by Pigeon Patrol | Oct 14, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
A British grandfather died from a freak allergy to pigeons after he let a pal keep them in his back yard.
Peter Willoughby, who didn’t even like the birds, selflessly allowed his friend to build a pigeon loft in his Hampshire yard some 25 years ago, reports the Southern Daily Echo.
But the dad-of-three didn’t realize that the favor would eventually end up killing him.
Willoughby’s health deteriorated over the years, and it then emerged that he was suffering from scarring on the lungs.
The condition, commonly known in the bird racing community as “pigeon fancier’s lungs,” came from an allergy due to his regular contact with the creatures.
Willoughby suffered from a condition known as ‘pigeon fancier’s lungs,’ as his allergy to the birds caused scarring on the lungs.
An inquest into his death heard that the 72-year-old struggled to breathe in his later years, and that he died in Southampton General Hospital in 2014.
Coroner Grahame Short recorded his death as coming from end-stage lung disease and a form of pneumonia triggered by the allergy to pigeons.
“For a number of years Mr Willoughby was working in an environment where he was exposed and in his home he was also exposed to feathers and excreta when he was close to the pigeon loft in his back garden,” Short ruled.
“I think it was a combination of those two factors,” he added.
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 | Oct 12, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
LOS GATOS, Calif. (KGO) — A deadly disease is killing off a certain species of pigeons. In a matter of weeks, more than a thousand pigeons have died. The counties with the highest death tolls are Santa Barbara and Santa Clara counties.
“It’s really horrible,” Los Gatos resident Sally Edsall said. “In their eyes as well, their beaks in particular are very infected.”
Band-tailed pigeons are dying by the hundreds in Santa Clara County and the sudden deaths started last month, and have been rising since.
“Last week was definitely a peak where we were having five, six a day,” Edsall said.
A parasite is attacking the pigeons and specifically, and spreading trichomoniasis — a lesion causing disease that closes off the birds’ throats. The birds then die of suffocation or starvation.
“Losing a thousand is a big deal,” Rebecca Dmytryk, executive director of Wildlife Emergency Services said. “They don’t recover very quickly because they only have one chick per year.”
The drought is contributing to the problem. Pigeons are sharing limited water sources and infecting one another.
A creek in East Los Gatos may be the cause of deaths in the area.
Birds are literally falling out of the trees on Twin Oaks Drive. Thirty dead birds were found at one house alone.
“I was definitely concerned before. I didn’t even want to walk in my back yard,” Anne Griffin, a Los Gatos resident, said.
Experts hope the disease will slow down once the pigeons start migrating out of the area.
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 | Oct 9, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services
The fear of avian flu gripped the district after the animal husbandry department found three dead pigeons near Gushaini village of near the Banjar forest area on Wednesday.
The pigeons, reportedly spotted by some locals, caused panic a day after the first case of the avian flu in Himachal Pradesh was reported in Manali.
Kulla Animal husbandry department assistant director Vishal Sharma said samples of the bird had been sent to the Regional Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL) at Jalandhar, Punjab, even while adding that the chances that their deaths were caused by the avian flu are slim. He said that while no other dead birds were reported in the region, residents breeding poultry have been asked to stay alert.
Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) director BS Rana, who also confirmed the news, said: “It is a normal phenomenon that birds die due to extreme cold and hail storm, which was recently experienced by the region.”
As a precaution, however, a stock of prophylactic drugs had been sent to Banjar health center, said Kullu chief medical officer Dr Baldev Thakur, adding that no symptoms of the avian influenza have so far been reported.
Residents have also been asked to wash their clothes and hands thoroughly to avoid contamination.
The department has, however, reportedly not conducted any de-contamination or quarantine procedures, which may be required if the birds test positive for the H1N5 virus.
Following the recent scare of avian flu after a goose tested positive for the disease in Chandigarh and the recovery of dead poultry in Shimla, the department had reportedly constituted surveillance teams to monitor threats of avian influenza outbreak in the region. The dead poultry in Shimla later tested negative for the ailment.
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 | Oct 7, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, UltraSonic Bird Control
In the span of a few weeks, Erica Richards has been transformed from a vibrant 23-year-old woman who loved nature to a person battling for her life.
In early January, the Fredericton woman contracted a potentially fatal condition called cryptococcal meningitis, a fungal disease carried in the feces of pigeons.
The debilitating illness attacks the spine and brain, causing severe swelling. It left her confined to a hospital bed in a state of delirium for weeks.
But the most devastating side effect is that Ms. Richards is now blind.
“Be aware of this disease. It could kill a child in a heartbeat,” Ms. Richards said in an interview from her hospital bed.
“It could kill a senior in a heartbeat without you even having to worry about the symptoms. It comes on that fast. If you don’t realize the symptoms, it could kill you, too.”
