NEWS Councillor calls for pigeon feeding zone in Bradford suburb

NEWS Councillor calls for pigeon feeding zone in Bradford suburb

PEOPLE who want to feed pigeons in a Bradford suburb should have a designated place to go to, according to one councillor.

Cllr Mohammed Shafiq said droppings are making life a misery for many residents on a daily basis in the Bradford Moor neighbourhood where pigeons are being pampered.

Droppings are covering rooftops, porches and windows in some streets particularly in Wensleydale Road and a children’s play area at the back of Derby Place.

pigeon patrolHe is worried the droppings are not only a health hazard and could attract more vermin into the streets but are also damaging the look of the area.

Cllr Shafiq (Lab, Bradford Moor) says leftover chappatis and raw rice are being scattered early in the morning by people, some in the spiritual belief that by feeding the pigeons any problems they are experiencing within their families will be resolved.

He added: “Other might just be doing it to use up leftovers and be kind to the birds but there are those who believe it will help them personally – and their families.

“I have spoken to local spiritual leaders who tell me they are not encouraging this but the belief is there and people will keep doing it.”

Cllr Shafiq said that is why he is contacting Labour-run Bradford Council and its portfolio holder for the environment, Councillor Andrew Thornton asking it to designate a special pigeon feeding area on an area of scrap land, away from homes, where people could go and feed pigeons without a guilty conscious.

The lake in Bradford Moor Park is also getting filled with chappati scraps which is another problem that needs addressing by the Council, he added.

“It is about behaviour modification and I feel having a set area where people can go and feed the birds without feeling they are under the spotlight for doing something wrong,” said Cllr Shafiq.

“There are plenty pieces of scrap land in this area, there’s a derelict place just off Dick Lane.”

Most councils try to deter people from feeding wild pigeons due to the problems highlighted by Cllr Shafiq and in extreme cases can go further.

Earlier this year Birmingham City Council threatened to take a man to court after he was seen persistently feeding the pigeons despite being warned against doing so.

Cllr Thornton told the Telegraph & Argus last night: “We note the intention of Cllr Shafiq to raise this issue we’ll look at it and discuss it with him when he does.”

 

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)

Would you like pigeon poo with that?

Would you like pigeon poo with that?

pigeon patrolFeathered diners at a McDonald’s restaurant in Wellington have driven a customer to lay complaints with the city council.

Wellington man Vinod Mistry is a fan of the fast-food franchise, but does not want to share his table and fries with a pigeon.

The Lambton Quay McDonald’s was a haven for hungry pigeons and the Wellington City Council needed to force the fast-food giant to keep them out of the indoor dining area, Mistry said. The birds make their way to the second floor via an internal escalator.

However, the council said it was up to the company to deal with the pigeons and it has repeatedly asked for the issue to be dealt with for six years.

McDonald’s said it was working with the council to fix the problem.

Mistry said he made two separate complaints last week about the pigeons in the restaurant.

The council appeared to swoop on a small business if there was a squeak of a mouse, rat or spider in their premises, he said.

But it appeared that, when it came to the feathered vermin, the council was turning a blind eye.

“Pigeons are just as much of a health risk as other animals. You never know when one flying around the restaurant or sitting on table could put droppings in your food.”

Council’s public health operations team leader Andrew Taylor confirmed there was a health risk, but only if diners inadvertently ate pigeon poo with their meal.

“Bird poo can contain bacteria such as salmonella, so it is not safe. But the person would have to ingest some of the bacteria through direct contamination or hand contact,” Taylor said.

The council had been trying to get McDonald’s to keep pigeons out of the premises since 2008, he said. “Every time we’ve spoken to them about the pigeon issue, we have been told by management that they will address the issue.”

The restaurant had tried different methods, such as a distress-call speaker at the entrance and lowering the entry-space height to the food premises, but none had proven to be effective, Taylor said.

Council staff would be contacting McDonald’s this week to discuss how they proposed to rectify the matter so “these ongoing complaints cease”.

