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Pigeon dung problem grows in Alaska town

by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 25, 2023 | MBCA, pet bird, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Predators

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Twice a year, Marcus Dodge assigns a worker to don disposable coveralls and a respirator for a trip to a downtown Fairbanks parking garage to clean up deposits from a non-native species.

Dodge, director of the Fairbanks Parking Authority, estimates the worker picks up 150 gallons of pigeon dung annually and hauls it to the hazardous materials area at the landfill.

“Pigeon crap weighs a ton,” Dodge said. “It’s not a lot of fun to clean up.”

The downtown pigeon population appears to be growing, according to Dodge and others. Businesses are experimenting with ways to deter the bird, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.

Roofers last summer discovered 6 inches of pigeon guano on the roof of the Courthouse Square, the former federal courthouse.

Charlie Cole, Alaska’s former attorney general, who has kept an office in downtown Fairbanks since 1957, has been talking with neighbors about fending off the birds.

“They leave droppings around warm air outlets where they congregate,” Cole said. “I think it’s a nuisance.”

Pigeon droppings contain ammonia and uric acids that eat away at metal and the sealant on the parking garage concrete floor.

One pigeon can produce 25 pounds of guano per year, according to a government report detailing New York City’s pigeon problem. The droppings were cited as possible cause for speeding the decay of a Minneapolis bridge across the Mississippi River that collapsed in 2007 and killed 13 people.

Hunters and dog trainers introduced pigeons to Fairbanks, said Cathie Harms, spokeswoman for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The best way to deter them, she said, is to eliminate their food source.

“We are aware that some people are feeding pigeons,” she said. “If there wasn’t as much food, there wouldn’t be as many pigeons.”

A maintenance worker for the Springhill Suites Marriot a few months ago tried chasing them off with a recording of predator birds. The sound could be heard from a couple of blocks away and drew complaints from hotel neighbors.

Robert Franklin, a maintenance foreman for JL Properties Inc., which manages the Courthouse Square and the Northward apartment building, calls pigeons flying rats.

“They’re a hazard to the equipment. They’re a hazard to people,” he said. “They get into stuff they are not supposed to.”

He uses spike strips and moves owl decoys around to repel pigeons. Success has been mixed, he said.

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How to Get Rid of Pigeons on Your Roof, Attic & Balcony

by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 18, 2023 | MBCA, pet bird, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Predators

Pigeons and humans have lived together for thousands of years. Outside the cozy appearance of pigeons on large squares, pigeons can cause a lot of discomfort. There are very many different types of pigeons in the world, and only some species give people trouble.

This mainly concerns those species that live in cities and towns. They can occur in large numbers and multiply very rapidly. The city pigeons today are actually feral domestic pigeons that have been bred for centuries and originally stem from the rock dove

Pigeon droppings look awful on your roof and the uric acid (that white stuff) in the poo can damage your house. In addition, the droppings contain bacteria and fungi that can be dangerous to humans. Some examples are Histoplasmosis, Cryptococcosis and Psittacosis.

Home remedies for pest control are a great safe, affordable and eco-friendly alternative repellents to store-bought products, and below are some awesome tricks on how to get rid of pigeons on your roof. So, read on to find the best repellents for these pests!

First Off: Why Are They There?

If you suffer from pigeons on your roof, you must first ask why the birds are there. They might be there because there is a source of food and water. So to start off you must remove those. Never feed the pigeons. Make sure no one in your family or any of your neighbours feeds them. Pigeons like to eat grass seeds, berries and dog or cat food. Make sure the pigeons can not find anything to eat.

Pigeons might also like to use your roof or attic as their breeding grounds. The easiest way to discourage their nesting is to take away any access points they use. Below you will find various repellent methods to do just so.

7 Simple Tactics: How to Get Rid of Pigeons

Now its time for business. If you have pigeons on your roof, consider one of the 7 ways to get rid of them quick-smart. These methods are very effective when it comes to removing pest in your attics.

