by johnnymarin | Jul 31, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Living in the city, pigeons are part of our everyday life. In others, they are disgusting – “rats of the city” they call them – others give sweetness. Whatever it is, it is part of our lives. But what if they are monitoring tools of what we do?
According to reports, this is already happening in China. At least 30 military and civilian services use the robot birds. Details of the technology that has been in place for some years now gave a source that it did not want to be named in the South China Morning Post.
Spy pigeons move their wings to make maneuvers mimicking the movement of birds and are so silent that when they flown a flight over a flock of sheep in Inner Mongolia, the sheep – which are scattered with the slightest – did not get news!
The program, code-named “Peristeri,” is led by Professor Sung Bifeng of Northwestern Polytechnical University in Hsian (he has already worked in the construction of the J-20, the Chinese stealth fighter aircraft).
The opening of their (artificial) wings is about half a meter, weighing 200 grams each, flying at a speed of up to 40 km / h for about 30 minutes at most. They are equipped with high-resolution camera, with GPS, and are capable of communicating with satellite.
Last April, in an interview with the Chinese Aeronautical Manufacturing Technology Review, Song confirmed that they are already being used in Xinjiang province (the Chinese Uighurs, with subdued separatist tendencies), but also in other provinces in China.
In the near future, “Pigeons” can have “the same or greater intelligence than nature’s creatures,” promised Professor Song Bifeng.
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 johnnymarin | Jul 27, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Two men, aged 62 and 68, were fined in court on Wednesday (Jul 3) for pigeon feeding.
V Rajandran, 62, was fined $450 for one count of pigeon feeding.
The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) had been alerted to a case of pigeon feeding in February, and investigations found that V Rajandran had been feeding pigeons with bread crumbs at the void deck of Block 145 Potong Pasir Avenue 2.
He had previously been fined on four occasions for a similar offence.
In a separate case, Abdul Aziz S/O Saik Mohamed, 68, was fined $1,500 for five counts of pigeon feeding, and another six counts were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Investigations found that Abdul Aziz had been feeding pigeons at a grass verge at Block 825 Woodlands Street 81, near a “No feeding” signboard on multiple occasions between Dec 2017 and May 2018.
He had continued to feed pigeons despite several warnings from the AVA, and had previously been fined on two occasions for a similar offence.
Pigeon feeding in any premises or public place, including at HDB estates, is an offence.
The presence of feeders provides a regular source of food which may lead to pigeons congregating in the area. Feeding also encourages pigeons to breed, which results in an increase in their population.
Pigeons contaminate the environment with droppings, and leftover food from pigeon feeding may attract other pests including rats, that carry diseases and pose a risk to public health.
Anyone caught feeding pigeons can be fined up to $500 under the Animals and Birds (Pigeons) Rules.
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 johnnymarin | Jul 26, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
The number of fines issued by councils under controversial powers that let them penalise shouting, feeding pigeons and even collecting for charity has increased eightfold in a year.
Campaigners say that some town halls are “criminalising everyday life” by using antisocial behaviour laws to levy thousands of penalties of up to £100 for activities that are not illegal or harmful, but may be seen as distasteful or out of keeping with the area.
Councils in England and Wales used “public space protection orders” to issue at least 8,638 fines in 2017, up from the 1,004 since 2016, a freedom of information request by The Times revealed. The powers were created under the Antisocial Behaviour Act in 2014, allowing authorities to ban any activity deemed “detrimental to the quality of life”.
Some 152 councils have used the powers to ban drinking in public, while 29 have banned people from car racing. Antisocial behaviour is defined as anything that could cause harassment or distress and councils have used the orders to ban swearing and shouting, drawing on pavements with chalk, feeding birds, carrying a golf bag in a park and collecting for charity. Loitering, wearing hoods, busking, keeping chickens, riding hover boards and playing ball games have also been banned.
Councils can issue orders after public consultation and then issue fines. In most cases, they act only if behaviour is shown to have caused distress. Last year, councils implemented 960 orders, up from 519 in 2016.
Some have attracted controversy, such as banning protests outside an abortion clinic in Ealing. A proposal in Stoke-on-Trent to bar rough sleepers from using tents was dropped after criticism. However, at least 11 councils have banned the homeless from spending the night in tents, cars or the open air, while 34 have banned begging.
