Pigeon Control Archives - Page 2 of 48 - Pigeon Patrol Canada

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.

Source

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor or 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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.

Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosing / Vancouver Pigeon Control / Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / PIgeon Deterrent / Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest / Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons / What to do about pigeons / sparrows, Damage by Sparrows, How to Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests / De-fence / Pigeon Nesting / Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping / woodpecker control / Professional Bird Control Company / Keep The Birds Away / Birds/rats/seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/pidgeon control/flying rats/pigeon problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/bird guard

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.

Source

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.

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.

Pigeon Patrol fake owl

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.

Source

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.

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.

Source

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.

Why are Pigeon Nets Important during Summer?

by Pigeon Patrol | Sep 7, 2023 | history of pigeons, MBCA, pet bird, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Predators

We all are well aware of the fact that how films, web series, and TV serials have romanticized the idea of symbolizing birds such as pigeons and sparrows as a symbol of love and peace. However, the truth is completely different from what we see on the screen. If these birds become unpaid tenants of your little balcony, you are surely going to encounter the nuisance they create. Thus, many homeowners opt for Sparrow Netting or Pigeon Netting to keep them at bay.

In addition, during the summer season, it becomes extremely important to place pigeon netting for balconies to get rid of all the chaos they bring with them. You may wonder how these little pests can cause substantial damage to your family’s health and also to your property. Well, they can and that is the reason why various residential and industrial spaces in rural and urban areas rely on anti bird netting services.

With that being said, this write-up is specially dedicated to discussing why anti bird netting becomes crucial during the Indian summer season. The comprehensive guide will also shed some light on the key features of HiCare’s bird netting in Pune, Mumbai, and other Indian cities.

Birds are Dirty Beings

Yes, believe it or not, they are. And, if you don’t you can check out the surface of a car parking in the open space or benches of the park. Now, just imagine that a bunch of birds are enjoying the shade under your balcony. Once they leave, you are likely to spot their droppings. It is a treat for all the balcony gardeners as a large amount of their dropping can harm vegetation.

Birds Can Cause Illness

Diseases such as pigeon ornithosis, encephalitis, and salmonella food poisoning have all been linked to pigeons. However, determining the true incidence of illness transmission from pigeons to humans is problematic. Disease outbreaks that may be traced back to pigeon flocks are uncommon. Hence, another strong reason for subscribing to bird netting in Pune, Mumbai, or any other metropolitan city of India.

Pigeon excrement contains the causal agent of histoplasmosis, a systemic fungal illness that affects the human respiratory tract if allowed to accumulate for several years. Histoplasmosis can be lethal in extreme cases. Pigeons’ external parasites include a variety of mites, fleas, ticks, and bugs.

More than anything else, pigeons can be a threat to human safety. Thus, the elimination of feeding, watering, roosting, and nesting sites is important during summer, winter, or any Indian season. As birds pose serious concerns to gardeners and property owners, bird netting services can act as a barrier to letting them in your sweet home. With that being said, here are four benefits of Bird Netting installation in summer. Scroll down to take a brief look at each!

Top 4 Benefits of Bird Netting

Long-Term Protection
Durable and Sturdy
Cost-Effective
Simple to Use
Disease Prevention
Environmentally Friendly
Low Maintenance

1. Long-Term Protection

During summer, birds often come in their numbers to attack your balcony causing significant damage to the surroundings. To counter this, the net is an effective way to offer the right protection to complete your space from bird damage.

2. Durable and Sturdy

Nets are made of the strongest, highest-quality materials, come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and are UV-stabilized. Some nets have been estimated to last up to several years. Anti-bird netting pays off in terms of durability, which is important in any worthwhile investment. The setup is basic and straightforward.

3. Cost-Effective

4. Simple to Use

The netting is exceptionally simple to use and easy to install. The process is hassle-free and professionals can do it within a given timeframe. Once installed properly, it does not require any external force to come into action.

Many reasons and benefits can lure more homeowners to install pigeon netting for balconies. However, finding the best professionals that give Bird Netting Services in Mumbai or any Indian city could be a bit difficult. On the flip side, it is not impossible either. If your browser history is filled with the query – Bird Netting Mumbai, HiCare has a solution for you.

5. Disease Prevention

Bird droppings can contain harmful pathogens and bacteria. By keeping birds away from areas where people live and work, bird netting reduces the risk of diseases transmitted through contact with bird droppings. This is especially crucial in urban environments.