1. Use a Slinky

A nice alternative to bird spikes is using a Slinky. Attach it along the roof or balcony edge, with the circles not more than one finger length apart. Secure it tightly with tape or wire every 8 inches. The pigeons will not like it because they can’t hang out on your property. This has become a very popular and safe repellent for these unwanted birds.

2. Use A Standard Water Hose

You can also use a garden hose as a weapon in the battle against pigeons. The birds hate it if there is a strong jet of water directed onto them. You have to repeat this for a while, so they know you mean business.

3. Block Off All Entrances

This is a point we stress in our other pest removal or repellent guides: Ensure that pigeons can not get in. Once they’re in your attic, more and more pigeons will settle down on and around your house.

Make sure the attic and vents are properly screened off to keep birds and other animals from entering. Fill large openings and windows with heavy curtains or plastic strips to make it difficult to enter. If they can come in, make sure that the birds can not sit anywhere.

Close off corners where birds like to build nests with sturdy cloth and plaster. In large open areas such as barns and attics, you can close the spots above the rafters with oversized pigeon nets.

4. Mirrors and Noise

Use reflective objects. It is worth trying to use reflective tape on your roof edge, or hanging objects that make noise or balloons to scare off the pigeons. For instance, let some firecrackers go off any time a pigeon lands somewhere. Make sure to use firecrackers that are not dangerous for children. This bird repellent is as easy as it can be, and it works every single time!

5. String

Bind strings or rope from one end to the other where birds like to sit down. They won’t be able to find their balance for landing. Use rope that is not affected by the weather.

6. Spicy Pigeon Repellent

Pigeons do not like it spicy. Sprinkle cajun pepper, cinnamon or pepper in places where birds often sit. Do not be stingy with spices and repeat it after rain.

7. Birds of Prey

Use birds of prey to scare away pigeons. Unless you happen to have a bird of prey as a pet, you can buy a plastic or stone statue of an owl or hawk. Put it on the spot where the birds often sit. Unfortunately, this does not work forever, because the pigeons will ultimately understand the fake bird never moves.

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How Do Homing Pigeons Find Home?

by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 18, 2023 | Bird Spike, pet bird, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons

How do you like to communicate with your friends? Do you pick up the telephone to talk to them? Or would you prefer to send them text messages? Perhaps you have fun sending short messages and pictures via smartphone apps?

What if you had a bird that would deliver a message to your friend? Your friend could then write a response that your bird would bring back to you. Sound a bit like sending owls in the wizarding world of Harry Potter? That type of magic isn’t entirely the stuff of books, especially if you have a homing pigeon!

Homing pigeons are a type of domestic pigeon descended from the rock pigeon. Wild rock pigeons have an innate ability to find their way home from long distances. Today’s homing pigeons have been carefully bred to do the same, including carrying messages over those long distances.

Unlike the owls in the Harry Potter books, homing pigeons can’t be given an address or a person to fly to. If taken a ways from home, though, they can find their way back home in a remarkably short period of time. In fact, homing pigeons have been known to find their way home from as many as 1,100 miles away, and they can travel an average of 50 miles per hour with bursts of up to 90 mph!

This ability has made them valuable as messengers since at least the time of the ancient Egyptians. Homing pigeons were used extensively in both World War I and World War II. Several birds even received medals for their service in delivering critical messages during wartime!

But how do they find their way home over such long distances? Could you imagine being dropped off 1,000 miles away and having to find your way home? You might reach for a map, smartphone, or Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to guide you home. What do homing pigeons do?

Despite many scientific studies over the years, no one yet fully understands how homing pigeons navigate home across long distances. There are several theories that experts believe explain at least part of the processes at work.

Scientists now believe that homing pigeons have both compass and map mechanisms that help them navigate home. The compass mechanism helps them to fly in the right direction, while the map mechanism allows them to compare where they are to where they want to be (home).

A homing pigeon’s compass mechanism likely relies upon the Sun. Like many other birds, homing pigeons can use the position and angle of the Sun to determine the proper direction for flight. The map mechanism, however, remains a bit of a mystery.

Some researchers believe homing pigeons use magnetoreception, which involves relying on Earth’s magnetic fields for guidance. Researchers have found that homing pigeons have concentrations of iron particles in their beaks that would allow them to detect magnetic fields easily.

