by Pigeon Patrol | Dec 30, 2015 | Bird Netting, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
SWANSEA Council has denied its fines for feedings birds could be offensive to some religions.
It follows a decision by Conwy Council not to impose such fines for just that reason.
The north Wales council tweeted that it had been told there was a right to feed birds in certain religions.
But a spokesman for the Swansea authority said: “The council has never been advised of any aspect of feeding birds being related to religion.”
Seagulls and pigeons have become a menace in the city centre with people complaining they are being dive-bombed by the birds and having their food stolen.
Now, anyone caught feeding the birds in the city centre could face a £75 fine.
“However, it is worthwhile noting that the rules do not prevent people from feeding birds, including pigeons and gulls, in Swansea as they only apply in places like the city centre,” added the council spokesman.
“They do not affect people feeding birds on their own property or land.”
He said gulls and pigeons left a mess on shops and street furniture and food on the ground encouraged more of them to circle the city centre.
“There have even been cases where people say they have been attacked by gulls in the city centre for their snacks.”
But he added: “People issued with fixed penalty notices are entitled to appeal against the decision.”
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 | Dec 20, 2015 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
You can look at pigeons one of two ways: as pooping, disease-ridden pests, or ambassadors of nature in an otherwise urban setting.
Last week’s news that 100 pigeons went missing from Washington Square Park — after perhaps being lured and netted by hunters — has polarized New Yorkers. Some were happy to say “good-bye to a huge flock of ‘rats,'” as one commenter on our story wrote. Others, like animal activist Tina Trachtenberg, worried about the welfare of “these innocent, trusting, loving pigeons.”
In an attempt to weigh the arguments of both sides, we’ve listed the pros and cons of pigeons, otherwise known as rock doves, below.
THE CONS:
► With so much food to be scavenged from garbage cans and sidewalks, and with humans feeding them, pigeons in the city can spend less time searching for sustenance and more time mating. That leads to overpopulation — and lots of pigeon droppings.
► Pigeon droppings are associated with three diseases: histoplasmosis, a fungal infection that causes flu-like symptoms; cryptococcosis, another fungal disease; and psittacosis, a bacterial disease characterized by a rash and sometimes pneumonia. (Note: the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene says that contact with droppings doesn’t pose a serious health risk; people with compromised immune systems are most likely to contract one of the three diseases.)
► Speaking of pigeon excrement, a single pigeon excretes 25 pounds of droppings a year. Those droppings deface buildings, quicken the pace of their deterioration and add to their costs of maintenance.
► Pigeons are technically an invasive species: colonists brought them to this country from Europe in the 1600s as barnyard animals, raised to be eaten. (Squab — it’s what’s for dinner?)
THE PROS:
► Let’s not forget that pigeons served this country in both World Wars as stealthy message carriers.
► Pigeons do more than eat and poop: they can compete in races. During a competitive pigeon race, competitors are released simultaneously from one location and the pigeon that makes it home to its own coop first wins.
► Some people find them aesthetically pleasing. Photographer Andrew Garn, who snapped pictures of 5,000 pigeons over the course of four years, told New York magazine he finds them “really quite beautiful” up close. And we have to admit, the iridescent green and purple neck of a pigeon can be quite beguiling — when the bird isn’t pooping on us.
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 | Dec 15, 2015 | Bird Netting, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
PATTERSON (CBS13) – Pat Rocca has a pigeon problem. The birds have left her walkway stained, feathers stuck to the house and droppings everywhere.
“I thought well this is a horror.’” Pat said. “It’s very sticky and gooey, just terrible.”
She hired Albert Filmore Pigeon Cleanup, who services Stanislaus County, and paid him $680 to clean up the mess and prevent pigeons from coming back to roost or nest on her house.
The contract she signed promised return visits “two times a week for the next 8 weeks.”
But, five months went by and Pat said Albert only came out twice.
“He didn’t finish the job.’
Pat said the pigeons came back, and Albert has been a no show to appointments – blaming family issues. And she said Albert would not return her calls.
“We have had very similar complaints,” said Gary Almond with the Better Business Bureau.
He said his office has been unable to find Albert Filmore.
Almond said a company still has a responsibility to finish the work, even if personal issues arise.
“I’d offer a refund or offer someone else to complete the service,” he said.
So, how do you keep pigeons away?
To find out, we brought in Pest Management expert Jim Steed.
“The trick is to employ the right measures in the right spots,” Jim said.
Depending on the house, he’ll use different bird spikes or even shock tracks to keep the birds from landing.
Bird repellent glue is a popular method, and Jim says it works best when combined with other methods. But because it is sticky, dirt will eventually stick to it – making it ineffective.
If the pigeons are nesting, Steed says netting should be put up.
He says professional removal and clean up services can cost anywhere from $600 to $3,000.
“If you leave 10 percent of the area [unprotected], they’re still here.” Jim said.
As for Pat, we reached out to Albert Filmore. He told us he’s had “a lot of issues” but agreed to give her “whatever she thinks I owe her.”
In the end, Albert returned $400 of the $680 Pat paid him.
She said she’ll be hiring someone else to finish the job.
“I know this will only get worse,” Pat said, pointing to signs of pigeons around her home.
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 | Dec 13, 2015 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
DO not feed the pigeons — that is the advice being offered by councillors and transport chiefs trying to bring Prestwich’s pest problem under control.
