by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 4, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
A new pathogen has been discovered by scientists investigating major die-offs of pigeons native to North America, according to studies led by the University of California, Davis, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.Scientists were able to implicate this new parasite, along with the ancient parasite Trichomonas gallinae, in the recent deaths of thousands of Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeons. The die-offs occurred during multiple epidemics in California’s Central Coast and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. Scientists named the new pathogen Trichomonas stableri.
Avian trichomonosis is an emerging and potentially fatal disease that creates severe lesions that can block the esophagus, ultimately preventing the bird from eating or drinking, or the trachea, leading to suffocation. The disease may date back to when dinosaurs roamed the earth, as lesions indicative of trichomonosis were found recently in T-Rex skeletons. The disease may also have contributed to the decline of the passenger pigeon, whose extinction occurred exactly 100 years ago.
Epidemics of the disease can result in the death of thousands of birds in a short amount of time. An outbreak in Carmel Valley killed an estimated 43,000 birds in 2007.
“The same parasite species that killed band-tailed pigeons during the outbreaks were also killing the birds when there weren’t outbreaks,” said lead author Yvette Girard, a postdoctoral scholar with the Wildlife Health Center in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine at the time of the studies. “This indicates there may be other factors at play in the die-offs.”
“We are now investigating what triggers these die-offs, which may be caused by the congregation of infected and vulnerable birds during certain environmental conditions, or even spillover from another nearby species,” said principal investigator Christine Johnson, a professor with the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center.
Between winter 2011 and spring 2012, there were eight mortality events—defined as more than five dead birds found in the same geographic area during the same time frame. The study said trichomonosis was confirmed in 96 percent of dead, sick or dying birds examined at seven of the mortality events. This disease was also found in:
- 36 percent of band-tailed pigeons at wildlife rehabilitation centers
- 11 percent of hunter-killed band-tailed pigeons
- 4 percent of the birds caught live and released
“What makes this disease more troublesome for band-tailed pigeons is their low reproductive rate—about one chick per year—and also that these events are occurring in the wintertime,” said co-author Krysta Rogers, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “That means almost all the birds we’re losing during events are adult birds. They’re being killed before they have the ability to reproduce in the spring.”
Mortality events in band-tailed pigeons have been reported in California at least since 1945, but have increased during the last decade, with outbreaks reported in six of the last 10 years.
“Going into the study, we expected to find a single, highly virulent species of Trichomonas in birds sampled at outbreaks,” Girard said. “Having two species killing birds at these large-scale mortality events is surprising.”
Necropsies of the birds were conducted at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory at UC Davis and the Wildlife Investigations Laboratory at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Both studies were funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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 3, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
If you just want to shoot a few pigeons, you can do it the old way: Post shooters outside the haymow window, bang on the side of the barn, and have at it. But if you want to max out your haul, you need to get with the times. These days, realistic full-body fakes, electric spinning-wing decoys, pigeon calls, and blinds—including two-dimensional cows for hunters to hide behind—are becoming standard. Idaho resident Neal Hunt is just one hunter who takes pigeon shooting very seriously. His cutting-edge game plan routinely scores triple-digit birds.
1 | X-Games
As with waterfowl, being where the birds want to be is vital. “You can run traffic with pigeons and have some success,” Hunt says, “but being on the X makes most hunts a home run.” Scouting is the key here. Simply glass from a distance to see where the birds spend most of their time in a feed field.
2 | Basic Spread
Rock doves will work a decoy set into the wind, so place yourself upwind of it. Hunt keeps six or eight dozen full-bodies balled up tight, like feeding birds, with a hole about 15 yards in front of the blind. Decoy color variations within the spread, as well as mixing in shells and silhouettes, increase realism.
3 | Bodies in Motion
“Pigeons constantly jump and fly ahead of the flock,” says Hunt. “They’re always in motion. The males are trying to breed all year, so they’re strutting and spinning in circles.” Along with his full-bodies, Hunt uses two or three spinning-wing Mojo Pigeon decoys, each placed where he wants flocks to finish. Installing timers in them enhances the appearance of birds leapfrogging within the flock.
4 | Bring the Noise
Hunt plays preloaded pigeon sounds from Mojo’s Double Trouble E-Caller. “Pigeons on the ground are loud,” says Hunt. “We’ve used both the -E-Caller and mouth calling, and it definitely makes a difference.” If you’d rather mouth call, a deep-throated coo works best.
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 2, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
PESKY pigeons are creating a stink in Coulsdon town centre because they’ve managed to find a way around the bird-proof rail bridge in the town.
Residents’ associations have had complaints from people about the problem, which means the pavement in the town centre is often covered in slimy pigeon droppings.
The bridge, over Brighton Road and next to the town’s station, has been plagued by the pests nesting and perching despite having anti-bird mesh fitted.
Charlie King, chairman of East Coulsdon Residents’ Association said the street used to be steam-cleaned regularly, but that was no longer the case.
“It’s getting worse and worse. It’s a health risk, it’s dirty and filthy and not good for kids.
“The bridge needs improved pigeon proofing. They’ve got some iron mesh but the pigeons can get through.”
Peter Appleford, from Coulsdon West Residents’ Association agreed.
