem.
According to Zhang Yimo, as the internet makes it easy to buy and sell trapping tools and wild animals, there is a need for the authorities in charge of online commerce, businesses and wildlife protectors to cooperate. The roads and railways authorities, including delivery firms, should also work to prevent breaches of the law.
On October 18, the State Forestry Administration launched a 40-day “Net Clearing Action”, intended to remove illegal bird nets and smash the underground networks trapping, transporting and trading trapped birds. So perhaps this migratory season, the volunteers will have a bit more official support and the birds will face less danger. But as Zhang Yimo says, to ensure the long-term safety of migratory birds, “strong law enforcement is crucial, and that will be very hard to achieve.”
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.
Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole on Wednesday secured $56.2 million to make U.S. 81 a four-lane expressway between Concordia and the Nebraska border. “This will help Salina a lot,” the Kansas Republican said. “It will create a lot of jobs in the area, there will be twice as many people coming through and there will be a lot more commerce.” Dole made a last-minute amendment to the nation’s six-year highway bill to get $73.6 million in reimbursements for the state’s construction of portions of interstate highways. Of that, $49.2 million goes to U.S. 81 along with $7 million he had previously secured.
NOV. 29, 1991
More than two years after a pigeon panel was convened to determine how to control pigeons in downtown Salina, the pigeon panel is no more. The pigeons? They’re still happy in downtown Salina, merrily making life interesting for downtown visitors who dare look up to the pigeons perched atop building roofs. Pigeons became a concern because of their droppings, which some found offensive and a possible health risk. The city is still on a waiting list to have some rare peregrine falcons relocated in Salina. The peregrine falcon is a raptor that preys solely on birds and has been used successfully in other cities to control pigeons.
DEC. 1, 1991
Three or four times a week by his estimate — through messages left with the court clerk, the defendant’s attorney, or on a hurriedly scribbled note — another domestic abuse case dissolves before City Prosecutor Gary Denning’s eyes. A new law that takes effect statewide Jan. 1 requires law officers arrest people suspected of abusing their mates. The law applies to any parties in a close relationship — be they married, unmarried, heterosexual or homosexual. The policy is at work in Salina and Saline County, where abusers are held in jail for up to six hours before being allowed to post bond. Most are charged with misdemeanors and referred to Salina Municipal Court for prosecution.
DEC. 3, 1991
The 1991 Smoky Hill River Festival turned a profit of $23,472, which is attributed mostly to the excellent weather for the three-day festival in June, festival organizers said. It was the first time since 1988 that the festival turned a profit. The biggest income producers continued to be button sales ($94,788) and vendor/exhibitor fees ($63,084). The festival generated income of $259,448. Expenses were $235,976.
50 years ago
NOV. 28, 1966
GOODLAND — Construction of a sugar beet factory near Goodland is expected to begin within one week. The new plant is an economic shot in the arm for the Goodland area. During construction, 300 workers will be employed. Construction will take around one and a half years to complete. The new plant will also provide stable year-round employment. About 50 persons will man the plant after its completion. During peak processing months, at least 200 persons will work in the various departments.
NOV. 29, 1966
A decision on ambulance service in Salina and for much of the rest of Saline county may be near.The two Salina funeral homes, Chapel and Rush Smith, which now provide ambulance service, want to discontinue it Dec. 23. The new plan calls for the director’s office to be set up in the sheriff’s department. One of the ambulances also would be housed near the sheriff’s office with the city providing places for two other ambulances and for personnel to sleep. The housing and telephone service available from the law enforcement agencies would save on the expenses of operation.
DEC. 2, 1966
COLBY — Cable TV will soon be at Colby. Construction of a reception tower will begin Jan. 2 and the system will be on the air shortly after this. The tower will be 350 to 400 feet tall and on land owned by Francis Dible, one and a half miles southeast of the Colby Community junior college. Services will be provided by Multi-Vue TV and besides the networks, there will also be a 24-hour weather scanner channel and 24-hour program of music.
