by Pigeon Patrol | Dec 16, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
Tram commuters say that a pigeon ‘infestation’ is causing problems at Prestwich tram stop.
The birds have nested at the Metrolink station and surrounding area for several years, but fresh concerns have arisen that their droppings are a health risk and damaging buildings.
Transport bosses installed pigeon netting at Prestwich in 2011 and say that cleaners still sweep the station daily, but passengers and local councillors have called for more action against the ‘rats with wings’.
Tram traveller Billy McCulloch complained to Metrolink for a third time about the issue this week. He asked: “Have reported pigeon infestation three times now at Prestwich, do you know if anything is being done?”
Mr McCulloch also flagged up the problem on Twitter on May 6 and on April 30. Fellow traveller Keith Marks tweeted: “Not sure how but pigeons are now nesting behind the anti-pigeon wire at Prestwich”.
Pigeons at Prestwich Metrolink station
Metrolink say they are not aware of any ‘infestation’ but have asked people not to feed the birds.
Councillor Tim Pickstone, who represents the area and blogged about the problem last year, told the M.E.N: “Both the bridges under the Metrolink at Prestwich are busy thoroughfares and pigeons are causing significant nuisance for both pedestrians and cyclists.
“It is important the Metrolink keep on top of the netting. In recent months, we’ve seen situations where birds have been trapped due to poorly maintained netting, now they’re even nesting behind it!”
Councillor Alan Quinn added: “When I’ve raised the problem of pigeons with Metrolink, they’ve acted quickly. For example they’ve put nets and spikes on most of the bridges in Prestwich that the trams use.
“The problem is made worse by the fact that people keep feeding the pigeons. Food is left regularly in Heaton Park and in areas of Prestwich.
“You’d wouldn’t put food out for rats and pigeons do carry disease that can affect humans, so why people feed these ‘rats with wings’ is beyond me. The droppings left are a health risk and can damage buildings.”
A TfGM spokesperson said: “The Metrolink operator employs contractors to not only control rodents and pests at stops but also to carry out a daily brush and mopping of stop and bridge areas.
“They also install pigeon deterrent measures from time to time in certain locations and Prestwich is one such area. However, we are not aware of any infestation problem.
“To help us maintain clean and pleasant facilities, we would ask customers not to feed any pigeons and avoid eating or discarding convenience foods on stop platforms.”
The M.E.N reported as early as 2011 how pigeons were causing a nuisance on the Bury Metrolink line, with prevention measures installed at several stations.
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 | Dec 14, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
A mini-documentary posted on the news site Vox wastes no time addressing the leading criticism of one of the most urban and synanthropic animals, the pigeon. People often complain that the animal shits too much (each bird produces an estimated 25 pounds a year), and that this shit, which accumulates and hardens along the exterior of buildings, or in the dusk of neglected attics, or on sections of a sidewalk that are beneath stretches of telephone cables beloved, for some reason or another, by a loft, is nothing but a paradise for diseases that are as ugly as the shit they thrive in. It gets worse.
There was even a moment near the middle of the 20th century when pigeon shit was confused with the sound of our universe’s birth, the cosmic microwave background. Wikipedia:
The [scientists] were certain that the radiation they detected on a wavelength of 7.35 centimeters did not come from the Earth, the Sun, or our galaxy. After thoroughly checking their equipment, removing some pigeons nesting in the antenna and cleaning out the accumulated droppings, the noise of remained.
And so the story of how we discovered the relic radiation that provided strong evidence for the big bang theory, our deepest understanding of our origins, cannot be told without pigeon shit.
But the prominence of pigeons is not new. As this mini-documentary points out, they figure in the opening chapter of the founding text of modern biology, Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. These birds helped millions of people see that the earth is really, really old, and that life is not static but constantly changing with changes in the natural environment or, as in the case of the pigeons in Darwin’s book, changes in the tastes of humans.
Also, and this is not mentioned in the Vox doc, pigeons shed light on the roots of religion. It was revealed in an experiment conducted by the American behaviorist B.F. Skinner. What happened was this: Skinner put a pigeon in a box rigged with buttons and a feed delivery system. Even a pigeon can’t resist pushing buttons. And the food functioned as a reward for the captive bird. But Skinner rewarded the bird at random. Pecking this button or that offered no ordered result. The food just just fell into the box without rhyme or reason. And what happened? Well, if the food dropped while the pigeon happened to have its neck turned to the left, the poor thing assumed that turning its neck to left had done the trick. The pigeon would turn its neck again in that way, and by luck food fell into the box again. That was it. The bird believed in the church of turning the neck to the left. Skinner called it “superstitious behavior.”
And there is also the matter of pigeon feet, but I have already written about that. My point is we should show more respect and sympathy to this bird. It has been good to us.
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 | Dec 13, 2015 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
DO not feed the pigeons — that is the advice being offered by councillors and transport chiefs trying to bring Prestwich’s pest problem under control.
