Professional shooter hired to cull feral pigeon population at Mawson Lakes in Adelaide

Professional shooter hired to cull feral pigeon population at Mawson Lakes in Adelaide

Pigeon Patrol GunPigeons will be culled at Mawson Lakes in Adelaide after businesses hired a professional shooter to manage the feral population.

Pest controller, professional shooter and experienced cleaner Sean O’Shea said northern suburbs residents were worried because the birds’ droppings were “very corrosive and very toxic”.

“Some people say it’s more deadly than asbestos,” he said.

“It’s not just the health issues … it continues to damage air conditioners, roofs, et cetera.

“It’s also damage to buildings, slip and trip hazards as well.”

Department of Environment and Natural Resources animal welfare manager Deb Kelly denied the State Government was “sitting on its hands”.

She said the Government was not responsible for dealing with pigeons on private property.

“You wouldn’t expect to say, ‘I’ve got a mouse in my kitchen and the State Government has to go do something about it’,” Ms Kelly said.

Everybody has to do a proper cull of them and make sure they’re removed properly … otherwise they’ll just breed up in the next property.

Professional shooter Sean O’Shea

“It really is the landholders’ responsibility.

“But the big thing is, I think, people have to stop feeding them and have to start putting their rubbish in the bin.”

Ms Kelly said residents needed to be proactive about the threat of feral pests in their area before populations grew to unmanageable numbers.

“People think they’re pretty and lovely until the numbers get big and then they think, ‘I’ve got a problem’,” she said.

“If you want to eradicate any feral pest, you really have to get them while the population is low.”

Mr O’Shea said there were a number of techniques used to control pests such as trapping and shooting, but urged residents to work together.

“Some people do something and the next door neighbour won’t,” he said.

“Everybody has to do a proper cull of them and make sure they’re removed properly … otherwise they’ll just breed up in the next property.”

Mr O’Shea said he was fully qualified and licensed to shoot 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)

CLOVIS PD SEARCHES FOR HOME INVASION SUSPECTS

CLOVIS PD SEARCHES FOR HOME INVASION SUSPECTS

TDB_DeltaExteriorCLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) — Two armed men are on the run after Clovis Police say they broke into a home and robbed an elderly couple. It happened Wednesday morning near Willow and Alluvial.

There were officers on every corner with a helicopter in the sky but only one person was able to confront the thieves – a woman named Marilyn Williams, “I heard my husband and he was like, ‘get the gun, get the gun…shoot him, shoot him,'” Williams said.

She was defending her home with a rifle and the men, she says were in her backyard, “I got up and went right out to them and they took off.”

Before this confrontation started, police say the thieves smashed a window to get into a home down the street and held an elderly couple at gunpoint.

“The assailants were armed with handguns and were wearing hoodies, masks and bandanas,” said Janet Stoll-Lee who is with the Clovis Police Department, “fortunately no one was hurt.”

She says the men took off with jewelry and a gun from the couple’s home.

Williams says they ran through the neighborhood, jumped some fences and landed in her backyard. That’s when she pulled out a rifle and she says they dropped a pillow case full of jewelry.

“Everybody is ok but they wouldn’t have been had I got to my gun soon enough,” Williams said.

Investigators recovered the stolen gun and jewelry but they need help finding the two home invasion suspects. If you have any information, you should call Clovis Police.

 

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)

The £1,000 price of feeding the birds: Pensioner fined after dozens of pigeons, jackdaws and seagulls flock to her garden

The £1,000 price of feeding the birds: Pensioner fined after dozens of pigeons, jackdaws and seagulls flock to her garden

Brenda Hawkins, (pictured) 74, was hauled to court after neighbours complained about flocks of pigeons, jackdaws and seagulls descending on her home dailyA pensioner has been left with a £1,000 court bill for feeding the birds in her back garden.

Brenda Hawkins, 74, was hauled to court after neighbours complained about flocks of pigeons, jackdaws and seagulls descending on her home daily – likening it to a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.

After being fined £1,000 for ‘nuisance’, she was told the penalty would be as much as £2,500 next time if she continued putting out food – and a refusal to pay could result in a jail sentence.