Last year, The Guide reported that pigeons were nesting under two tram bridges near Prestwich Metrolink Station.
The problem was so bad, councillors said, that anyone passing under the bridge was “running the gauntlet” and having to dodge mess from pigeons above them.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), which runs the Metrolink network, put up mesh to deter the pigeons, but the resilient birds have simply moved behind it.
Now, a TfGM spokesman said: “To help us maintain clean and pleasant facilities, we would ask customers not to feed any pigeons and avoid eating or discarding convenience foods on stop platforms.”
Sedgley representative Cllr Alan Quinn added: “Metrolink do take these matters seriously.
“In this case, they put the mesh up and installed spikes to put pigeons off.
“The problem is made worse by the fact that people keep feeding the pigeons. Food is left regularly in Heaton Park and in areas of Prestwich.”
Holyrood representative, Cllr Tim Pickstone, placed the onus on TfGM.
He said: “Metrolink need to ensure the nets they put up are maintained as pigeons can get trapped.
“They need to keep on top of the problem.”
However, one Prestwich shopkeeper, who asked not to be named, took an opposing view.
He said: “I really don’t see what the fuss is all about.
“Pigeons are a part of urban life. They are there as a reminder that we, as a population, throw out enough food to keep them thriving.
“So we either accept that pigeons are here to stay or look at the way we consume food.”
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 | Dec 11, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
Wellington’s pigeon population is out of control, and it’s time to look at contraception or feeding bans, inner-city residents say.
New proposals for maintaining verandas in the CBD require them to be kept clean of pigeon droppings. But the Inner City Association, which represents residents and businesses, said that was an unfair burden on veranda owners, and the onus should be on the council to control the birds.
“There needs to be some humane way of controlling the pigeons,” association president Geraldine Murphy said.
People feeding the pigeons is one of the main contributors to the burgeoning population, councillor Iona Pannett says.
People feeding the pigeons is one of the main contributors to the burgeoning population, councillor Iona Pannett says.
She suggested contraception, spread in bird seed, which had been used overseas to cull populations of pigeons, sometimes known as the “rats of the sky”.
She also raised the idea of a bylaw to forbid people from feeding the birds. “The more food they get, the more they breed.”
The association has called on Wellington City Council to tackle the problem, in a submission it made on the new veranda bylaw being presented to councillors on Thursday.
It was unreasonable to expect veranda owners to clean away bird droppings, when owners of buildings without verandas did not have to keep them clean, it said.
Building owners were already struggling to cope with the problem, by such methods as putting up spikes to deter birds, and cleaning away excrement before it became too encrusted.
“It can get quite solid, from what I understand,” Murphy said.
Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the control of pigeons was “one of those endlessly problematic issues”, and it was up to private building owners to keep their buildings clean.
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 | Dec 8, 2015 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
ENGRAVER Vince Ayris has called on the support of a kettle of hawks to deal with Havelock Street’s pesky pigeon problem.
The 52-year-old, who owns the firm at the heart of a favourite haunt for the airborne pests, grew so fed up with the pooey white-wash he’s asked Phil Voller, of Wings Over Wiltshire, to unleash one of his five birds in the town centre.
“The problem is that people feed them,” said Vince. “And of course when you feed birds it has to come out the other end, and they end up pooing all over the place.
“They have the market there and it’s not hygienic, but credit to them the council has been out to jet wash the area.
“But the trees in the square are well established and of course that’s the pigeons’ homes.
“They have even started walking into the shop.”
Phil, who works for pest control company Prokill, owns five hawks which he has unleashed in Regent Circus to bring the numbers down there, and now Vince is urging him to come to the town centre proper to tidy up the area.
“It looks horrible,” said Vince. “All the birds are horrid too, they’ve all got broken feet and are in quite a sorry state.
“It’s much better in my opinion to use hawks rather than a gun because it’s more natural. I’m not into hunting or guns of any kind.
“I’m an animal lover so natural is best.
“You don’t want to be there when it happens though. It is a bit messy.”
It isn’t the first time the critters have faced death by hunting after Swindon Borough Council listed the help of the bids of prey to encourage them to abandon their nests around the central library.
In 2012 two Harris hawks, Nessa and Duke, from specialist firm Prokill, descended on the town as part of a four-month bid to rid the area of vermin.
But the council said they had no plans to use the birds in the town centre because of the risk they could also pose to innocent pedestrians.
A spokesman from Swindon Borough Council said: “Pigeons can be a problem in any town centre. Swindon is no different, and we try to keep on top of the problem by using a high-pressure washer on what they leave behind.
“They congregate in areas where they think they will find something to eat, which can often be places where people stop and eat food. The problem wouldn’t be as bad if everyone put what they don’t eat in the bin, but often they don’t, and we’d certainly not encourage anyone to throw their last bit of pasty crust to the nearest hungry-looking bird.
“We use hawks from a pest control company to discourage pigeons from nesting on the roof of the town hall and library, but that’s a different problem, and we can do it without affecting members of the public who are walking nearby. It would be more difficult to do that in a pedestrianized area, and not everyone wants to see a pigeon being despatched by a large bird of prey while they are out shopping, which would always be a risk.”
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)
SWANSEA Council has denied its fines for feedings birds could be offensive to some religions.
