by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 9, 2016 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Summary: “Some Noida residents say that they have had to make tough lifestyle choices just to keep the pigeons at bay. “Residents say that pigeons are almost omnipresent in Noida, and the windowsills and air conditioners in high-rises are their preferred locations for building nests. “Others say they have had to give up on some of life’s little pleasures, like enjoying the cool breeze and rains, just to keep the pigeons away. I have had to repeatedly shoo them away from my AC and throw away new nests they build outside the windows. If you are living in a high-rise building in Noida, this must be all too familiar to you.
It’s a bright sunny morning. But before the alarm clock can wake you up, the noisy flapping of the pigeons on your ledge does. If you are living in a high-rise building in Noida, this must be all too familiar to you.
Pigeons might have been great for lovers in ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’, but they’re a bit of a menace in Noida, and like every other illegal tenant, they are no fun to deal with. Noida’s high-rise-dwellers tell us the things they have to resort to in order to fight the ‘vermin of the sky’.READ ALSO: Stray dog bites irk Noida residents The pigeons have adopted the ‘survival of the fittest’ motto and begun to outsmart the residents’ attempts to ward them off. Aravind Sinha, a resident of a high-rise in Noida Extension, says, “The pigeons would camp outside my bedroom window and make a lot of noise, so my wife and I came up with a solution – throw a glass of water at them through the window.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 8, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting
Indian officials are so paranoid about Pakistan that they took a pigeon into custody on suspicion of espionage on Friday.
According to Indian media reports, investigators from the army and the state intelligence in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district were inspecting the bird which had a text resembling the Urdu language written on its wings.
The bird was handed over to police by a local who spotted the “suspicious text.
“11 digits and some Urdu text were written on its wings which after translation stood for ‘Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday,” said a police official.
In 2015, Indian authorities had captured what they claimed was a ‘spy’ pigeon from Pakistan.
Police in Chandigarh had claimed that the white pigeon bore markings in Urdu and a seal. The pigeon was taken to a local veterinary hospital for an x-ray but no clues were discovered establishing any links with Pakistan.
According to Indian media, the pigeon was flying in the border area during a meeting between Punjab Police and the Indian Army.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 7, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
People mostly see pigeons in the park. Some feed them while the others shoo them away. They are sometimes considered as “rats in the air.” But, beware because what you might be reading in the park can also be read by pigeons. As research shows, pigeons can also learn how to read.
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In New Zealand, a team of researchers from the University of Otago, headed by Dr. Damien Scarf gathered 18 pigeons and trained them to identify words from the different string of letters. They introduced the birds to 308 four-letter words randomly mixed along thousands of string of letters, and their goal is to peck on the shown words.
For example, in the experiment, the pigeons come on the screen and need to distinguish words from non-words such as “USRP.” Then, the birds need to identify the word among the non-words through pecking. Meanwhile, among the 18 pigeons, researchers identify four pigeons to be outstanding in their experiment. For the birds, sooner or later built vocabularies with a scope of 26 to 58 words over the 8000 non-words shown in a report by IFL Science.com.
To make sure that the pigeons learn and not memorize the words from the non-words, the experts introduce them to new words which they have never seen before. Thus, the birds still correctly identify it.
As a result, Dr. Scarf shared that, the pigeons comprehends certain pairs of letters such as “TH” and “AL” as it was more often show in the English language. The birds were able to identify words with those letters quickly. He also added that “during training, the pigeons derived some general statistical knowledge about the letter combinations that distinguish words from non-words”
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In line with this, another researcher, from the Otago’s Department of Psychology , Professor Michael Colombo suggested that “we may have to seriously re-think the use of the term ‘bird brain’ as a put-down,” according to Phys.org.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.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 6, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
Dear Diary:
I was biking in Riverside Park near the 79th Street Boat Basin, when suddenly a swarm of pigeons formed a thick, fluttery wall, obstructing my view. I swerved and fell hard on the bike path.
Bloody and barely able to move, I looked up toward the pigeons’ likely point of origin and locked eyes with a woman who was tossing out bird seed. Naturally, I started up a conversation.
“Please stop feeding the pigeons,” I said as politely as I could in my stunned state.
“I’m feeding them on the side of the bike path so that they don’t get in the way of the bikers,” she said.
I frowned. “I don’t think that’s actually going to be very helpful.”
She offered a new line of reasoning: “You know, bikers are dangerous on their own. I’ve seen them get into lots of accidents from sheer carelessness.”
“I’m sorry, but that has nothing to do with feeding pigeons,” I said, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
“Pigeons need to eat too!” she said.
I paused for a moment to consider how I might redirect her overflowing empathy.
“I was just in a potentially life-threatening accident, and I may have broken my arm,” I said. “Personally, I value human life more than pigeon life.”
She frowned.
“O.K.,” she said. “I’ll feed them up on the hill so that they’re not so close to the bikers.”
Yes! I thought. I finally got to her.
But as the ambulance arrived moments later, I couldn’t help but think that my small victory would be a fluttering, er, fleeting one.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Sep 5, 2016 | Bird Netting
Mercedes Equips Delivery Van With Robotic Carrier Pigeons
Mercedes-Benz is looking at mounting automated flying drones onto a new line of electric vans as part of a 500 million-euro ($562 million or roughly Rs. 3,732 crores) investment aimed at speeding delivery times for online orders.
The small pilotless aircraft would be part of a suite of on-board systems, including digital sorting equipment, that could cut both costs and delivery times in half for the final portion of a package’s journey, the carmaker said Wednesday at a presentation in Stuttgart, Germany. The two drones (robotic carrier pigeons) can each fly items weighing as much as 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles), enabling service to difficult-to-reach to places.
The concept is among the Daimler unit’s efforts to help corporate customers speed product transport as volumes rise because of the boom in electronic commerce. Deutsche Post’s DHL division and United Parcel Service are also looking at how to ensure items are delivered on the first attempt even when the consumer isn’t home. Online retailers such as Amazon.com are experimenting with handling deliveries themselves.