Almost 14,000 people have faced fines worth around £1.4 million to councils. Some authorities could not provide figures because fines are issued by police, and 17 failed to supply details.
“Councils are criminalising everyday life by banning things that aren’t antisocial or even unpleasant,” said a spokeswoman for the Manifesto Club, which highlights excessive regulation. “There is no distinction between what is harmful and what is not.”
Simon Blackburn of the Local Government Association said councils were acting to stop problems such as public drinking, racing in cars and aggressive begging.
He said: “Councils are determined to protect their communities from behaviour that ruins their quality of life, harms business or means people are scared to visit public places.”
has increased eightfold in a year.
Campaigners say that some town halls are “criminalising everyday life” by using antisocial behaviour laws to levy thousands of penalties of up to £100 for activities that are not illegal or harmful, but may be seen as distasteful or out of keeping with the area.
Councils in England and Wales used “public space protection orders” to issue at least 8,638 fines in 2017, up from the 1,004 since 2016, a freedom of information request by The Times revealed. The powers were created under the Antisocial Behaviour Act in 2014, allowing authorities to ban any activity deemed “detrimental to the quality of life”.
Some 152 councils have used the powers to ban drinking in public, while 29 have banned people from car racing. Antisocial behaviour is defined as anything that could cause harassment or distress and councils have used the orders to ban swearing and shouting, drawing on pavements with chalk, feeding birds, carrying a golf bag in a park and collecting for charity. Loitering, wearing hoods, busking, keeping chickens, riding hover boards and playing ball games have also been banned.
Councils can issue orders after public consultation and then issue fines. In most cases, they act only if behaviour is shown to have caused distress. Last year, councils implemented 960 orders, up from 519 in 2016.
Some have attracted controversy, such as banning protests outside an abortion clinic in Ealing. A proposal in Stoke-on-Trent to bar rough sleepers from using tents was dropped after criticism. However, at least 11 councils have banned the homeless from spending the night in tents, cars or the open air, while 34 have banned begging.
Almost 14,000 people have faced fines worth around £1.4 million to councils. Some authorities could not provide figures because fines are issued by police, and 17 failed to supply details.
“Councils are criminalising everyday life by banning things that aren’t antisocial or even unpleasant,” said a spokeswoman for the Manifesto Club, which highlights excessive regulation. “There is no distinction between what is harmful and what is not.”
Simon Blackburn of the Local Government Association said councils were acting to stop problems such as public drinking, racing in cars and aggressive begging.
He said: “Councils are determined to protect their communities from behaviour that ruins their quality of life, harms business or means people are scared to visit public places.”
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 johnnymarin | Jul 25, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
A Chicago alderman wants the city to lift a nearly 15-year ban on pigeon racing.
Alderman Gilbert Villegas says pigeon racing is a sport that receives little attention in the U.S. but is “deeply loved” in Poland. Villegas’ ward is home to many Polish residents he says are working with his office to change the city’s law.
The sport features specially trained pigeons that are released from specific locations and race back to their homes.
Villegas’ proposal would lift the ban for people in good standing with a national professional organization that requires minimum standards of care for “pedigreed rock doves.” Each bird would have to be registered with the organization.
The city banned homing pigeons in residential areas in 2004 after complaints from residents.
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 johnnymarin | Jul 19, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Another great classic has found its way onto my TV, and as I watched “On the Waterfront” I was reminded once again why all of these movies made their mark. Like classic rock, they have stood out as the terrible or forgettable films of the day fell to the wayside, and these stood the test of time. I watch them as a regular audience member, not a studious purveyor of classical work, not a film critic with notes in hand, searching for faults or reasons for me to whine about modern films compared to older ones. And still, these movies are classics for a reason, and watching them reminds me of why they have survived all these years. They’re just straight up good — so before I get into my literary exploration of this film (and others to come), know that I just plain old enjoy them too.