Her emotional warning comes on the heels of city council’s approval earlier this month of a recommendation that it toughen its animal control bylaw to allow for fines for feeding pigeons. Once the amendment is drafted and declared law, it will give the city’s bylaw enforcement officers the power to ticket and fine offenders.
Ms. Richards said she decided to go public about her illness after learning about a recent newspaper story about a problem with pigeon poop in the city.
“Please don’t feed the pigeons,” she said. “Try to shoo them away if you see them. … It (the disease) is horrible. The pain that you get from this disease is crippling.
“The after-effects are with you for life and you just can’t stop thinking about it. I just want other people to know and try to stay away from pigeons.”
Oddly enough, Ms. Richards said she has no recollection of ever being anywhere near pigeons.
“I am still wondering to this day where I got it,” she said. “I could have stepped in it and brought it into the home. I just don’t know.”
Ms. Richards said the symptoms started with a migraine headache that wouldn’t go away. She was admitted to hospital on Feb. 10 after many days of intense head pain. Shortly after, she went into a coma-like state.
“When I woke up I thought I had a mask over my eyes, but I was wrong. I was blind. I was recently told that I will be blind for the rest of my life. This is a tough thing for a 23-year-old to go through. … My world crumbled around me.”
Ms. Richards said the odds of surviving the disease are 50-50.
“However, I managed to make it through,” she said, battling tears. “I don’t know how but I am still here, and I am glad because I get to warn everyone else of this.”
Cristin Muecke, the Health Department’s regional medical officer, confirmed the disease is often associated with pigeon droppings. She said the illness can’t be spread person to person and is more common with someone who has immune problems.
Ms. Richards, however, said she has never had a problem with her immune system and that’s what’s so puzzling about contracting the affliction.
“I do not want anyone else to suffer this agonizing disease and I ask anyone who is feeding pigeons to stop,” she said. “It’s not just a matter of keeping your neighbourhood clean … it’s a matter of keeping people healthy.”
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 | Oct 5, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services
THATCHAM Town Council has deployed boots on the ground to investigate the latest pigeon menace said to be plaguing the High Street.
Last year the town council discussed plans to deal with the birds – and their droppings – even debating the possibility of culling the winged menace at one stage.
But following research by town council officers, it was decided to try and reduce the amount of food spillages and litter to cut down on pigeon numbers.
The strategy also included a review of bins and investigating nesting in buildings.
But the issue came home to roost again at a finance and general purposes meeting last week when an unhappy resident wrote in saying: “The High Street is filthy with pigeon droppings and feathers. They need to be culled/disposed of!!!
“We, as have others, tried different measures to deter the birds and not been successful. We have spikes as our deterrent and this has not worked. Our gutters keep getting blocked up with bird droppings and when we get rain makes them overflow.
“We clean them on a more than regular basis at our own cost. No sooner is it cleared than it is blocked again. This really isn’t acceptable it’s filthy, would anyone like to be rained on by bird poo.
“It has previously been blamed on rubbish/food waste from the food outlets, this really is not the case and the people who have decided against a cull of these birds obviously d
o not live here or have to put up with the mess, is it not time to take action? It has been an issue for far too long now.”
But the idea that the area was infested with pigeons was pooh-poohed by town councillors, with Richard Crumly (Con, Thatcham central) saying that his recent observations were to the contrary.
He said: “I can’t recall seeing any pigeons causing a problem with their presence, droppings or noise. We need evidence. There’s a claim that the town is awash with pigeon droppings when we have heard against this.”
But Lee Dillon (Lib Dem, Thatcham north) said that the resident may use the High Street more than councillors, which could explain why they felt the area was too messy and needed addressing.
Councillor Crumly agreed to be “the boots on the ground” to monitor the pigeon situation and report back at the next meeting.
Do you think there’s a pigeon problem?
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 | Oct 4, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
If you’ve been over to the House of St Barnabas members’ club in Soho you may have seen Patrick Murphy’s fabulous flock of pigeons, but if not, you’ve got the chance to catch them in a new art installation that’s launching today.
Murphy’s bright, eye-catching birds were originally as part of the Art Social ’14 festival and now they’re taking flight on to the lampposts of Soho for passers by to gawk at. Confused? Allows us to explain.
As we all know, pigeons have a bit of a bad rep and tend to be regarded as pests that we don’t want hanging around. According to Murphy, the installation aims to raise questions surrounding the struggle for acceptance, feelings of marginalisation and homelessness in urban environments. Oh and it looks cool, too.
So for the next three months, when you’re walking through Greek Street and Soho Square, look up and check out these feathery fellas without the fear of being pooed on in the process.
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)