More recent research, however, suggests that homing pigeons may instead rely upon low-frequency infrasound to find their way home. These low-frequency sounds are inaudible to human ears, but they’re created by nearly everything, including the oceans and Earth’s crust.

Homing pigeons may listen to these sounds until they recognize the signature sounds of their home roost. Of course, researchers also note that, once homing pigeons get closer to home, they may also be guided, in part, by familiar landmarks, just like humans use when navigating.

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Pigeon poop proves a problem. Police involved

by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 11, 2023 | Bird Netting, Bird Spikes, Doves, history of pigeons, MBCA, pet bird, Pigeon Control

The pigeon problem in Kirkland Lake is so bad, police felt the need to issue a news release this morning warning residents to follow the law when dealing with them.

The town started renting out traps to residents today to capture pigeons, and police say that trappers will be responsible for the disposal of the birds, which includes a ban on throwing them in the garbage for curbside pickup. Successful trappers will instead have to take the pigeons for burial at the town dump.

“The OPP want to inform the residents that it is each individual’s responsibility to educate themselves on this topic and to ensure that they are acting within the laws, regulations and town by-laws,” says Constable Adam Gauthier.

The problem started, says Ashley Bilodeau, Kirkland Lake’s Manager of Planning and Land Development, when a few bird lovers started feeding the pigeons.

“We have a couple of residents that have been obnoxiously feeding pigeons to the point where we have some serious problem areas, so we passed a no-feeding bylaw back in the fall,” she told BayToday. “However, there is one individual who just continues to feed them despite the bylaw and has been charged. There’s been a few charges laid around town but there is one individual who is causing more headaches than normal.”

The fine for feeding is steep at $100, and that’s down from the $250 the town wanted to charge but the province wouldn’t allow it.

“So we’re trying to find different ways to combat the issue because it’s now causing problems to people’s properties and vehicles because there are so many of them.”

Bilodeau says the town has checked with the MNRF and it’s not illegal to kill pigeons although you are required to have a small game licence in order to trap and kill pigeons.

The town has not placed a limit on the number of pigeons people can capture, but police warn folks can’t use their guns to shoot the birds because discharging a firearm is prohibited within the Town of Kirkland Lake,

Bilodeau says poop is the problem.

“They’re also causing damage to buildings by trying to build nesting areas,” she adds. “We’ve got four traps here and people can come in and put in a deposit and take the trap for 10 days, and when they bring it back they get their money back.”

Pigeons were originally bred from the wild rock dove, which naturally inhabits sea-cliffs and mountains according to Wikipedia, so the bird finds the ledges of buildings to be a substitute for sea cliffs.

They have become abundant in towns and cities throughout the world. Due to their abilities to create large amounts of excrement and to carry disease, combined with crop and property damage, pigeons are largely considered a nuisance with steps being taken in many municipalities to lower their numbers or completely eradicate them.

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Large pigeon lost to science for 140 years rediscovered in Papua New Guinea

by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 11, 2023 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes

A team of scientists and conservationists has rediscovered the elusive black-naped pheasant-pigeon, a large, ground-dwelling pigeon that only lives on Fergusson Island, a rugged island in the D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago off eastern Papua New Guinea. Like other pheasant-pigeons, the black-naped pheasant-pigeon has a broad and laterally compressed tail, which along with its size, makes it closely resemble a pheasant. The photographs and video are the first time the long-lost bird has been documented by scientists since 1882, when it was first described. Ornithologists know very little about the species but believe that the population on Fergusson is very small and decreasing.

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The research team photographed the pheasant-pigeon with a remote camera trap at the end of a month-long search of Fergusson.

“When we collected the camera traps, I figured there was less than a one percent chance of getting a photo of the black-naped pheasant-pigeon,” said Jordan Boersma, postdoctoral researcher at Cornell Lab of Ornithology and co-leader of the expedition team. “Then as I was scrolling through the photos, I was stunned by this photo of this bird walking right past our camera.”