“The business in our sector is changing dramatically, so we’re looking far beyond our core product and getting into new markets,” Volker Mornhinweg, who heads Mercedes’s vans business, said in a statement. “We want to make vans an intelligent, connected data center on wheels.”
The investments will be spaced over five years. Mercedes didn’t outline a time frame for when the drones or technologies like a robotic arm for sorting parcels inside the van might become commercially available.
Many industries are researching potential uses of drones beyond dropping the latest Internet shopping on people’s doorsteps, such as railroad-track inspections, spotting criminals on the run or organ delivery for hospitals, though a regulatory structure for the aircraft is still in its infancy.
“The growth in transportation means we have to change our processes accordingly,” said Stefan Maurer, head of Mercedes’s future transport systems for vans.
The drones on the Mercedes concept are fixed to the van’s roof above a hatch that opens to the vehicle’s inside. Made of carbon fiber and aluminum, the mini-copters with four propellers measure about 55 centimeters (22 inches) across. The aircraft were developed jointly with Swiss partner Matternet, and similar models have already helped carry medicine to people in difficult terrain, Mercedes said.
When a van reaches the area where the drone is supposed to take off, a robotic arm in the cargo area moves parcels inside a special box to the hatch, which opens automatically for the drone to pick up the item. Using GPS, the aircraft flies to a landing spot set by the customer, Mercedes said.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Sep 4, 2016 | Bird Netting
DOWNTOWN — Racing pigeons, valuable birds trained to fly more than 1,000 miles in a clip to win huge prizes, are among the thousands of birds killed each year as they pass through Chicago.
Blame it on the skyscrapers.
The latest death came this week when a racing pigeon, identified by the band around one of its legs, apparently crashed into a building on Wacker Drive.
Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, whose members pick up dead or nearly dead birds that have crashed into buildings, receives hundreds of calls each year about the racing birds.
The birds, unlike regular city pigeons, are banded around their legs and can travel more than 1,000 miles during events. The racing birds, raised in coops and fed by humans, sometimes get lost during races or meet an unfortunate fate when they slam beak-first into a city skyscraper.
Annette Prince, director of the collision monitors, said she’s recently fielded calls from people who have found dead, banded racing pigeons in Old Irving Park, Logan Square and Downtown. That includes the bird discovered dead Tuesday on Upper Wacker between State and Wabash.
“People are racing these everywhere,” Prince said. “They’re trained to come home, but they don’t always make it home. … These birds don’t find food or recognize predators like city pigeons do. If they get lost, they won’t make it. They’ll either starve or get injured.”
Pigeon racing is banned in Chicago, but that doesn’t mean the birds don’t fly through the city during competitions — either as part of the route or by getting lost. One Oak Park-based pigeon last year was blown off course by a storm but nursed back to health by an Indiana family.
Deone Roberts, sport development manager for the American Racing Pigeon Union, said “homing pigeons are always expected home … however, in dealing with nature, there are no finite certainties.”
“There are predators that have an eye for smaller animals such as other birds, small dogs, maybe rodents and other such animals,” Roberts said.
Roberts said her group has more than 600 clubs and 10,000 members (called fanciers) in the United States alone, and there are several other pigeon racing organizations across the country and worldwide. Roberts said the birds are “geniuses” in their own right, noting they can pick up sound from as far as a state away.
“They are amazing creatures,” she said. “To experience them in the racing hobby is to delve into nature unlike the typical activities of man.”
Racing pigeons are identified by bands with letters and numbers on their feet. The band on the pigeon found dead Downtown on Tuesday was not fully visible, but part of it read “AU 2016.” AU is the national organization that registered the bird, in this case the American Racing Pigeon Union; 2016 is the year the bird was hatched and banded/registered. Other information included on bands are letters representing the pigeon club the bird is registered to and numbers to represent each pigeon from that club.
Racing pigeons is a sport that dates to 1200 B.C., according to the Royal Pigeon Racing Association. The birds are descendants of rock doves, which were used by the Romans as messengers to fly more than hundreds of miles. In the 1800s, an official pigeon postal service was used in France, and the birds were used as messengers in World Wars I and II.
There are many theories about why the birds can remember long flights home,including a 10-year study from Oxford University that concluded pigeons use roads to navigate and can change directions at junctions. Other studies say the birds can remember visual clues like landmarks.
“These are amazing birds. They’re underappreciated. They’re smart. They’re great flyers. They learn things,” Prince said.
The hobby can be expensive. One Chinese buyer paid more than $300,000 for a racing pigeon in 2012. The top birds can win huge prizes, too — up to six-figure payouts. Some tournaments cost thousands of dollars to enter.
The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center estimates 365 million to 988 million birds are killed in collisions in the United States each year. In the area Prince and her network of 100 volunteers can cover, about 5,000 birds per year are picked up.
Hundreds of bird species migrate through Chicago every year, especially during thespring and late summer/early fall.
Prince would rather focus on the birds passing through the city because of migrations rather than a race.
“Hours and hours have to be spent answering hundreds of calls and trying to rescue these unfortunate birds,” she said.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Sep 3, 2016 | Bird Netting
I’ve been spending more time around downtown Rochester this year and have become more aware of the presence of pigeons, particularly on and around many of the Mayo buildings. What strikes me as interesting is that there is no outcry about these birds like there is for crows.
Analyzing the habits of the two unrelated birds, I sense the pigeons may just be smart enough to stay under our radar most of the time. On the other hand, it seems like crows almost take the opposite approach and try to see how much they can aggravate us.
Pigeons are members of the family Columbidae, which also includes doves, with both names often used interchangeably around the world. Currently, the pigeons humans encounter most of the time are descendants of pigeons domesticated centuries ago, and they may go by the name rock dove or rock pigeon, depending on which way the wind is blowing the scientific birding communities.
