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Let’s stick with pigeons for a moment.

Occasionally, you see them munching on a pizza rind or some other recognizable discarded food, but most of the time they seem to be pecking at nothing at all.

I am not planning to start a pigeon Facebook enterprise, but unlike virtually all New Yorkers, I do not loathe pigeons and give them credit for living a tough life on the mean and unforgiving streets of Manhattan.

And if you actually stop and look at them, which no one does, their plumage can be quite striking. Yes they are plump and the neck-snapping walk is mind-boggling — what evolutionary rationale could that possibly have? — but they demonstrate an unrelenting pluck to survive in the city that I find admirable.

Just like seagulls, you never see a young or old pigeon, and never a sickly one. They are all the same size and seem in excellent health. I’ve never seen a dead pigeon or a squished one, which is remarkable for all their bicycle- and car-dodging. Not to overthink this, for all of their daily vicissitudes they seem pretty content with their lives, although their expressionless faces could be masking all kinds of nameless dreads.

One activity that seems to definitely give them great pleasure is communal flight. As I look east from our 16th floor apartment, I often see sizable flocks of pigeons soaring in synchronized movements that have no purpose, just banking, turning this way and that, diving and climbing.

They are clearly playing. They will, as a group, alight on a random rooftop, cogitate for a while and then set off on another flight maneuver, happy as clams.

If there is an afterlife, this playful flying would not make me elect to come back as a pigeon. I’m on record as choosing to come back as a chickadee. But if I have no choice and I’m forced to come back as a pigeon, I could handle it. The key, it seems, is a sufficient stream of pizza rinds.

Seagulls seem a lot like pigeons. They are always scamming for food and can fly beautifully. They seem smarter than pigeons and have a more sculpted shape. Gratefully, they have eliminated the disturbing neck-snapping walk, and they are artful at catching food thrown at them by the bored human denizens of Crescent Beach.

Which brings me to a seagull story. It is a third-hand story and its veracity cannot be verified. It was told to me by my nephew on Cape Cod, and he is a known embellisher. There is a thin line between embellishment and prevarication, and I am pretty sure he was sticking to the embellishment side. Not betting my life on that, however.

It starts with a surf-casting fisherman and a nearby observing seagull. The seagull watches as the surf-caster baits up his hook and heaves it into the waves. This is repeated several times with no success, fish-catching-wise. This is where it gets interesting.

This story wants you to believe that a light goes on in the observing seagull’s brain. The light says one, there is food being flung into the air and two, I can fly. Ergo, an intercept is entirely possible. But the light does not fully grasp the concept of “fish hook.”

You probably see where this is going. A perfectly timed intercept is made and the hook lodges in the seagull’s beak, surprising both human and bird actors in this story.

Embellishment alert: The fisherman starts reeling in the seagull and eventually gets it on the beach where a concerned woman assists the fisherman to calm the seagull while he fetches his needle-nose pliers to extract the hook. The seagull is not pleased, and it takes a while to wrestle the hook out.

A moment passes as the humans and seagull digest what just happened. Another light goes on in the seagull’s brain. With good intentions, the concerned woman is carefully holding the seagull but gets no credit for this act of kindness. The light says take a nip of the woman’s cheek and get the heck out of here. End of story.

True story? We cannot be sure.

But it sure beats any pigeon story I know.

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Someone discarded 145 living pigeons this winter

WOLCOTT — Someone discarded 145 living pigeons this winter the way one throws out an empty disposable coffee cup — by tossing them into a trash dumpster.

The night caretaker at the northbound Interstate 65 rest area in White County found the first 57 birds in the middle of December as he took the trash out, said Kim Hoover of the Hoots to Howls Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in rural Pulaski County. Some of the birds trapped inside boxes died, she said.

She took the birds and found homes for most of them, keeping the blind and crippled birds at the rehabilitation center.

Then on Feb. 28, the caretaker found more boxes of birds in the same dumpster at the same rest area.

“Same mozzarella cheese boxes. Same person’s name and number on the leg ban,” she said.

The first group of birds found were standing in feces that were caked to their feet and matted in their feathers, Hoover said. It appeared they’d been in the dumpster for a while and were in poor health.

The second group was found in better condition and did not have trash piled on top of the boxes, indicating that they had not been in the dumpster that long, Hoover said.

That person’s name on the leg band is Bahman Ghassab from Dublin, Ohio, Hoover said. The bands also had a telephone number to reach Ghassab. The Journal & Courier called that number on Wednesday, but it is no longer a working number.

But after the find in December, Hoover said one of her associates did call the number, and Ghassab answered.

“He said he sold some birds to someone in Florida and in Illinois,” Hoover said, “and he would not give any more info than that.

“When asked why would you sell sick starving and injured pigeons and better yet why would someone buy them in this condition, the conversation ended,” Hoover said.

The Journal & Courier contacted John DeCarlo Jr., president of the National Pigeon Association. He checked the association’s membership list, and Ghassab is not a member.

“These birds don’t fly,” Hoover said.

The Journal & Courier texted photos of the birds to DeCarlo, who is in California.

“I don’t know why they don’t fly,” he said, noting this particular breed of pigeon is the Iranian high fliers.

The Iranian high fliers are capable of flight, unlike the one particular breed that Hoover mistakenly was told the rescued birds belonged to, DeCarlo said.

The birds might not fly because they are sick or are under fed or are under conditioned, DeCarlo said. Or they might have been altered so they can’t fly, he added.

Someone told Hoover the birds were likely part of an illegal gambling ring, but that doesn’t seem likely, according to DeCarlo.

The only gambling in the pigeon hobby is among racing pigeons, and these are not racing pigeons, he said.

