by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 6, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
THE risk of being hit by pigeon droppings as you walk under a city centre bridge is set to vanish as plans get under way to bird-proof the entire structure.
Business owners in Fisherton Street and residents living close to the railway bridge called for action in November, saying the birds had become a health hazard and people walking under the bridge need umbrellas to protect themselves.
Salisbury city councillor Matt Dean said it was the “number one issue” that residents complain to him about and has now led the way in obtaining funding from the city council to solve the problem.
He said: “It’s been an ongoing problem for 15 years or so, and now, with the opening of the University Technical College at the former police station, even more people are walking under the bridge from the rail station.
“The bulk of the money for cleaning and bird-proofing the bridge is going to be spent by the city council and we’re going to ask Network Rail for a financial contribution.
“We hope Wiltshire Council is going to assist by paying for the Traffic Regulation Order for the one or two-night road closure – but we have yet to get their agreement. We’ve gone out for tender for the work and hope it will be complete in June.”
The bridge clean and bird-proofing measures are expected to cost between £3,500 and £6,000.
Cllr Dean said: “There are a number of possible different treatments which include spikes or a special paint which is invisible to the human eye but makes buildings or statues seem like they’re on fire, if you’re a bird. The latter was successfully used about a year ago on the Poultry Cross where it was terrible but it’s now completely sorted.
“This is part of a wider programme to protect our buildings from damage by pigeons. In our historical, medieval city, we have to look after our shops and visitors.
“If you sit down and eat in the market square, you get pecked by birds. We need to work with the Business Improvement District to get rid of birds from the city centre.”
Last year, nesting peregrine falcons in the cathedral spire helped make a difference to the number of pigeons in the city but it also led to some very public executions and the council is reluctant to hire birds of prey to keep birds away.
Paul Dauwalder, who runs three businesses in the Fisherton Street, said it was fantastic news, adding: “It’s one of the weak spots in the street. People have had to walk under that awful bridge for too long and run the gauntlet from these feral pigeons.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 3, 2016 | Bird Netting, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
A pigeon.
The SPCA is investigating possible pigeon poisoning in Auckland.
The bizarre scene, observed outside Vector Arena in central Auckland on Thursday morning, was attributed by residents to the birds eating a packet of chilli instant noodles.
The ordeal began after the birds began acting strangely in the early morning.
One of the drugged pigeons
Daniel Edwards, who lived nearby, found the sickly birds near a packet of opened instant noodles and spicy seasoning.
“It’s pretty sad. A lot of people hate pigeons, but they don’t annoy me,” he said.
Edwards and his friend chased away two large gulls away that had begun clawing at the incapacitated pigeons.
Daniel Edwards found a dozen sick and dying pigeons in Auckland on Thursday morning.
One pigeon was left with a wound in his side while another bird died.
A passer-by poured water on the distressed birds to help revive them from their sluggish state.
Local resident Cynthia Dickey said this was the third time in three months pigeons had been found in a similar state in the park.
In a previous incident, she said three pigeons died and the SPCA took the remaining 12 away for treatment.
Dickey said the birds were being poisoned by the human food being left scattered around the area.
The chilli seasoning would have been dangerously spicy for pigeons, she said.
“Their little mouths can’t cope with it. It would burn your tongue.”
However, SPCA Auckland chief executive Andrea Midgen said they were investigating if the birds were poisoned.
It was the second callout the SPCA had received to the area in a few months.
“In both cases the pigeons appear to be sick from the use of poison.
“The pigeons found today were particularly sick and had wounds from being attacked by seagulls.”
The birds were taken to NZ Bird Rescue where they were being cared for.
It was legal to poison pigeons in New Zealand but you must ensure the birds don’t suffer and not leave any sick birds behind, she said.
“No animal should be left to suffer like this.”
NZ Bird Rescue Trust spokeswoman Hilary Stollery said they had been alerted to more cases of bird poisoning in recent years.
Cafe owners would poison sparrows and pigeons which were seen as a nuisance, she said.
The Trust would like the practice banned.
Human food can also be toxic to birds, including dry noodles and chili, she said.
“It would expand in the poor creature’s stomach and kill them.”
Human food high in salt and chemicals was also bad for birds.