Before they were domesticated, native populations of rock doves/pigeons roosted and nested on cliffs in Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. With tall buildings providing similar ledges and habitat, their move to the cities was a natural one, similar to American swifts switching from hollowed trees to chimneys, and thus being renamed chimney swifts.
Probably the most famous pigeon family members are a couple that are no longer around. Passenger pigeons, named for their migratory behavior, once numbered in the billions across North America. That was, until humans, especially Americans, proved we could quickly exterminate such a prolific species in the name of sport and food gathering.
A second, the dodo bird, was also exterminated by humans in short order when Dutch sailors landed on the Island of Mauritius around 1600. In less than a century, a bird that had evolved over millions of years to be huge and flightless became extinct.
The most famous pigeons still around are probably the homing pigeons, often called carrier or messenger pigeons. The homing pigeon is a variety of domestic pigeon selectively bred for its ability to find its way home over extremely long distances. Their interesting story is one which will unfold in a future Nature Nut column, possibly next week.
I keep wondering what urban pigeons feed on, and can only assume they find garbage, as well as seeds and other plant materials. They also will eat insects and earthworms. Besides cities, farmyards are another human area pigeons are found in large numbers, probably due to many grains and other seeds readily available.
Pigeons have been eaten, and still are, by many cultures, including Americans. Young pigeons, called squab, are considered a healthy delicacy to many, and in demand throughout the U.S. and worldwide.
Pigeons are eaten by many predators that visit our cities, including hawks, owls and falcons, as well as cats and dogs. I even saw a video of a turtle taking a pigeon on a pond edge.
Feral pigeons, I suspect in part because of their domestication by humans, are now found in cities throughout world. Some gather in famous squares, like that my wife and once visited in Venice, or places like the centuries-old Boston Common Park and Public Gardens, where we observed them earlier this summer.
In many places where they are accepted and even fed by locals and tourists, there are others who would prefer they were gone. Interestingly, in Rochester, where we have a pretty good population of pigeons, feeding them does not seem to have caught on, at least not anywhere that I have observed.
According to City Attorney Terry Adkins, there is no ordinance against feeding pigeons in public parks. So, perhaps the day will come when a pigeon feeding area at Central Park, Discovery Square, or elsewhere becomes a part of DMC planning, as everything else has.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Sep 2, 2016 | Bird Netting
TULSA, Oklahoma – Despite harsh criticism, an Oklahoma senator will host his annual pigeon shoot fundraiser this weekend. That’s where live pigeons are thrown into the air for participants to shoot and kill.
One animal protection group says it will be there to protest.
‘Angel 6,’ a drone used by Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, or SHARK, is ready to take flight again after the group says it was shot down during Senator Jim Inhofe’s pigeon shoot last year.
“These guys are just out there thrill killing,” said SHARK president, Steve Hindi.
Hindi’s group uncovered video of Inhofe’s 2014 pigeon shoot fundraiser and posted it on YouTube.
“It’s a slaughter,” he said. “Birds hand-tossed in front of you, that’s worse than shooting fish in a barrel. There’s no sportsmanship.”
Inhofe held his shoot on private property last September. SHARK protested the event and sent in a drone to get video.
There are no FAA regulations against flying over private property; still, Hindi said someone in Inhofe’s party shot it down.
“They’re not afraid of us attacking them, that’s not what we do. They’re simply afraid of their own behavior being shown to the world,” Hindi said.
He said none of the pigeons are donated for their meat and said none of the event participants keep the birds for eating purposes.
Inhofe’s chief of staff, Ryan Jackson, said he appreciates that SHARK has a perspective, but said his camp isn’t breaking the law.
Jackson said there’s not a need for donated pigeon meat in the area where the animals are killed, which is near Altus.
He said, “Altus is not a really big place, I don’t believe there was much interest in that.”
Jackson said the Inhofe camp prefers to ignore groups like SHARK.
“Their claims that’s it’s animal abuse or illegal is just false,” Jackson said. “We don’t take them seriously, I think they’re pretty extreme. They protest rodeos, too.”
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife says live pigeon shoots, while not common, are legal in Oklahoma.
The birds aren’t native to the state and they’re not protected by the government, but that won’t stop SHARK showing up with its drone to protest once again this weekend.
“We’re an animal protection organization and this shoot has to stop,” Hindi said.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Sep 1, 2016 | Bird Netting
OTTERVILLE — When Don Bryant was 11 years old in Belleville, while riding his bike home from school he saw a group of pigeons fly over his head, which led him to his mentor.
Impulsively, he followed the birds to the home of Clarence Haymann, who as his mentor, started Bryant, now 83, with his first pair of pigeons.
After his first pigeon pair, he got another pair and started raising squabs, or baby pigeons, until he had six or seven pair. He spent time with people who raised and raced pigeons to find out how they did it, what to feed them and how to race them himself. His first loft was in the back of his parent’s chicken coop.
“It amazed me how pigeons could find their way home from hundreds of miles away,” marveled Bryant, who has had a cottage in Chautauqua for almost 50 years. “A combination of an extremely accurate internal ‘sun clock’ and magnetic fields enable the birds to return home.
“My best friend, Kenny Borsch, became interested in pigeons, too, and we started training young birds. We were too young to drive a car, so we wired boxes to our bicycles and rode three or four miles to let the birds out to fly home. After awhile, we talked Kenny’s grandfather into driving us 10 miles away to train our birds.”
Bryant built his first loft from lumber he got from a construction site where they were building a bridge.
“I talked the boss into giving me the lumber. They were going to throw it away and I built the loft myself,” he recalled.
Homing pigeons were introduced to the United States in the mid-1800s. In the 1880s, the first 500-mile race took place in this country. Homing pigeons race from 80 to 600 miles at speeds of 40 to 60 mph, over terrain they have often never seen before.