DEC. 4, 1966
Appropriately, the information came in during the “graveyard” shift. The increase in traffic deaths is almost 10 percent. Through November, across the nation, 28,590 persons have died this year. In 1965, 26,379 persons had died. Saline County has also added to totals in the first half of the year. There have been no deaths in the county since June 24, but by then 30 persons had died in 12 accidents.
75 years ago
NOV. 28, 1941
BELLEVILLE — Whether it’s a two-penny or six-penny nail, a nail from Sweden, Arabia or Iceland, an 18-inch cotter key or an odd-sized screw that you want, you can probably find it at 2110 H. Street. For W.E. Muth of Belleville has assembled more than 2,000 nails, screws and fasteners during the first six months of effort in that direction … and he says that he’s barely started. Although handicapped by ill health, which doesn’t permit him to get away from home often, Mr. Muth has developed a “sixth sense” for nails. For seldom does he return from even a short jaunt without some new specimens and he has his friends organized and working for him too, 79 of them. Begun in May of this year, his collection of 2,000 items includes 729 different nails, 448 screws, 203 tacks, 72 set screws, 110 screw eyes and screw hooks, 66 staples, 128 rivets and 64 cotter keys.
NOV. 29, 1941
Officers of this county are sitting back at present and watching the fun at Abilene, where the state seeks to convict Emerson Nichols, of Harlan, on a charge of possessing the liquor that intoxicates. For Saline county has a “hold order” on Nichols. It was November 5 when Sheriff Paul Shanahan came up on a bootlegger’s car a short distance east of Salina on the North Street Road and would have succeeded in running it down had it not been for the mud. Two men in the car fought off the sheriff, who fell as the auto drew away, tearing his topcoat and burning a shoulder. The ‘leggers threw out six pints of alcohol as they left and later abandoned their car at Bennington.
DEC. 1, 1941
McPHERSON — Mrs. Chester Ribeau, slight, dark-haired 60-year-old housewife, was held without bond for trial in the current term of district court on a first degree murder charge in the slaying of her 34-year-old fourth husband early today. Mrs. Ribeau broke into sobs as county attorney Kenneth Hodge read the murder charge , filed a few hours after she appeared before dawn at the county jail and told officers her husband had beaten her most of the night. When Sheriff’s deputies went to the residence they found Ribeau seated in a rocking chair beside a radio that still was playing and a shotgun wound in the back of the head.
DEC. 2, 1941
HAYS — A Hays bachelor got up with the sun as usual Tuesday morning and went off to work in the oil fields north of Hays. Later that morning, as usual, his landlord showed up to clean his room and tidy things up a bit. The landlord opened the door to the bachelor’s room — gasped, and immediately closed it again. Determined he set out looking for his tenant. After all, he told himself, no renters of his were going to take advantage of him and have women in their rooms. Finding his bachelor tenant, he proceeded to discuss in pointed, emphatic language, exactly what he thought of his renter’s actions. “But,” the bachelor said, barely squeezing a word in edge-wise, “that’s my wife. We were married last night.” The landlord apologized profusely.
100 years ago
NOV. 28, 1916
The November term of district court opened this morning with the heaviest docket ever listed in the county. One hundred and seventy seven cases are listed on the docket prepared by District Clerk Hedquist. Eleven naturalization cases, the first work of the term, are under way this afternoon. The jury men have been summoned to report and it is not anticipated that court will get under way much before the beginning of next week.
NOV. 29, 1916
Boy Scouts will shine again. This time they will help the board of public welfare in distributing baskets of food to the poor Thursday. Two Boy Scouts to the car will be the arrangement and by this plan welfare officers says the food would be quickly distributed. The city will be divided into districts similar to those used during the clean up campaign.
DEC. 4, 1916
McPHERSON — Should a minister of the gospel use more moral discretion than a justice of the peace when performing a marriage ceremony, or should he consider himself performing an ordinary legal act and forget his technical moral obligation? This question is now under advisement in the divorce suit of Mrs. Sadie Rollings against Harry Rollings. Mrs. Rollings claimed she was intoxicated. She testified she would not have done so had she been sober. The Rev. Mr. Jacob Rader admitted to the court that he performed the ceremony while Mrs. Rollings was considerably under the influence of intoxicants, but said she appeared to know what she was doing, and, as it was a civil contract under the law, he merely performed a legal duty.
