AMAZING FACTS ABOUT PIGEONS !

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT PIGEONS !

Pigeon PatrolHow old are pigeons?

Pigeons have lived alongside man for thousands of years with the first images of pigeons being found by archaeologists in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and dating back to 3000BC.

Pigeon guano – foul or fantastic?

Although pigeon guano is seen as a major problem for property owners in the 21st century, it was considered to be an invaluable resource in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries in Europe. Pigeon guano was a highly prized fertiliser and considered to be far more potent than farmyard manure. So prized, in fact, that armed guards were stationed at the entrances to dovecotes (pigeon houses) to stop thieves stealing it! Not only this, but in England in the 16th century pigeon guano was the only known source of saltpetre, an essential ingredient of gunpowder and considered to be a highly valued commodity as a result. In Iran, where eating pigeon flesh was forbidden, dovecotes were set up and used simply as a source of fertilizer for melon crops. In France and Italy it was used to fertilize vineyards and hemp crops.

Why do pigeons bob their heads?

The pigeon has side-mounted eyes, unlike humans and owls which have forward facing eyes. As pigeons have monocular vision rather than binocular vision they bob their heads for depth of perception. The pigeon’s eyes function much better with stationary images and therefore as the pigeon takes a step forward the head is temporarily left behind. The next step jerks the head forward again and so on. This allows the bird to correctly orient itself.

 Champion Racing ?

We normally think of the pigeon as being an unwelcome guest in our towns and cities, but most of us are unaware that racing pigeons can be worth huge sums of money. One racing pigeon recently sold for a staggering $132,517.00! The 3-year old bird was a champion racer, beating 21,000 other pigeons in one long distance race. For this reason he was bought by a British company that breeds racing pigeons for ‘stud’. One very happy pigeon! The previous record price for a racing pigeon was $73, 800.00.

 How do pigeons navigate?

There are many theories about how pigeons manage to return ‘home’ when released 100s of miles from their loft. A champion racing pigeon can be released 400-600 miles away from its home and still return within the day. This amazing feat does not just apply to ‘racing’ or ‘homing’ pigeons; all pigeons have the ability to return to their roost. A 10-year study carried out by Oxford University concluded that pigeons use roads and motorways to navigate, in some cases even changing direction at motorway junctions. Other theories include navigation by use of the earth’s magnetic field, visual clues such as landmarks, the sun and even infrasounds (low frequency seismic waves). Whatever the truth, this unique ability makes the pigeon a very special bird.

Pigeon Patrol Are pigeons intelligent?

Pigeons are considered to be one of the most intelligent birds on the planet and able to undertake tasks previously thought to be the sole preserve of humans and primates. The pigeon has also been found to pass the ‘mirror test’ (being able to recognise its reflection in a mirror) and is one of only 6 species, and the only non-mammal, that has this ability. The pigeon can also recognise all 26 letters of the English language as well as being able to conceptualise. In scientific tests pigeons have been found to be able to differentiate between photographs and even differentiate between two different human beings in a photograph when rewarded with food for doing so.

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)

The information on this blog is for personal use only. Content for this blog obtained from other websites is not being used for any commercial reasons whatsoever as per the copyright statement on the Pigeon Control Resource Centre’s website. http://www.pigeoncontrolresourcecentre.org/ Special thanks for the people and companies that helped gather this information. This information is to be used for reference only.

 

 

Pigeons can be controlled !

Pigeons can be controlled !

Pigeon PatrolThe need to control feral pigeon populations in urban areas has been the subject of intense debate for decades with town and city councils making little impact on the problem due to lack of investment and, in many cases, a reluctance to think laterally. Although the feral pigeon has been a common feature of urban life for the last 100 years there is no doubt that urban flocks are now growing faster than their numbers can be controlled. The reason for this unprecedented rise in feral pigeon numbers is due, almost exclusively, to the availability of food and the methods used to control the birds. Other factors such as the availability of good roosting and breeding facilities also play their part.

Today the feral pigeon can be seen in virtually every area of the globe other than the two polar icecaps, exploiting man for food and his buildings for the purposes of roosting and breeding. Man has attempted to control the feral pigeon by using a variety of lethal controls, includingpoisonsnarcoticscage traps and shooting, and yet the pigeon has shrugged off all these attempts at population control and continued to live and breed in close association with man undeterred. Lethal controls have been complemented by an arsenal of deterrents, provided in an effort to deny or restrict roosting and perching opportunities (thereby reducing guano-related problems). Anti-roosting systems such as anti-roosting spikes have proved extremely effective at displacing pigeons from areas that pigeons roost and nest; but may not be a total solution as pigeons may simply move to other areas nearby.

So what other options are available to control and contain the problem?

The use of lethal control as a means of controlling and reducing pigeon populations has been found to have no effect in terms of reducing pigeon flock size.

Breeding Control

The principle of a scheme using artificial breeding facilities is to provide a pigeon loft ordovecote in which feral pigeons can be encouraged to roost and breed and from which their eggs can be removed as laid and replaced with dummy eggs. This method of breeding control has been found to be extremely effective in reducing flock size and maintaining that reduction indefinitely.

If public feeding is identified to be the cause of the problem a system of controls must be provided that take the impact of persistent feeding into consideration at the same time as identifying large-scale pigeon roosts and closing them down. 

