by Pigeon Patrol | May 30, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, UltraSonic Bird Control
Council orders staff to investigate ways to eliminate pigeon roosting at the Canada Summit Centre entrance.
HUNTSVILLE – Pigeons have been steadfastly opposing the municipality.
Pigeon control program in…
Despite the concerted effort of staff, pigeons have been roosting in large numbers at the entrance to Huntsville’s Canada Summit Centre. At the Dec. 21 council meeting, a motion was passed to escalate the town’s efforts in deterring the fowl.
Kari Lambe, executive director of community services and economic development, explained to council that there have been numerous attempts made to keep the birds from the Summit Centre and they have all been thwarted.
“We have tried a number of things in the past. We’ve tried the fake owls. We currently have the spikes. We even have the spikes serviced on a regular basis because the pigeons actually try to bump the spikes off and try to build nests on top of the spikes,” said Lambe.
“Pigeons actually try to bump the spikes off.”
– Kari Lambe
The pigeon issue has had serious consequences for the municipality. According to Lambe, staff members are routinely at the Summit Centre entrance dealing with it, which takes away from time they could be spending else where.
Scott Aitchison, mayor of Huntsville, said the whole problem has been exasperated by people within the municipality.
“I believe there are a number of well-meaning citizens feeding the pigeons at the Summit Centre. That’s probably not helping the situation,” said Aitchison.
Council voted to direct staff to investigate further options for keeping the pigeons away from the entrance.
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 | May 22, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Residents of a road plagued by pigeons are calling for people who feed them to be fined.
Court Road in Sparkhill regularly features hordes of pigeons making a mess on the houses and park, according to those who live there.
Signs tell people not to feed the pigeons – but the advice is ignored on a daily basis, say residents.
Aisha Khan, of Court Road, said the pigeons were “making a mess all around” and were “totally annoying”.
Neighbours are calling on Birmingham City Council to introduce a by-law so people who feed the birds can be fined.
The council said there were no plans to introduce by-laws but it was working with the community to promote cleaner streets.
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 | May 21, 2016 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
An innovative attempt to deter pigeons from a popular beach using thousands of scented yellow stickers was deemed a success after it avoided being blacklisted under new EU water bathing regulations.
Teignmouth beach in Devon was among 13 beaches which had been expected to fail tough new tests for cleanliness but which managed to make dramatic improvements in order to make the grade.
Twelve beaches failed to meet the new standards, meaning that they must put up signs before the swimming season begins next May advising tourists to stay out of the water.
The move could have serious ramifications for local business and tourism in those much-loved spots, which include Clacton in Essex, East Looe in Cornwall, Walpole Bay in Margate, Kent and Wildersmouth in Ilfracombe, North Devon.
The new EU bathing water regulations raise the “pass mark” for beaches around Europe.
They judge water quality on a four-year average, meaning that 25 beaches identified as ‘at risk’ earlier this year due to poor results in previous years were given the chance to make last-ditch improvements to turn things around.
Among them was Teignmouth, where guano from hundreds of pigeons roosting beneath its pier had become one of the major sources of pollution.
Previous attempts to scare away the pigeons had failed so the council this year resorted to deploying thousands of yellow stickers scented with citronella and garlic at pigeon-width intervals under the pier to try to deter them from roosting.
The project, undertaken with a £15,000 grant from the Environment Agency, significantly reduced the number of pigeon and seagull guano getting into the water.
Blackpool North and Blackpool Central had also faced blacklist, in part due to droppings from donkeys doing tourist rides.
Donkey owners were urged to clean up after the animals to avoid the faeces being left on the sand and washed out to sea.
But the local council said that the main issues, involving sewage, had been eradicated because United Utilities had invested £160million worth of infrastructure improvements.
Agriculture was cited as the main pollutant at several beaches often due to effluent from livestock grazing near streams that feed into the sea, and new cattle fencing was installed to tackle the problem.
Many other beaches had problems from sewage treatment works or sewage overflows.
Although far more beaches managed to avoid blacklist than had been expected, the new regulations mean that only 97 per cent of England’s bathing waters are deemed clean enough to swim in, as opposed to 99.5 per cent last year, when just two spots failed to reach the mandatory grade: Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach, Dorset, and Staithes, North Yorkshire. Both remain on the blacklist.
In total, 63.6 per cent of bathing waters meet the new “excellent” standard.
Rory Stewart, the Environment Minister, said: “We continue working to further improve the quality of our water, and last year our coast was the cleanest it has ever been.
“Swimming is allowed and all beaches remain open; new EU standards are simply there to advise and inform the public on water quality.
“I want Britain’s beaches, seas and lakes to have the cleanest water in the world. We need everyone to help us achieve this – from Government, water companies and councils to local communities.”