Pigeons have long played an important role in war. Due to their homing ability, speed and altitude, they were often used as military messengers. Carrier pigeons of the Racing Homer breed were used to carry messages in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. They ceased being used as of 1957. They saved thousands of lives while in military service.
Bryant loves long-distance flying. His pigeons fly 100 to 600 miles. When he was 13, he flew his pigeons in one of his first races, which was a 500-mile race. He should have won, but his lack of knowledge caused him to lose first place. He didn’t realize you needed to watch your loft to clock your bird in, the minute it returns to the loft.
He went to the movies instead and didn’t clock in his bird until the next morning. His bird was second, but would have won if he had clocked her in when she returned to the loft. He doesn’t remember the movie he saw, but he never forgot the valuable lesson he learned: stay by your loft.
“To raise money, I had to shine shoes, haul ashes and cut grass to support my pigeons,” Bryant said.
When Bryant enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1951, he gave Kenny all his pigeons. When he came out of the Navy, he met and married his wife, Lynn Schleicher, and raised a family. He didn’t raise pigeons for a number of years.
He began his career in real estate in 1966. He didn’t raise or race pigeons while he was becoming one of the top Realtors in the Riverbend and building his own business — Don Bryant’s Gallery of Homes. He sold his business in 1983.
When he became interested in flying pigeons again, he went into it in a big way. He has four lofts in Otterville, with a partner, Tim Widowski. Two of the lofts are breeding lofts, one is a racing loft and the last loft is for his special birds. Their loft is named “Union Forest.”
The loft has two 15-year-old Houbens and two Stuart Browns. They are the foundation of Widowski and Bryant’s lofts. In all, Bryant and Widowski have more than 100 birds.
“Our birds are great. We carefully breed and train them in order to raise the best birds,” Bryant said.
There are two 10-week periods of racing every year. Old birds fly from April through June. The youngsters start racing in mid-August and fly until mid-October.
Bryant has been very successful in racing his pigeons. His pigeons have won in old-bird races in the last two years: Champion Bird Illinois twice, Champion Loft twice, Master Loft twice, Average Speed in 22 races and National Award 15th in the United States in 2014. The award Bryant is most proud of is that, in 2015, of his bird “Sissy Jane,” which placed second in the United States in the National Ace Old Bird Marathon Distance Standings.
Homing pigeons have pedigrees like racehorses. They are bred and trained with the same care bestowed upon their equine counterparts. Some international races award large cash prizes. Purses can be as high as $600,000. Racing pigeons have sold for more than $260,000 each.
“Being an American and my wife and family are the most important things in my life,” Bryant said.
Bryant and his wife have one son, Chuck Bryant, and two daughters, Donna Minard and Sally Voorhes. Bryant is still busy building and remodeling houses.
“At 83, it keeps me young,” Bryant declared.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 31, 2016 | Bird Netting
It’s official: the hunting season is here again and in certain parts of the country a select few are out hunting bear and sheep and deer. The majority of us, however, are getting our first taste of the hunt with doves. I’m not a great dove hunter, although I’m not exactly to blame. During most of my lifetime, we didn’t even have a dove season in Minnesota. Fortunately, that changed some years back, and now every September 1 I get to head out in hopes of seeing a dove. I say “in hopes of” because dove numbers where I live are not great. You can find them and, on occasion, you can get a shot. But we still don’t have dove hunting in Minnesota like they do in other states.
There are places like Yuma, Arizona, where dove hunting is such a big deal that the local high schoolers hold a fundraiser in the form of a drive-thru dove cleaning station. For $5, the high school band will clean your limit of doves. And, when they are done, you can take your limit to any number of restaurants where they will cook up your birds for you. Just once in my life I would like to experience dove hunting on that level.
For now, however, I will just be happy to get out and see if I can shoot my two or three doves and hopefully get a small meal out of them. While I’m out there, I keep my eyes open for another bird: one that used to be a popular game bird, but that has caught such a bad reputation many people would never consider eating them.
Pigeons are all over the place here in farm country. They live in barns and silos and most farmers will let you come in a shoot a few. Pigeons are a little bigger than doves and equally tasty, in my opinion.
Like doves, pigeons can be prepared in a number of different ways. If you have enough pigeons, you can put together a really nice dinner. Juniper-roasted doves with a cherry port sauce is one of my favorite ways or you can make them just like doves into poppers with a little cream cheese, jalapeño, and bacon.
For these squabs, I am tweaking a Jamie Oliver recipe for a fried squab with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. The pigeons are rubbed with Chinese five spice and then fried whole. It doesn’t take long to fry a whole bird, and you end up with a very tender breast and crispy salty skin. Give pigeons a try, if you haven’t yet—you might be surprised at how good they are.
Spice Rub
2 tablespoon of kosher salt
2 teaspoons Chinese five spice
1 teaspoon black pepper
Small pinch of cayenne for heat
Combine the ingredients and rub it on the inside and outside of the squabs. Let sit out for 30 minutes before frying. Heat oil (I used peanut oil but just about any oil would work) over medium-high heat until oil reaches 350 degrees. Lower the squabs whole in the oil so they are completely submerged. Cook for 4-5 minutes—four if you want some pink in the middle of the breast and five if you don’t. Pull the birds out and set aside to drain and cool. While they pigeons are draining make your sauce.
Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce
Juice of one lemon
Juice of one lime
¼ cup oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of Sriracha
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 clove of garlic minced
Combine all ingredients, mix well and serve with fried squabs.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 30, 2016 | Bird Netting
You’re on the edge of a riverbank, enjoying the view, the cool freshwater misting around you. Suddenly a monstrous catfish — 15 times your size — leaps out of the river, beaching in front of you. In one quick gulp, it sucks you down its gullet and then retreats back into the water.
Fish belong in the water, right? What business do they have leaping out of their world and into ours? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe explore the surprisingly fascinating, dangerous and mysterious world of leaping, jumping and gliding fish. From skewering swordfish and breaching sharks to the alleged urethra-bound candiru, nature provides more than a few mind-blowing specimens of note.