Anyone wishing to feed birds should give them bird seed, 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 Pigeon Patrol | May 18, 2016 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
JAIPUR: A study coordinated by Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Medical College made a startling revelation that pigeons could cause serious respiratory diseases. They said even air-coolers were harmful for lungs.
Feeding pigeons is fine, but constant exposure to them could invite serious diseases like hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), says a recent national study coordinated by Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Medical College.
“At least 22% of cases of HP had history of bird (pigeon) exposure,” said Dr Sheetu Singh, assistant professor, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, SMS Medical College, and coordinator, ILD India Registry – a perspective database (March 2012-April 2015).
“Another major finding of the study shows that around 48.8% patients with HP in the registry had exposure to air-coolers,” Dr Singh said.
In Jaipur, pigeons have homes in flats and apartments. Pigeons’ droppings and nesting could be found easily in heritage buildings, flats, apartments, government buildings, which forces residents of the city to remain exposed to such environmental conditions. Over the past few years, more pigeons are being spotted everywhere. “Pigeons’ droppings or pigeon-affected environment is not good for lungs,” Dr Singh said, while talking about the findings of the study.
The ILD India registry is a set of data collected for the very first time in the country from 19 cities including Jaipur by 27 investigators. They managed to collect clinical data from 1,090 patients. In Rajasthan, 400 patients were found suffering from ILD, but the figures could be even higher. The findings further say, “A vast majority of ILD patients (47%) enrolled in this registry were diagnosed with HP, an inflammatory-fibrotic lung disease, caused by inhalation of environmental factors and 71% of patients with HP lived in urban areas.”
The details of the breakthrough findings were presented by former SMS superintendent Dr Virendra Singh in a session during NAPCON 2015, on Friday, and discussed by a panel of experts during the session that was moderated by Dr Ganesh Raghu, director, Centre for ILD, sarcoid and pulmonary fibrosis program, Seattle, USA.
The experts discussed that since the disease is usually unrecognised, one can avoid its progression by preventing further exposure to such environment or surroundings either at home or work place. The findings from the results of the analyses of data gathered by the participating site pulmonologists from their consenting patients across India, is an eye-opener and has implications not only for the public and physicians in India but provides useful insights into the field of ILD in general.
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 | May 13, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Each year, thousands of Arizona residents email or call Rosie Romero’s radio show with questions about everything from preventing fires in their chimneys to getting rid of tree roots invading their sewer system. His goal is to provide answers that suit the specific lifestyle wherever someone lives in Arizona.
Q: I’m interested in having a solar electrical system built on my roof. But I’m wondering what experience the solar industry has had with birds that try to nest under the panels. I have a sloped roof. Would it be harder for nests to be built in that situation?
A: Most of the time when birds try to nest under solar panels, it’s usually in the case of flat roofs. Generally, a frame is put up to deter birds from nesting. In addition, there are wire-mesh devices that can clip onto solar panels to keep doves and pigeons out. Plastic bird netting can be used as well.
Q: I have a foam roof on my home in Tucson and my air conditioner is on top of that roof, along with my ductwork. The ducts that come down into the house have been insulated with foam as well. But recently, my roof has sprung a leak around the air conditioner. Roofers have told me that to fix the leak, I have to take off the entire foam roof. Why can’t I just take off one section of the foam and then patch that area with new foam? The roofer says I can’t because new foam won’t stick to the old.
A: I can understand what you’re trying to say, and actually it does seem as if you should be able to do that. However, if the elastomeric coating that is on top of the foam has been sunburned, it might be impossible to get the foam patch to stick. You should get a second opinion on your situation from a qualified, experienced foam-roofing company.
Q: Does a person who climbs up on your roof to inspect the damage need to have a license or do they have to have some kind of certification? In other words, can my neighbor go up and inspect my flat roof to tell me what is wrong and where my leak is coming from?
A: Obviously, anyone can go up on your roof to check out what’s going on, and that person doesn’t need a license or certification. But I wouldn’t send just anyone up there; you need a licensed contractor who has a significant amount of experience. For one thing, flat roofs are tough to troubleshoot, because water can travel from one spot on a roof to another to leak into your house. Although walking around on a flat roof can be easier, one misstep on a sloped roof can lead to a fall or other injury. And sometimes just walking on a roof can do quite a bit of damage.