The flightless pigeon breed is known as parlor rollers. They have been genetically bred not to fly, and when they are nervous or excited, they roll, Decarlo said. There is a competition among parlor rollers to see whose bird can roll the furthest, but it’s not cruel because this is the natural way these birds behave, according to several pigeon experts interviewed Wednesday by the Journal & Courier.

Everyone interviewed Wednesday was incensed by the way these birds were discarded.

Hoover said no one seems interested in investigating it as a criminal case.

“From what I’m told, they’re not pets; they’re not farm animals, so nobody does anything,” she said.

National Pigeon Association Secretary/Treasurer Tim Heidrich of Georgia doesn’t see why it couldn’t be prosecuted.

“To me, it’s like animal cruelty,” Heidrich said. “There are ways to get rid of them without being cruel about it.”

“There are quite a few small shows,” he said. “You can go to these things and sell them — give them away to the kids.”

DeCarlo suggested giving unwanted pigeons to 4Hers so they can learn the hobby and show them.

Finding so many birds thrown away begs the question of whether other birds met with a similar fate only went undiscovered at other locations.

“We don’t know if this is the first time,” Hoover said. “Is it happening at other rest parks? We don’t know.

“I just wish he’d stop. These birds don’t deserve to be thrown out.”

Mass. aims to unite taxpayers through hatred of pigeon poop

BOSTON — Along with all the usual declarations and deductions, Massachusetts residents have been asked to keep something else in mind this tax season: pigeon droppings.

In an unusual and at times stomach-turning appeal, the state agency MassWildlife proposed that one way to fight back against the sticky messes befouling cars and damaging bridges is for taxpayers to check a box on their tax forms to support the state’s endangered species program.

How so? Peregrine falcons are among the program’s beneficiaries, and they prey on pigeons.

“Hate pigeon poop? Save peregrine falcons,” begins the message on the agency’s website and in a recent newsletter. It goes on to picture a typical motorist driving home from work over one of the state’s major bridges.

“You’re thinking about dinner as you wait in traffic when — PLOP! — something white and black falls onto your windshield,” the post continues.

Next comes a scientific breakdown of the bird droppings that includes an explanation — for inquiring minds that need to know — of the precise difference between the dark and white portions.

Damage: And then, lest the reader believe it’s all no more than a yucky nuisance, this warning: “This paste-like substance is so acidic and corrosive, that it can damage your car’s paint job. And you guessed it, groups of birds all going to the bathroom in the same place can make man-made structures like bridges deteriorate faster.”

Enter the peregrine falcon, a magnificent predator that can attain speeds of 240 mph in high-elevation dives, no match for the slower and less agile pigeon, which just so happens to be one of the peregrine’s favorite feasts.

Peregrine falcons disappeared from Massachusetts in the mid-1950s and soon after in the entire eastern U.S., their demise largely blamed on the pesticide DDT, according to the state’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.

After the chemical was banned, efforts picked up to reintroduce the raptor, sometimes confused with more common varieties of hawk.

Pigeon-hunting perches: To the surprise of some ornithologists, many of the newcomers eschewed their former rural habitats and became city dwellers. Instead of on cliffs, they began nesting on tall building ledges and bridges in urban areas where food sources — pigeons, especially — were more plentiful.

To help the falcons along, state officials and volunteers placed nesting boxes in strategic locations such as the Custom House Tower in Boston, the 28-story W.E.B. Du Bois Library at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the heavily traveled Tobin Bridge spanning the Mystic River.

“Falcon cams” were even installed to offer a continuous livestream of peregrine comings and goings.

The restoration effort is partially funded by voluntary donations from taxpayers, who can choose to contribute to “endangered wildlife conservation” on their state returns. The money supports more than 400 threatened or endangered plants and animals, from bog turtles to timber rattlesnakes, but the peregrine falcon is easily among the most “charismatic,” said David Paulson, senior endangered species biologist for MassWildlife.

Donations: Contributions to the fund have been increasing but remain well below levels needed, according to state officials and wildlife experts. About 23,000 taxpayers gave $312,000 through the tax check-off in 2017, the last full year for which figures were available, compared with the $178,000 provided by approximately 18,000 taxpayers in 2013.

It’s not just bird lovers and conservationists embracing the slow but steady revival of the peregrine falcons.

State transportation engineers have noticed a reduction in the pigeon population on bridges with nesting falcons, officials said. Fewer pigeons means less waste building up on bridge surfaces, rusting the steel and increasing the costs for maintenance and bridge replacement.

“It’s almost like a symbiotic relationship,” Paulson said. “The structure provides the habitat, and the falcons kind of provide the pest management, for lack of a better term.”

Officials hope drivers when completing their tax forms will see the peregrine as a feathered friend that can make an unwanted splattering a bit less likely.

The falcons “are never going to eliminate (pigeons), but they can help to manage them,” Paulson said.

Man Shells Out $1.4 Million for a Pigeon

Don’t bet against the high-flying lifestyle of rare bird and sports.

A buyer has bid more than $1.4 million for a champion Belgian racing pigeon in a sale, according to the auction house Pipa, which oversaw the online auction for the rare bird.

This regal, emerald green-feathered bird is no regular pigeon you would frequent on the street — as you probably imagined.

In fact, lest you underestimate the athleticism of the mighty bird named “Armando,” look no further than this endorsement.

Nikolaas Gyselbrecht, the founder and chief executive of Pipa, told the Press Association: “This pigeon has a race record that has never been matched by any other pigeon.”

“In football terms you have Messi and Ronaldo – it’s that level.”

The praise for “Armando” continued from there.

PIPA

“This is a crowning glory of all those years in the pigeon sport. The icing on the cake,” Joël Verschoot said of the unique bird he put up for auction, according to the Guardian.

Indeed, Armando is apparently a champ who really goes the distance.