125 years ago
NOV. 28, 1891
The council met in special session to consider the matter of city lights. An ordinance was passed abrogating the gas lights and accepting a contract with the company by which the city is to take seven arc lights in the place of the gas street lights now used. In the 1st ward, one light will be on Third and Ash and one at Second and Elm. One will be located at Fourth and Walnut in the 4th ward and one at Oakdale and Iron between 1st and 4th wards. The light now located at Prescott and Eighth is to be removed to Santa Fe and Prescott. This will make 26 arc lights in all, and as they are to be raised several feet higher, the light will be greatly improved.
NOV. 29, 1891
TESCOTT — In this country town there lives a little old man who sells milk, carrying it from house to house morning and evening in a small handcart. There is nothing strange about that, but his companion on these daily trips is the very strangest you ever heard of — an old gray goose, who follows him about in the most dignified manner, and stands watch over the cart, letting no one go near it in his master’s absence. His name is Major, and his master says that he is just as useful as a dog would be.
DEC. 4, 1891
ABILENE — The sensational disappearance of the Simmons children, who have been missing the past four days, was settled today. They were found several miles out in the country, where they had wandered on a runaway tour. The parents’ theory of abduction by an alien was due to their excited imagination.
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.
THAT pesky pigeons is still proving to be a problem in Cornhill, Wellington, town councillors heard at their November meeting.
It was reported that town clerk Greg Dyke was working with legal representatives of Wetherspoon’s to try to persuade the owners of adjoining properties to take action to deal with the nuisance and the mess.
Thanks to the efforts of Cllr Janet Reed, Taunton Deane Borough Council’s cleansing department had pressure-washed Cornhill and it was hoped that this washing would be carried out every two weeks.
Cllr Marcus Barr said a broken window above the archway needed to be boarded or wired up to keep the pigeons out.
Councillors were told that the Deane hoped to be able to find money from its budget to repair the paths in the park and also the roof of the park bandstand.
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.
BEIJING — With the arrival of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, one billion birds are migrating or have migrated to warmer climates. Nearly a quarter of them were expected to pass through China as part of their journey.
In recent years, however, much of the country has become a treacherous place to fly for the 1,300 species of birds passing through. Once inside China’s borders, many of them fall prey to poachers who supply the country’s thriving underground wildlife trade.
In early October, animal rights volunteers dismantled more than 20,000 metres of bird nets near the northern cities of Tianjin and neighbouring Tangshan, Hebei province. More than 5,000 dead birds were caught in the traps. Later that month, 233 swans and 26 mallards were found dead in Inner Mongolia’s Hongtu Lake, also known as “Swan Lake”. The birds were found to contain traces of carbofuran, an agricultural pesticide that poachers use to kill birds they later sell for food.
China’s demand for migratory birds, whether for meat, Chinese medicine or gambling fights, is not new. But the scale of the current underground trade has put many species on a path toward endangerment, or even extinction.
The State Forestry Administration is currently in the middle of a national crackdown on poaching nets in the countryside. The “net-clearing operation” also aims to clamp down on all aspects of the thriving illegal trade, including transportation and sales.
Still, the trade flourishes. Legal loopholes, lenient penalties and regulators who lack expertise and enforcement jurisdiction have failed to deter poachers and traders.
Even if the birds can manage to elude capture, they are left searching in vain for rest spots that no longer exist. Rapid construction and development have reduced their habitats in China by nearly 80 per cent in just a few decades.
In the rural areas of Shandong province’s Shen county, or Shenxian, bird nets cascade from the roofs of houses down into the adjoining wheat fields. Next to the nets, loudspeakers project quail calls to lure birds in.