6. Environmentally Friendly

Bird netting is considered an environmentally friendly bird control method because it does not harm the birds. Instead, it provides a physical barrier that discourages birds from accessing certain areas without causing them harm. This makes it a humane and sustainable solution.

7. Low Maintenance

Once bird netting is properly installed, it requires minimal maintenance. Routine inspections to check for damage and repairs as needed are typically the only maintenance tasks required. This saves time and effort compared to other bird control methods.

Source

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.

The Problems That Come With Pigeons Around Your Owensboro Property

by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 26, 2023 | Bird Spike, Bird Spikes, Columbidae, Doves, history of pigeons, MBCA, pet bird, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes

You could be forgiven for thinking that pigeons ever lived in the wild. They have been such a constant presence in human cities for so long that they are seen as urban creatures to this day. However, their commonness doesn’t mean they are harmless. Pigeons can be just as troublesome as other common pests, and they can be even more dangerous than you probably realize. Learning how you can prevent a pigeon infestation in your property can protect you from these problems.

Common But Not Harmless

Pigeons are so common in urban America that most people don’t pay them any real attention. Some people even feed them. It’s this relationship to humans that has allowed pigeons to thrive and reveal their true colors as truly harmful birds. But pigeons haven’t always nested in cities and suburbs, they descend from cave birds that occupied rugged coasts and mountains. Some pigeons still migrate to these natural areas to breed but their reliance on human waste for food and industrial buildings for shelter means pigeons are a permanent fixture in modern life. But make no mistake, pigeons are responsible for the same kinds of damage and danger that other pests are known for.

Damage & Danger Caused By Pigeons

Even though people consider them harmless birds, pigeons have proven time and time again that they are more than just birds picking up breadcrumbs. Pigeons can lead to all of the following problems for humans:

Disease. Pigeons are known as vermin for a reason, they are carriers of dangerous and fast-spreading diseases like hepatitis and salmonella.
Parasites. Even if pigeons themselves aren’t carriers of diseases, they can carry ticks and lice that are also harmful and known to transmit pathogens.
Damage. Pigeons aren’t just a health risk, but a property risk too. With their habit of nesting inside of electrical utilities and roosting inside of people’s roofs, pigeons can cause direct damage and interference to the common amenities of daily life.
Feces. Not only can pigeons cause damage with their nests, but they can also cause damage to their poop. The highly corrosive droppings can chew through concrete and even metal — not to mention the unpleasant sights and smells that result.

Keeping Pigeons Off Your Property

Since pigeons in Owensboro are everywhere, it’s important to take steps to make your property less attractive to flying invaders in search of shelter or food. Here are some steps you can take:

Don’t feed them. First and foremost, everyone should take heed of this tip. The more people feed pigeons, the more their populations grow. If you feed them on your property, either directly or via bird feeders, you’re simply inviting them to cause more problems.
Landscaping. Keeping trees trimmed away from any structures will prevent pigeons from having an easy place to land that’s right next to your property.
Anti-roosting. There is a wide range of spikes, grates, and covers that are available for commercial and residential properties, which prevent pigeons from landing or nesting.

Take Proper Action

Because pigeons are such a common part of modern life, anyone can fall victim to the problems they cause. Once they’ve taken hold in an area, pigeon populations can grow simply massive. Rather than try to deal with prevention and removal on your own, enlist the help of trained experts who can assist you. At Action Pest Control, our friendly staff can provide you with even more tips to prevent and spot the signs of pigeon damage. If our inspections reveal an infestation, we’ll work to get rid of it and work with you on steps for future prevention.

Don’t get complacent when it comes to pigeons, act today.

Source

Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.

« Older Entries

Next Entries »

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

Why are Pigeon Nets Important during Summer?

Birds are Dirty Beings

Birds Can Cause Illness

Top 4 Benefits of Bird Netting

1. Long-Term Protection

2. Durable and Sturdy

3. Cost-Effective

4. Simple to Use

5. Disease Prevention

6. Environmentally Friendly

7. Low Maintenance

The Problems That Come With Pigeons Around Your Owensboro Property

Common But Not Harmless

Damage & Danger Caused By Pigeons

Keeping Pigeons Off Your Property

Take Proper Action

Recent Articles

Policies

Pigeon Patrol Products