by Pigeon Patrol | Aug 8, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
ACTION is being taken to curb the amount of pigeon mess being left outside a Halstead shop.
The former Lalezar building, in High Street, has become a mecca for pigeons which sit on the various ledges at the front of the shop.
However, this has led to the building and the pavement below it becoming covered in their mess.
Gordon Birchell, of Birchell Steel Consultant Surveyors, which is marketing the empty building for let, said: “They are doing what pigeons do.
“We have put up the scaffolding to do something about it.
“The pigeons are everywhere in Halstead and they are an awful problem.”
Complaints about the mess outside the building were first made in November, with Braintree Council’s Street Scene Team promising to clean up the pavement.
He added that he was in negotiations with a company interested in moving into the ground floor, but declined to say what the company was.
“It isn’t a restaurant, but it is catering related,” he said.
Charity shop St Helena Hospice, opposite the restaurant, was due to move into the building this year, but pulled out after deciding the costs involved were too high.
The building, formerly a post office, was built in November 1895 and has changed hands many times in recent years.
Lalezar opened in May 2014 before closing at the start of 2015 following a gas leak and the building has been vacant ever since.
Mr Birchell said he was confident the former Thomas Cook shop, further down High Street, would also soon be occupied.
The shop had been empty for two years before being bought at auction by a London-based investor for £150,000.
The investor had planned to use the building himself, but is now planning to rent it out, according to Mr Birchell.
He said that it was “just about under offer”.
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 | Aug 6, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
A dispute between neighbors in Palm Coast’s C-Section over the copious presence of Purple Martin birds and involving a drone, a laser pointer, the daily Apocalypse Now-like broadcasting of loud predatory bird sounds and complaints to local authorities, has escalated into a lawsuit from one neighbor against another.
Philip Lowe, 77, and his wife Sarah Thompson-Lowe, of 29 Collingwood Lane, filed the lawsuit in Flagler County Circuit Court in early April against Bryan Streetman, 47, of 25 Collingwood Lane. The lawsuit was the culmination of a series of actions the Lowes took against Streetman, including a complaint with the Palm Coast Code Enforcement division, a petition signed by 18 neighborhood residents seeking an end to Streetman’s broadcasting “shrill and screeching predatory bird sounds” from 7:15 a.m. until dark, complaints to police in mid-February, and a lawyer’s cease-and-desist letter seeking to stop Streetman from flying his drone or using a laser light in such a way as to intrude on neighbors.
Earlier this month, Streetman countered with a motion to dismiss the lawsuit against him, claiming his neighbors have no “clear legal right” to seek an injunction against him.
The Lowes have lived at their current address for 17 years. For all that time, between each January and July, they’ve maintained 24 bird gourds on their dock as nesting sites for Purple Martin birds, which are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act, their lawyer says. Aside from their elegance and aesthetically pleasing presence to many residents—including those at 31 and 11 Collingville Court, who also maintain nesting gourds—the birds help control the mosquito population.
Streetman moved in next door three years ago. In January and February, the Lowes claimed in the lawsuit, Streetman flew a drone in the rear of his property, but also above the Lowes’s property and near the nesting gourds, resulting in altercations between the neighbors. On Feb. 14, Delphine Meyers, the neighbor at 11 Collingville Court, directly across the canal from Streetman’s property, reported to the sheriff that a bright red and green laser beam was penetrating her home from a laser bird deterrent system on Streetman’s grounds. (Code Enforcement issued a nuisance citation to Streetman over the laser and noise issues on Feb. 19.)
St. Augustine attorney Marcus Thompson sent a letter to Streetman on behalf of the Lowes on Feb. 22 citing the “excessive noise” of the drone and its use of a camera as violating the city’s nuisance ordinance and, in the case of the camera, state law, which prohibits surveillance. Thompson also noted the laser incident, which was documented by a sheriff’s deputy at the scene. “It is our hope that these issues can be resolved peacefully and respectfully, without the necessity of litigation,” Thompson wrote.
Streetman turned off the laser only to place an inflatable and noisy “air dancer” device on his property as a new deterrent to the birds. According to the lawsuit, he continued flying the drone and using high-frequency noise devices, which the suit claims have affected the Lowes’s ability to sleep while creating “a serious discomfort, distress and inconvenience” to them and other neighbors. The repetitive nature of the noise is equated to harassment, according to the suit, which seeks an end to the use of those devices, or flying the drones near the nesting areas of the birds, or using laser lights.