Ms Liu Yidan, a volunteer at an animal rights organisation called Let Migratory Birds Fly, had not expected to stop here. She was on her way to the nearby wetlands, a known rest stop for migratory waterfowl, when she saw the nets. Apparently, news of the ban on netting birds had not reached Shenxian. After reporting the illegal nets, Ms Liu and local forestry officials took down nearly 8,000m of nets.
“Many people told us that no one had ever told them not to put up bird nets,” Ms Liu said. “No one had told them that catching and selling birds was illegal.”
In this relatively affluent county, the local thrushes are valued for their mild calls, and quail fighting is a local tradition. The thrush cannot be artificially bred, and the quail is a migratory bird, arriving in China each winter from Siberia.
Trading in the birds requires virtually no investment besides the net, and the work can be very profitable. At the local market, a male quail can fetch up to 30 yuan (S$6.20), and depending on the quality of their songs, thrushes can sell for over 100 yuan each. The local farmers catch about 75 birds per day in their nets, and up to 200 on a good day, according to an investigation by Ms Liu and other volunteers.
But the scope of China’s illegal bird trade goes way beyond small markets trading in the local catches. On Nov 16, forestry officials in the Guangxi region identified four underground wholesale dens trading in migratory birds in Pingle county. One of them was in an abandoned school building.
As part of the raid, they discovered more than 30,000 live chestnut and chestnut-eared buntings, migratory birds that come from Siberia to Guangxi’s Guilin each winter. Frozen specimens, including some Class 2 protected owls, were also found. A volunteer who helped lead authorities to the warehouses saw refrigerator trucks with Guangdong province license plates at the scene. The volunteer thinks the birds were being trafficked to Guangdong to be eaten.
China’s appetite for wild-bird meat has already pushed some species to near-extinction. In 2004, the yellow-breasted bunting, a small bird that migrates each year between northern Europe and South-east Asia, was considered a “species of least concern” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
But prized in China for its fatty meat and supposed nutritional value, the bunting has been the target of rampant hunting. Since 1980, the global population has decreased by 90 per cent, and in 2012 it was officially declared endangered by the IUCN, and hunting it was banned.
Beijing veterinarian Dr Ren Pu recalled seeing more than 600 yellow-breasted buntings killed and sold when visiting a bird market in Tianjin over a decade ago.
“Now there is less and less of this,” he said. “In the early 2000s, you could find all kinds of wild-bird meat in Beijing’s private clubs, including swan and even great bustard.” Known in China as the “flying pandas”, the great bustard is the world’s heaviest flying bird and a Class 1 protected animal in China.
Even the increasing awareness and sympathy for the plight of wild birds has been exploited for business gain. Some merchants coerce animal rights volunteers into buying the merchants’ supply to save the animals’ lives. Ms Liu has personally spent millions of yuan buying wild birds from dealers in order to save them. Even on her trip to Shenxian, she could not help but buy 45 thrushes at the local market.
Every weekend in Beijing, the more than 20 illegal bird markets highlighted on a Let Migratory Birds Fly map bustle with activity. On Nov 12, with the national “net-clearing operation” underway, many have closed their doors. But illegal sales persist in nearby alleyways.
After discovering a shop selling a variety of protected species, a Beijing volunteer from the organisation who asked not to be named called the Forestry Department to report the violation. Four hours later, officials showed up. They could not identify the species of the birds, and only after the volunteer’s help in doing so do could they confiscate some of the protected birds.
They did not issue a fine or punishment, saying that the shop was operating an illegal business, which was outside their jurisdiction and regulated by the Business Administration Department.
Ms Liu encountered the same thing in Shandong. The Forestry Department could punish only poaching. Once at the market, sellers could avoid punishment simply by denying any poaching activity.
Ms Liu and the volunteers’ experiences can be explained by gaps in China’s legal framework for regulating the wild-bird trade. Most of the migratory birds that are hunted are classified as Level 3 protected animals, a category that includes animals that are beneficial and have economic and scientific research value. The hunting of Level 3 animals is considered criminal under Chinese law only when over 30 animals are hunted. Furthermore, no specific laws address their breeding or sale. The result is that only very-large-scale cases are penalised.