“They make a hell of a mess on the pavement, especially when it rains, it’s really horrible. There’s slime right all over the pavement, it’s really slippery and if anyone was to fall on that and get it in their face or in a cut it would be quite nasty.
“The council used to clean it regularly but with cost cutting, they only seem to do that when it was reported. I must say that when we do report it they clean it very well, but when they do that the pigeons seem to react and make even more of a mess than they did before.
“The only long-term solution is to make it pigeon proof again.”
Mr Appleford added he had been in contact with Network Rail, the owner of the bridge, about the issue last Monday, August 11. It said it would look into it.
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 19, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
The blueberries are here! The strawberries have been great, and now the blueberries are coming into season!
But we aren’t the only ones who like blueberries. We’ve got the sparrows, robins and all different kinds of birds, so there are a couple of different things you can do to protect your blueberries so the birds don’t get the whole crop.
The first thing is if you have a small bush or just one or two bushes, it’s nice to cover them with bird netting.
Now to do this, don’t just drape the netting over the bush, because every time you pull it off you’ll be pulling off berries and leaves and damaging the bush. It’s better to put some stakes in around the bush and then put the netting over the stakes. Its much easier to get in to work around the bush.
There are also reflective devices that you can use to scare birds away. I’ve got my old Pat Metheney CD over here! But really, anything that is going to reflect light such as CDs, aluminum pie plates, and holigraphic tape can be used. I even hang this scare eye balloon, that believe it or not, looks like a hawk to many birds, so they tend to stay away.
They key with these devices, though, is to move them around so that it looks like the hawk is moving around too. The wind will really help move these reflective tapes!
The final thing you can do is spray your berries with a sugar solution. Take 4 packets of Grape Kool-Aid, and a couple of quarts of water and then spray that solution on the plants. You can use regular sugar, too. The sugary solution has a flavor that the birds don’t like.
So all of this will hopefully make you have a beautiful berry crop that you can have all for yourself!
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 19, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
It is currently legal to use live pigeons in what are known as “pigeon shoots” during target practice and shooting competitions in the state of Pennsylvania. Across the state pigeons are forced into spring-loaded boxes and launched into the air to be shot. And the barbaric practice is completely unnecessary. Participants can easily spare the suffering of these innocent creatures by using clay discs as a humane alternative.
Pennsylvania legislators have proposed a bill that would institute a statewide ban on live pigeon shoots. In addition the bill would outlaw the slaughter or sale of cats and dogs for human consumption. Officials with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals state that while this is a relatively rare occurrence, shockingly it remains legal in the state of Pennsylvania.
Companion animals belong in loving homes, not forced into the heartless meat trade to spend their short lives full of fear and cruelly confined until their brutal slaughter. Urge government officials to show compassion to pigeons and companion animals alike and vote in favor of this humane legislation.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Representative Smith,
As an animal welfare advocate I find it shocking that two horrific practices of animal abuse are currently legal in the state of Pennsylvania: live pigeon shoots and the slaughter and sale of cats and dogs for human consumption.
Thankfully legislators have proposed House Bill 1750 (H.B. 1750), which would ban both of these cruel practices in your state. Pigeons are fully capable of feeling distress, fear and pain and do not deserve the cruel fate of being used in live pigeon shoots. These barbaric events involve forcing pigeons into spring-loaded boxes and launching them into the air only to be shot down moments later. Live pigeon shoots are disturbingly a part of everyday target practice and shooting competitions throughout your state, despite readily available and humane alternatives such as clay discs.
While slaughtering and selling dogs and cats for human consumption is far less common, surprisingly, it is legal in Pennsylvania. These animals have been our companions for hundreds of years and rely on humans to protect them from unimaginable cruelty like this.
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, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Neighbors of a woman from Hull have won a four-year battle to get her to stop feeding birds.
The town took Gail Kansky to court because of the swarms of sparrows, pigeons, and other birds that surround her bird feeder and her home. It claimed the flocks of birds were causing a health hazard.
“There are people complaining of illness, complaining of odor. There’s quite a bit of noise,” said Hull Town Manager Phil Lemnios.
After repeated demands and a restraining order, the case ended up in court.
“The birds are on my back deck. They’re on my front porch. They’re on my roof,” said John McKinnon. “They leave bird feces on virtually everything we own.”
Kansky says she’s the victim of neighborhood bullies.
“The town is doing it because of the next door neighbors. They’re really their attorneys. They’re not doing it for the town. They know there’s no health hazard,” she said.
Now a housing court judge has ruled Kansky’s habit of feeding the birds creates a public health hazard, and has been ordered to stop. Kansky can still appeal the decision.
What should the town do to enforce the court’s order? Does Kansky have the right to keep feeding the birds despite the court order? Share your comments below, and watch for them on WBZ News in the Morning from 4:30 to 7:00 a.m.
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)
A new pathogen has been discovered by scientists investigating major die-offs of pigeons native to North America, according to studies led by the University of California, Davis, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.Scientists were able to implicate this new parasite, along with the ancient parasite Trichomonas gallinae, in the recent deaths of thousands of Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeons. The die-offs occurred during multiple epidemics in California’s Central Coast and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. Scientists named the new pathogen Trichomonas stableri.