“On the Waterfront” follows Terry Mallow (played by Marlon Brando), a talented ex-prize fighter who works on the docks alongside a slew of poverty-stricken workers struggling to make ends meet. Terry is one of many thugs who work for the ruthless union boss, Johnny Friendly (played by Lee J. Cobb) They are all part of killing a would-be whistleblower who tried to speak out against the brutally enforced corruption in the upper echelons of the union. However, the sister of the murdered man catches Terry’s eye, and the two of them fall into a complicated romance that pulls him between two worlds — one of empathy and another of brutality. With the help of a local priest, some of the union members get in their heads to stand up against Friendly, and Terry doesn’t know where he ought to stand.
For the duration of the film, Terry spends much of his free time tending to pigeons on the roof of his impoverished apartment complex. He used to be a tenacious prize-fighter, deadly in the ring, but Friendly had him lose a few fights on purpose to win some bets, and that lost him his chance at the big leagues — the softer side of him finds solace in tending to the delicate birds on his rooftop. His love interest, Edie Doyle (played by Eva Marie Saint), has joined him and is watching him with longing eyes, at the rough man takes care of animals with great care and affection.
He begins to speak of hawks and pigeons, and how he has to protect the pigeons from the hawks who come from bigger, more expensive (and taller) buildings. If he doesn’t, they’ll swoop down and eat the pigeons alive.
This is quite obviously a metaphor for the powerful, predatorial union bosses taking advantage of the dock workers. The “pigeons and hawks” motif is referenced several times in the film, and the obvious question (as I outlined before) is where Terry stands. Does he stand with the pigeons, who get mauled and eaten alive but with their souls intact? Or does he stand with the hawks, who survive but at the cost of their own consciences?
Everyone is worrying about what side they are on, or which identity they belong to. Terry wrestles with this for the whole film — following his conscience only ever got him hurt, but following men like Johnny Friendly only ever hurt the ones around him. His lover wants him to stand up to them, but when that doesn’t work she wants him to run away with her. His own brother wants him to survive and look out for himself, and to work his way up the ranks of the union/gang.
In a world like that, you’re either predator or you’re prey.
Terry winds up ditching the whole metaphor entirely. After all his inner turmoil and outer conflicts, it’s as if he says, “You know? Screw all these categories and people trying to tell me what I can and can’t do. I’m not a hawk, I’m not a pigeon — I’m a man. And a man does what he’s gotta do.”
He ditches the philosophy of the pigeons; he ditches the philosophy of the hawks. He uses the strength of his hawk-like character, the perseverance and the physical brute force of a prize-fighter who grew up in poverty, as well as the empathy and compassion of the pigeons. Terry needed the encouragement of the good woman and he needed the inspiring words of the priest; he also needed his indomitable spirit and strength that he gained from the a life of hardship on the streets — at the end of the day, he needed to soften his heart and harden it at the same time in order to do what is right.
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 johnnymarin | Jul 18, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
On Saturday, the first yearling pigeon races of the 2018 season took place from Vrede (135km) and Paul Roux (180km). 78 Ladysmith pigeons were sent to Vrede and 140 to Paul Roux.
The first Vrede pigeon was clocked by Paul Manuel at 10:01, 17 minutes ahead of the second pigeon clocked by Lappies from Labusch Lofts. The pigeons from Paul Roux arrived at 9:50, but were still very energetic.
Most people struggled to get their pigeons in because they were flying around at home.
Jimmy Hanlon clocked the winning pigeon, beating Tiekie Crouse by 37 seconds into second place.
The winning pigeon from Vrede flew an average speed of 66km/h and from Paul Roux, the average speed was 99km/h.
The full results are as follows:
Vrede: Paul Manuel 1,21; Labusch Lofts (Lappies) 2,7,8,12,16,17,19,20,24,26; Tiekie Crouse 3,4,6,9,10,18,23,27; Mark Clayton 5,11,13,14,15,22,25.
Paul Roux: Jimmy Hanlon 1,11; Tiekie Crouse 2,9,18,28,29; Lewis Hay 3,4,5,6,7,8,14,21,24,25,26,27; Mark Clayton 10,12,13,20,23,30; Labusch Lofts (Lappies) 15,16,17; Imraan Kader 19; Paul Manuel 22.
The previous weekend, Tiekie Crouse won the KZN race from Middelburg by five minutes. Congratulations to him.
The open series continues this weekend, with races from Middelburg and Dealesville.
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)