As to why a bird fetched such a high price, it comes down to Armando’s particular knack for the long-distance competition in China, where bird racing is a popular draw.

Bird owners can win plenty of their money back by betting on the correct winged competitor, with prizes in the tens of thousands of dollars.

That being said, your typical racer bird fetches $2,838, according to the BBC.

“This type of champion is rarely offered for sale,” according to the auction site. The high price leapt from $600,000 to $1.4 million in the final moments of bidding, according to the auction site, which features a close-up snapshot of the bird’s eye for reasons unknown.

Go Armando.

A City in Spain Plans to Exile 5,000 Pigeons. Will They Stay Away?

MADRID — The Spanish city of Cádiz will undertake what some may see as a Sisyphean task: relocating 5,000 pigeons hundreds of miles away after a complaint that the birds are driving away tourists from the terraces of cafes in the most visited part of the southern port city.

Carrier pigeons probably date back to ancient Persia. But under a plan announced last month by Cádiz officials, the pigeons themselves will be carried: They will be captured and transported next year to a thinly populated countryside location in eastern Spain. There, they will find a new home in a dovecote near the town of Ribarroja del Turia.

The exile solution to pigeon overcrowding is being presented as a more animal-friendly approach than that taken in other places, where pigeons are treated like flying rats to be culled or fed contraceptive pills that may also be consumed by other species.

The city will use “the most respectful and sustainable method” to keep its pigeon population under control, Álvaro de la Fuente, the city official in charge of environmental policy, said in a statement.

The city came up with the plan after Horeca, a regional federation of hoteliers, complained two years ago that the pigeons were menacing tourists, particularly in the city’s emblematic cathedral square.

“When the pigeon gets hungry, it can get very forceful and often doesn’t even wait for the tourists to leave their table to go for their food,” said Antonio De María Ceballos, a restaurant owner and the president of Horeca.

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oreca also argued that pigeon excrement presents a health risk for waiters and other employees who have to clean pigeon-occupied dining and drinking areas.

The risk, Mr. De María Ceballos said, was confirmed last year by a court ruling in Catalonia that upheld the disability claim of a Barcelona tourism official who said that she contracted pulmonary fibrosis from exposure to floating particles of bird excrement while working in pigeon-filled city squares.

“Nobody here has anything against pigeons or other animals, but something must be done when they proliferate to the point of presenting a health risk,” said Mr. De María Ceballos.

The city hopes to carry out the relocation next year. The 5,000 or so pigeons will have to be trapped and undergo health checks before they are transported and released in eastern Spain, about 375 miles from Cádiz. The hope is that the highly adaptable rock pigeons will be happy to resettle there rather than be tempted to make the return flight.

Mr. de la Fuente, the city official, is also calling on residents to play their part and stop overfeeding pigeons.

He argued that fighting pigeon overpopulation can also helped avoid the spread of “other plagues like rodents.”

City Hall will distribute 3,000 leaflets about how to deal with pigeons, hoping to educate rather than fine its residents for overindulging the birds.

In London, under legislation adopted a decade ago, people risk a fine of as much as 500 pounds ($636) for feeding pigeons around Trafalgar Square.

Infelction control at hospital being probed over pigeon droppings is good enough, says health secretary

Scotland’s health secretary has said she believes infection control is good enough at a hospital where two patients died after contracting an infection linked to pigeon droppings.

Jeane Freeman has ordered a review of the design, build, handover and maintenance of the flagship £842 million Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow as investigations continue.

The Cryptococcus bacteria, a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings and soil, was found to be a contributory factor in the death of a child, while a second patient was also found to have an infection caused by inhaling the fungus Cryptococcus, although the health secretary has said it did not contribute to their death.

Pigeon droppings found in a plant room on the hospital’s roof are believed to be the source of the problem and investigations are continuing to establish how the bacteria entered a closed ventilation system.

The issue comes after problems with bacteria in the water supply at the adjoining Royal Hospital for Children last year which led to child cancer patients being moved.

In an interview on BBC Good Morning Scotland, Ms Freeman was asked: ‘Do you believe infection control is good enough at this hospital?’

She replied: ‘Yes I do. Yes I do and I think the statistics show that. The overall infection rate in the Queen Elizabeth is 4 per cent, the average across Scotland is 4.9 per cent. It is at least on par with all the other hospitals across Scotland and in fact doing a bit better.

‘But infection happens in hospitals. That’s why we have the Scottish Patient Safety Programme that has significantly reduced infection rates across our hospitals and healthcare settings over the last 10 years or so.

‘What you need to be able to do though is have those additional infection control measures to put in place as they have done at the Queen Elizabeth, with the HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters, with the anti-fungal protection for particularly vulnerable patients in the area where the Crypotoccocus infection was discovered.’

Ms Freeman said she hopes to announce the remit of the review by the end of the week.

She could not give a timescale for how long the review will take and said that while she wants it to reach its conclusions and recommendations as quickly as possible, it needs to take long enough to ensure it is ‘robust’.

She said: ‘There have been a number of instances where parts of the building, the fabric of the building, have been less than we would want it to be.

‘Some of those don’t directly affect patients but obviously our primary concern is that this building is, in its fabric, in its internal infrastructure, is absolutely fit for purpose, so that is why I’ve ordered the review and made sure that we will have independent expert advice to that review.

‘It will look at everything from the design, the construction, the commissioning and the continuing maintenance to try and identify what more might need to be done to ensure that the building is fit for purpose, but also whether there are any particular lessons for us as we go on to instigate other builds of healthcare facilities across Scotland.

‘The review of the Queen Elizabeth will have significant importance for all the new build that we’re undertaking.’

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon said: ‘The Health Secretary says infection rates are on a par with other hospitals in Scotland but this is supposed to be a world-leading hospital.