 

Brenda Hawkins, (pictured) 74, was hauled to court after neighbours complained about flocks of pigeons, jackdaws and seagulls descending on her home daily

Ms Hawkins was fined £1,000 for 'nuisance' and she was told the penalty would be as much as £2,500 next time if she continued putting out food. A refusal to pay could result in a jail sentence

Ms Hawkins was fined £1,000 for ‘nuisance’ and she was told the penalty would be as much as £2,500 next time if she continued putting out food. A refusal to pay could result in a jail sentence

Locals in the seaside town of Rhos-on-Sea, North Wales, said up to 100 birds arrived in Mrs Hawkins’s garden every day, causing an intolerable mess and racket.

But yesterday, the retired personal assistant complained that Conwy council had punished her in a ‘draconian’ manner. Mrs Hawkins, who has lived in her semi-detached bungalow for more than 25 years, said: ‘I think it’s disgusting. The council has gone over the top to make an example of me.

‘My difficulty is that when feeding small birds, it’s inevitable that larger birds such as seagulls join in. I have no control over which birds turn up.’ She added: ‘I enjoy nature but now that’s been taken away from me. It’s a sad day for bird-loving people.’

Diane and Harold Fredman (pictured) live next door and their garden backs onto Brenda Hawkins. They said they see the birds all the time

Magistrates in Llandudno were told how around 80 to 100 pigeons, jackdaws and seagulls descended on Mrs Hawkins's lawn and garden wall to eat seeds and other food she put out each morning

Magistrates in Llandudno were told how around 80 to 100 pigeons, jackdaws and seagulls descended on Mrs Hawkins’s lawn and garden wall to eat seeds and other food she put out each morning

Neighbours said their cars, along with clothes on their washing lines, were regularly spattered with droppings

Neighbours said their cars, along with clothes on their washing lines, were regularly spattered with droppings

Magistrates in Llandudno were told how around 80 to 100 pigeons, jackdaws and seagulls descended on Mrs Hawkins’s lawn and garden wall to eat seeds and other food she put out each morning.

Neighbours said their cars, along with clothes on their washing lines, were regularly spattered with droppings. They claimed they felt threatened by the birds, which sometimes ‘dive-bombed’ residents in the otherwise quiet street.

The council first received complaints in May 2014, and Mrs Hawkins was offered advice on reducing the number of larger birds. But she refused to change her behaviour, and in June she was issued with a Community Protection Notice – similar to an anti-social behaviour order. She denied failing to comply with the notice, but magistrates found her guilty after hearing evidence from neighbours including Diane and Harold Fredman, whose garden backs onto Mrs Hawkins’s.

Mrs Fredman, 69, said: ‘The noise from the flapping of wings and the seagulls was horrendous. Putting that amount of food out with no consideration for neighbours is ridiculous.’

Her daughter Alex Harvey, 35, added: ‘It’s like a scene from the Hitchcock horror film The Birds when huge flocks swoop into the garden.’

But Mrs Hawkins’s husband Derek, 78, said there had been no complaints until the Fredmans moved in, describing the couple as having a ‘vendetta’.

Mrs Hawkins was fined £200, also paying costs of £409, a criminal court charge of £520 and a surcharge of £20, leaving her with a £1,149 bill.

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)

Brightly-coloured pink pigeon spotted in Worcester city centre

Brightly-coloured pink pigeon spotted in Worcester city centre

pigeon27PIGEONS are no stranger to the Worcester streets, but most of the time they are the usual dull grey variety.

But one brightly-coloured visitor added an unusual splash of colour.

Worcester News reader Becca Rammell sent in these pictures of a pink coloured pigeon she spotted in Worcester High Street near WHSmiths at about 4pm on Saturday, September 19.

This may be one of a flock of unusually brightly-coloured birds spotted throughout the country earlier this year.

A number of reports of pink pigeons were made during the summer in areas including Stockport in Greater Manchester, Milton Keyes, West Yorkshire, Surrey and Northumberland, leading to a number of theories including a new breed or the after effects of eating pink food.

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But it later emerged pigeon keeper Sher Singh from Bristol had been painting his bird’s feathers in pink fabric dye to protect them from falcons, claiming it would make them difficult to spot for the birds of prey. But he later agreed to stop the practice after learning it could be harmful to the pigeons.