Thankfully, you are not a mouse. If you were, this might be your fate along Australia’s Ashburton River. Scientists surveyed 18 lesser salmon catfish there and found large quantities of spinifex hopping mice in their guts. They published their findings in the Journal of Arid Environments. From other studies, we know that similar small mammals made up around 4 percent of this catfish’s diet. But this is the first report of these catfish devouring high levels of terrestrial mammals.
Both the lesser salmon catfish and the spinifex hopping mouse are common in northwestern Australia, but it was previously thought that this catfish species primarily ate insects, crustaceans and plants. But 44 percent of the 18 fish sampled had mice in their stomachs. Of those, the mice were about 95 percent of their stomach content. Two of the fish even had three mice each in their bellies. Catfish may be omnivorous, but snacking on mice is considered unusual. So how did they get there?
The researchers have two theories. The most likely is that heavy rains may have flooded the underground burrows of these mice, pushing them into the river. So rather than being gobbled up on the river’s edge, they drowned to death in their home and then the catfish had a fancy feast.
The other possibility is that these catfish are adapting, much like their larger cousins Silurus glanis. Researchers found that the larger catfish, displaced from their native habitat, were beaching themselves to eat pigeons, and 28 percent of the time they successfully captured one. Even more remarkable? They risked being stranded on the riverbank to do it. But the high-energy meal of a pigeon goes a long way when you’re a hungry catfish, so it must have been worthwhile. Maybe these lesser salmon catfish are making the same gambit in hopes of scarfing down some hopping mice?
Rest assured, catfish won’t be eating us humans anytime soon. But we still recommend that you avoid “noodling” in Australia. What’s noodling you ask? It’s when you wade into the water, feel around for a catfish hole, shove your hand in, wiggle your fingers around and wait for one to bite your hand. This type of fishing is mainly practiced in America, and it can be dangerous. Catfish are strong enough to pull a person underwater, especially if you’re wearing gloves that get caught on their teeth. They can also twist around and rip the flesh right off your bare hands.
But hey, at least we’re not being devoured off the side of a riverbank … or drowning underground before being picked apart by bloodthirsty catfish. In the meantime, human researchers hope to investigate this food cycle further, to make sure the local ecosystem hasn’t been thrown off-balance.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 29, 2016 | Bird Netting
PIGEONS droppings (pigeon poo) are “not” causing a nuisance to members of the public, according to Barrhead’s local authority.
East Renfrewshire Council (ERC) has responded to calls from members of the public and a local councillor for more anti-pigeon measures at Barrhead Train Station.
Commuters claimed that the ground around the station was slick with pigeon poo – and that they often ran under the bridge for fear of “raining poo”.
The council claims that it had plans to instal pigeon proof netting at the bridge last year – but essential works to the bridge paid heed to the plans.
However ERC now says that while it does not deem the birds to currently be a nuisance, it will be taking precautionary measures to prevent the bridge’s pigeon populations from booming.
A spokeswoman for ERC said: “East Renfrewshire Council had plans in place to install netting to the Barrhead rail bridge in April last year however due to essential repairs having to be carried out by Network rail, the installation had to be delayed.
“Our Environmental Health team have been monitoring the rail bridge since the essential works have taken place and do not deem there to be any level of nuisance from the pigeons currently or health risk to the public.
“This however could deteriorate should more birds appear, so as a precautionary measure proofing work will be carried out.
“A suitable contractor will carry out the installation of netting in mid-October 2016.”
Network Rail recently completed a £1 million overhaul of the 1900s structure on Paisley Road, forcing months of road delays.
During the renovation the bridge’s resident pigeon population was shifted.
Independent councillor Danny Devlin previously said: “They are leaving an awful mess and it’s just disgusting.
“I have received plenty of complaints from my constituents about the constant barrage that they have to endure when they risk walking under that bridge at any time of the day.
A quick reconnaissance of the street reveals slick patches of pigeon poo on the pavement below, and as well as a hygiene hazard it is claimed that the dung also represent a fall hazard.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 28, 2016 | Bird Netting
A couple has just said heart-wrenching vows and exchanged rings. After walking down the aisle together, they step outside for one more wedding ritual. As the wedding party counts down from five and the couple look to the skies, two white doves took flight out of a small cage and soar into the clouds.
#Terrence and Rotoniya Kendrick, Mississippi natives and owners of Perfect Flight White Dove Releases, have started giving events a special touch. Perfect Flight began in Farmhaven, Miss., which is about 10.5 miles northeast of Canton, in July 2014. The couple started out raising chickens, but a neighbor, Albert Brown, later introduced them to pigeons. Brown showed them how to train and care for the birds, which later motivated the Kendricks to start their dove-releasing business.
#”(Brown) made me look at it from a fun perspective,” Terrence says.
#Terrence says he has loved birds since he was a kid.
#”We’ve had all kinds of birds-—parakeets, ducks, turkeys and guineas, which are a type of fowl,” he says.
#His passion for managing his own business and building something from the ground up now is in full flight. The Kendricks have a total of 70 pigeons with 20 new birds arriving soon. Their goal is to reach 100 birds by the end of September.
#The average number of doves released is three, with four for funerals and two for weddings. The most doves they have released at once was nine.
#Although the Kendricks often work ceremonials events like weddings and funerals, they are not limited to any specific type of affair. They can release doves at varied events such as birthdays, 5Ks and
memorials.
#The Kendricks have a precise way of pampering and training their nest of feathered friends. The monthly upkeep consists of deworming and medicating each pigeon for salmonella and other diseases. To keep them clean, the Kendricks simply set a pan of water out, and the pigeons dive in for a nice bird bath.
#”It’s important to keep a routine regiment to keep your birds healthy because they often come in contact with many other birds in flight,”
Terrence says.