‘The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital was an £842 million investment by the Government – the fact we are now having a review into its infrastructure suggests something has gone very wrong.

‘The review must answer honest questions about what has gone wrong here.’

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TRANSLINK PLANS ON USING A FALCON TO SCARE OFF POOPING PIGEONS

What do you do when birds poop all over your property?

If you’re TransLink, you send in a falcon.

In an effort to deal with pigeons nesting at the Commercial-Broadway skytrain station, TransLink is using a bird, to flip off other birds.

A Bird Poop Problem

A new platform for the station, set to open February 2nd, will allow commuters to enter westbound from both sides.

The company was hoping the amount of noise made by the skytrain and commuters would shake off the birds, but hasn’t so far.

With the threat of bird poop being a real concern for TransLink, the company decided to bring in a falcon.

Jill Drews, Senior Issues Management Advisor for TransLink says, “the falcon kind of goes in from time to time and scares them away. Hopefully, they remember this is not a safe place to be.”

But there’s more.

In addition to the falcon, Drews says electric strips, that cause a “very,very minor” shock will also be brought in. “It won’t harm the birds. But it’s just irritating so it will hopefully deter them from nesting,” she says.

Spikes and netting will also by installed in an effort to stop the birds from landing.

The pigeons in question could not be reached for a comment.

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Hospitals across Central Belt checked for pigeon threat

NHS Lanarkshire confirmed that additional checks will be carried out at Hairmyres, Monklands and Wishaw General with “remedial actions” taken if necessary.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran said all hospital plant rooms were regularly checked for “potential threats.”

John Paterson, NHS Lanarkshire director of property and support services, said: “Planned preventative maintenance programmes are being reviewed and refreshed in light of emerging details from the recent incident at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

“We are currently carrying out additional checks for the presence of pigeons and taking any necessary remedial actions if found or reported.”

A spokeswoman for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, which runs hospitals including Crosshouse in Kilmarnock, said: “NHS Ayrshire & Arran Estates Department regularly monitors the safety of the plant rooms at all of our major sites against all potential threats or defects, including access by vermin.

“ Should any infection control issues occur, we work closely with our Infection Control department to deal with them immediately.”

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Pigeon droppings can STILL be seen at scandal-hit hospital where deaths of child and elderly patient were linked to bird mess infection – as officials order review into £842m design

Pigeon droppings could today still be seen on the ground outside a scandal-hit hospital where two patients died after contracting a fungal infection.

A child, said to be a cancer patient, and a pensioner both died at the hospital in Glasgow after becoming ill with cryptococcus, which is linked to pigeon droppings.

The 14-floor Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, one of the largest in Europe, is under scrutiny after claims the pigeon infestation was known about two years ago.

Separately, a third patient at the same hospital was last night seriously ill with the life-threatening disease of mucoraceous, which is another type of fungus.

Pigeon droppings on the grounds of The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow today

The Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board said two patients had tested positive for the condition, with one in a stable and the other in a serious condition.

Today, pigeon droppings could be seen on the ground outside the ultra-modern building, which opened in April 2015, costing £842million.

Meanwhile it also emerged that pest control had been called in this week to another hospital in the city, the New Victoria Hospital in Southside.

Healthcare workers reported concerns about pigeon droppings in an underground car park.

One worker, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said: ‘In the underground car park there is significant pigeon droppings which have remained for the last year.

Pigeons roost on top of the neurology building at the £842million hospital in Glasgow today

‘Every person who uses this stairwell steps in the droppings and tramples it through the whole hospital. No effort has been made to remove the pigeons from the car park.’

What is cryptococcus and who is at risk?

Cryptococcus is a yeast-like fungal infection found in soil and bird faeces that can infect humans who breathe it in.

The infection causes symptoms similar to those faced by people with pneumonia, including coughing, fever and headaches.

Cryptococcus, which normally affects people with weak immune systems, can even impact their mental wellbeing.

But most people who become infected to do not get sick – and it cannot be spread between people.

Pigeons can also transmit the fungal infection of histoplasmosis to humans, as well as bacteria such as E.coli and salmonella – and even a form of encephalitis which can cause the brain to inflame.

But most people who are exposed to pigeons have no problems because they do not come in contact with large quantities of infected droppings.

A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: ‘Our pest control contractor has been called to respond to a complaint received (on Tuesday) about pigeon droppings in the car park at the New Victoria hospital.’

The child who died from the infection was reported to be a cancer patient from the Grampian area, while the other person who was infected was an elderly woman, according to the Glasgow Evening Times.

The young patient was among those receiving treatment in the main adult building as a result of contamination in the water supply in the children’s hospital – which led to six paediatric patients developing infections last year, according to a source.

Children being treated in wards 2A, 2B and the adjoining bone marrow transplant unit were transferred to wards in the adult hospital while work is ongoing to upgrade the ventilation and water system.

A hospital source claimed the room the child was transferred to should have included a Hepa air filter.

The health board said portable Hepa filters are now being installed in ‘all the rooms identified as requiring them’ as part of additional infection control measures following the deaths.

The source said: ‘The child that died had been moved from the children’s hospital to a room in the adult hospital. The Hepa filter should already have been fitted.

‘I have been told that there are other rooms in the hospital, where HEPA filters should have been fitted but weren’t.’

Pigeons fly over The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow today after the incidents

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said a ‘small crack’ was identified in the wall of the hospital’s plant room – identified as the source of the infection – and spores from the droppings ‘may have entered the air supply via the ventilation system.

Snags, blunders and deaths at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

March 2016 Operations cancelled because of sewage leak.

April 2016 Problems found at specialist children’s mental health ward. Its rooftop garden was deemed a health and safety risk; locks not fit for purpose and no staff alarm system to call for back-up.

