Poultry show ‘an absolute blast’

Ducks, geese, pigeons and fancy bantams were preened and pampered for a poultry show at the West End Hall earlier this month.

The Timaru Poultry Pigeon and Cage Bird Club’s annual show returned for its second year on May 19 and 20.

It attracted 420 entries from as far away as the West Coast, Nelson, Christchurch and Oamaru.

Show manager Trish Andrews said it was a great success.

”It’s been really, really busy. We had a lot of public through yesterday and we sold a lot of birds,” she said on the Sunday.

”We’ve had an absolute blast really and we’ve had a couple of new members [sign up] as well, so it’s been a really good show.”

Blustery weather on the second day was no deterrent to people wanting a glimpse of the poultry on display.

Doug Whitelock, of Timaru, was among those who was impressed by the variety on offer.

”It’s an awesome display. Most enjoyable,” he said.

Christchurch Poultry Pigeon and Bantam Club president Mark Lilley, of Rolleston, was among the many entrants who returned home with accolades.

He received the coveted Peerless Trophy, something he had wanted to win since it was rediscovered in an attic five years ago, ending an almost 50-year mystery as to its whereabouts.

”It ended up being found about five years ago in a ceiling space when a lady passed away and her kids were cleaning up her house,” Mr Lilley 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)

Town council to tackle fouling on King Street building

PIGEONS face eviction from a favourite roost as Knutsford Town Council seeks to tackle a major fouling problem on an historic town centre building.

The council is seeking approval to install netting and spikes on the Grade Two listed building at 60 King Street, which is home to the Belle Epoque restaurant.

A survey by Rentokil said feral pigeons were roosting on ledges, pipework, open windows, tower ledges and rooftops.

It found evidence of pigeons in the window, roof top, couch and tower areas, on the side of the building and roosting inside a window, and fouling across the front of the building and the pavement.

As a result there had been a build-up of pigeon droppings on the roosting areas and the areas below.

The company warned the level of fouling was a potential slip hazard for staff and visitors, and the droppings were also a potential health hazard as they contained bacteria and insects harmful to people.

Such insects could spread to the inside of the building if not appropriately treated, said the company.

The plan is to install netting to the windows on the tower, building and side building, and bird points, which are blunted to avoid harming the pigeons, on ledges and pipework.

The cost of the netting, bird point system and clearance of the current bird fouling would be almost £6,000.

The fouling problem was referred to by Belle Epoque owner Matthew Mooney alongside his complaint to the town council in relation to the repairs and maintenance of the exterior of 60 King Street.

In an article in the Guardian Mr Mooney said he had asked the town council for several years to clean the passageway at the side of 60 King Street of pigeon droppings.

In response to Mr Mooney’s complaint the council said it disputed that it had responsibility to clean the exterior of the building of pigeon mess.

However it had put in place plans to minimise pigeon roosting on the building, which required listed building consent, about which the council’s agent had been in discussions with the Conservation Officer.

The council has now submitted an application to Cheshire East Council for listed building consent to install bird netting and bird points to the former Kings coffee house and Gaskell Memorial Tower which form the Grade Two listed building at 60 King Street.

“Knutsford Town Council, as owners of 60 King Street, has a duty of care to maintain and repair the building due to its listed status,” said a report by Fisher German accompanying the application.

The report said the proposed work was needed to solve the bird pest issues and keep the property in good repair and condition, and the work would take four days.

“The impact upon the historic and architectural significance of the site will be minimal,” said the report.

 

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)

No action was taken against Vittoriosa mayor following culling of pigeons in 2017

Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia confirmed that no action was taken against the mayor of Vittoriosa following the killing of pigeons in his home town last year.

Replying to a parliamentary question made by PN MP Mario Galea, Farrugia explained that the process of culling has been used other times and in other localities. He also said that the necessary arrangements were made with the competent authorities.

The culling of a number of pigeons carried in Vittoriosa last year had many people including several animal activists raging. The culling was carried out by five men carrying airguns in broad daylight in an attempt to control the rising pigeon populations.