The expedition team–which included local Papua New Guineans working with Papua New Guinea National Museum, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and American Bird Conservancy–arrived on Fergusson in early September 2022. They spent a month traveling around the island, interviewing local community members to identify locations to set up camera traps in hopes of finding the pheasant-pigeon. The steep, mountainous terrain on Fergusson Island made searching for the bird extremely challenging.

“It wasn’t until we reached villages on the western slope of Mt. Kilkerran that we started meeting hunters who had seen and heard the pheasant-pigeon,” said Jason Gregg, conservation biologist and a co-leader of the expedition team. “We became more confident about the local name of the bird, which is ‘Auwo,’ and felt like we were getting closer to the core habitat of where the black-naped pheasant-pigeon lives.”

The expedition was the first-ever camera trapping study conducted on Fergusson Island. The team placed 12 camera traps on the slopes of Mt. Kilkerran, Fergusson’s highest mountain, and deployed an additional eight cameras in locations where local hunters had reported seeing the pheasant-pigeon in the past.

“When we finally found the black-naped pheasant-pigeon, it was during the final hours of the expedition,” said Doka Nason, the member of the team who set up the camera trap that eventually photographed the lost bird. “When I saw the photos, I was incredibly excited.”

A local hunter named Augustin Gregory in the village of Duda Ununa west of Mt. Kilkerran provided a breakthrough lead on where to find the bird. Gregory reported seeing the pheasant-pigeon on multiple occasions in an area with steep ridges and valleys and described hearing the bird’s distinctive calls, which is similar to other species of pheasant-pigeons.

Following Gregory’s advice, the team set up cameras in an area of dense forest. A camera placed on a ridge at 3,200 feet (1000 meters) near the Kwama River above Duda Ununa eventually captured the black-naped pheasant-pigeon walking on the forest floor two days before the team was scheduled to leave the island.

Several members of the team have attempted to find the black-naped pheasant pigeon before. A two-week survey in 2019 by Boersma, Gregg and Nason didn’t find any traces of the bird, though it did gather reports from local hunters of a bird that could have been the pheasant-pigeon. The results from that survey helped to determine locations for the team to search in 2022.

“The communities were very excited when they saw the survey results, because many people hadn’t seen or heard of the bird until we began our project and got the camera trap photos,” said Serena Ketaloya, a conservationist from Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. “They are now looking forward to working with us to try to protect the pheasant-pigeon.”

The team’s findings suggest that the pheasant-pigeon is likely to be extremely rare. The rugged and inaccessible forest where they rediscovered the species could be the last stronghold for the black-naped pheasant-pigeon on Fegusson.

The expedition was supported by American Bird Conservancy and the Search for Lost Birds, a collaboration between BirdLife International, American Bird Conservancy and Re:wild. The Search for Lost Birds identified the pheasant-pigeon for an expedition after a global review revealed it was one of a few bird species that have been lost to science for more than a century.

The full expedition team consisted of Jason Gregg; Jordan Boersma; Doka Nason of Porotona village; Serena Ketaloya of Porotona village; Elimo Malesa of Basima village; Bulisa Iova from Papua New Guinea National Museum; Cosmo Le Breton, University of Oxford; and John C. Mittermeier from American Bird Conservancy. The expedition was funded by a grant from Cosmo Le Breton to American Bird Conservancy and the Search for Lost Birds.

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7 Harmless Ways to Keep Birds Away from Your Vegetable Garden

by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 7, 2023 | Bird Spike, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons

Nature-loving homeowners like to put out feeders and plant certain flowers and shrubs, to lure birds into their backyards. That’s because birds not only lend more vigor and melody to the life of a garden, but they are also responsible for pollination and pest control.

Indeed, birds-caping – or designing your garden to entice local birds – has become increasingly popular among home gardeners these days.

But not every gardener wants birds sauntering onto their garden plots. Pigeons will devour entire heads of cabbage in the afternoon. Crows destroy corn crops by the acre in the countryside, and bluejays will loot your berry bushes almost completely bare of fruit.

The Right Way to Keep Birds Out of Your Vegetable Garden

Still, the wise gardener understands that birds perform an important function in the ecosystem. We recognize why we should ensure that avian populations don’t dwindle any faster than they are dwindling now.