McDonald’s spokesman Kim Bartlett said pigeons were a widespread issue in the Wellington CBD and the Lambton Quay McDonald’s had taken a number of measures to address the problem, including “working with an external company on effectively managing the presence of the birds”.

 

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)

Burghead residents fear pigeons will cost them their bank

Burghead residents fear pigeons will cost them their bank

pigeon patrolResidents in a coastal Moray town are terrified of losing their bank because more than 100 pigeons have been left to run the “dilapidated” building into the ground.

The Bank of Scotland branch on Grant Street in Burghead is only open for two hours a week, but for an ageing Burghead community, who are not technologically savvy, those two hours are critical.

However, the windows on one side of the building were broken and boarded up, and more than eight inches of pigeon waste covers the attic floors.

Burghead Community Council chairman, Bill Davidson, said that the building had been a problem for a long time and he couldn’t understand why the owners and Moray Council let it go to “rack and ruin”.

Council secretary John Gordon said it was sad to see the “dilapidated state” of the bank and labelled it a health hazard.

Mr Gordon added that environmental health contacted the owner to arrange for a local tradesman to board up the windows so that the pigeons could no longer enter the bank.

Janet Glendinning and her husband, Patrick, who have voluntarily cleaned the entire outer area of the bank since 1991, said they hope the owners will step up to the crease and get professionals in.

Mrs Glendinning said: “We sincerely hope to see this beautiful building restored to its former glory, and cleanliness returned to this area of Burghead.

“I personally know how important this branch is to elderly people in Burghead.”

Heldon and Laich councillor Chris Tuke said: “It is one of the nicest architectural buildings in the town, and everybody would like to see it cleaned up, but it’s really down to the owners. Unless environmental health identify a serious health problem, it’s hard to tell any owner of a vacant property what to do with it.”

Co-owner of the building, Donald Gormley, said he felt the concerns of the local community and hoped to sell the property in the near future.

Mr Gormley said: “The co-owners of the property empathise with the discontentment of the Burghead residents at the dilapidated condition of the property and the colonisation of same by the feral rock pigeons.

“Councillor Tuke expressed his gratitude to the owners for the recent steps taken to address any potential environmental health/safety concerns and for their continued monitoring of the situation.

“Imminently, the property will be advertised on the open market for sale which will hopefully secure a buyer to develop the property for residential or alternate use.”

A Bank of Scotland spokeswoman said: “Bank of Scotland does not own the section of the property which is being renovated and therefore has no control over how it is maintained. We understand the frustration of residents and can only apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused.”

 

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)

BB gun prompts lockdown; meant to scare pigeons

BB gun prompts lockdown; meant to scare pigeons

pigeon patrolWENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) – A BB gun that triggered a lockdown last week at a Wenatchee medical center was meant to scare pigeons.

The Wenatchee World (http://is.gd/v20P9o ) reports that officers from local law enforcement agencies locked down the busy Confluence Health’s Wenatchee Valley Medical Center after a witness reported seeing a man with a rifle butt extending from under his coat. The incident ended after 90 minutes with no injuries or arrests.

Wenatchee Police Chief Tom Robbins says the BB gun was brought to the medical center by an employee of the facility’s maintenance department. Robbins says scaring away pigeons is not the staffer’s primary job, but pigeons had become a maintenance issue on the roof.

 

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)

Remove the Polish Triangle’s Fountain? Relocate Pigeons? Your Ideas Wanted

Remove the Polish Triangle’s Fountain? Relocate Pigeons? Your Ideas Wanted

WICKER PARK — Members of a grassroots coalition who are hoping to revitalize the pigeon-plagued intersection of Ashland, Milwaukee, and Division known as the Polish Triangle are soliciting feedback on how to improve the transit-friendly patch that serves as a gateway to four neighborhoods.

Inaddition to polling residents about what they’d like to see on the triangle, such as food trucks and seating, the short online survey released Wednesday asks, “If possible, should the existing fountain be removed?” and “If possible, should the pigeons be relocated?”