September 2016 Patients and visitors complain of getting stuck in lifts.

March 2017 ‘Significant concerns’ raised by Healthcare Environment Inspectorate during unannounced visit – including dust and body fluids on patient trolleys and mattresses.

October 2017 Contractors carrying out routine maintenance smash a section of glass on the building’s roof. Emergency helicopters diverted.

November 2017 Automatic entrance doors opening too frequently because of sensor problems. Reception staff given heaters to keep them warm.

December 2017 Cladding similar to Grenfell Tower also found at the QEUH and removed.

March 2018 Bacteria found in the water supply at the Royal Hospital for Children, which is part of the site. Children with cancer, who have low immunity, infected and treated with antibiotics. Taps and ventilation system in the area now being upgraded.

August 2018 Pane of glass fell ten floors and shattered near front entrance, said to be the third time this had happened. Safety netting installed.

October 2018 Blocked waste-pipe damaged ceiling at the entrance of the building.

December 2018 Two patients contract Cryptococcus, linked to pigeons nesting in walls, but this is not made public until weeks later, when Jeane Freeman confirms infection contributed to the death of a child.

January 2019 Health bosses confirm that two other patients have been infected with an unspecified fungal organism caused by a ‘water leak’.

However, the source said they had seen pictures taken by a bacteriologist employed by the health board which showed the plant room – which contains air conditioning and ventilation equipment – in a ‘filthy’ state.

He said the room was ‘infested’ with droppings and pigeon feathers, suggesting several birds had been in the room.

The source said: ‘The room had a serious infestation of pigeon droppings. It was filthy.

‘The Health Board knew about the problem on December 23 but they didn’t take appropriate action. The pigeons were in that room.’

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has been approached for comment.

Today, Nicola Sturgeon was pressed on whether the ‘tragic’ death of a child at Scotland’s flagship hospital was linked to the NHS’s £900million repairs and maintenance backlog.

Ms Sturgeon said the situation was ‘a very serious incident that must be and is being treated seriously’.

The First Minister expressed her ‘deepest condolences to the families of the two patients who contracted the infection and who have subsequently died’.

Scottish Conservative interim leader Jackson Carlaw said the ‘alarming’ situation at the flagship hospital ‘raised wider questions about the Government’s record on the NHS, because there is a £900 million maintenance backlog on NHS buildings, including hospitals in Scotland’.

Pressing the SNP leader at First Minister’s Questions, he said: ‘Is it any wonder then that we do see problems emerging, not just at the Queen Elizabeth but at other hospitals across Scotland?’

The Tory stressed while tens of thousands of Scots had been successfully treated at the hospital the ‘tragic events’ had ‘shaken confidence’.

He also noted public spending watchdogs at Audit Scotland had reported there were currently ‘no coherent proposals to bring our NHS estate up to standard’.

Ms Sturgeon said: ‘At any given time there will be maintenance requirements in the health service estate.

Pigeon droppings could be seen on the ground outside the modern hospital, pictured today

‘The Scottish Government works closely with health boards through our capital allocations to health boards to make sure we’re providing, as far as we can within the resources available to us, capital provision to do that.’

Mucormycosis, a fungal infection suffered by two further patients at the Glasgow hospital

Two patients are currently suffering from mucormycosis at the hospital, which is a rare and severe fungus. infection from the fungi mucorales

The condition has a very high mortality rate of at least 50 per cent, with severe infection of the facial sinuses potentially extending into the brain.

Those at risk are people with impaired immunity from various causes, including serioid use, iron overload, burns or malnutrition.

The condition can be treated through the reversal of underlying disease or surgical management.

She added: ‘I’m not going to go into party political exchanges on this issue, it is too serious for that.

‘But obviously we work within a financial envelope and I think everybody knows that that has been under pressure in recent years and everybody knows the reasons for that.

‘But within that we have prioritised spending on the health service and we will continue to do so.’

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard also challenged her on the outbreak, saying: ‘The awful news that two patients, including a child, died after contracting an infection at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow has shocked us all.

‘Our sympathies, our thoughts, are with the families who have lost loved ones. This simply should not have happened.’

He also listed a number of incidents at the hospital since it opened four years ago, including a premature baby dying from an infection and 22 children becoming infected from bacteria in the water supply. He challenged Ms Sturgeon over whether this was ‘good enough’.

This chair covered in pigeon droppings was left in the open for three months at the hospital

The First Minister responded: ‘The evidence suggests there is no general problem with infection control.’

She added: ‘Nobody thinks it is good enough for any patient to get an infection in hospital.

‘Infections do happen in hospitals. There is probably not a hospital anywhere that hasn’t had some kind of infection outbreak and the implications for very ill patients can be severe.

‘That is why it is so important that everything possible is done to reduce infection and everything possible will be done in this case to ensure there is repetition.’

Across Scotland she said there had been a fall in hospital infections since a major outbreak of Clostridium difficile at the Vale of Leven Hospital in West Dunbartonshire more than a decade ago due to improvements in infection control.

Nightingale Associates, which was bought by Canadian firm IBI Group for £13million in June 2010, was the architect behind the hospital.

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HORROR ILLNESS Pigeon poo outbreak – Glasgow superhospital worker claims she was left so ill by pigeons she feared she was dying 2 YEARS before bird filth was linked to child’s death

Jennifer McLoughlin, 43, is suing health chiefs over the problems she suffered while working at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Jennifer told how she feared she was dying after being struck down by an illness she blames on pigeons.

She claims birds nesting in the ceiling above her desk sparked weeks of severe breathing problems.

The mum of two was an admin worker in the neurological unit at the hospital in Glasgow when she started to feel ill.