#Training for the birds starts while they are young. They are kept locked away for a certain amount of time, and the Kendricks only let them out when it’s feeding time.
#The more the birds fly out, the more they will get used to their environment, which makes it easier for them to find their way home. Terrence also has whistles that trigger them to fly back home.
#Although they take flight often, they sometimes become skittish. The Kendricks get a laugh at the pigeons unexpectedly becoming slightly fearful of flying out and deciding that they do not want to fly on cue.
#Pigeons have a great sense of direction and know when and where to come back, Terrence says.
#”It’s a God-given instinct that they have, that scientists have yet to figure out,” Terrence says.
#As with many jobs, the couple’s field of work has an unpleasant side. Often, when the pigeons are released at some events, they do not return on the same day. Luckily for the Kendricks, the pigeons legs now have bands, which have numbers in case the birds are found. In other cases, some pigeons fall prey to larger birds, but Terrence says that if you keep the pigeons healthy, they’ll find a way home.
#The Kendricks tell a story about a woman who was a paraplegic who made plans to have doves released at her funeral.
#However, instead of waiting until her funeral, she had the birds released outside of her home for both her and her daughter to enjoy.
#”The best part about our job is seeing smiles and the joy on people’s face as they watch the doves fly,” Rotoniya says.
#When they are not releasing birds, the Kendricks tend to their eight acres of land, organizing their garden or raising their chickens, something they consider everyday life.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 27, 2016 | Bird Netting
The wife of a South Croydon motorcyclist who died after he was hit by pigeon has said he was the “rock of the family”.
Mahnaz Niazi, 34, was at home when police knocked on her door to tell her the tragic news that her 35-year-old husband Ashar had died in a crash.
It is believed Ashar, while riding his “dream bike”, a Yamaha R1M, was hit by a pigeon as he travelled down the A22 in Godstone with three friends on August 14. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mahnaz, who will now have to raise their two children, Aisha, 6, and Yaseen, 4, without her husband, says the loss has had a heartbreaking impact on their family.
She told the Croydon Advertiser: “He was really hands on with the kids, always helping out a lot, putting them to sleep and making them breakfast.
“The children doted on their father. It’s a really big change in our lives now and it’s going to take time to deal with.
“He was such a positive person, he really helped me whenever I was down, putting a really positive spin on things.
“But he was rational and good with problem solving – he was the rock of the family.”
The local Muslim community has come together to support the family since the death of Ashar, who was devoted to his faith, praying five times a day and completing the Hajj in his younger years – a mandatory religious pilgrimage to Mecca to be completed once in a Muslim’s lifetime.
The couple, who were married 12 years, met while studying at the University of Liverpool.
Before he died, Ashar was working as an IT engineer for Education First, who have since planted a tree in memory of his life.
“He did everything a good Muslim could do,” said Maznah.
“It’s been heartwarming to have the community come together. I didn’t realise that so many people knew him, they’re asking me if I need help with anything.”
Ashar trained for the difficult Cisco certification, a qualification in IT networking, studying at weekends to complete the course.
Mahnaz, a learning support assistant, said: “He was one of those people who didn’t have to study hard and would do well.”
Close friend Asir Choudbury has also paid tribute.
Asir said about Ashar: “He had an energy and charisma that he transferred to everyone around him.
“This tragedy has taken away somebody who put his family and religion before all else.”
A charity fundraiser was launched after his death. To donate to the Penny Appeal in Ash’s memory, visit the Just Giving page.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 26, 2016 | Bird Netting
A fire which tore through a South Shields allotment killing 60 pigeons has been confirmed as arson by police. Fire fighters were called to the site in Holder House Way, South Shields, at 12.30am on Tuesday to tackle the blaze. Crews from South Shields, Hebburn, Marley Park and Washington stations, took three hours to extinguish the fire and were called back to the allotment at around 11.40am when the blaze began to smoulder again. Northumbria Police has confirmed the fire was stared deliberately. A spokesman said: “It has now been established the fire was started deliberately and is being treated as arson. “Enquiries are on-going. Any witnesses should ring Northumbria Police on 77 060916 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 25, 2016 | Bird Netting
At first, Wisconsin’s natural resources agency was just concerned about the thousands of pounds of lead buried in the La Crosse river marsh.
Now, however, the Dept. of Natural Resources has turned its regulatory eyes to other possible contaminants there thanks to three decades of use and abuse by the La Crosse Gun Club.
The club closed up shop in 1963 but only after dropping an estimated 50,000 pounds of lead shot into the water from its skeet-shooting members.
The DNR wants the lead impacts studied.
Now, though, it is also demanding the city to identify possible contamination from some substances in the clay pigeons themselves that is considered carcinogenic.
That study and the lead study are pegged at close to $50,000 and could last nearly a year.
Meanwhile, warnings about eating fish caught from the marsh remain in place.
In 2012, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse studied lead contaminants in the marsh paid for, in part, from a $60,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. UW-L also kicked in $5,000 in trying to help determine the amount of contamination.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Aug 24, 2016 | Bird Netting
Dr. Maria Forzan, of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, performed the necropsies on the pigeons at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown and sent the samples for testing at a toxicology lab at the University of Guelph.
She wants the pest control applicators and the public to know the effects of Avitrol.
“Trying to explain to them that, in fact, it is quite possible that a lot of the pigeons will die from Avitrol poisoning which is actually something that came as a surprise to us,” explained Forzan.
Dead pigeons found throughout downtown
The pigeons were found in downtown Charlottetown, ranging from Victoria Row to Victoria Park, and Forzan says it’s possible they were all feeding at the same location.
Forzan went back to the labelling information for Avitrol to find out more about what the company said about bird mortality from the product.
“We were under the impression from the older literature and from what the company was putting out, years ago when we first looked at this, about how pigeons would show abnormal behaviour and frighten the other pigeons away but only a few of them will die.”