“It is really difficult to find a basis for punishment,” according to Mr Zhou Haixiang, director of the Ecology and Environment Research Office at the Shenyang University of Science and Technology. He said that the mere possession of protected animals should be criminalised. This way, prosecution can occur no matter at what level of the supply chain the animals are discovered.
But even if China was able to put a dent in the wild-bird trade and save its avian migrants from death at the hands of poachers, human activity on migration routes is in itself a threat to survival.
Of the eight main avian migration routes, three pass through China. The most threatened is the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, on which migratory birds travel north from Australia, New Zealand and the Western Pacific islands through China’s most densely populated eastern coastal provinces.
During the journey, the birds inhabit the muddy beaches of China’s coastal wetlands. But studies have shown that more than 60 per cent of the country’s natural coastal wetlands have disappeared in the last 50 years. From 2006 to 2010, an average of nearly 100,000 acres of coastal wetlands were encroached upon each year to build industrial zones, ports, and other coastal infrastructure projects.
And demand for the land shows no sign of stopping. According to the latest coastal development plans, there is a need to reclaim more than 1.4 million acres of wetlands to meet demand.
In September 2015, a wetland protection system was put in place by the central government. But local governments have still found ways around the rules. For example, any wetland reclamation project larger than 125 acres must be approved by the central government. In response, local governments simply reclassify one large project into many smaller projects, all involving less than 125 acres of wetlands.
If loopholes like these stay on the books, China will remain unable to protect the migratory birds within its borders. CAIXIN
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.
Parts of Embarcadero Road leading up to Stanford University will be closed about every night for the next two weeks.
The reason? Pigeon waste.
Hundreds of pigeons live in the beams underneath the Caltrain tracks, causing a “dirty and unsightly problem,” according to a city of Palo Alto news release.
The road and walkways will be closed between Emerson Street and El Camino Real, near the Town & Country Village and Palo Alto High School.
The cleanup and maintenance will take place between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. from today through Dec. 1 and Dec. 5-8, city officials said.
Detours will be in place and the public should expect minor delays. And, contractors will try to keep noise to a minimum.
The city’s Public Works Department plans on installing bird netting during the closure to deter the birds from roosting in the structure in the future, city officials said in the news release.
The netting is in response to the continual cleanup costs associated with the birds living in the I-beams underneath the tracks.
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.
Avoid pigeon poop because of this emerging disease:
Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli infections in humans cause disease ranging from uncomplicated intestinal illnesses to bloody diarrhea and systemic sequelae, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Previous research indicated that pigeons may be a reservoir for a population of verotoxigenic E. coli producing the VT2f variant.
We used whole-genome sequencing to characterize a set of VT2f-producing E. coli strains from human patients with diarrhea or HUS and from healthy pigeons. We describe a phage conveying the vtx2f genes and provide evidence that the strains causing milder diarrheal disease may be transmitted to humans from pigeons.
The strains causing HUS could derive from VT2f phage acquisition by E. coli strains with a virulence genes asset resembling that of typical HUS-associated verotoxigenic E. coli.
Whole-genome characterization and strain comparison of VT2f-producing Escherichia coli causing hemolytic uremic syndrome
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.
Five-year-old Jannatul Maida was having the day of her life to see so many colourful exotic birds up close under one roof.
PLANS to remove two trees by the water tower in Tower Close, Emmer Green, have been postponed as one of them has been found to have a pigeon nest with eggs in.
Unsure of how to control a tourist boom that has prompted street protests, Barcelona has at least come up with a way to stop an invasion of the feathered variety: by putting pigeons on the pill.
Unsure of how to control a tourist boom that has prompted street protests, Barcelona has at least come up with a way to stop an invasion of the feathered variety: by putting pigeons on the Pill.
A flock of doves at Bristol Zoo have taken on the challenge of becoming foster parents – and raised a group of endangered Mauiritius pink pigeons.