Tests later blamed her issues on her “environment” — and the flagship health complex is now at the centre of an infection scandal linked to pigeon droppings.

Jennifer was horrified when a bug connected to the birds’ mess was this week confirmed as a factor in the death of a child patient — two years after she raised concerns about the £842million site.

She said: “I knew it was those birds making me ill. I could hear them over my head every day in our office.

“It started with a cough and then it just got worse and worse.

“After a few weeks I was in a horrendous state — I thought I was dying. I couldn’t breathe, I was in and out of hospital and calling ambulances to the house.

“I visited my GP at first then found myself having to go to the out of hours team.

“I would suffer violent coughing fits so bad that I fractured my rib during one of them.

“I was put on eight different types of steroids and inhalers. They ran loads of tests on me — I had X-rays, CT scans and a scope put down my throat.”

Jennifer, of Clydebank, added: “I told them about the pigeons at my workplace and they put it down to environmental issues.

“The birds managed to get in through the air vents and were above us.

“I’d complained loads of time but nothing was done.

“To think something could have been done to save that child — it’s just absolutely disgusting.”

Jennifer needed a month off work as she recovered and on her return demanded to be moved to another office.

Her bosses agreed, but she claims the superhospital didn’t do enough after she raised the alarm in April 2017.

5 QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERED

1 Why didn’t health bosses or the Government alert the public earlier?

2 Would they have made the deaths and infection public had the media not pressed them?

3 Why does an £842m ‘superhospital’ not have adequate preventative measures against invading pigeons?

4 How did pigeon filth enter a closed ventilation system?

5 Are other hospitals being checked for pigeon problems?

She said: “I told them that I wasn’t working in that office again so they moved us. My health got better but I started looking for other jobs straight away, I couldn’t work there anymore.

“I think they knew deep down they were at fault because I was off ill for a month and those days weren’t even subtracted from my sick leave.”

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman announced a probe into the superhospital on Tuesday.

It came as she confirmed the cryptococcus infection — which can be breathed in from bird droppings — had been a factor in the death of the child in December.

Another elderly patient at the hospital who also had the infection died from an unrelated cause.

The likely source of the bug has been traced to a plant room. As details of two more infection cases emerged this week, Ms Freeman admitted the hospital “may not be fit for purpose”.

Jennifer, who lives with partner John Fenner, 46, and her children Georgia, nine, and seven-year-old Keenan, now works at the Golden Jubilee in Clydebank.

She went to her union for support after leaving the QEU then contacted Thompsons Solicitors.

They are helping take legal action against NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, claiming her working environment was to blame for her health problems.

She said: “I’m suing them for how ill I was — my rib problem, all of the medication I had to take and how ill I was.

“Up until now they have been denying it — now they can’t hide any more. A child has died and who knows how many others have been affected.

“They should hang their heads in shame.”

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it was “unable to comment on this ongoing legal case”.

A spokesman for Thompsons Solicitors added: “We are very keen that the health board engage with us to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.”

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TransLink trying to ward off pigeon problem ahead of new SkyTrain platform opening

TransLink is trying to deal with a bird poop problem around the Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station.

Pigeons have been nesting at a new platform that’s set to open early next month.

The noise of the SkyTrain — and the hustle and bustle of the commuters — isn’t enough to scare off the birds. So, Jill Drews with TransLink tells us a falcon has been brought in.

“The falcon kind of goes in from time to time and scares them away. Hopefully, they remember this is not a safe place to be.”

Drews says they’ll also be setting up electric strips, “The shock is very, very minor, it won’t harm the birds. But it’s just irritating so it will hopefully deter them from nesting.”

TransLink will also be installing spikes and netting to stop the birds from landing.

The new platform at the Commercial-Broadway station is set to open on Feb. 2. It will allow commuters to enter the westbound SkyTrains from both sides.

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Florida Man Hunting Pigeons With A Net

There are some weird things that happen in Florida – after all, that is the foundation of the entire Florida Man subReddit, so is it really that shocking that a video has surfaced of a man catching pigeons in a net? Probably not for most.

The majority of questions surrounding the video is about what the man plans on doing with the birds. Although the video posted on World Star HipHop is pretty low quality and only just over 30 seconds in length, you can clearly see a man standing near a group of pigeons with something in his hand. It is soon revealed that “something” is a net that he throws over the birds – successfully catching several.

The video cuts off with the man putting the birds in the back of a vehicle. It is not clear if it is his vehicle or someone else’s – but we would put money on it being his. There is no further information on who the mystery bird man is, so that is also up to speculation. Knowing the internet his identity will not remain a secret for very long.

As for the legality of this man’s actions – well, according to the Chicago Tribune, it is not illegal to catch and eat a city pigeon unless it happens to be someone’s trained homing pigeon.

With that being said, a lot of people are assuming he was catching his dinner.

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Ballooning pigeon population: citizens go for a quick fix

pigeon nest Strategic retreat is sometimes the best offense. Citizens of Hyderabad are doing just that as ballooning pigeon population has taken over the city. “We are shelling out ₹2,000 per apartment to get the netting done. As we have 90 apartments, we have bargained the price down to ₹ 9 per sq ft,” says G. Ravi Kiran, a resident of an apartment complex in Hyderguda. “We have been forced to go for the netting as almost all the surrounding apartments have fixed the mesh which has lead to a rise in the number of pigeons frequenting our apartment,” he says. While feeding places have multiplied throughout the city over the past few years, more and more pigeons are taking over unlikely roosting places. “We found a pair and a small chick on the V-junction of a drainage pipe. There was almost no nest except a few sticks,” says Nirmala K., who lives in an apartment complex in Rama Krishna Nagar.