The Environment Ministry had at the time condemned the culling saying there were other ways of reducing pigeon populations. The Ministry had remarked that they would investigate the matter and take any action necessary.  It had also said that the shooting of pigeons was against the government policy of controlling wild pigeon populations.

Farrugia confirmed through another parliamentary question that the police of the Cospicua district were only present at the culling to keep order and as a precaution.

 

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)

Bengaluru: Stop feeding pigeons, they too spread Nipah

Bengaluru: The Nipah virus outbreak that has sparked panic in Kerela has raised serious concerns in the city. Harsha, a bird rescuer has pointed out that feeding of pigeons could also lead to the outbreak of the flu in the future.

“Today we are talking about bats and tomorrow we will be talking about pigeons. This force feeding at Cubbon Park and Lalbagh must stop or else we will wait for another outbreak caused from bats and that will be difficult to control,” Harsha said.

“Nipah virus is transmitted from bats to human by consumption of food contaminated by body fluids from infected fruit bats. Pigs are intermediate host. Humans can contract infection from a pig with active disease by coming in close frequent contact, handling raw meat from infected animal or consuming poorly cooked meat,” said Dr Vidya Jagadeesan, consultant- infectious diseases, Columbia Asia Hospital, Whitefield.

She also added that the human to human transmission has also been known to occur, mostly in family and caregiver of the infected patients.

 

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)

Katara initiative to give drinking water to birds

Katara – the Cultural Village Foundation has announced that it is offering specially made wooden boxes to the public free of cost, for providing drinking water to pigeons and other birds during summer.  Describing it as “rare”, Katara said in a statement that the initiative coincides with the holy month of Ramadan, the “month of kindness and mercy shown not only to human beings but also to animals and birds”.
Many Qatari households use traditional methods to give water to birds, especially pigeons, which are an essential part of the Qatari environment. “Now, for the first time in the country, an organisation such as Katara has come out to popularise this tradition and encourage people to take proper care of the living beings around them,” the statement explains.
Katara has prepared more than 1,000 wooden boxes for this purpose. The boxes, which can be installed in open areas and terraces of buildings, come attached with a glass plate to fill water and a plastic hose to collect water from a nearby tap. The hose has an automatic system to stop pumping when the glass plate is full with water. The wooden box is open from all sides, allowing birds to enter and sit on a piece of wood and quench their thirst.
“Through this initiative, Katara aims to revive a Prophetic tradition that encourages believers to show mercy to all creatures. We also want to inculcate the love for nature and the environment in all members of the society, especially the younger generation,” said Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, general manager of Katara.
The specially designed wooden boxes are available at Katara Building 15 for the public free of cost. “There is a growing demand for the boxes. More than 300 pieces have already been distributed,” said a source at Katara. Qatar, with its parks, gardens and growing green areas, is home to a rich variety of birds and also attracts a number of migratory birds every year.
“Katara, while designing its buildings and structures, has given utmost importance to environment and green areas. A large number of pigeons and other birds have been spotted in its surroundings. The Pigeon Tower in Katara is one of its most photographed tourist attractions,” the statement adds.

 

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)

Pigeons build a nest on students’ discarded mop

When a group of students discarded an old mop on their dormitory balcony before the holidays they didn’t give it a moment’s thought.

But when they returned after the break they found a family of birds had made a nest on top of the mop head.

Now their balcony is home to a group of baby pigeons.

A picture of the scene was posted online by one of the students who uses the Reddit handle Aelegius.

“I live in a dormitory in Estonia and one of my roommates threw one of our old mops out on our third-floor balcony,” Aelegius told the Press Association.

“We often see pigeons around our building, but would never have thought they’d decide to nest here.

“We had a few weeks’ break from school for exam preparation and discovered those baby birds when we returned. I couldn’t describe my surprise upon seeing them.”

The birds had fashioned a regular nest of twigs on top of the mop head, with a wall giving them am extra buffer from the wind.

“I had never before seen baby pigeons before. I adore watching our pigeon family outside our kitchen window.”

Aelegius, who is due to graduate this year and then go to university, added: “The balcony had turned into quite a mess though, so we’ll definitely remember to not leave any mops out in the future.”

 

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)