City to ban toxins that poison Saskatoon pigeons

City to ban toxins that poison Saskatoon pigeons

Wildlife rehabilitation calls for city to ban toxins that poison Saskatoon pigeons “Basically if you can imagine a bird having seizures,” said Jan Shadick, Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation executive director, describing a pigeon’s painful death after eating poisoned corn.  “It’s an unfortunate way to die and it’s an unfortunate use of pigeon control methods within the city.”

The most common poison used is Avitrol. Shadick said she wants to see the city ban its use, or at least require the area it’s scattered around to be labelled, like when spraying pesticides. She said her wildlife rehabilitation sees hundreds of poisoned pigeons — and some other birds — a year, but they’re also seeing it punch up the food chain.  “Dogs and cats have been demonstrated to have eaten these poison pigeons and died from it,” she said.   “A crow would eat it, a raven would eat it, numerous birds would eat it and it was open to anybody who wanted a free lunch. A squirrel could get a hold of it,” explained owner Jason Hiltz.  Instead, he said the company uses deterrents like nets and pigeon spikes.

Two years ago, the City of Saskatoon banned the use of poisoned corn according to Shadick, but only on city property.  Shadick said it hasn’t made a difference. She said while most poisons to kill birds can only be bought by licensed professionals, some companies sell almost identical products to anyone online. “The money that people are currently spending on putting out poisoned corn could be spent putting out birth control corn,” she said, explaining using birth control is a more humane version of pigeon population control.

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Contact us at 1 877-4-NO-BIRD,(604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

 

Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control / Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / PIgeon Deterrent / Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest / Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons / What to do about pigeons / sparrows, Damage by Sparrows, How to Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests / De-fence / Pigeon Nesting / Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping / woodpecker control / Professional Bird Control Company / Keep The Birds Away / Birds/rats/seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/pidgeon control/flying rats/pigeon problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/bird guard/droppings/fececs

 

 

 

The call is now being considered as the city creates its Integrated Pest Management report.

Lost pigeon flew the coop, finding her way from France to Calgary

Lost pigeon flew the coop, finding her way from France to Calgary

As for the pigeon, Randle said it was let go, without its luggage this time. Lost pigeon flew the coop, finding her way from France to Calgary  Homing pigeons are a remarkable species with internal compasses that are able to memorize landmarks to retrace a path home.  But one particular bird ended up so far off its course, it would have been a miracle for her to find her way back.

After being found frozen to a front porch, she was taken in by Calgarian Alex Gray who didn’t know what else to do and posted on social media, eventually tracking down Jeanie Palmer, a woman who raises and rescues pigeons.  “There were a lot of people who wanted the bird but couldn’t prove it was theirs, so I reached out to Jeanie and I said: ‘Alright, we don’t have traction and she doesn’t seem happy by herself, so by all means, come and get her,’” Gray said.  Once Palmer got her home she did some digging and, being a member of the Canadian Pigeon Fancier’s Association, she reached out to her fellow fanciers who helped her identify the tag.   “The band number has an ‘NL’ on it, it’s not Canadian and it’s not American, so where is this bird from?” Palmer said.

She’s from the Netherlands and belonged to Henk Bax, a man who races pigeons.  “He said, this bird went missing from a race in Vervins, France on April 25, 2021. She was 200 kilometres from the coop and a year-and-a-half later she winds up on the sidewalk in Calgary, Alberta,” Palmer said.  The Dutch owner gave his blessing to keep the pigeon.

“How would you fly from France all the way here? How would she make that? I don’t think she could have made it that far, kudos to her if she did,” Palmer said. “There’s a reason we named her Amelia Earhart, maybe she did fly here,” Palmer said. “My jaw dropped,” Gray said.  “I couldn’t believe it and I wondered how the heck this bird got here. Was it smuggled or did it land on a carrier ship and sailed off to the great unknown? Did it survive in some plane landing gear for a very long haul?” Both could hardly believe it.

“This could be a book. The bird who flew across the world, or the pigeon who got lost. You could make up any adventures you wanted her to be on. The fact I have her is crazy to me, pretty lucky,” Palmer said. She’s retiring from racing and will officially become a Canadian. It isn’t legal to ship a bird from Canada to the Netherlands.  “She’s going to join my coop and be a spoiled lazy pigeon. Hopefully she will pick one of my handsome boys and have a happy little family of her own,” Palmer said.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.  Contact us at 1 877-4-NO-BIRD,(604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

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Prison guards at the Pacific Institution in Abbotsford intercepted a pigeon

Prison guards at the Pacific Institution in Abbotsford intercepted a pigeon

Prison guards at the Pacific Institution in Abbotsford intercepted a pigeon with a small backpack containing crystal meth  Prison guards in B.C.’s Fraser Valley have to be vigilant against drones trying to drop contraband to waiting inmates or someone trying to throw drugs over the walls, but a recent discovery has also caused some concern.

