by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 19, 2015 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
DERELICT shops in one of the most unattractive parts of the town centre have fallen even further into disrepair nearly 18 months after permission was granted to revamp them.
In June last year Crawley Borough Council approved plans to replace 15-29 The Broadway with dozens of flats and new retail units.
But 17 months on there has been no visible work carried out at the site, which has also become a home for a horde of pigeons, who are covering the inside of the building with excrement.
Appalled by the state of shops, Crawley resident Jeff Herbert has called on the council to put pressure on the building owner to clean up the mess caused by the winged squatters.
The 69-year-old, who lives in Wolstonbury Close, Southgate, said: “These shops have been empty for so long and I think it’s a disgrace that they are being left in this state.
“Crawley Borough Council doesn’t seem to have picked it up, and they are usually very hot on the cleanliness of shops.
“The pigeons have got inside somehow and are pooing all over the place.”
Peter Smith, the council’s cabinet member for planning and economic development, admits the authority cannot do much about the situation.
He said: “The building has got permission for it to be redeveloped so essentially we can do little but wait until the owner decides to go through with that.
“We don’t have the powers that people think we do. It’s all down to the private owner.
“They don’t have to do what the application says and they don’t have to do it straight away.
“Whether we have any powers to force the owner to take action to clear it up, I’m not sure. We would do if there were problems around public health.”
Bob Lanzer, the shadow cabinet member for planning and economic development, was leader of the council for several years and knows only too well the problems pigeons can pose.
He explained: “A few years ago the council hired some sharp shooters (to kill pigeons), which didn’t go down too well with the public.
“Then we started having blocks of wood put in, with pins sticking up to stop the pigeons landing on buildings.
“But I noticed recently when I was walking along with High Street close to The George Hotel, that they had figured out how to remove them and push them onto the ground.
“I was astonished to see them knock one off the building right in front of me, so don’t underestimate them!”
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 17, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
Details of the cruel treatment and illegal trade of animals have been revealed.
Created using data from the Metropolitan Wildlife Crime Unit, an online map features data for all 32 London boroughs.
There were seven cases of cruelty in Redbridge between February and July this year, including cases involving a swan, a fox and a pigeon.
One report was filed of a man shooting at pigeons in Hainault Country Park in Foxburrow Road, Hainault.
The report shows he was warned by police.
There were four cases recorded in Waltham Forest, including an illegal trade of a tortoise and goldfinches being illegally offered for sale on the internet.
The highest number of offences (26) was recorded in Richmond.
The map was compiled jointly by the Wildlife Crime Unit and charity World Animal Protection.
World Animal Protection campaigner, Alyx Elliott, said: “We commend the government for the work it has undertaken so far and welcome further dialogue around the specifics of our recommendations for fighting wildlife crime.
“We feel our report busts some myths about what wildlife crime looks like in the UK and demonstrates the urgent need for more to be done to tackle it here at home.”
If you witness wildlife crime, the Metropolitan Wildlife Crime Unit can be contacted on 02072308898
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 14, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — Overgrown weeds and grass at Atlantic City International Airport may give the impression the lawn mowers are broken or the groundskeepers have been laid off.
But the airport’s unkempt appearance is part of a strategy to outwit some bird-brained intruders. Airport officials want to discourage birds from congregating on the sprawling property and creating a danger for aircraft.
The tall vegetation on parts of the airfield is seen as a deterrent because birds like to survey their surroundings. One bird expert says they avoid high weeds, because they fear predators could be hiding nearby.
“It’s certainly true that larger birds, like geese and gulls, don’t like the fact that predators, including foxes, could be lurking there,” explained Mike Crewe, program director for the Cape May Bird Observatory. “The other problem for them is, if you think of geese or gulls, they are short-legged for the bulk of their body, so walking through that type of vegetation is cumbersome.”
So far this year, there have been 25 bird strikes with aircraft at the Atlantic City airport. None resulted in any injuries or serious damage, according to the South Jersey Transportation Authority, the state agency that owns the airport.
Overall, the Federal Aviation Administration reports there are more than 10,000 airplane bird strikes a year in the United States. Globally, wildlife strikes have killed more than 250 people and destroyed more than 229 aircraft since 1988, the FAA says.
In recent years, the best known case of an airplane bird strike is the “miracle on the Hudson,” the forced landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in New York in 2009. Canada geese ingested in the jet engines caused the plane to lose power and ditch into the Hudson River. The crash was labeled a miracle because no one was killed.