The long talked about pigeon relocation plan, which would require financing and city permits, would involve building a structure just east of the triangle where pigeons can nest, as their eggs are replaced with fake eggs to reduce the population.pigeon patrol

“We can’t get rid of the pigeon feeders — the people that want to feed the birds will do that. But we want to get [the birds] off the triangle and somewhere else,” said Kapra Fleming, who owns the House of Two Urns, a bed and breakfast at 1239 N. Greenview Ave., around the corner from the triangle.

Fleming is one of 12 core members of the Polish Triangle Coalition, a group of leaders from local businesses and community groups who want to improve the small but significant spot that serves as Wicker Park’s southern gateway and a bridge to West Town enclaves East Village, Pulaski Park and Noble Square.

In addition to offering an entrance to the underground CTA Division Blue Line “L” station, the transit-oriented triangle has a stop for the CTA’s No. 70 Division bus.

The neighborhood’s only cab stand is located along the Milwaukee Avenue side of the triangle.

The most pressing question in the survey involves the uncovered stairway leading to the underground “L” station. The CTA is planning to add a canopy over the entrance as part of “Your New Blue,” a $492 million project that will modernize several stations.

“There is nothing protecting the steps from wind, snow and ice. Installing canopies has been on our wish list. The CTA said they would listen to community input. They are looking to see if people prefer a more contemporary or traditional look for the canopies,” Fleming said.

Fleming said some of coalition’s members met with CTA representatives in September to discuss the canopies and are scheduled to discuss the topic again in November.

The survey also polls residents on whether they would like to see the Polish Triangle’s fountain removed or replaced.

“Some people like the fountain; some want to get rid of it and redevelop the entire space. We want to get broader feedback,” Fleming said.

The survey will remain online through Oct. 24. The results of the survey will be posted on the coalition’s website in November.

Early Thursday, Greg Garrod, a worker at Sweet Cakes Bakery, 1223 N. Milwaukee Ave., which overlooks the triangle, said he would like to see the area improved.

“Every time I walk by it, I think it’s a focal point, they should do something more [with it], make it more community-oriented. Yesterday was a nice day and I would like to see places to sit. I sit on the fountain edge and get bombarded by pigeons,” Garrod said.

Take the Polish Triangle Coalition’s survey here.

 

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)

Avian Trouble Continues at City’s Citadel of Aviation

Avian Trouble Continues at City’s Citadel of Aviation

CHENNAI: It may not be the worst idea to carry an umbrella, if you’re at the airport, wearing your Sunday best. After all, you wouldn’t want it soiled with pigeon droppings right before you board an enclosed plane with 180 or so others. Even after trying to get their ‘pigeon hole’ problem sorted out, Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials are stumped at how these birds keep finding their way into thpigeon patrole high-rise terminals. A Jet Airways ticketing staff even laughed about how pigeons were always on night-duty and were the first to ‘meet’ them when they enter the terminal at 3.30 am every morning.

Recently, a group of pigeons were seen enjoying the bliss of the terminal near the passenger waiting area, on the soft carpets paid for by AAI. “It was quite funny actually. Some of the sweepers tried to shoo them away, but they just hopped off and continued to preen themselves on the carpet. Maybe they wanted air-conditioning,” said Reena Makhija, who posted a photo of the pigeons on a social networking site. “Personally, I’m not complaining. It was great fun for the kids to watch the pigeons up close,” she added

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After several complaints about how pigeons were dropping their ‘uric acid’ pellets on unsuspecting passengers, AAI decided to deploy nets to cover the openings in the roof — but these were found to cause a different problem. “They are dirtying our floors and carpets as well. But by closing the skylights with nets, the lighting became a problem, so we are working out a solution for the trusses,” said an official. The ceiling was cleaned a month ago and several partial nests were cleared. But this has not impeded the entry and exit of the pigeons.

AAI had even consulted an expert about this issue last year, but we’re unable to find a viable solution. Ornithologist N Sankar pointed out that the openings in the ceiling and the high beams provided a perfect place for birds like pigeons to nest. “In an airport, there are firecrackers on the tarmac nearby used to scare birds away from the planes, so this will seem like a safe place to them,” he reasoned. He added that getting them to vacate after they had nested was a difficult task.

 

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)