This panic is turning out to be a money-spinner for a clutch of entrepreneurs who have created a business opportunity by covering balconies, ventilator shafts and common areas with pigeon netting. “We are using nets with 40 mm holes to keep out pigeons. The demand is high. We have already covered about 1,000 apartment blocks over the past two years,” says Maitresety Madhav, who took up netting business three years ago.

“If netting is with 1.5 mm thread, the guarantee is for three years and if it is 2.5 mm thread, we guarantee it for seven years,” informs Mr. Madhav.

“I worked in Bengaluru for two years and have set up my own operations in Hyderabad now. We have even covered a temple with pigeon netting,” says Salman Raju, who says the cost varies according to the thickness of the thread.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is caught out of the game, as the feeding spots have sprouted all over the city. From a traffic island at Ameerpet to a parking spot at Masab Tank to the disused Mussalam Jung Bridge in the old city, pigeon feeding spots have multiplied.

“We have put signages in bigger parks, but people still feed pigeons in smaller parks. We are trying to tell people not to stop feeding pigeons,” said an official from Urban Biodiversity wing of the GHMC.

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Pigeon poo on windshield gets driver $200 fine

A driver has been hit with a £158 ($200) parking fine after his valid permit was covered by pigeon poo.

Southend, U.K., man, Scott Coltart, was slapped with the fine outside his house as parking officers allegedly couldn’t see the permit.

Despite immediately showing the parking inspector the mistake, he was told it was too late and would be forced to appeal the ticket with Southend Council.

Mr Coltart told Southend Standard: “If you just moved your head slightly, you could clearly see the permit was in date.

“Regardless, I immediately wiped the poo away but the man said it was too late and gave us the ticket.

“He was very rude as he slapped it on the windscreen and just said to take it up on appeal.”

But even after lodging their appeal, the 30-year-old and his wife Lisa were told by the council that, although the incident was “unfortunate”, they would still have to pay the fine.

The couple then challenged the ticket a second time and assumed the charge had been dropped, but later received an enforcement letter saying bailiffs would visit their home if it wasn’t paid in full.

Lisa said: “The only thing I can see we can do is pay it but we shouldn’t have to. We have two young children and we’re both self-employed.

“We work so hard for our kids – we can’t have bailiffs coming to our home. Bird poo is not something we can control.

“The fine says we had an invalid permit but that just isn’t true and our street is checked several times a day.”

A Southend Council spokesman said: “We are currently discussing this claim with our contractor and will be in touch with the residents directly.”

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Death of child at Glasgow hospital linked to pigeon droppings infection

pigeon toxicity Pigeon droppings were a contributing factor to an infection which led to a child’s death at Scotland’s flagship hospital.

The child died at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and a post-mortem found that they had inhaled fungus which is primarily found in pigeon droppings.

Another patient was also infected but it is thought the infection did not contribute to their death.

Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said a review would be carried out in the design, build, handover and maintenance of the flagship hospital.

She told MSPs that traces of pigeon excrement had been found in a top floor room where there was a small crack in the wall which was “invisible to the naked eye”.

The hospital was built for the Scottish Government at a cost of £842 million and opened at the end of April 2015.

Despite the hospital having only recently been constructed, Ms Freeman said there appeared to be a “number of instances” where the fabric of building was “less than satisfactory”.

After visiting the hospital, the Scottish health secretary said: “I have agreed a review, with external expert advice, that will look at the design of the building, the commissioning of the work, the construction of the building, the handover of the building and the maintenance of the building, in order to ensure we identify where issues were raised that should have been addressed and where maintenance programmes now should be perhaps more robust or more frequent.”

Ms Freeman announced the review after setting out “clear factual points” on the two patient deaths to MSPs at Holyrood.

She said the Cryptococcus bacteria had initially been identified in one patient in November 2018 but was not linked to that person’s death the following month.

Ms Freeman added: “In December a post-mortem of a child who has passed away conformed that Cryptococcus was both present and a contributory factor in their death.”

She explained the second case triggered the introduction of additional infection control measures by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, including prescribing anti-fungal medication to “vulnerable patients” and the provision of additional air filters.

“I am confident the board have taken all the steps they should to ensure and maintain patient safety,” she said.

Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon said the public would be “shocked” to learn one of those who had died was a child as she claimed there had been a “complete lack of clarity” from the health board about the infection.

Ms Lennon said: “I think the people of Scotland will feel it is absolutely extraordinary that in a modern hospital, Scotland’s flagship and apparently super hospital no less, we have a situation where pigeons and infections can kill patients.

“If this unthinkable and deadly infection can happen at the flagship Queen Elizabeth, what is to stop it happening at other hospitals?”

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Bird bond: The story of an Alberta rancher and his favourite pigeon

In just a few weeks, an Alberta man and a pigeon that showed up at his ranch have become inseparable.

Greg and Maureen Germscheid say the pigeon, which Greg calls Pidge, first flew onto their property last September.

“He looked so terrible when he came here,” Maureen Germscheid told CTV Edmonton.

Their concern grew through the fall, as Pidge continued to show up at the ranch near Entwistle, Alta. A few weeks ago, Greg decided to pick up the pigeon. When the bird didn’t resist or struggle, he says, a bond was formed.

The Germscheids soon found themselves amazed by Pidge’s quirks and seeming intelligence. The bird responds to mentions of its new name and seems eager to accompany Greg on his tractor and the occasional sleigh ride.