In his response on behalf of Streetman, attorney Ryan Mitchell ridiculed the claim that his client was in any way violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, for two reasons: Streetman is in no way hunting, shooting, killing, wounding or trapping the birds, as the act sets out as prohibited actions. And the federal act “has clearly established that there is no private right of action conferred on individuals.” In other words, as Mitchell cites through various federal cases, it’s not an avenue in property disputes between neighbors. The same reasoning was applied to the code enforcement violation.
Mitchell was similarly dis missive of the use of the Lacey Act to back up the lawsuit against Streetman, as the Lacey Act, he argued, regulates the importation and transportation of species, and therefore has nothing to do with the present dispute.
A hearing on the dispute is scheduled before Circuit Judge Scott DuPont on June 30, in Courtroom 402 at the Flagler County Courthouse.
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 | Aug 5, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services
HUNTSVILLE – Spikes and trapping have failed, so it’s time for round three.
The Huntsville general committee voted in favour on May 25 of purchasing a net with an estimated cost of between $10,000 and $14,000 in order to keep pigeons out of the entrance to the Canada Summit Centre. This is the third time this issue has come before councillors since December of last year and all previous methods to keep pigeons out of the area have failed.
The last time the pigeon problem was raised council approved an $850-a-month plan to trap and relocate the birds. That plan was never implemented due to the contractor wanting to operate the relocation program for longer than council was willing to fund it.
Brian Crozier, town property manager, said at this point removing nests has only led to the pigeons becoming more entrenched in the building.
“I would really like to never come back and speak at this table about this issue again. Anything we can do from a permanent stand point would be great.”
– Brian Crozier
“The dormers seem to have been the staging area and as we’ve been pushing them, they’ve been moving further and further back into the building and finding other nesting areas on the site as well. We’ve been finding nests on the roof, in the gutters. We’ve actually pushed pigeons to the back of the building. The process we’ve started has just started,” said Crozier.
Councillors favoured the net option, as they believed trapping the birds could just lead to endless expense on the matter with no real end. Crozier pointed out the net would likely mean the birds would move to other locations in town, like the front of the Active Living Centre.
The Town of Bracebridge reportedly successfully dealt with their pigeon problem after a pigeon relocation program that trapped 400 to 500 birds in a year.
One of the town’s earlier attempts to keep the birds out was to spend around $10,000 to install spikes along the lights and surfaces in the entranceway. That proved ineffective as, according to staff, the pigeons would just push them aside.
Councillor Bob Stone repeated his criticism that the town had not been properly maintaining the spikes installed in the area.
Huntsville mayor Scott Aitchison said he hopes the net will solve the pigeon problem once and for all.
“We’ve spent, it looks like, $5,000 this year and $5,000 next year for the pigeon relocation program. Why don’t we finally spend $10,000 to $15,000 and put the nets up so we never have to spend it again,” said Aitchison.
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 | Aug 3, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Pigeons, squirrels, raccoons and deer all have something in common in the City of Victoria’s downtown and environs: They are not to be fed.
The topic has come into the public eye thanks to a photo making the rounds on the Internet. In it, a woman chats to a pair of staffers from Victoria Animal Control Services while surrounded by about 50 pigeons.
Another 30 to 40 birds roost in nearby trees during their conversation, which took place on a Pandora Avenue boulevard near Vancouver Street.
Under a city bylaw, it is illegal to intentionally feed or leave out food for deer, raccoons, squirrels and feral rabbits.
Within the downtown area — an area roughly bounded by Bay Street, the legislature, the harbour and Cook Street — pigeons, crows and gulls may not be fed.
Violators are subject to a fine of $125.
The woman was not issued a ticket.
According to the city, she was merely advised of the regulations.
The animal-control officers went to the area after receiving complaints from residents, said a city spokeswoman.
“There have been growing concerns about the increasing number of pigeons in the area due to daily feeding at this location,” Katie Hamilton said.
“It is resulting in increased noise and bird excrement on neighbouring properties.”
A bylaw against feeding pigeons and other animals was put in place “because of the potential negative impacts in a compact downtown,” she said.