Knowing that bird strikes could be catastrophic, the South Jersey Transportation Authority and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are using a number of tactics to keep geese, gulls and other feathery interlopers off the Atlantic City airport grounds.
Flocks of birds descend on the 5,000-acre airport site to forage on the insects that are abundant this time of year. But the transportation authority has a contract with the Department of Agriculture to make the airport inhospitable for birds, including setting off fireworks or even shooting them if they become a serious nuisance.
“Wildlife harassment techniques are implemented as needed, including loud noises or pyrotechnics. When necessary, birds are taken in accordance with the airport’s bird depredation permit,” said Kevin Rehmann, a transportation authority spokesman.
Rehmann could not immediately say just how many birds have been shot this year or what types. In previous years, the airport disclosed that hundreds of birds have been killed, particularly the aggressive laughing gulls that often appear in large numbers.
Crewe said he hopes the airport kills birds only as a last resort. He would like to see a compromise that allows the birds to forage and nest on the airport grounds, as long as they don’t pose a danger to aircraft.
“I would say it’s unfortunate,” Crewe said of sharpshooters killing the birds. “I would say it should be a last recourse when you try everything else.”
Other airports across the globe have struggled with bird populations. Some have used dogs to patrol the airfield for birds. Others have relied on trained falcons to chase away intruders. Crewe said one airport in Europe has been experimenting with a robotic peregrine falcon, created from a 3-D printer, to fly around the grounds as a bird deterrent.
Strangely, the roar of jet engines isn’t enough to scare the birds. Crewe said the birds simply have adapted to the noise and are unfazed by the planes. So they persist.
“They get used to it. That’s the long and short of it,” Crewe said. “They’ve come to think, ‘This thing’s kind of noisy, but it doesn’t harm me.’’’
Gulls and other birds come to the Atlantic City airport from their breeding grounds in the salt marshes of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge about five miles away in Galloway Township. Insects found at the airport are a tasty morsel for the adult gulls and their chicks waiting back at the nests.
Years ago, the airport grounds were mowed very short, similar to a golf course. But that attracted Japanese beetles. The beetles like shorter grass for their egg-laying. Swarms of beetles would then attract flocks of gulls and other birds looking for food.
But since 1993, airport officials have been allowing the grass and weeds to grow high during the summer. The hope is that there will be fewer beetles for the birds to snack on, forcing them to bypass the airport to search for food elsewhere.
Rehmann noted that the grass and weeds will be mowed once the summer growing season is over. Although large sections of the grounds remain overgrown, mowing continues near the runways, taxiways and other areas of the airport where navigational aids for aircraft are located.
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 12, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
PEOPLE who want to feed pigeons in a Bradford suburb should have a designated place to go to, according to one councillor.
Cllr Mohammed Shafiq said droppings are making life a misery for many residents on a daily basis in the Bradford Moor neighbourhood where pigeons are being pampered.
Droppings are covering rooftops, porches and windows in some streets particularly in Wensleydale Road and a children’s play area at the back of Derby Place.
He is worried the droppings are not only a health hazard and could attract more vermin into the streets but are also damaging the look of the area.
Cllr Shafiq (Lab, Bradford Moor) says leftover chappatis and raw rice are being scattered early in the morning by people, some in the spiritual belief that by feeding the pigeons any problems they are experiencing within their families will be resolved.
He added: “Other might just be doing it to use up leftovers and be kind to the birds but there are those who believe it will help them personally – and their families.
“I have spoken to local spiritual leaders who tell me they are not encouraging this but the belief is there and people will keep doing it.”
Cllr Shafiq said that is why he is contacting Labour-run Bradford Council and its portfolio holder for the environment, Councillor Andrew Thornton asking it to designate a special pigeon feeding area on an area of scrap land, away from homes, where people could go and feed pigeons without a guilty conscious.
The lake in Bradford Moor Park is also getting filled with chappati scraps which is another problem that needs addressing by the Council, he added.
“It is about behaviour modification and I feel having a set area where people can go and feed the birds without feeling they are under the spotlight for doing something wrong,” said Cllr Shafiq.
“There are plenty pieces of scrap land in this area, there’s a derelict place just off Dick Lane.”
Most councils try to deter people from feeding wild pigeons due to the problems highlighted by Cllr Shafiq and in extreme cases can go further.
Earlier this year Birmingham City Council threatened to take a man to court after he was seen persistently feeding the pigeons despite being warned against doing so.
Cllr Thornton told the Telegraph & Argus last night: “We note the intention of Cllr Shafiq to raise this issue we’ll look at it and discuss it with him when he does.”
