by johnnymarin | Jan 14, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Although many of us may think that hawks are birds that like wide-open spaces, the Cooper’s hawk has become very good at living in cities and towns.
This medium-sized hawk has broad, rounded wings with a very long tail. The tail is rounded and the head appears large. Adults are blue-gray in color. They look a lot like a sharp-shinned hawk.
The birds do well in cities because they like to eat medium-sized birds. Cities often have plenty of pigeons for the hawks to feast on, as well as birds at feeders, but they will also eat robins, pheasant and grouse as well as bats, squirrels and mice.
Cooper’s hawks grab prey with their claws and squeeze it until it dies, often catching other birds while flying through the trees. One study found that because the birds fly so fast through places with lots of trees, many have broken bones by striking branches.
In New Mexico a study found that Cooper’s hawks who lived in town had an advantage over those who lived in the country. During the winter the country hawks would fly south. The city hawks stayed around because they have plenty of pigeons to eat.
When the spring mating season comes around, the male Cooper’s hawk will look for a good place to build a nest. If the male lives in the city, he’s more likely to find the best places for a nest because he doesn’t have to compete with his country cousins, who haven’t flown back north yet.
That’s meant that there are more city birds spreading out into the country, which scientists found unusual. They normally think of a city as a place that would need birds from outside to keep populations strong. Just the opposite is true with wily Cooper’s hawk.
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 | Jan 12, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Our power to send a species into oblivion was first documented in 1598 when Portuguese sailors landing on the shores of the Southeast African island of Mauritius, discovered a previously unknown species of gigantic pigeon, the dodo, Raphus cucullatus, so named for its lack of fear of men who killed them. Another aspect of their demise were the confounded rats that deserted the ships and came ashore to help eat native animals and plants into extinction.
Having been isolated from contact with humanity by its island location, the immense pigeon waddled over and greeted the new visitors with a child-like innocence. The sailors, however, mistook the gentle spirit of the dodo, and its lack of fear for stupidity and dubbed the bird “dodo” (similar to simpleton in Portuguese).
Because the bird was larger than our Thanksgiving turkey — but far easier to catch — hungry sailors killed them by the tens of thousands and those that survived the sailor’s appetite had to face introduced rats, cats and dogs.
Dogs, pigs and rats carried-on ships soon became feral after being released into the Mauritian ecosystem. Due to the sailors meat-hunting and predation by introduced animals, in a mere 83 years, the last dodo was dead.
The world was left worse with its passing.
As one of the earliest recorded examples of modern eco-vandalism, the impact of the Portuguese sailors on Mauritius not only wiped out the poor old dodo, but also further disrupted nature in unexpected ways. Soon after the dodo became extinct, the Mauritian “calvaria” trees seeds stopped sprouting and it appeared it would soon face extinction itself. Apparently, calvaria seeds would only germinate after passing through the dodo bird’s digestive system.
You’d think with the story of the dodo bird as an example of our ability to wipe out a species we would have been more sensitive to our responsibilities. The fate of the passenger pigeon proved otherwise as they were perhaps the most abundant bird ever to live on the face of the earth.
In the early 1800s they were estimated to be in the billions and could be found in forests from the east side of the rockies to upper New York state. Moreover, when they migrated to their southern haunts in winter, millions of them were seen in immense flights — over a mile-wide and 300 miles long — so many birds they blotted out the sun. The sun!
Passenger pigeons nested in colonies of such magnitude it is almost unbelievable — over 100 nests in just one tree. Multiply that by millions of trees in hardwood forests throughout the Midwest and East and you come up with billions of birds.
Unfortunately, it was those 300-mile long flocks of passenger pigeons that led to their demise; meat hunters selling their remains to the hotels in New York believed they were inexhaustible.
Passenger pigeons were a little larger than present day rock doves and flew just about as fast – close to 60 miles an hour. Hunters who didn’t want to waste ammunition trying to hit such a fast flyer found it was a lot easier to kill them when they were nesting — as the plume-hunters discovered in the early 1900s when they slaughtered egrets, just for their feathers to put in lady’s hats.
Pigeons killed at the nesting sites left eggs and young to die; consequently the fate of the passenger pigeon was sealed. Only one egg was laid normally, incubated by the female and fed by both parents, but only until the youngster could stand and had feathers. About two weeks after hatching the adults just up and deserted the chick, leaving it to fend for itself.
