by johnnymarin | Apr 15, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Minnesotan Fredrick Harrison Becker was sent to France when America entered into the ongoing worldwide conflict. He was one of a class of 13 U.S. Naval Air Service pilots trained for coastal patrol duty to watch over and protect convoys at sea along the coast of France.
Becker was born in Dodge Center and for a time, he was a resident of Grafton Township in the northwest corner Sibley County. His grave is in New York state.
Sibley County Museum at Henderson has one of the French-made fur-lined flight suits worn by Becker during his time in the service.
His duties included dropping bombs on German submarines bent on torpedoing the convoys.
The air ships assigned to Becker’s group were Tellier single-engine biplanes. Each cost $16,000.
They were “flying boats with Hispano engines of 220 horsepower, geared to a big wooden propeller” wrote Becker in a Feb. 15, 1949, article for the magazine “The Sportsman Pilot.”
Becker thought the air ships were beautiful.
In the article, he described the problems he and his observer, Dan Carey, faced — rough seas on takeoff or landing, a primitive radio, an erratic compass and a fuel supply of only 160 gallons.
Four homing pigeons were aboard. The birds were used to send messages when all other methods failed.
Evidently, Becker’s pigeons were not very well trained and they were most reluctant to leave the ship. He would shoot a pistol to scare a pigeon and “persuade him to make an honest effort to find his way home.”
The article included accounts of the five times Becker and Carey ditched at sea. They were rescued each time.
The planes went out two at a time, usually flying about 1,000 feet over the convoy they were watching. If forced down, the plane was usually in sight of one of the ships and rescue was speedy.
Bad weather or malfunctions caused most ditchings.
Becker and Carey came close to dying in the fifth dunking. They were in Tellier No. 5, one of a dozen ships assigned to their station.
On that occasion, they had followed a French submarine on a dash to Spain and were well outside the usual shipping lanes when their engine failed.
Down they went. The boat overturned, but the two men found a protruding breather pipe they grasped by their fingers.
“We clung to the plane for a long, long time … squalls came and passed … the hull was filling with water and sooner or later it would go down … we wore life belts but they were no protection from the cold … the end seemed not far off. A sound came to me over my left shoulder … Dan caught it too. It seemed about a week later when a strong sailor grabbed me by the neck, the most welcome feeling ever to come to me … he got us both into his boat … to a big ship. The doctor removed our wet clothes. The boys rubbed me so hard they made me dizzy.”
Becker’s sister and her husband, Esther Daisy and Arthur Sander, lived in rural Arlington. He gave his flight suit to his brother-in-law during a visit to Sibley County, probably in the 1920s.
Art Sander wore the suit while doing chores in the winter.
After her husband’s death in 1959, Esther Sander donated the suit and a photograph of her brother to the museum.
The flight suit is now part of the World War l display under development on the main floor of the museum.
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 johnnymarin | Apr 14, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
With feathers preened and bills buffed, nearly 800 pigeons took part in Jordan’s largest beauty contest for birds.
The event in Amman was established over two years ago to ensure that pigeon rearing, popular with elder men, doesn’t die out.
Pigeons from across the Levant in a variety of sizes, some with bright, arched beaks, others all white birds, were aligned next to each other in mesh cages and evaluated for their beauty and poise, among other qualities.
“We love pigeons, and this is a hobby, just like those who love horses, camels, goats or falcons,” event organizer Mohamed Al-Masri told Reuters.
Around 1,500 people attended the spectacle as 500 pigeon breeders put their birds on show.
“People come from everywhere in Jordan and brought their birds that they love and care for …in order to show this beauty in front of everyone,” said Abu Rakan Al-Daaja, one of the breeders at the event.
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 johnnymarin | Apr 11, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
HAIFA, Israel (Press Release) — Pigeons played an important role in turning the Byzantine Negev into a flourishing region 1,500 years ago. This is the conclusion of a new study held at the Institute of Archeology at the University of Haifa that was published Monday in the prestigious journal PlosOne. The study, which concentrated on the ancient settlement of Shivta and Saadon, found archaeological evidence showing that the Byzantines in the Negev raised pigeons not as a source of food, but in order to fertilize the loess soil and enhance its suitability for intensive agriculture. “Pigeon droppings are rich in phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen, which are vital for agricultural and are lacking in the loess soils of the Negev,” the researchers explained. “The pigeon bones we found are much smaller than those of pigeons bred for the meat industry. Together with the nesting materials we found in the compartments and their location in the middle of agricultural fields, the findings show that the pigeons were raised without significant intervention. The role of humans was mainly confined to providing protection for the birds.”
In recent years, extensive research has been undertaken in the Byzantine settlements of the Negev, led by Prof. Guy Bar-Oz of the University of Haifa. Among other goals, the researchers are interested in understanding how the Byzantines managed to maintain a broad-based agricultural system in the desert 1,500 years ago, and what led to the sudden abandonment and eventual collapse of these flourishing communities. In a study published several months ago, the research group presented important archaeological evidence to the magnitude of agriculture in the Negev in this period, based on the bones of a rodent called Tristram’s jird, which lives only in wetter environments and is not found in desert areas. The current study, led by Dr. Nimrod Marom of the University of Haifa and Tel Hai College, in cooperation with Prof. Bar-Oz and Dr. Yotam Tepper of the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa and Dr. Baruch Rosen of the Volcani Center, focused on the study of the bones of pigeons from the compartments discovered in agricultural areas close to the Byzantine settlements.
