by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 4, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
A legal settlement in January between Caltrans and wildlife protection groups over a highway construction project in Sonoma County may have protected local nesting birds in the short term, but the alternative measures used may be affecting wildlife populations in the long term, according to an environmental attorney who works with the Golden Gate Audubon Society.
At issue are cliff swallows, which had long built their mud nests on a pair of concrete bridges near Highway 101 in the Sonoma County community of Petaluma. When Caltrans decided it was time to rebuild those bridges during a highway widening project, contractors installed bird netting to keep the swallows away from the construction area. But that netting ended up snaring the small birds, and more than a hundred of them died.
Cliff swallows are so-named for their habit of building mud nests in cavities on cliffs and protected rock outcroppings. They’re one of the wildlife species that has adjusted well to human influence, mainly because of our habit of building thousands of vertical “cliff faces” everywhere we go. Concrete bridges and similar structures are especially attractive to the swallows because they tend to have concrete sills that overhang the vertical faces, which allow the birds to build their nests more efficiently.
When Caltrans agreed to end the use of netting during the construction project, its contractor C.C. Myers deployed a slick material called “Bird Slide” over the concrete. When the swallows learn after a few tries that they can’t get their carefully gathered beaks full of mud to stick to the Bird Slide, they give up and build their nests somewhere else.
That’s undeniably a better alternative than the netting: rather than getting injured or killed through entanglement, the birds shrug their shoulders and go off to build a nest somewhere else. And they may not have to travel far: C.C. Myers has left some of the concrete on the bridges bare, where swallow nests won’t get in the way of construction.
But according to Sommers, those patches of open concrete are more exposed to the elements than is ideal for the longevity of the nests, which are, after all, made of mud and spit. Swallows have nested on the bridges this season, with about 80 nests total. But that’s well under the historic 500-800 nests the bridge colonies built before construction.
Where did the remaining swallows go? They may well have dispersed throughout the nearby community looking for more suitable nesting sites. And that’s a problem: the highly gregarious birds fare better in huge colonies with up to 6,000 nests. Breaking up a colony may well mean a population decline in the long run.
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 | Jun 4, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
A 90-year-old Geneva man has been ordered evicted from the apartment he has been renting for more than 50 years for allegedly feeding pigeons on his balcony, according to a news media report.
The pensioner recently received a registered letter informing him that he had to leave the three-room flat in the heart of the city by the end of this month, Le Matin newspaper reported over the weekend.
“What’s happening to me is scandalous, unthinkable,” the elderly tenant told the newspaper.
Brolliet, the company managing the apartment building, said his lease was being terminated for “just cause”, referring to the man’s “intolerable behaviour” for feeding the pigeons after letting them come into his balcony.
The tenant, however, told Le Matin that he had not been feeding the birds since the death of his wife two years ago.
“And it’s not a crime,” he added, noting that he always paid his rent as required and even ahead of time.
The real estate management company maintains that it sent out the eviction letter after complaints from neighbours came to the attention of the building’s owners, a cooperative group.
“I don’t know how they could be so nasty,” said the pensioner, who faces a challenge trying to find another apartment for the 900 francs a month he is currently paying (including charges).
“Neighbours received pigeon droppings and and we are certain they came from his place,” Guy Tornare, head of the cooperative that owns the building, told Le Matin.
The situation has been known for many years but could “no longer be tolerated” after the building was renovated in February, Tornare said.
“I almost received (pigeon) excrement on my head during a visit,” Claude Guillod, an administrator with the coop, is quoted as saying by Le Matin.
Guillod said the bird droppings are dangerous because they can spread diseases.
“What has happened to this man is sad but it is because he has not listened that we have come to this.”
Guillod rejected the idea that the building owners wanted to get rid of the 90-year-old in order to raise the rent, saying that the issue was one of “hygiene”.
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 | Jun 4, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeons in the News
Olympia firefighters stepped up to help on Sunday when a duck flew right into the backstop netting at the Capitol High School baseball field and got stuck about 40 feet from the ground.
David Supensky of For Heaven’s Sake Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation said they got a call about the stuck duck and when he arrived at the scene with a ladder, he realized he wouldn’t be able to reach the bird.
He called the Olympia Fire Department and they came out with their 100-foot ladder.
“They cut the netting and put the bird in a crate and brought it down,” Supensky said.
Supensky said the bird had some abrasions on its left wing. Supensky’s wife removed the netting from the bird’s wing and kept it overnight.
The next day David released the bird back in Yauger Park, which is near the ball field.
“It went right back into the water,” Supensky said. “A happy ending.”
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 | Jun 4, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
LIG Nex1, a South Korean defense company, said Tuesday that it would showcase a variety of defense products ranging from robots to military products during an exhibition at KINTEX from June 1 to 4 in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province.
It will introduce the company’s mobile bird deterrent robots, better known as “the bird strike,” which are used at civilian and military airports to prevent birds from colliding with airplanes.
Also, the company will feature electronic full-body wearables allowing soldiers to easily carry heavy-duty military equipment and march long distances, as well as products and solutions for guided weapons systems.
“The company will continue to develop (new technologies) in a partnership with the military for the (benefit of the) country, and aim to gain attention from overseas,” said LIG Nex1 CEO Lee Hyo-koo.
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 | Jun 4, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
A Harris hawk has been released into the skies above Watford town centre to terrify pigeons away from the newly revamped Parade.Officials said the hawk, called Angel, has been trained not to maul the pigeons but only scare them away and described the method as the most “humane” available.
“Harris hawks are relatively timid and will not hunt anything much bigger or faster than them, but they will make urban pigeons feel suitably unwelcome.”
Alongside its aerial assault, the council is also mounting an information campaign against town centre pigeons.
“By flying a Harris Hawk trained not to harm the pigeons, just deter them, we’ve found an effective but humane method of pest control.”
Officers have been handing out leaflets encouraging people not to feed pigeons and the council has also commissioned a video, which compares the bird to rats.
The anti-pigeon initiative comes as the redevelopment of The Parade nears completion. Part of the project will see the northern end of the pedestrianised area de-cluttered and opened up to be used for cultural events.
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 | May 6, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeons in the News