With the advent of the telegraph, meat-hunters knew exactly where pigeons were at all times, and exactly when they arrived at the nesting trees and then set about slaughtering them. Only the breasts were taken, packed in ice and delivered by train to expensive restaurants in New York and other eastern cities.
By 1910, there was only one female passenger pigeon left on Earth, Martha (named after Martha Washington, wife of the first president of our country), living in the Cincinnati Zoo. At 1pm, on Sept. 1, 1914, Martha died at the age of 29 years.
Looking at the growing population of American bald eagles flying around Oregon today, I’m so thankful that we have learned a lesson from the passing of the dodo bird and passenger pigeon. But as I look at the destruction of our greater sage grouse habitat, converted into cow pastures and the new dictate from President Trump cutting up our national parks, I wonder, “Have we really learned our lesson?”
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 | Jan 10, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
PLANS by the Scottish Parliament to spend £80,000 using birds of prey to scare away pigeons have been called into question.
Hawks and falcons are brought in regularly to fly over the building to deter pigeons from making it their home.
But MSPs say the unwanted birds have become wise to the scheme and simply wait for them to be taken away by their handler before settling back on the roofs and ledges of the £414 million building.
The parliament has renewed its maintenance contract – which includes an £80,000 on the birds of prey –for another five years with a possible two-year extension.
It is believed that pigeon numbers are as low as they are likely to go but the parliament believes the hawks and falcons are necessary to stop them increasing again.
Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs, a member of the cross-party animal welfare group at Holyrood, said it was time to reconsider spending so much money on the bird handler.
He said: “I don’t think they have looked at how effective it is actually being.
“For a lot of building users it has become a bit of a joke. The pigeons are sitting up on Arthur’s Seat waiting for him to go away.
“The pigeons seem to be quite bright. The effectiveness of him turning up now and again is questionable at least.”
A parliament spokesman said: “Like many buildings in Edinburgh, a small number of pigeons visit regularly. We are aware the problem can never be fully eradicated.”
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 | Jan 6, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
An animal owner in Luzerne County is under investigation after several animals were left outside in frigid temperatures.
More than a dozen dogs and farm animals were left with no food or heat.
State police spent their New Year’s at a home near Wapwallopen investigating the incident where they found dogs kept outside with chickens, goats, and pigeons.
“Lacking shelter, two dogs to one small shelter with frozen water is just not sufficient,” said Mary Sult of the Animal Resource Center.
Troopers and Luzerne County SPCA came to the home on Cemetery Drive Sunday evening to confiscate the dogs and other animals. Pigeons and chickens are still there, left in the cold weather.
Neighbors alerted the Animal Resource Center near Bloomsburg about the conditions. Sult went to the home to provide food and that’s when the investigation started.
“I really have to toast them for the new year because they’re the ones who saved these animals,” said Sult.
The owner was not home at the time. Authorities brought the animals to a local shelter. Now, animal activists are warning others that might be doing the same thing.
“Bring your animals inside,” said Sult. “It does not take much and if you can’t bring them inside then don’t have them.”
Sult says no animal should be outside for more than 20 minutes when it’s 32 degrees or colder. That’s the new state “Libre’s Law,” which makes a conviction for such an offense a felony.
“They would have been in these temperatures for weeks and who knows if they would have survived,” said Sult.
Sult says if you can’t care for them, take them to your local shelter. It may cost a few bucks, but it might be cheaper than animal cruelty charges.
We are waiting on more information on whether charges will be filed.
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 | Jan 4, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Winter migratory birds are being sighted farther away from Delhi-NCR as the region’s own wetlands shrink into nothing. This stands true for Haryana’s Sultanpur and Basai, Uttar Pradesh’s Surajpur and Dadri, and Delhi’s own Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Sanjay Jheel and Yamuna Khadar – former rich habitats of winter-roosting avians.
Dr. Surya Prakash, a renowned biologist from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), indicated towards this in a retrospective of rare birds seen in Delhi and NCR in year 2017, on Sunday.
Wild birds are natural indicators of a healthy ecosystem. They thrive only in peaceful habitats and pollution-free environment.
Dr. Prakash said, “This year was good for birding primarily due to rains. Dhanauri wetlands in UP remained on top in number of birding trips being a ‘Sarus crane paradise.’ For many birders, Najafgarh jheel attracted due to its Greater flamingos and Common cranes.”