“A pigeon was located at Pacific Institution, inside the walls, and it appeared to have a small package, sort of like a backpack attached to it,” John Randle, president of the Pacific Region for Union of Canadian Correctional Officers told Global News. He said the package contained crystal meth. The incident reportedly happened on Dec. 29 at the maximum, medium and minimum federal penitentiary located in Abbotsford. Randle said the pigeon was found near one of the recreation yards at the institution.

“It was spotted by correctional officers, I believe, and security intelligence officers when the officers were doing their standard patrols around and throughout the unit and institution, that’s when they initially spotted the bird with the package on it,” he said. “And then, of course, I believe there was some creative work – because the bird moved around quite a bit – in order to track it and capture it. But it was just outside one of the unit yards when it was first spotted.”  Peruvian police catch “narco pigeon” trying to smuggle marijuana into prison

Randle said they have had issues with contraband in the past, with drones or something being thrown over the wall, but in his 13-year career, he has never heard of birds being used to smuggle something into a prison.  “It’s almost like the inmates and the criminals are going back in time and using older technology,” he said.

In November, Mission Institution was locked down for days due to a belief that a drone may have dropped a firearm onto the prison grounds. The lockdown was lifted when no gun was found but officers did locate a drone. Lost pigeon flew the coop, finding her way from France to Calgary  Randle said keeping drugs out of the prisons has become a huge part of correctional officers’ jobs every day, not just in B.C. but across Canada.  “Especially with drones and throw-overs, the drug problem is growing on a daily basis,” he said. “This pigeon thing adds a new element to that for sure and we’ll be on the lookout for it but definitely drones have been the big thing for us.”  He added that right now it is unclear to investigators if someone inside the prison was training the bird or if it was someone outside the institution.  Randle said they have increased staff and patrols in order to watch for any potential drops. He said they also have anti-drone technology that works like a radar.

The Correctional Service of Canada and the RCMP have launched a joint investigation into what happened.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.

Contact us at 1 877-4-NO-BIRD,(604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

 

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Pigeon steals poppies, creates ‘commemorative’ nest above Australian war memorial

Pigeon steals poppies, creates ‘commemorative’ nest above Australian war memorial

TORONTO – A pigeon has been stealing poppies from the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and making a nest out of the flowers in the alcove of a stained glass window.

“Each day the pigeon has been flying down… to steal poppies, carefully crafting a nest in the lead-up to Remembrance Day in an alcove above the stained-glass window of a wounded Australian soldier,” the website for the Australian War Memorial reads.

The poignancy of the bird using the unusual nest materials is not lost on the Memorial’s staff, as the website explores the history of soldiers using pigeons during wartime.

“Between 1942 and 1943, pigeon fanciers across the country gave some 13,500 trained pigeons to the army for signals use purposes,” the website says. “There are lots of stories of pigeons valiantly going forward and saving people’s lives.”

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Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor or 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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row. 


Contact us at 1 877-4-NO-BIRD,(604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca


Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosing / Vancouver Pigeon Control / Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / PIgeon Deterrent / Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest / Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons / What to do about pigeons / sparrows, Damage by Sparrows, How to Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests / De-fence / Pigeon Nesting / Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping / woodpecker control / Professional Bird Control Company / Keep The Birds Away / Birds/rats/seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/pidgeon control/flying rats/pigeon problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/bird guard

How to Get Rid of Birds’ Nests in Your Gutters

How to Get Rid of Birds’ Nests in Your Gutters

Rain gutters are among the most heavily exposed parts of your home. Weather, pests, and constant use affect their integrity. In fact, many animals make gutters their home, given the space and debris that enters it. Specifically, birds often nest in rain gutters for these reasons. Fortunately, here are some effective ways to get rid of birds’ nests in your gutters.

Gutter Guards

The greatest bird deterrent for your yard is a gutter guard. Gutter guards attach to rain gutters to prevent debris and pests from entering. This reduces clogs, cracks, or other issues from constant use. They also prevent birds from nesting. Aluminum guards click into place over your rain gutters with micro-mesh technology that blocks twigs, leaves, or other nesting materials from entering. Birds will fly away into new spots, leaving your gutters clean and nest-free.

