by Pigeon Patrol | Aug 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht said tonight it is calling on climbers and walkers in the area to help protect the Peregrine Falcons, which are nesting in the quarry and have four chicks nearly ready to fledge.
Peregrine Falcons are a protected species and the deliberate killing of them is a criminal offence.
The Department said that a “significant threat” to the birds has arisen, as on Wednesday evening a walker noticed two tethered pigeons flapping near the Perigrine Falcons’ nest.
The pigeons’ wings had been clipped to stop them flying, and the birds had been attached to ground stakes. They also had a “wet substance” on their neck.
The pigeons were brought to the State laboratories for testing.
It is believed that they were laced with a poison in a deliberate attempt to kill the breeding Falcons. Peregrines eat live prey and would have been attracted to the pigeons by their wing flapping as they attempted to escape their tethers.
The NPWS and the Parks Department for Killiney Hill, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council are now calling on the public who use the park to remain vigilant and report any similar incidents.
Here’s how you can help:
- Look out for people acting suspiciously around the nest area
- Keep watch for tethered birds or birds fluttering a lot in the one area but not moving, which may mean that they are tied in some way.
- Report any dead birds seen
- Keep children and pets away from suspect birds
”It is not tolerable for these majestic and extraordinary birds of prey or any other wildlife to be persecuted or poisoned,” said Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
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 | Aug 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Morning walkers at Nehru Rose Garden were in for a shock on Friday morning when they saw carcasses of numerous pigeons scattered all around.
While the exact number of dead pigeons is not known, eyewitnesses estimated that around 50-60 pigeons were lying dead in the garden. What surprised people was that there was no bleeding or injury marks.
However, since the city witnessed a powerful thunderstorm and hailstorm on late Thursday night, it is also being cited as the reason for mass deaths. Parmeet Sethi, a resident who witnessed the site in the morning, said, “There were no naked wires or any electricity pole where birds were lying dead. Maybe lightning fell on them but that is only a suspicion. The exact reason must be known through proper post-mortem.”
Residents suspected that birds might have fallen prey to poisonous grains or food served by people in the Rose Garden. “People come here daily to offer grains to pigeons. Maybe they ate something poisonous,” said Pravin Kumar, a resident.
The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation was not aware of the deaths initially. Sumit Jarangal, additional commissioner and in-charge of Rose Garden and horticulture department, said, “I will get the dead bodies cleared from the garden and also find out the reason behind the tragedy.” Later, Jarangal said that “pigeons died because of short circuit”, but failed to explain the source of short circuit. Sandeep Jain, co-opted member of Animal Welfare Board of India, also contacted Jarangal and demanded post-mortem of the pigeons to know the exact reason.
Isha Kalia, additional commissioner, confirmed to Newsline that a post-mortem had been ordered. “Health wing incharge A S Sekhon and animal husbandry department have been given responsibility to get the post-mortem done,” she said. The Rose Garden presents an utter dismal picture. While once it had a full-fledged zoo with monkeys, deer, ducks and rabbits, now it houses nothing except pigeons.
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 | Aug 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
METRO VANCOUVER — A night of drinking and shooting pigeons with a pellet gun turned violent in Langley and ended with a man in police custody.
Langley RCMP arrested a man at a rural Langley property in the 21900-block of 64th Avenue Tuesday night for assaulting a woman.
The incident happened after the suspect and his 12-year-old son had been shooting birds together.
The boy was shot in the hip, upsetting his mother. When she confronted the boy’s father about the injury, he assaulted her. The adults had been drinking.
The woman and her son left the property to contact police and the man stayed inside the residence.
Police attended and at about 8 p.m. and ERT teams negotiated with the 40-year-old man (top left) until he came outside.
He was arrested without incident and taken into custody.
File Photo
The Langley Detachment Investigational Support Team is pursuing the case and charges are pending.
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 | Jul 22, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
The roof of the Prestige Senior Living High Desert facility in northeast Bend is littered with Avitrol, a bird repellent used by licensed pest control agencies. The repellent can cause seizures to birds, often in mid-flight. And during last week’s heat wave, it even led to deaths.
“Many of the birds were found on the pavement, where temperatures were over 140 degrees,” said Dr. Jeff Cooney, veterinarian with the High Desert Wildlife Rehab & Rehabilitation Center.
“Their hearts were racing, they were seizing, and they were often dying of cardiac arrest,” Cooney said/
All are side-effects of the bird repellent Avitrol, sold in the form of corn kernels that birds will consume when spread across their normal feed.
The wildlife center hired a local drone company to fly over the building to confirm that the repellent was on the roof. The video confirmed the poison, and uncovered a dead pigeon lying on the roof.