Dr Pete Fox, director of land & water at the Environment Agency added: “Water quality at beaches is better than any time in living memory, with dramatic improvements having been made over the last few decades.
“The Environment Agency has led successful work to monitor, investigate and reduce pollution, which has benefited the environment and people with nearly all of England’s beaches meeting the new stringent water quality standards.”
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 | May 20, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Ajay Sood is one amongst many professional Kabootarbaaz, whose family has lived in the gullies of the Dhobi Bada, Kinari Bazar in Old Delhi. Everyday, he spends hours training his flock of pigeons in kabootarbaazi. Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal New Delhi 291215
A quiet British street has been turned into a real-life version of Alfred Hitchcock’s horror film The Birds after being plagued by thousands of pigeons.
Residents in Court Road in Sparkhill, Birmingham, are calling on the council to start fining people who feed the birds.
Thousands of pigeons flock to the street, which overlooks a local park, every day – covering the pavement, cars and residents, with droppings.
The pigeons are flocking in their thousands to Court Road, Sparkhill, despite Birmingham City Council warning residents not to feed them
Pictures show the birds completely covering the roofs of rows of terraced houses as they wait for people to come and feed them.
Birmingham City Council have placed signs in the area urging residents to ‘Stop feeding pigeons!’.
Residents said the street is plagued by the birds, which even fly down chimneys to get inside people’s houses.
The road overlooks a nearby park, where the pigeons can be seen amassing in a feeding frenzy and ignoring the council’s signs on display
Some residents have complained that the pigeons have managed to get into their houses through their chimneys
Samuel Okello, 25, said: ‘Sometimes in the night, some of them go in the chimney.
‘When you sleep you feel as if they are flying inside.
‘The smell as well, it’s terrible and it must put people off coming to the area.
One residents said the park has become a ‘no-go area’ and that parents no longer take their children to play
‘They have basically made the park a no-go area and nobody would play there with their children.’
Resident Saif Khan said: ‘There are too many rats and mice coming because of this.
‘They are getting in the houses.
‘It looks like something from the Alfred Hitchcock horror film and can be quite intimidating when you see thousands of them up there.’
Despite the thousands of pigeons (pictured above) in the street, the council insists it is not planning to introduce a by-law to fine those caught feeding the birds
Council chiefs have put signs in the park which read: ‘Stop feeding pigeons! Due to the ever increasing number of rats and the consistent fouling of the footpath visitors are kindly asked to stop feeding the pigeons in this park.’
Neighbours are now calling on Birmingham City Council to introduce a by-law so people who feed the birds can be fined.
But the authority said there were currently no plans to introduce by-laws and added it was working with the community to promote cleaner streets.
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 | May 15, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
COMMUTERS using the Bandar Baru Kuala Selangor Bus Terminal are in a flap over pigeons roosting in the rafters of the vandalised first floor of the bus station that used to be occupied by traders.
Office workers and traders working opposite the bus terminal were worried that the thick covering of dried pigeon droppings on the first floor could be carried by the winds and lead to a number of illnesses.
Feral rock pigeons, which are stout-bodied and pale grey birds with black patterns, are often seen scavenging for food in flocks around the bus station before returning to their “homes” on the first floor in the late evenings.
Bandar Baru Kuala Selangor Bus Terminal is sandwiched by Jalan Melati 3/17 and Jalan 3/19 within the commercial quarter but there are also residential units in the surrounding area.
Businessman Chong Hee Fah, 58, said the shops on the first floor of the bus station had closed down in mid-2005 and unscrupulous individuals had stripped the aluminium and metal fittings from the shop lots.
“All the shop lots there have been damaged. I work within walking distance to the bus station and I am worried the pigeon droppings will cause illnesses.
Kuala Selangor Bus Terminals first floor covered in pigeon droppings is a health hazard.
Kuala Selangor Bus Terminal’s first floor covered in pigeon droppings is a health hazard.
“Fine particles of the bird droppings along with feathers sometimes land on our cars after a gust of wind blows through the bus terminal,” he added.
Assistant officer Amira Kadir, 22, who works for Kuala Selangor District Council (MDKS) Zone 3B councillor Nor Azhar Jamil, said the first floor of the bus station had been abandoned for some time and she hoped the local council would revive it.
Klang Consumer Association president Devadass Anjan urged MDKS to conduct an immediate clean up of the pigeon droppings at the bus station as these birds could transmit various diseases.
“Commuters, shoppers, people working around the area and even those living within a short distance from the bus station could suffer from respiratory diseases, rashes and allergies.
“Children would be more at risk and MDKS must clean up the bus station,” he said.
Devadass added that MDKS must install pigeon spikes on the ledges and fence up the openings of the first floor to curb the problem.