Bird Repellent

Similarly, buy bird repellent to ward off these creatures. Like bug spray, bird repellents are chemical sprays or gels designed to disperse large flocks of birds. Many different repellents exist depending on the bird, with goose, pigeon, or other fowl in mind. Eco-repellents also exist and are water-based sprays to avoid harming the birds.

Bird Spikes

While it sounds extreme, bird spikes are perfectly legal and useful in dire situations. Any frustrated homeowner may consider them as a fail-safe last resort. Ultimately, bird spikes are long, needle-like rods that prevent birds from perching, roosting, defecating, or mating. Bird spikes are predominantly used for larger birds, like pigeons, seagulls, or crows, but they can be used for any other birds as well. Still, leaves and other debris can clog bird spikes. Place these horizontally on your gutters to prevent roosting.

Predator Decoys

Birds are simple creatures, meaning bird decoys are one of the best ways to get rid of birds’ nests in your gutters. These are life-sized models of common predators, like hawks and owls. Predator decoys are a humane non-lethal solution for deterring birds. Other deterrents, like holographic tape and scaring balloons, also exist. These products have been shown to work and will scare away any unwanted flying pests.

Source

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor or 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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row. 


Contact us at 1 877-4-NO-BIRD,(604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca


Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosing / Vancouver Pigeon Control / Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / PIgeon Deterrent / Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest / Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons / What to do about pigeons / sparrows, Damage by Sparrows, How to Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests / De-fence / Pigeon Nesting / Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping / woodpecker control / Professional Bird Control Company / Keep The Birds Away / Birds/rats/seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/pidgeon control/flying rats/pigeon problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/bird guard

HOW TO GET RID OF PIGEONS ON THE ROOF

HOW TO GET RID OF PIGEONS ON THE ROOF

Pigeons like to land, roost, nest, and make a mess of your roof and they’re not easy to get rid of. Persistence, bird deterrents, and bird exclusion is the key.

Get rid of pigeons on the roof by removing food and water

Remove all food and water sources and never feed the pigeons! In addition, don’t let your neighbors feed the pigeons. The pigeons can eat at your neighbors and nest on your roof!

Pigeons mainly like to eat seeds and grains such as oats, wheat, corn, cereal, sorghum, rice, beans, barley, millet, peas, and sunflower. They also like to eat food scraps left behind by people, including bread crumbs and popcorn. Birdseed is their favorite because it contains a variety of seeds and grains.

When grains or seeds aren’t available pigeons will eat fruit, greens, and occasionally insects, earthworms, and snails. They especially like apples, grapes, berries, lettuce, spinach, and sprouted seeds.

Pigeons need a constant water source. If water isn’t readily available they will leave to find a more suitable place to live. They can find water in birdbaths, gutters, pools, decorative water fountains, puddles, ponds, streams, and even leaves after a rain storm.

Easy to use deterrents to get rid of pigeons on the roof

Aluminum foil, bird deterrent tape, shiny Mylar balloons, wind propelled shiny spinning objects, and plastic decoy scare owls are scary objects to pigeons. Place scary objects on the roof, under the eves, or on the patio. Pigeons don’t like or feel comfortable with scary objects next to their nesting area. They would rather live in a more peaceful environment. One thing to remember, when installing scary objects, is to move them around on a regular basis. Objects that stay in one position don’t scare pigeons.

Wind chimes may deter pigeons. You can give it a try. Pigeons have sensitive hearing and the noise from wind chimes can actually hurt their ears. Pigeons don’t particularly like to nest where loud noises come and go.

Sticky bird gel can also deter pigeons. Apply the sticky gel to your roof where the pigeons are landing and roosting. The gel will make the area uncomfortable for the pigeons to roost.

Metal bird spikes to get rid of pigeons on the roof

Metal anti bird perching spikes can be effective in the right circumstance. They can work pretty well depending on the location you put them. Install them on rooftop edges, ledges, chimneys, and anywhere you see the pigeons land, roost, or nest. Metal bird spikes are mostly maintenance free and can be a permanent solution to deter pigeons from your roof.

Metal anti-perching spikes are harder to install and are not aesthetically appealing.