 

About Pigeon Patrol:

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

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

Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)

Stray cat problem

Stray cat problem

stock-photo-48149480-ginger-tabby-cat-sitting-on-suburban-fenceDebate is raging online over how to deal with street cats following the recent death of a “cat mom” in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

A cat mom refers to a person who provides food to stray cats. The police at first suspected that the Yongin woman was killed by one of her neighbors who hated people taking care of stray cats, given that she was hit by a brick while setting up a shelter for feral cats in a garden at the apartment building.

But the suspect identified by the police on Friday was a 10-year-old boy who confessed he dropped the brick from the rooftop of the apartment building while playing with his friends.

While the cat mom was found to have been killed for reasons having nothing to do with stray cats, her death nevertheless highlighted the escalating tension between cat moms and residents.

These days we hear more frequently about people going to court due to conflicts over street cats.

Cat moms say there is nothing wrong with looking after alley cats. They even argue that feeding them contributes to keeping the neighborhood clean, as no trash bags would be dug into by hungry cats.

But they turn a blind eye to the problems that street cats can cause. Among other things, they pose health risks for residents as they can carry diseases.

Although stray cats present risks, getting rid of them in a merciless method is totally inappropriate in ethical terms.

But it is also problematic to let them proliferate without taking action. Seoul alone is believed to have more than 250,000 street cats.

The most effective method to stabilize stray cat populations is known to be the Trap-Neuter-Return program, which involves humanely trapping stray cats and having them spayed or neutered before returning them to their outdoor home.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government launched a TNR program in 2008, leaving its implementation to the 25 ward offices.

The Gangdong District ward office has been operating the TNR program successfully. The office set up community cat feeding stations as part of the program and managed to stabilize the feline population in the district.

The office says the feeding stations are also effective in reducing conflicts between residents over stray cats as they themselves play the role of cat moms.

The problem with feeding stations is that it takes money to operate them. Neutering also costs more than 100,000 won ($88) per cat. This is one reason other ward offices have difficulty maintaining the TNR program. But if conflicts over stray cats worsen, it would be worth the expense.

 

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)

Uckfield’s Jesus in Jeans saved from pigeons

Uckfield’s Jesus in Jeans saved from pigeons

An Uckfield church spent many years trying to prevent pigeons messing on their statue depicting a modern-day Christ but at last it seems a solution has been found.

The Catholic church of Our Lady Immaculate and St Philip Neri was the focus of world attention when their sculpture, dubbed Jesus in Jeans by the media, was unveiled in 2009 but pigeons soon made it their favourite perch.

jesus-in-jeans-jon-alan

Alan Duncan who, with a colleague, helps with maintenance issues was at the end of his tether after spending considerable funds and much research on different possible solutions to keep the statue clean.

Even anti-bird spikes on the statue’s halo didn’t do the trick but what has worked is a gel fixed to the statue which appears to the birds as flames and deters them from landing.

The sculpture hangs on the front face of the church tower above what was once a disabled access ramp.

At one stage there was so much excrement on the area, from the pigeons roosting on the sculpture above, that the ramp underneath the statue became slippery and dangerous.

And so, as an alternative access was available, the area was re-designed as a flower bed with conifers.

It was Cleankill Environmental Services, which has extensive expertise in controlling pest birds, which came up with a solution after being called in to assess the problem.

Jon Whitehead, director of Cleankill Environmental Services, explains: “The sculpture has a hollow back which created a perfect home for around 20 pigeons. They would nest inside and rest on the halo creating an unsightly and unhygienic mess.”

Cleankill used a special product called Bird Free Gel which they fixed to the statue at certain points, including the halo. The gel appears as flames to the birds so they are discouraged from landing.

Alan Duncan said: “We are all so pleased that Cleankill has solved the problem. We were at a loss as to what to do next. At one point we put anti-bird spikes on various resting places, painting them gold to match the halo. Unfortunately, the pigeons were ‘most comfortable’ with the additions.

“The service from Cleankill was excellent and very professional, including many after-care visits.”

The statue, by Lewes-based sculptor Marcus Cornish, attracted interest from across the globe when it was revealed in 2009. It was unveiled by The Pope’s ambassador to this country, the papal nuncio Archbishop Faustino Sainz Munoz, and the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton blessed it.

 

About Pigeon Patrol:

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

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

Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)