Pigeon Patrol Gun

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)

The information on this blog is for personal use only. Content for this blog obtained from other websites is not being used for any commercial reasons whatsoever as per the copyright statement on the Pigeon Control Resource Centre’swebsite. http://www.pigeoncontrolresourcecentre.org/ Special thanks for the people and companies that helped gather this information. This information is to be used for reference only.

 

After Postage Price Hike, Pigeons get hired!

After Postage Price Hike, Pigeons get hired!

Pigeon Patrol

Royal Mail recently increased the first-class stamp by two pence (three cents), and the second-class stamp by three pence (five cents). For small businesses, this can add up.

Ned Corbett-Winder, 29, owner of the London-based company stated, “The latest price increase will cost my business around £2,500 ($4,182) over the course of a year, which for a small business is a huge amount of money.”

Corbett-Winder’s business specializes in sending specialty gifts through the mail. You can either subscribe for yourself or a friend, and each month a surprise gift shows up in the post. In addition to the subscription, you can purchase a one-off gift from their list ofunique products, with prices ranging from £3.00 to £63.00 ($5.00 to $105.00).

With his entire service relying on shipping, Corbett-Winder wasn’t exaggerating when talking about the impact the price increase could have.

Rather than shrugging his shoulders and going along with the new rates, or throwing his hands up in the air out of frustration, Corbett-Winder took matters into his own hands.

Well, to be exact, he left it for the birds.

Corbett-Winder says he thought to himself, “People always joke that if their parcel is late it would have been quicker sending it by carrier pigeon. Well, I’m testing the theory out.”

He’s hired a flock of carrier pigeons to fly from London to Oxford, and the packages are picked up at the coop location. The pigeons are trained to fly a set route, with a small package looped around their neck. The pigeon can make the route in approximately an hour, when ground delivery would typically take a day.

NotAnotherBill.com still uses more traditional delivery methods, recognizing that not everyone lives in London or Oxford and not everything would fit in a pouch. But it is a unique venture.

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)

Overnight pigeons destroy shop!!

Overnight pigeons destroy shop!!

P11 SecondThe airborne intruders were found inside Poundland on St Stephens Street just before opening time on Saturday morning.

Armed with bottles of water and a mop, staff were seen pitching in to get the pigeons out, according to one eyewitness, before they opening the store with a warning to customers.

Photography student Zak Nelson, 18, was waiting for a bus as the spectacle unfolded.

He said: “There was a commotion in the shop and I could see shop staff running around, then two pigeons flying into the window.

The pair of pigeons were found inside Poundland on St Stephens Street just before opening time on Saturday morning.

“I couldn’t believe what was happening. There was a member of staff with a mop, and others had bottles of water, maybe to splash the birds.”

The shop opened just after 8.30am, when Mr Nelson went in to take these photograhs.

“They warned us they had a couple of pigeons in the shop

“Some of the customers ignored them completely, some were watching on in disbelief, and some were laughing.”

Pigeon PatrolAbout 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)  Now shipping World Wide.

After Postage Price Hike, Pigeons get hired!

Animal Support Helps Pigeons via Rescue & Adoption

Pigeon PatrolAnimal Support, co-founded by Dr. Michael Omidi and Julian Omidi, is a new supporter of MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue which saves domestic (unreleasable) birds that would otherwise be killed in San Francisco Bay Area animal shelters. In less than seven years, this volunteer-driven nonprofit has saved the lives of more than 600 birds with its avian vet care, foster home, and adoption services.

MickaCoo (http://www.pigeonrescue.org) is a network of volunteers working together to save the lives of domestic, unreleasable pigeons and doves that would otherwise be killed in shelters. Started in 2007 by Elizabeth Young, MickaCoo volunteers have saved the lives of more than 600 birds. Volunteers respond to calls from shelters, vets, and good Samaritans to provide avian vet care for ill or injured birds, long-term foster care, and place birds into qualified forever homes. MickaCoo serves the seven counties surrounding San Francisco.

At any given time, MickaCoo’s team of dedicated volunteers is generally caring for more than 100 birds. The organization rescues all types of pigeons and doves but most of its services benefit a domestic bird called a King Pigeon that is bred for eating (squab) and is sometimes mistakenly released at ceremonies or in a misguided effort to save their lives.. They are not able to survive on their own and have a life span of only hours to days in the wild.

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)  Now shipping World Wide.

What can be done about … Those dirty birds?

What can be done about … Those dirty birds?

Pigeon PatrolThe city of North Platte is evaluating how to cope with feral pigeons that call the city home.

City Administrator Jim Hawks said that during the budget process for the 2013-14 fiscal year, he decided not to opt in to a United States Department of Agriculture program the city has utilized several times. Instead, he asked Police Chief Mike Swain to evaluate the city’s process.

“We did contract with [the USDA], and we felt for the money spent, there wasn’t much of a noticeable difference,” Swain said. “Our hope is we can find another method.”

Thus far, Swain said his department hasn’t found the answer.

“We can’t open a hunting limit and we can’t make it possible for everyone to use their guns. It has to be within our ordinances. Right now, I’m still researching,” he said. “We’re hoping to find something, because the pigeon population certainly isn’t going down.”

In the past, the city and Lincoln County opted in to the USDA’s animal damage control program, which helps counties manage animals that can cause problems — like pigeons, coyotes and beavers.

Solutions are not easy to come by for city

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)  Now shipping World Wide.