But bird carcasses have been found in other areas as well. When we initially reported this story on Friday night, Jeannette Bonomo of the High Desert Wildlife Center said that pigeons were found either seizing or dead near the Forum Shopping Center at Highway 20 and NE 27th Street.
“People were literally seeing them fall out of the sky, crash onto the ground, flopping around like a typical seizure,” Bonomo said.
Prestige Senior Living High Desert, an assisted living center to the north of the shopping center, declined to comment on our story, but issued a statement in response to concern and criticism.
“At Prestige Senior Living, the health, well-being and safety of our residents is our highest priority,” the statement began.
“When we assumed operation of High Desert, we saw that pigeons – after years of roosting – had accumulated a large amount of droppings near an air intake. We contracted with a licensed, professional company to manage the problem for us. We understand the approach they used conforms to applicable laws and regulations.”
We contacted the Oregon Department of Agriculture to confirm the legality of using Avitrol. Several areas, including San Francisco and the state of New York, have banned the toxic bait. However, it’s currently legal in the state of Oregon to use Avitrol to deter birds from an environment.
“We have not seen any reason to ban this product yet,” said Mike Odenthal of the state agency’s pesticide division. “We suggest that people look for other ways to deter the birds, but there are some cases where this may be the only or best option that a person has to repel birds.”
However, Odenthal went on to say that the repellent is not only used as a last-ditch effort. When asked if a customer could request that a pest control company use Avitrol on their premises, he said, “It’s possible.”
“That’s to be expected when you use (Avitrol), that you are going to kill some birds,” he added.
But as birds die, and others suffer seizures, those left to take care of them argue that just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s right.
“Humanely euthanize them, if that’s why you need to do (this), to eliminate them,” Cooney said.
“But to give them a poison where it’s just out, uncontrolled — that’s a little bit extreme, in my opinion,” 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 | Jul 21, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Hidden from public view for more than 50 years, the interior dome of the old Fayette County Courthouse is fading and starting to deteriorate.
The yellow paint on the walls is peeling. Pigeons have moved in.
On the ceiling of the dome are black dots — burned-out light bulbs that used to replicate stars.
The cost to restore the dome to what it looked like in 1900, when the courthouse first opened, is one of several issues that will be addressed in a new study.
This month, the Urban County Council approved a $110,000 contract with EOP architects for an initial structure assessment and a historical inventory of the four-story former courthouse on Main Street.
The building was closed in July 2012 after the discovery of lead dust, asbestos and other hazardous materials. The three museums that were housed in the building — the Lexington History Museum, a police museum and a pharmacy museum — were forced out.
“This is the first step to see what needs to be done,” said Jeff Fugate, president of the Lexington Downtown Development Authority, which is overseeing the old courthouse project. “I really hope this report will be a call to action.”
The report will be finished in late fall. It will serve as a road map for the next steps for one of the city’s oldest municipal buildings.
“We can’t move forward without knowing what we are dealing with,” Fugate said.
Foster Ockerman Jr. said he hopes the EOP assessment will generate more public input and investment in the structure that sits in the heart of downtown in a bustling entertainment district.
Ockerman has pushed to have the courthouse restored since 2001, when construction began on Lexington’s two newer courthouses.
“Why has it taken so long?” Ockerman asked about efforts to restore the building. “It’s just a function of the community bringing its focus to the old courthouse. We have had a lot going on. We have been concerned about CentrePointe, the Lyric Theatre and then Rupp Arena.”
Mayor Jim Gray temporarily suspended the Rupp Arena project in June.
Ockerman, a lawyer, said now that Rupp is off the table, he hopes the city and its citizens can focus on the courthouse.
Ockerman chairs the nonprofit Courthouse Square Foundation, which has been working with the city to find new uses for the building — Fayette County’s fifth courthouse and the third on that site.
With new developments on Main Street, including the nearby 21c Museum Hotel and CentrePointe, that area of downtown has become a focal point, Ockerman said.
To have a historic building sit dark for too long can drain energy from downtown and send the wrong message to visitors and investors, Fugate said.
“We put between two to three million dollars into Cheapside Park, millions of dollars have gone into restaurants in the area, $40 million in the 21c Museum and hundreds of millions into the CentrePointe development,” Fugate said. “For us to yawn and assume that the courthouse isn’t important or that the courthouse is too hard, does not encourage people to invest in Lexington.”
Lexington has a habit of tearing down its historic public buildings, Fugate said.
“We tore down the old post office, we tore down the old train station, we have torn down the old city hall,” Fugate said. “The only major historic public building left in Lexington is the old courthouse, and it sits on Main Street.”
Once EOP finishes its assessment, the city will have a better idea of what it will cost to fix some of the problems in the building.
A previous study estimated the cost at $18 million to $20 million to restore the courthouse to what it looked like before the 1960s, when it was modernized and its atrium was filled with HVAC systems, bathrooms and other mechanical structures.