The researchers explain that pigeon droppings are a well-known source of important minerals for agriculture, such as phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen. Until recently, pigeons were used in many parts of the world to improve and fertilize soil. However, over the centuries pigeons have also been raised for other purposes, particularly for their meat. In order to determine the purpose of pigeon raising in the Negev, the researchers examined the bones found in the compartments, as well as the chemical composition of their droppings.
The large quantity of bones found in the excavations enabled the researchers to determine the average wingspan, body structure, and skull pattern of the pigeons from the Byzantine period. These were compared with data for various species of pigeons in the modern era. The comparative analysis was based in part of a comparison between the pigeons from the Negev and the pigeons collected and investigated by Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution. The bones of Darwin’s pigeons are today housed at the British National Museum. The most important finding reached by the researchers was that the pigeons from the Byzantine period were small, muscular, and “athletic,” and did not differ in their dimensions from wild pigeons. According to Dr. Marom, the smaller body size is not only clear evidence that they offered less meat. The smaller the birds, the more rapid their metabolism. To put it simply: smaller doves produce more droppings relative to the quantity of food they consume.
The chemical tests conducted at the laboratory showed that the droppings are indeed rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. “Together with this fact, the location of the pigeon compartments in an agricultural area remote from the settlements reinforces the hypothesis that the pigeons were raised in the compartments in order to produce high-quality fertilizer that accumulated on the floor of the compartments and was used to fertilize the fruit trees and vines in the vineyards and orchards. We also exposed rich botanical findings in the compartments themselves, including grape seeds, olives, peaches, and various kinds of wild plants – all remnants of the food eaten by the pigeons – as well as a large quantity of remnants of branches. All these findings provide further evidence that the Negev during the Byzantine period was green and flourishing,” the researchers concluded.
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 johnnymarin | Apr 9, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
The kalyani (pond) in Sankey Tank has turned into city’s own Trafalgar Square, with hundreds of pigeons flocking the place everyday. While it looks picturesque, especially when the birds take wing together, some regular walkers are apprehensive about their presence. For, they ask, where are the other birds? Have the pigeons driven them away?
What has attracted the birds to the tank in such large numbers is the kindness of a few people who every morning and evening feed them without fail. But the pigeons are loved by some and considered a menace by others.
“A few people bring a sack of foodgrain and feed the pigeons near the pond. Sometimes, it is difficult to walk through the place as it is full of bird droppings. Encouraging the practice, a vendor sells pigeon food to those interested in feeding the birds,” said Priya R. (name changed on request), a regular walker.
Pigeon feeding is largely a religious practice, wherein people believe that it is akin to doing good deed and will bring prosperity. Some do it on humanitarian grounds.
“These birds thrive and breed because of the easy availability of food. One cannot even spot crows in the area now,” she said.
However, others say the presence of pigeons does not bother them. “They don’t come near the walking area and remain on the steps of the kalyani. The only worry is the bird droppings, which we hear can cause allergies and breathing issues,” said Ramakanth, who has been regularly walking around Sankey Tank for three years now.
The Sankey Tank Walkers’ Association has also been receiving complaints from a few walkers about the presence of the birds. “The number of pigeons has definitely gone up in the last few years and some people have complained about this. But, there are others who are for the practice. We cannot take a stand on the issue, it is up to the civic body to decide on this,” said Anand A.R., of the association.
However, ornithologist M.B. Krishna says that it is unlikely that pigeons can drive away other birds. “Pigeons are quite harmless, though a nuisance at times. The reports about them spreading diseases is also not proven. Cross-species infection is not as prevalent as some people make it out to be,” he said, and added that by designing our buildings better so that they have sloping ledge not a flat one, the number of pigeons can be controlled.
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 johnnymarin | Apr 8, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
A spokesman for Active Northumberland, which runs leisure centres in the county, said: “A hawk is currently being used to deter pigeons, which have been causing issues at the centre. “A professional company has been hired to fly the hawk around at different times over a week to scare the birds off to find a new home.” The use of the hawk has certainly surprised some Willowburn users. One gym-goer, who did not want to be named, contacted the Gazette to say: “It looks like it’s been drafted in to frighten off the pigeons which are nesting above the entrance. “The spikes on the parapets have had no effect whatsoever. “I thought the hawk had been brought in to make sure we do our exercise programme – although it could never match gym manager Jackie for that!” Meanwhile, another reader said: “As I was walking past the door of Willowburn, I noticed two gentlemen – one up a ladder and one carrying a large hawk on his wrist. “I should think that they were there to kill the nuisance pigeons that have made the beams under the roof a nesting place.” The Gazette asked how much the hawk was costing, but did not get an answer before going to press.
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 johnnymarin | Apr 6, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Sussex Police have arrested two people for criminal damage offences.
Police received reports of two people near Railway Approach, East Grinstead, on Tuesday 13 March allegedly shooting pigeons on the roof with catapults. Officers attended the scene and arrested both suspects.
A 21-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, conspiracy to destroy or damage a property and having an article with intent to destroy or damage property.
A 17-year-old boy of Edenbridge, Kent, was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, conspiracy to destroy or damage a property and having an article with intent to destroy or damage property.
Both have been released under investigation and the investigation continues.
Anyone with information is asked to report online or call 101 quoting reference Operation Compound.
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)