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 | Jul 31, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services
To prevent diseases caused due to pigeons, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been contemplating controlling their population with the help of contraceptives called Ovistop.
There are kabutarkhanas at various places across the city, where people feed jawar, millet, and gram to pigeons. There are several complaints of people getting diseases like asthma and TB due to the droppings and feathers of the birds.
According to the civic officials, one pair of birds can produce 48 pigeons a year, which has led to overpopulation of the species in the city.
Shiv Sena corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar had proposed that the BMC should put the pigeons on birth control with the help of Ovistop. According to this method, each pigeon is fed Ovistop, a product made of corn seeds covered in Nicarbazin, which acts as a contraceptive for birds. The pill is touted as being highly effective.
In a reply given to him, the civic administration has said that the matter does not come under the jurisdiction of the BMC’s health department and belongs to the director, food and drugs administration (FDA) of the state government. “However, we have asked the FDA about implementing this method of providing food mixed with Ovistop to pigeons in the city,” said a civic official.
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 | Jul 30, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News
A lonely woman who ignored a council order to stop feeding the pigeons in her garden must pay a £640 fine and £1,729 court costs.
Katherine Spiller, 66, said the birds were “a bit of company”, but attracted so many that neighbours complained.
Spiller, from Oxford, admitted breaking a community protection order.
The lonely woman fed pigeons in her garden for 20 years so that they could keep her company.
Pensioner Katherine Spiller began inviting the birds into her garden in 1995 by throwing seed from her bathroom window.
The 66-year-old attracted large flocks of pigeons – which are recognised as a pest in the UK – as well as smaller garden birds to keep her company.
However, over the past two decades the former librarian and administrator has amassed complaints from fed-up neighbours who can’t stand the birds which defecate on their property and dominate the garden walls like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie.
Spiller has also caused a flap among shoppers in Oxford city centre where she has also been spreading the seed.
As a result, dozens of pigeons would descend daily onto the street near picturesque and historic Magdalen College as well as other locations across the city.
Following a growing number of complaints, Oxford City Council stepped in 12 months ago and ordered her to stop.
Despite this, the “habitual bird feeder” was put before magistrates again after ignoring the order between August and October last year.
Magistrates in Oxford were shown dozens of pictures of the birds sitting on the roof and ledges of Spiller’s terraced house as well as sitting on her neighbours buildings.
Jeremy Franklin, representing Oxford City Council, told magistrates that neighbours had reported her continuing to put out bird seed.
Mr Franklin added: “The defendant is an habitual feeder of birds, mostly pigeons, which congregate around her house in large numbers, causing a certain amount of distress and antagonism to the neighbours.
“The warning notice required the defendant to cease dropping bird seed or foodstuffs that would encourage birds, vermin or other animals in her garden or anywhere and to keep her garden free from weeds and plants providing shelter to vermin and other animals.
“Despite the imposition of the notice, the defendant was found to have breached it by continuing to feed the pigeons.”
Mr Franklin said the city council might have to take further action to stop Spiller from feeding the pigeons unless she could change her habits.
He added: “Those charged with dealing with this problem are at their wits end.”
A spokesman for Oxford City Council said after the hearing that neighbours were unable to use their gardens in the summer months because of the birds perching and defecating in the gardens. He added that a nuisance was being caused by bird flying into windows.
Spiller had sent a letter to the court, admitting she had failed to comply with a community protection notice and the court clerk revealed it was “very, very rambling” and mainly consisted of “poems that have been written by Ms Spiller”.
The panel of magistrates handed Spiller, who did not attend the hearing, a fine of £640 for breaching the community protection order handed out in February last year. She was also ordered to pay a £64 victim surcharge and £1,729 prosecution costs.
Speaking from her home, the keen poet said: “The birds like being fed but now you can’t feed them in town. You can’t even feed the ducks.
“There was not the same law in place at the time when I first began feeding them in 1995. I think it is a wicked law and it makes it hard on the pigeons.
“They could be an amenity for people who lack a bit of company. I don’t have a partner or children so the pigeons were my only company, and people do look for company in the pigeons.”
Spiller, who wrote a poem in 1997 entitled Pigeon Woman which reflects on her own experiences of feeding the birds, added that she would remain hopeful for the future that the law on feeding the pigeons would change.
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)