Last year, The Guide reported that pigeons were nesting under two tram bridges near Prestwich Metrolink Station.
The problem was so bad, councillors said, that anyone passing under the bridge was “running the gauntlet” and having to dodge mess from pigeons above them.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), which runs the Metrolink network, put up mesh to deter the pigeons, but the resilient birds have simply moved behind it.
Now, a TfGM spokesman said: “To help us maintain clean and pleasant facilities, we would ask customers not to feed any pigeons and avoid eating or discarding convenience foods on stop platforms.”
Sedgley representative Cllr Alan Quinn added: “Metrolink do take these matters seriously.
“In this case, they put the mesh up and installed spikes to put pigeons off.
“The problem is made worse by the fact that people keep feeding the pigeons. Food is left regularly in Heaton Park and in areas of Prestwich.”
Holyrood representative, Cllr Tim Pickstone, placed the onus on TfGM.
He said: “Metrolink need to ensure the nets they put up are maintained as pigeons can get trapped.
“They need to keep on top of the problem.”
However, one Prestwich shopkeeper, who asked not to be named, took an opposing view.
He said: “I really don’t see what the fuss is all about.
“Pigeons are a part of urban life. They are there as a reminder that we, as a population, throw out enough food to keep them thriving.
“So we either accept that pigeons are here to stay or look at the way we consume food.”
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 | Dec 12, 2015 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
The French Market Corporation used “bait feeders with Avitrol, an avian toxicant that targets the motor nervous system,” in an effort to control the pigeon population around its open-air market operation in the French Quarter, New Orleans officials told WWL-TV. “The feeders were taken away because the city’s pest control board determined it’s not the most effective way to reduce pigeon populations in areas where a lot of people gather.”
WWL-TV said it could only find three pigeons for an hour around lunch time Monday. The state reported that one woman recorded a pigeon Friday appearing to have a seizure.
The French Market Corporation issued the following statement:
“The French Market Corporation was taking proactive steps to control pigeon populations. Pigeons can be a public health threat and are prone to carry disease. Through an independent pest control company, the French Market placed bait feeders with Avitrol around the market. Avitrol is an EPA-approved method of controlling pigeon populations. The New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board has since advised the French Market to explore other nonchemical solutions to control pigeon populations, and the French Market has since removed the bait feeders.
“Over the past few years, the FMC has taken a number of steps to improve the market experience and to reduce nuisance pests like pigeons by improving garbage removal and excluding food sources utilized by pests. Visitors are encouraged to refrain from feeding pigeons and to properly dispose of any garbage.”
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 | Dec 10, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
TORONTO – Feeding pigeons may soon be outlawed in the City of Toronto.
Licensing chairman Cesar Palacio got the licensing committee to vote Monday to have staff look at the possibility of prohibiting the feeding of pigeons in public spaces in the city.
“There are public places, for example Yonge-Dundas Square or piazzas in my ward, where very often it is becoming a nuisance because of feeding,” the Ward 17 (Davenport) councillor said. “What I’m asking is if there is a way to work together with those that feel very passionate about it but also to maintain the cleanliness of it.”
Right now, anyone could feed pigeons in most of the city’s public spaces — though the parks bylaw does ban the feeding of any birds in Toronto parks.
Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti warned a push for pigeon rules in the past had been ruled out of order but Palacio said city staff confirmed the request for a report was fine.
“The pigeon lobby is vicious, vicious,” joked Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker.
The pigeon-feeding crackdown request came as the licensing committee was debating a report on options for mitigating human-wildlife conflict in the city. Councillors also endorsed having staff explore the feasibility of a bylaw that would ban feeding wild animals on private property and to look at starting to provide operating funding to the Toronto Wildlife Centre in the 2016 budget.
In the lead-up to the vote, councillors lamented various aspects of the city’s wildlife.
Mammoliti came out firmly against rats and mice while De Baeremaeker admitted he loves birds and saluted the brainpower of the city’s raccoon population.
“The raccoons are very smart,” De Baeremaeker told the committee.
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 | Dec 7, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
SQUAWKING seagulls have proved to be an unlikely success in safeguarding shoppers at a historic North-East market from pigeon droppings.
In recent weeks, visitors to Darlington’s Covered Market may have noticed the sound of seagulls cawing while doing their daily shopping.
The noises, which come from a number of speakers hidden in the market, are part of a bird-scaring system designed to disperse pigeons who nest in the canopy.
The system has several programmes, from seagulls to birds of prey, and uses a natural distress call to ward off the problematic pigeons, whose droppings have become an issue for traders and visitors to the market.
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Senior markets officer, Albert Nowicki, said: “We’re trying to disperse the pigeons from places where they cause a health and safety issue in a humane way.
“It’s good to see that out scare crow acoustic system is starting to eradicate the problem, but I would like to encourage people to think before feeding the pigeons near food and retail establishments.”
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)
Tram commuters say that a pigeon ‘infestation’ is causing problems at Prestwich tram stop.