So, below are seven ways to protect your backyard harvests without harming unwanted birds.

1. Scarecrows

Scarecrows, of course, are an obvious solution against birds. But if your makeshift sentry has been posted in the same spot for an extended period now, then birds will have already concluded that he’s harmless.

You need to move your scarecrow’s post a few times around each week. You have to change his clothes, too, to convince the birds that he’s not just a stationary defense tactic, but an actual, mobile threat.

Some gardeners use reflective objects such as old compact discs to keep local birds away. You should also move and rearrange those frequently. Birds catch on surprisingly quickly despite the connotations of the term “bird-brained.”

2. Butterfly Netting

Barriers are among the most effective ways to deter birds from your garden. Butterfly netting protects crops from birds while allowing smaller beneficial insects access to your crops to ensure pollination.

Experts suggest that you keep your netting pulled taught, and use netting with holes smaller than one centimeter to avoid injuring birds.

Be sure you invest in high-quality, UV-resistant netting materials. They may be a bit more expensive, but higher-quality netting will last a lifetime. Cheaper netting tends to fray and deteriorate, becoming a potentially dangerous snag for birds.

3. Chicken Wire

Charles Barnard, an English ironmonger, invented chicken wire in 1844 as a cheap and easy way to keep small animals and poultry penned in one area. You can use the same principle and material to keep birds out of your vegetable plots.

Pin chicken wire to the ground to protect newly-planted seeds or freshly-sown tubers from birds or even chickens scratching and pecking at the soil. As your seedlings start to grow, you can lift the wire off the ground on stakes for additional protection.

4. Garden Fleece

Gardeners often install garden fleece to protect crops from frost in cold weather months, but you can also use it year-round to shield your crops from birds. Drape the fine, white material over your vegetable patch to keep the birds in your neighborhood from harvesting your greens.

Weigh the sides down with rocks or pegs. You can always roll back the fleece when harvest season comes around.

5. Protective Plants

Pigeons, be they wood or rock doves, are rapacious devourers of vegetables in the cabbage family. They are quite persistent and will return to your patch every day until your entire crop is gone. If you don’t have a devoted terrier to shoo them away, you need another plan.

If you are simply not a fan of netting and cages, you can try confusing pigeons by surrounding your cabbage patch with annuals. Plant a dense barrier of calendulas, nemophila, cornflowers, field poppies, and other shorter-growing wildflowers around your plot.

The look is pleasing, inconspicuous and, as a deterrent against pigeons, the strategy does work. Pigeons do not like to wade through lush flowers. They are naturally wary of what may lurk underneath.

6. Toy Predators

Decoy predators – such as toy owls, falcons, or other birds of prey – can help deter birds from ravaging your garden’s harvests. However, like the scarecrow, if these stationary decoys are not relocated often, birds will soon learn that they are harmless.

Moving your toy owls and decoy predators around in the garden will keep neighborhood birds from swooping in to consume your harvest. Decoys that move or make a sound are even better at deterring birds.

7. Stick Barriers

Push sticks and small twigs into the ground around your vegetable patch to create a small forest of sticks. Birds will likely notice the menacing sticks barring their way instead of the vegetables you want to protect.

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« Older Entries

Pigeon dung problem grows in Alaska town

How to Get Rid of Pigeons on Your Roof, Attic & Balcony

First Off: Why Are They There?

7 Simple Tactics: How to Get Rid of Pigeons

1. Use a Slinky

2. Use A Standard Water Hose

3. Block Off All Entrances

5. String

6. Spicy Pigeon Repellent

7. Birds of Prey

How Do Homing Pigeons Find Home?

Pigeon poop proves a problem. Police involved

Large pigeon lost to science for 140 years rediscovered in Papua New Guinea

7 Harmless Ways to Keep Birds Away from Your Vegetable Garden

The Right Way to Keep Birds Out of Your Vegetable Garden

1. Scarecrows

2. Butterfly Netting

3. Chicken Wire

4. Garden Fleece

5. Protective Plants

6. Toy Predators

7. Stick Barriers

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