The first floor of the Kuala Selangor Bus Terminal off Jalan Melati 3/19 that used to house various trading booths have been abandoned and is now a place for pigeons to roost making it a messy affair and health hazard. —Photos by KAMARUL ARIFFIN/The Star
The first floor of the Kuala Selangor Bus Terminal off Jalan Melati 3/19 that used to house various trading booths have been abandoned and is now a place for pigeons to roost making it a messy affair and health hazard.
According to a medical practitioner, pigeon droppings could cause histoplasmosis, a fungal disease that develops in the droppings and is carried by the wind.
“Signs of histoplasmosis begin to show about two weeks after initial infection and it causes tiredness, fever and chest pains,” she said.
MDKS secretary Azahari Sairin said the pigeon problem at the bus station was difficult to solve as the first floor had been abandoned for a decade.
“For 10 years, the first floor had been left vacant. For a short time, there were other businesses but most left within a month or two.
“As a result of food remnants available in back lanes and some people feeding the pigeons, the flock has thrived,” he said.
Azahari said MDKS would conduct a thorough clean up of the first floor and use bristling wires or spikes to fence the openings to discourage the birds from getting into the building.
“MDKS has allocated RM50,000 to refurbish the first floor of the bus station and work will begin in the first quarter of 2016.
“Our aim is to encourage the sale of local handicraft and household decorations that could bring tourists and locals to the commercial area,” he said.
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 | May 12, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
A pair of proteins may hold the key as to how animals like pigeons, sharks and bees sense the Earth’s magnetic field and use it to navigate, scientists say.
“This magnetic protein compass may explain how animals can navigate their way,” said lead researcher Dr Can Xie, a molecular biophysicist at Peking University in Beijing.
However another expert is not convinced the finding, reported in today’s issue of the journal Nature Materials, is the key to solving the mystery of how animals navigate.
Scientists have been trying for a long time to work out the biological machinery that enables animals — including pigeons, trout, sharks, bats, turtles, whales and bees — to sense the Earth’s magnetic field and use it for navigation.
Dr Xie and colleagues thought that since a broad range of animals possess this sense, there should be a single “evolutionarily conserved” system that is responsible.
The protein complex spontaneously aligns in the direction of external magnetic fields
Dr Can Xie, Peking University
Previous research has suggested that a light-sensitive protein in the eye called cryptochrome (Cry) plays a key role in magnetic sensing abilities, but Dr Xie and colleagues reasoned it would need to team up with other proteins to actually form a compass.
They screened the genome of fruit flies and discovered an iron-containing protein they dubbed MagR (for magneto-receptor), which can have features of a magnet when polymerised.
“For example MagR forms a rod-like polymer and can orient itself in the direction of a given magnetic field,” Dr Xie said.
He said computer modelling and experiments show how MagR couples with Cry, and that both the MagR polymer and MagR/Cry protein complex can actually respond to magnetic fields.
“The protein complex spontaneously aligns in the direction of external magnetic fields,” Dr Xie said.
“We also showed through immunohistochemical studies biochemical and biophysical methods that the MagR/Cry complex is stable in the retina of pigeons.
“Biochemical and biophysical methods indicated this complex can also forms in butterfly, rat, whale and human cells.
“This is all strong evidence indicators that this biological compass exists in animals.”
Dr Xie said further research was required to understand how Cry was helping MagR to become magnetic, and how signals from the compass were processed by the nervous system.
“To construct an entire and complete explanation of magnetoreception and magnetic navigation may take decades and probably several generations to complete,” he said.
Dr Xie, the discovery of such proteins could be used in the future for manipulating cells and molecules in the human body using magnetic fields.
New Zealand expert prefers the nose to the eyes
However, Professor Michael Walker of the University of Auckland, who has been studying magnetic sensing for decades, is not convinced by the latest findings.
I would back the magnetite hypothesis over the cryptochrome hypothesis
Professor Michael Walker
“It’s a very tentative suggestion,” he said.
“So far as I can tell, the evidence supplied by the researchers is in vitro, not in animals.
“There is no evidence that the correct conditions for the formation of the protein complex actually exists in the eye of animals.”
Professor Walker prefers another hypothesis — that animals navigate using cells in the nose containing crystals of an iron oxide known as magnetite.
He said a large body of research supports this, including experiments in which pigeons that have their noses anaesthetised can no longer navigate properly.
Such research suggests no input from the eyes is required for magnetic sensing.
“I would back the magnetite hypothesis over the cryptochrome hypothesis,” Professor Walker said.
While Dr Xie said that both hypotheses have “credible theoretical and experimental foundations”, Professor Walker said natural selection would make it highly unlikely there is more than one biological compass.
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)