Before that major renovation, the central atrium rose 111 feet from the ground level to the interior top of the dome. It had a two-story staircase and a dramatic, two-story courtroom.
Andrew Moore and Daniel Polk of EOP started their assessment last week. Moore said they are trying to determine exactly what’s in the building, what’s original and what was added. Polk said that even the most current architectural plans for the courthouse have rooms marked on them that are no longer there.
A complete restoration to what it looked like when it opened in 1900 might be too costly, Fugate said.
It’s the cost that worries Urban County Council member Julian Beard.
“$18 million is too much,” Beard said. Beard, who has been the council’s most vocal skeptic about the project, said he also questions whether the courthouse could be converted into retail or cafe space.
“It only has two parking spaces,” Beard said.
But how the space will be used might determine what work will be needed, Fugate said.
Ockerman said that it could still be used for museum space or possibly the Visitors and Convention Bureau, now called VisitLex.
“It’s the perfect place to start any sort of historic tour in Fayette County,” Ockerman said.
Other possibilities include retail, cafe and market space on the ground floor, public meeting space on the second floor and office space and storage on the third and fourth floors.
EOP is working with Philadelphia firm Preservation Design Partnership, which specializes in restoring and repurposing historic buildings. Part of the report will include possible uses for the building, said Moore, project manager for EOP.
The city has set aside a little more than $500,000 for the initial planning stages of the project.
The Lexington Downtown Development Authority is exploring a host of funding options depending on what the space will be used for. Those options could include historic and other tax credits, private investment, fundraising and public money.
“What the space will be used for will decide how we fund it,” Fugate 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 | Jun 4, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
Ultrasonic pigeon & bird scarers are electronic devices that produce high pitch emissions known as ultrasound. Ultrasonic pigeon & bird scaring systems have been introduced into the pest control marketplace due to the fact that ultrasound is too high-pitched for human hearing but falls within the hearing range of most species of birds. Most sonic bird scaring devices produce a sound that is audible to the human ear and therefore may cause human disturbance if used in an area of human habitation.
Ultrasonic systems can be used in a wide variety of locations without causing human interference making them an ideal choice for areas where noise-related scaring is not an option. The exception to this rule may be where women and young children are concerned. With age, the human ear looses the ability to hear ultrasound but in some women and particularly in the young, ultrasound falls within hearing ranges and can cause considerable discomfort and headaches. This may have the effect of restricting the use of ultrasonic pigeon & bird scarers when used for pigeon control and gull control in urban areas and on industrial sites.
A constant 15-25 KHz setting (15 KHz for external model)
- A variable setting allowing the user to modulate the frequency between 15 and 30 KHz with different speeds or ‘warbles’ (15-25 KHz for external model)
- A high/medium/low frequency setting
- A combination mode which alternates the ‘constant’ frequency and the ‘warble’ output in timed bursts
- Up to 6500 sq feet coverage (3600 sq feet for external model)
- Power consumption: approx 10 watts (depending on brand)
Most ultrasonic pigeon & bird scarers are powered by mains electricity in an effort to provide the user with a maintenance-free option. Some manufacturers offer their range with a mains adaptor giving 12 volts DC as standard but will provide a unit with connections to a wholly DC power source (normally car/leisure battery) on request. Two manufacturers also offer an environmentally friendly solar panel option allowing the battery to be ‘topped up’ when exposed to daylight or direct sunlight.
Due to the fact that ultrasound travels in straight lines and will not pass through solid objects, a system providing multiple speaker options will provide the most comprehensive coverage. Some units also offer the option of installing extension speakers for use in areas that are architecturally complex. Due to the nature of ultra high frequency sound-waves that spread out in circular waves from the source, a multi-speaker unit with 4-speakers ensures that the sound waves overlap, providing total coverage.
The ultrasonic pigeon & bird scarers that combine ultrasound with distress calls,strobe lights and predator calls are undoubtedly an ‘all-singing-all-dancing’ product that may be ideal for certain sites, but the stroboscopic and sonic elements may result in the unit being considerably less versatile in an urban application. As a roost inhibitor, for areas rarely frequented by humans (for example the underside of a railway or river bridge), the multi-faceted device would be entirely appropriate and may offer high levels of protection. However, the lack of an AC power supply in this type of environment will inevitably make the product more labour intensive. It is clear that the combo units are species-specific and based on their potential to create human disturbance, these products must also be considered to be highly context-specific.
Also commonly known as:
Bird wailer, sonic scarers, ultrasound bird scarers, quadblaster, wailer, silent bird scarer, electronic bird scarer, maxi wailer, midi wailer
The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht said tonight it is calling on climbers and walkers in the area to help protect the Peregrine Falcons, which are nesting in the quarry and have four chicks nearly ready to fledge.