Keep in mind that if there is a problem on a roof that needs fixing and that fix requires $1,000 worth of work, then the repair has to be done by a company licensed by the state registrar of contractors.
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 | May 10, 2016 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
Many birds travel in flocks, but the question of how they choose the leader has long puzzled scientists.
Now a team of researchers led by Mr Benjamin Pettit from Oxford University think they have the answer.
They fitted four flocks of 10 homing pigeons with small data logging backpacks and sent them on a series of group and solo flights.
These tracked not only the birds’ skill in making a beeline for home, but also measured their ability to influence the flock’s direction by recording the fractional time delays it takes one bird to react to another when flying together.
Some birds are naturally faster and consistently get to the front, where they end up doing more of the navigation, which means on future flights they know the way better.
Associate Professor Dora Biro
The researchers found that when the birds flew a route on their own for the first time those identified as leaders were no better than followers in forging a direct route home to their roost. But when the birds were tested individually after they had flown the route as part of a flock, leaders were found to have learned straighter homing routes than followers.
“Some birds are naturally faster and consistently get to the front, where they end up doing more of the navigation, which means on future flights they know the way better,” said study co-author Associate Professor Dora Biro, also of Oxford University.
“You can compare this to a ‘passenger-driver’ like effect: drivers in a car have to pay attention while passengers are often unable to recall the route they were driven along, especially if they remained passive in the navigation process.”
The finding, published in Current Biology, changes our understanding of how the flocks are structured and why pigeons have consistent leadership hierarchies, the researchers said.
Are leaders born or made?
Previous research had shown that leaders were not necessarily the most successful breeders or those with more social affiliations (friends) in the flock. Giving followers extra training flights does not promote them into a leadership position either.
Researcher releasing pigeon
PHOTO: Even when the pigeons were released from different locations the same pigeons led the flock (Zsuzsa Akos)
Instead, pigeons build on their natural strengths – in this case flight speed – to become leaders, said the researchers.
“Flight speed is correlated with body size, pectoral muscle mass and so on, but not necessarily with competence at solving the task at hand,” Dr Biro said.
“But we found that leaders learnt more during navigational problem-solving than followers, and as a result became better informed leaders.
“This suggests a positive feedback between leadership and competence, where leaders become increasingly more competent at leading – in a sense, they are ‘made’ into better leaders by being forced to lead in the first place.”
Even when the birds were released from new locations the same birds tended to lead, added Mr Pettit.
Could pigeon leadership apply to other birds?
Mr Pettit said the research demonstrated leadership hierarchies could arise from individual differences driven by a simple mechanism such as speed.
“In this case, the slower birds lag slightly behind and end up following their faster flock mates. Leadership does not require complex social interactions,” he said.
The findings indicated we would expect to find leadership in a wide variety of species that travel in groups, he said.
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However other factors would also come into play in migratory species.
“It depends on the variation in experience within the flock,” Mr Pettit said.
“In our experiment, the pigeons all had roughly the same level of experience, having never been released from those sites before. If some flock members have much more experience than others, for example migratory flocks with a mix of ages, then experience is probably a larger determiner of leadership.
“Another consideration is that in v-shaped flocks, flying in front is more energetically costly, so birds such as pelicans, ibises, and geese might have different patterns of leadership for that reason.”
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 | Apr 24, 2016 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
A pigeon in Russia did nothing to enhance his species’ reputation as an urban pest after causing a three car smash.
The crash was captured on another car’s dashboard camera – showing not only the aftermath but also the culprit.
In the moments leading up to the collision, the pigeon can be seen on the pavement, before deciding to march headfirst into two-way traffic.
Live LeakPigeon causes three car pile upPigeon Street: The bird clearly thinks it has right of way
It briefly disappears behind a car in front before re-emerging in the middle of the road.
Apparently oblivious to the fact it can fly if it wants to, the bird nonchalantly struts across the street and into the path of an oncoming car.
The driver brakes suddenly, causing the car behind to veer to the right, scraping the side of the motionless vehicle.
Live LeakPigeon causes three car pile upCrash pest dummy: Chaos ensues
Another car then rams into the back of the first car, before the confused drivers step out into the road.
The video was uploaded to LiveLeak and has divided opinion amongst users.
Several think the driver who stopped was going at appropriate speed and was right to brake – while others say they would not have stopped in the same situation.
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)