Wire screens or mesh to get rid of pigeons on the roof

Exclusion is the best solution to pigeon problems in alcoves, around chimneys, under solar panels, on vents, and many other places on the roof.  Exclusion with wire bird screen and mesh do offer a permanent solution to pigeon nesting problems.

Our affiliate company, deals with pigeons nesting underneath solar panels on a daily basis. Solar panels are generally raised 5-12 inches above shingled or tiled roofs, thus creating a void between the panel and the roof. Pigeons can easily go underneath the panel to nest, poop, and make a noticeable and destructive mess. Most, if not all, rooftops that have solar panels need to have pigeons excluded from getting under the solar panels.

Installing wire bird screens or mesh can be difficult and hazardous. It requires being on the roof with tools, a lot of bending over (which is physically demanding), cutting the wire to the proper dimensions, and stapling or screwing on the wire. It is not advised for a home or business owner to install wire screens or mesh because it isn’t safe. You can fall off the roof and get seriously injured or die. To use this method, please hire a professional bird control company.

Bird netting to get rid of pigeons on the roof

If your roof is large and flat, bird netting is an excellent method to use to keep pigeons off your roof. It physically blocks the birds from the roof. If the birds can’t get on the roof, they can’t roost or nest. Bird netting is an exclusion method primarily used for large commercial bird and pigeon control.

A professional bird control operator should install bird netting. If not installed correctly the pigeons can still land on the area and get trapped, as well as other birds. This is cruel. Please hire a professional bird control company for bird netting. It will cost money but it is the safest and most humane way to have bird netting installed.

Remove bird nesting materials and droppings

It is important to remove all pigeon nesting and feces prior to excluding pigeons. Nesting materials and droppings left on the roof will continue to cause damage.

If the roof has a pitch, using a power washer is generally the best way to get rid of pigeon waste. Put a tarp on the ground next to the roof to catch the debris as it is rinsed off the roof. It will be much easier to clean up the pigeon feces on the ground if it is contained on a tarp. Wear a mask to prevent inhaling fumes from pigeon feces and wet the feces down before rinsing off. Histoplasmosis is zoonotic disease that can be found in pigeon feces. Zoonotic diseases are caused by harmful germs like viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi that are spread between animals and people. (CDC 2017)

If the roof is flat, you will have to wet the roof down (to prevent spreading contaminants and disease through the air), then rake and sweep up the pigeon waste prior to rinsing. Again, wear a mask to prevent inhaling fumes from pigeon feces.

Please be careful or better yet, call a professional. Using a power washer on the roof can be slippery and dangerous. Inhaling noxious pigeon feces can cause disease – it is a biohazard.

Importance of discouraging pigeons from nesting on your roof

Pigeons spread disease. There are over 60 diseases birds and their droppings can carry. Some of the diseases from pigeon droppings include salmonella, toxoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, St Louis encephalitis, E.coli, and more. In addition, fungus can grow in pigeon droppings which can cause histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is a respiratory disease that may be fatal. Pigeons are also carriers of pests including fleas, mites, ticks, and lice as well as West Nile virus. All of these diseases can pose a serious threat to human health.

Property damage is a big concern with pigeon nesting and droppings. Nests can clog gutters, ventilation pipes, chimneys, and damage electrical equipment. Damaged electrical wires from pigeon nests can even lead to fires. Pigeon droppings are very acidic. The droppings can actually eat away at the roof structure and cause roof leakage.

Pigeon droppings are unsightly. Nobody likes to see or walk on pigeon droppings.

People can slip and fall where pigeon droppings accumulate. When pigeon feces are fresh or rained on it is slippery.

Call a professional

Installing wire bird spikes, wire screens, wire mesh, or bird netting is difficult and hazardous. People can, and do, fall off roofs. People who fall off roofs get seriously injured and even die. It is best to call a professional bird control company when using these methods. Companies that specialize in removing and excluding bird pests (like pigeons) have the know how and safety equipment to get rid of pigeons in a safe and efficient manner from rooftops, alcoves, solar panels, chimneys, window sills, and other areas.

Source

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor or 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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row. 


Contact us at 1 877-4-NO-BIRD,(604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca


Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosing / Vancouver Pigeon Control / Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / PIgeon Deterrent / Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest / Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons / What to do about pigeons / sparrows, Damage by Sparrows, How to Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests / De-fence / Pigeon Nesting / Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping / woodpecker control / Professional Bird Control Company / Keep The Birds Away / Birds/rats/seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/pidgeon control/flying rats/pigeon problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/bird guard