That’s no longer the case she said — “If they show clinical signs, they are likely to die.”
‘There’s going to be some suffering’
Forzan is thinking about writing a letter to the editor to the Canadian Veterinary Journal to spread the word about the pigeon deaths from Avitrol, but admits it’s up to the public to decide if this is an appropriate way to control the pigeons.
“If people are upset about pigeons defacing buildings or cars, then something is going to be done, and whether we see it or not, people need to be aware that any time you kill an animal that you consider a pest, there’s going to be some suffering and some unpleasant sights,” said Forzan.
On P.E.I., only pest control professionals are allowed to use Avitrol.
Eleven companies are currently licensed across the Island and the licences are issued annually, expiring at the end of the calendar year.
A spokesperson for the P.E.I. government says staff in the Department of Communities, Land and Environment know who is administering the Avitrol in Charlottetown, and they have had conversations with that person about safe use of the substance.
Samples from three more dead pigeons have been sent to Guelph for testing, but no more sick birds have been reported.
“I’m kind of guessing that whoever was using Avitrol has realized that it’s probably not the best public relations results and maybe they’ve realized what it’s doing to the pigeons and they’ve stopped, or basically the problem has resolved itself, maybe the pigeons are no longer there,” observed Forzan.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Aug 23, 2016 | Bird Netting
Spikes will be installed on a bridge in Frome to tackle pesky pigeons after the footpath was made dangerously slippery by an abundance of bird poo.
Rodden Bridge, which allows a rail line to cross over Rodden Road, is to undergo a pigeon proofing transformation after local people complained the amount of bird faeces on the footpath below was making it slippery to walk along.
Winter was said to be when the problem was at its worst – and local people “have no easy way to avoid” taking the perilous poop-laden path, said one council expert.
The Bridge, which allows a rail line to cross over Rodden Road, is to be given a thorough cleaning and have pigeon spikes installed on its abutments.
The news comes after people revealed they were fed-up with the amount of litter in the town and an incident involving chips being left on a car which saw the town go viral online, with #Frome and #Chipgate trending on Twitter.
Town councillors have had enough too, and have made almost 40 complaints to Mendip District Council since the beginning of August.
Meanwhile, one man revealed a litany of food attacks in the town, telling tales of chips shoved up car exhausts and macaroni cheese being dumped on a windscreen.
MORE: Vandals ‘ransacked’ and ‘drew graffiti’ in Frome school and stole tools
Frome Town Council (FTC) and Network Rail are teaming up to solve this latest street detritus problem.
FTC is forking out close to £4,000 towards the works, with Network Rail matching that amount.
Rodden Road will be closed from Monday, November 7 to Friday, November 11 between the hours of 10pm and 6am, while the works take place.
The footpath reportedly becomes more slippery in the winter due to excessive amounts of bird poo
Paul Wynne, Town Clerk for FTC, said council was joining the fight against the footpath faeces even though it did not own the bridge or have any responsibility for the cleanliness and upkeep of the road and pavement underneath.
Mr Wynne said the project was a little outside the council’s remit but the authority felt it was the thing to do.
He said: “Even though it is outside the norm these works should help keep the road and the pavement cleaner and it’s for this reason we feel it’s right to contribute to this project.
“Necessarily, the works will involve a road closure here but we’re hopeful that Network Rail and County Highways will do it at night.
“Sensibly, Network Rail is planning to use the closure to complete some guttering repairs and other improvements to the bridge too.”
Chris Stringer, Environment Manager for the town council, said that he had received a number of complaints from locals on the bird poo around that area.
He said: “A number of locals have said that it makes it slippery to walk across, particularly in the winter when the effects of the pigeons are at their worst.
“There is only one foot path under that bridge and so as you can imagine there is no easy way to avoid it.”
Have you experienced problems with pigeon poo on the walkway underneath Rodden Bridge? Send in your pictures to James Wood on james.wood@westgaz.co.uk
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 22, 2016 | Bird Netting
Ben Paraschuk admits the world of pest control isn’t exactly glamorous.
Trapping and removing angry animals or eliminating insect infestations can be tough work that rarely has its red carpet moments. That’s why he was a little surprised when he got a phone call about appearing in the new television series Billy Goes North that stars Billy Bretherton.
Bretherton, who previously was in the A&E program Billy the Exterminator, is a high-energy guy and “quite the character,” according to Paraschuk. He’s known for his love of leather outfits, flamboyant jewelry and his wild hairdos.
“Funnily enough, even before we were working in pest control we had seen his show and we really liked his personality and approach to the animals,” said Paraschuk, who runs Mississauga’s Pest Protection Plus with Anthony Munshaw and Brent Hierons. “It was pretty exciting for us to get a chance to work with him. It’s not a glamorous industry but getting to be on the show with him was great.”
In May, Paraschuk and his team joined Bretherton and the television crew for a day of filming where they visited eight separate raccoon calls in Mississauga and Toronto. It was during a time when raccoons have had their litters of cubs, meaning it’s a busy period for pest companies.
“We had some tight squeezes and had to deal with a lot of angry mothers who are never happy when you’re moving their babies,” said Paraschuk. “But it was fun being around Billy, who’s the Wayne Gretzky of pest control so to speak. We had a great time with him and learned a few of his tips and tricks. It was neat to see how he approached the different situations.”
Bretherton and Paraschuk share similar philosophies when it comes to dealing with animals as they use humane methods to trap the animals before releasing them into the wild.
Meanwhile, Paraschuk hopes his appearance on the show, which debuts this Friday (Sept. 9) on CMT Canada at 9 p.m. with the Pest Protection Plus episode, will also raise awareness among residents about what sort of questions to ask when hiring a pest control company. He said it’s not uncommon to hear of someone removing a mother raccoon but leaving the babies behind, orphaned and alone. That shouldn’t happen when a professional company is hired, he added.