“Birders enjoyed Sultanpur National Park (SNP) flats to witness Stoliczka’s Bushchat’s mesmerising ‘puff-n-roll’ display. Indian Pitta and Cuckoo Shrike showed up as usual at Mangar but the highlights were Jungle Bush Quail and Greater Rackettail drongo seen at SNP and Mangar forests each,” he said.
Sohail Madan of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) reported Eurasian Griffon and King Vulture from Asola Bhatti Mines along with the second sighting of Brown Hawk Owl from the same area, Dr. Prakash added.
One Gyps species of vulture was reported from Okhla Bird Park also and a birder, CB Maurya, reported 40 Black Storks from RK Puram, that’s the highest number till date in the history of Delhi. One of the most interesting sightings from NCR cities was that of six Slavonian grebe ducks from Dighal in Haryana by birding enthusiast Rakesh Ahlawat.
Veteran birder Anand Arya said, “We have lost about 150-200 rich and healthy bird habitats over the past decade. Basai wetlands in Haryana were fed by a canal in arrangement with the irrigation department, which has now reduced to about onefourth its size. Sultanpur and Okhla Bird sanctuaries are dying due to bad management. The Yamuna Khadar has been lost to illegal agriculture and mining while Dadri and Hasanpur have gone to construction. Ponds in villages Mandkoula and Mandnaka in Palwal, Haryana, are also lost.”
Bird lovers are now venturing farther to Haryana’s pristine Dighal and Yamunanagar wetlands, which are still unspoilt by development, he said.
But interestingly, Dr. Prakash noted that forest-based raptor birds, previously seen in forest areas mainly, are now being spotted in Delhi more often, thanks to the explosion in population of feral pigeons and common mynas that serve as easy prey.
“We are spotting more of Common kestrel, Perigreen Falcon, Booted Eagle, Bonalese eagles, large owls and shikras than before – most of them with pigeon kills,” he said.
“This is besides the scavenging birds – black kites, vultures and common crows – which frequent landfills. This is quite notable for town planners and civic authorities too as pigeons are believed to be a big nuisance and carriers of diseases, believe some experts,” he informed.”
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 | Jan 2, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Mysuru: Helping Hands’ Kabutar Daan, a project for providing food grains to Pigeons in front of Kote Anjenayaswamy Temple at the North Gate of Mysore Palace, which was started on Jan. 1, 2015 is going a step forward by successfully completing three years of feeding pigeons tomorrow.
Inspired by a Hyderabad tourist, Rajan Baghmar and Anand Patwa of Helping Hands, began the project under ‘Helping Hands Kabutar Daan Project.’
The project which began with just four members now has about 28 members, who feed the pigeons with food grains such as Bajara, Jower, Wheat, Fried Gram, Moong Dal etc., on all 365 days of the year braving all types of climate.
Birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions such as Independence Day, Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanti, Kannada Rajyotsava etc., are celebrated at the feeding venue with members Jambu Lodha, Sunil Patwa, Dinesh Bohra, Adesh Lodha and Vijay Bhora writing the names of the persons celebrating birthdays and names of festivals and other occasions with food grains.
About 200kg of food grains is fed to the pigeons by the organisation along with the members of the public, who too are feeding the pigeons daily in front of Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple. Helping Hands have started feeding Kabutar (Pigeon) at City Stanik Bhavan in Halladakeri twice a week. The total requirement of food grains per month is nearly 7,000 kg and around 84,000 kg a year which cost about 18 lakh per year. The expenses is pooled in by the members and also through generous donations from the public.
Helping Hands has been awarded with ‘Pride of Mysore’ by Pragathi Prathistan and Kannada Kriya Vedike has honoured Helping Hands Kabutar Daan Project during Kannada Rajyotsava celebration.
Along with Kabutar Daan Project, Helping Hands is also involved in various social activities. They have adopted a Government School in Ittigegud where they are providing books and other stationary items, tables and chairs, uniforms to poor school children besides providing financial assistance to poor students to pursue higher education under ‘Shiksa Project.’
The organisation is also undertaking eye screening camps, artificial limb distribution camps, heart and sugar check up camps regularly besides providing financial assistance for poor patients to undergo various surgeries.
Helping Hands thanking everyone for their support and has urged the public to join them in celebrating New Year by feeding pigeons in Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple at 6.30 am tomorrow.
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)