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 10, 2015 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News

Hammad desert is the most sought-after location for falcon hunters in the Kingdom and Gulf countries. The hunters make a beeline for the desert located 100 km west of Arar city in the Northern Border province during the month of September every year when the hunting season opens. The month is marked with the arrival of large numbers of falcons including highly-priced varieties.
Falcons have been a passion for the people of the Arabian Peninsula since time immemorial. It is during the month of September that falcon lovers make their trips to the virgin desert looking for the rare varieties of the bird that make a stop over in the deep desert in the middle of their annual migratory journey. The Hammad desert is close to Hazm Al-Galameed town in the northern part of the Kingdom.
The price of a single bird of the rare varieties which are called by names such as Safi (Pure), Ashaal (Fiery), Fatih (light), Abyad (White), Farisi (Persian), and Sinjari have a starting price of SR315,000, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The falcon hunters strike up their tents deep in the desert where it is extremely cold during the night. They carry water and other rations to to sustain them in the desert for several days. They also have with them the latest positioning devices so as not to lose their way.
They sit around a fire close to the tents in the biting cold and narrate their past exploits in falcon hunting while sipping the simmering coffee. Arab passion for falcons is so deep-seated that some poets compose elegies to commemorate their lost bird. Poet Muhammad Al-Lamee recited a sad poem about the grief and anguish he has been suffering since he lost his bird Arqat on a nocturnal gathering of falconers in the desert. Falconers take special care to only go to locations where hunting is permitted.
They never resort to the indiscriminate killing of wild fauna or enter wild life sanctuaries to hunt down the animals for fear of the extinction of any kind of animal or bird. A veteran falconer in the Northern Border Province, Daham Al-Anazi, said the hunting season of the migratory bird starts on Sept. 1 and lasts until the beginning of the winter. He added that falconers come to Hammad to hunt several varieties of the bird including the Harr, a breed that is in high demand because of its beautiful feathers that can grow up to a span of 17 inches. Falconers require intense training before they can hunt. A hunting team has been known to have hunted six falcons in a single day.
Regarding the hunting techniques adopted by the hunters, falconer Tayyeb Hamoud said a traditional method is to fit a net to the back of a pigeon as bait and keep it ready for the falcons passing by early in the morning. Quails with similar nets and tied to some heavy objects are also used to catch the prized birds, he said.
Another method used to catch falcons that refuse to fall into the traps of pigeons or quails is to offer pigeons directly to the falcon without any net. Then the hunter follows the bird until it is tired and catches it while it rests in the shadows of a shrub. Some people hunt them at night using a metal net in the form of a cylinder-shaped basket after blinding the bird by aiming a strong beam into its eyes.
Another experienced hunter said most of the falcons pass out shortly after being hunted but a little sprinkle of water revives them.
The price of a falcon is determined by its speed, ability to hunt bustards, shortness of shanks, symmetry of the beaks, and fast flutter of wings. Even falcons with a lifespan of 20 years can become weak after a period of only 12 years, according to an expert.
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, 2015 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
NOBLE SQUARE — A new survey on the future of the Polish Triangle reveals people want Nelson Algren in, the pigeons out and somewhere for people to sit down.
A grassroots coalition hoping to revitalize the Triangle put out a call for opinions with an online survey, residents weighing in on what they would like to see at the intersection of Milwaukee, Avenue and Ashland avenues.
Kapra Fleming, a member of the Polish Triangle Coalition, said the survey, which lasted for three weeks and ended on Friday, brought in 1,257 responses on how to improve the transit-friendly patch that serves as a gateway to four neighborhoods.
Remove or Keep the Nelson Algren Fountain?
Sixty-six percent of survey respondents want to keep the fountain as-is but “refresh” it, Fleming said.
Should the pigeons be relocated?
Seventy-two percent of respondents want to “relocate the pigeons,” if possible.
“Some love pigeons, but some thought this was an impossible task on the nay-sayer side,” Fleming said.
The long-discussed pigeon relocation plan, which would require financing and city permits, would involve building a structure just east of the triangle where pigeons could nest, and their eggs were replaced with fake eggs to reduce the population.
“We can’t get rid of the pigeon feeders — the people that want to feed the birds will do that. But we want to get [the birds] off the triangle and somewhere else,” said Fleming, who owns the House of Two Urns, a bed and breakfast at 1239 N. Greenview Ave., around the corner from the triangle.
Should the CTA install a traditional canopy design or a modern design above the CTA Blue Line Division “L” underground entrance?
Kapra said 69 percent of respondents preferred a traditional canopy design over a contemporary design.
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)