And, while raccoons are undeniably cute to look at, having them living on your property can cause a whole host of problems. Their droppings are harmful to humans and they’re notorious for chewing wires or tearing holes in roofs and walls. Plus, you wouldn’t want your pet fighting with an angry raccoon, he said.
Meanwhile, in the new show Bretherton travels across the country dealing with all manner of animals, from wolves preying on livestock to beavers flooding country roads. He hits big cities and suburbs to small towns, farms and the wilderness in the program.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Ryan Ponto | Aug 21, 2016 | Bird Netting
At first, Sebastopol area resident Nancy Martin and her husband did not know what to make of the frequent booming bird noises they suddenly started hearing in mid-August.
Neither did their neighbors.
“We were walking around the neighborhood and we’d run into people, and they’d say, ‘What’s that noise we’re hearing?’ ” Martin said. “And we would say, ‘I don’t know, maybe hunting.’ ”
But the sounds were going off at very frequent intervals — sometimes as much as 20 per minute — and could last for 13 hours a day, Martin estimated. So hunting-related gunshots didn’t sound quite right.
Then a neighbor emailed with the most likely answer: bird cannons. Vineyards employ the noise-making devices powered by propane to scare away birds that may seek to prey on their valuable crop as harvest approaches.
The use of bird cannons is nothing new, particularly in agriculture-heavy Sonoma County, but Martin, who said she has lived in her neighborhood for 30 years, could not recall ever hearing them before.
“Sometimes, it would be back to back: you’d hear ‘boom’ and then another ‘boom’ right away,” Martin said. “My dog seriously was just shaking.”
Concerns expressed by Martin and several other residents in west Sonoma County highlight a familiar tension in agricultural areas: Growers, empowered by the county’s right-to-farm ordinance, are entitled to protect their crops, but local residents sometimes feel farming disruptions interfere with their quality of life.
John Balletto, owner of Balletto Vineyards and Winery in the Russian River Valley, said his vineyard has not used bird cannons this year because it has not felt very dramatic “bird pressure.” But he knows how bad it can get in other years: Balletto recalled one instance some 15 years ago when he had a 2-acre block of pinot grigio “picked clean” by waxwings.
The damage can add up quickly. A typical vineyard in Sonoma County yields about 3 tons of grapes per acre, or a crop valued at about $7,650 per acre at last year’s average price, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Balletto acknowledged that complaints from neighbors can arise, and he recommended taking an equally neighborly approach to resolving those conflicts.
“If you have a neighbor that has some concerns, just go have a conversation with that person,” Balletto said. “We’re still able to farm and do stuff, but it’s also important to try to have good neighbor relations.”
Cannons are not the only tool vineyards have at their disposal to defend against birds like starlings and waxwings. One popular option is bird netting, which growers can place over their crops to shield them from winged pests, but that can be a costly and labor-intensive route to take. Balletto said his vineyard is using bird alarms, which emit noises of predatory birds, and has found them to be more effective than cannons so far.
Still others employ actual birds of prey — falcons — to scare off hungry flocks.
With Wine Country’s harvest season gearing up, Lisa Correia, Sonoma County’s assistant agricultural commissioner, said last week that her office had yet to receive any complaints about bird cannons. But she said the commissioner’s office generally works closely with residents and businesses to resolve such issues.
“If somebody isn’t using (bird cannons) properly, then we can usually talk to the grower and get them maybe better educated or informed,” Correia said. “That usually helps create less of a chance of a nuisance being created.”
Solano County officials last year passed an ordinance regulating use of noise-making devices such as bird cannons for agricultural purposes. The ordinance spells out a number of requirements for the devices, including that they cannot be used more than 11 times per hour from 30 minutes after sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset.
Additionally, the ordinance allows for no more than one noise-making device for every 5 acres of land with crops needing protection from damage by birds or other wildlife. Devices within 50 feet of the property line need to be relocated at least 200 feet every four days, and they can’t be directed at residences closer than 400 yards away without rotating automatically and erecting a “sound baffle” between the residence and the device.
While Sonoma County does not have such an ordinance for noise-making devices, it does have recommended guidelines for propane cannons. A copy of the guidelines provided by Correia warns cannons “can and will annoy nearby residents and domestic animals,” and that if a field is surrounded by houses or has a “sensitive neighbor,” cannons may not be a wise choice, pointing to netting, falconry and “general harassment” as other options.
The guidelines further note that birds can rapidly adjust to the noise of cannons and recommend ways that growers should position cannons to maximize their effectiveness. The guidelines also say growers can mitigate noise by putting a plywood backstop behind cannons; warn growers not to use them before sunrise or after sunset; and suggest that the location of cannons be changed frequently and the interval between discharges vary.
Correia said the guidelines have been around for many years, in which time complaints about noise devices at harvest time have declined.
“Frankly, they’ve become a little less relevant because we don’t get as many calls these days,” Correia said. “It’s become less of an issue.”
The same may not be true for Napa County this year. Greg Clark, Napa County’s agricultural commissioner, said his office had heard more complaints about bird cannons than in the past few years, but he was not sure why. Clark said his county does not have a specific ordinance or written guidelines about bird cannons.
Clark said Napa, like Sonoma County, generally takes an educational approach to resolving disputes. That may mean, for instance, informing growers their cannons are firing too often.
Clark said he did not want to minimize the impact birds can have on crops, recalling one instance when a grower’s cannon was firing about every 20 seconds.
“While we stood there and talked, he would see the starlings flying around, and this person would say, ‘See the birds?’ ” Clark said. “You could have that thing firing off every second and the birds would still be there. They’ve gotten used to it.”
Still, Clark said some neighbors also may not fully appreciate what it means to move into an agricultural area, where disruptions, to a certain extent, come with the territory.
Balletto made a similar point.
“At the end of the day, there might be times when we disagree on things,” he said. “But if we don’t bring a crop in, nothing’s sustainable.”
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