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Driver fined £158 when pigeon poo covered his parking permit

pigeon droppings Scott Coltart, 30, and his wife Lisa received a £158 fine despite Scott running out into the street in his boxers to show him the valid permit. He said: ‘If you just moved your head slightly, you could clearly see the permit was in date. ‘Regardless, I immediately wiped the poo away but the man said it was too late and gave us the ticket. ‘He was very rude as he slapped it on the windscreen and just said to take it up on appeal.’ The couple, who have two young children, immediately appealed the ticket with the appropriate evidence – showing their permit was valid. Blind veteran, 97, begs to be allowed to die at home They claimed they received a response which acknowledged the ‘unfortunate’ situation but the fine was upheld by Southend Council, Essex. Scott added: ‘Again, we thought this was ludicrous and vowed to fight it all the way to court. We appealed a second time even though we knew if we lost, the fine would increase.’ The couple, from Southend, claim they heard nothing and assumed they had won until an enforcement notice arrived demanding they pay £158. The letter warned that bailiffs would visit their home if the amount was not paid in full. Lisa added: ‘I immediately got in touch with a solicitor to sort it out but there’s no way that can be done before the sum has to be paid on January 22. ‘The only thing I can see we can do is pay it but we shouldn’t have to. We have two young children and we’re both self-employed. ‘We work so hard for our kids – we can’t have bailiffs coming to our home. Bird poo is not something we can control. ‘The fine says we had an invalid permit but that just isn’t true and our street is checked several times a day.’ A spokesman for Southend Council said: ‘We are currently discussing this claim with our contractor and will be in touch with the residents directly.’

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When pigeons pitched in for the cause

A chronic problem for spies operating in enemy territory is transmitting their findings to their home base. The problem was especially acute in World War II Europe, where German signal-detection technology, based on triangulation skills, took a deadly toll on agents.

The British spy services delved into history for their solution: The use of carrier pigeons to speed information from agent to headquarters. The story is told in a splendidly readable account by Gordon Corera, veteran national security correspondent for the BBC.

For reasons mysterious to us Yanks, the harboring of vast flocks of carrier pigeons is a national pastime for uncountable Brits, whose flocks number into the hundreds.

During the first months of the war, Britain’s chief intelligence arm, MI6, frantically sought information of whether — or when — German forces would sweep out of Europe and invade. Spymasters delved into antiquity for the answer. Noah had pigeons on his famed ark to send reports on flood waters; Julius Caesar used birds during his conquest of Gaul. Pigeons were widely used in World War I. Why not give birds a try?

Britain had two societies of pigeon fanciers that happily supplied the needed birds. For reasons that baffle botanists, homing pigeons have the knack of flying back to their home roosts, whatever the distance.

But could they manage the 100+ miles from Europe back to England? Test flights were successful.

Thus the procedure. Six birds were gently packed into a crate that was tied to a three-and-a-half-foot parachute. Attached to each crate was an envelope with a questionnaire about German installations (and, thoughtfully, a pencil and half-a-pound of pigeon food, to be doled out a cup daily). Return messages were inserted into a small cylinder attached to each bird’s leg.

Thus was hatched Operation Columba (“columba” being the Latin scientific term for pigeon), which despite occasional glitches proved valuable for British intelligence.

The immediate concern was a possible cross-channel invasion. So the first queries dealt with concentrations of German troops and equipment depots in Belgium that could be targeted for bombing.

Two days after the initial drop in April 1940, the first pigeon returned to its roost in Kent with exactly the information sought: The location of a munitions dump, a report on a German artillery movement and a note that enemy morale “is not too good.”

The swift return, followed by many others, answered a key question: Would persons in occupied areas risk their lives to answer the pigeon-borne queries? The response was overwhelming: Many citizens of both Belgium and France were disgusted with their leaders’ swift capitulation to the Germans, and wished to demonstrate their personal bravery.

In many instances, the pigeon messages were dispatched by a single individual — for instance, a farmer who found a parachute while making his morning rounds and scrawled what he knew before tossing the bird into the air.

There were notable examples of how Operation Columba inspired the formation of ad hoc resistance groups. Mr. Corera tells of a farmer who found a pigeon and decided to take it (hidden in a sack of potatoes) to a family he knew were patriots.

The three brothers and two sisters of the Debaillies family, although they hated the Germans, were divided. Two men felt the “risk was too great.” But they decided to contact a priest, Father Joseph Raskin, who had worked underground against the Germans in World War I, (being jailed twice) and was ready to resist again.

Raskin and friends went to work surveying German military activities in their area. A key item of information was that coastal defenses were being strengthened — a signal to British intelligence that the Germans were now preparing to defend against an invasion, rather than launch one of their own.

Raskin used a magnifying glass to ensure he crammed as much detail as possible onto two thin sheets of rice paper. His product is reproduced in the book. Once can only speculate the excitement with which intel analysts pored over the pages.

One page bore a symbol, a circle with a curley L sitting on a V, with “Our Shield!” scrawled alongside, a signal to watch for subsequent messages. The cell took the name “Leopold Vindictive” and send back uncountable messages.

The Germans, unsurprisingly, found enough pigeons to deduce what was going on and launched counter-measures: Falcons, a pigeon’s worst enemy. They also scattered their own pigeons, hoping to entrap resistance fighters.

Nonetheless, Operation Columba continued through D-Day and beyond, with pigeon-borne serving as messengers. There was a deadly price, of course: Of the 16,000 pigeons sent out, only 1 of 10 made it back alive. Perhaps a memorial statue is in order?

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‘Pidge’ the pet pigeon finds home on Alberta ranch

pigeons passenger pigeon When a scruffy pigeon first flew onto the Germscheid family ranch near Entwistle, Greg didn’t know what to think.

“He looked so terrible when he came here,” the rancher recalled of Sept. 19, when he first noticed the bird.

But three weeks ago, Greg extended a hand to the pigeon in friendship.

“I actually picked him up in both hands and he didn’t struggle,” Greg recalled.

It turns out—as pigeons go—the nicknamed ‘Pidge’ is somewhat remarkable.

“He just seems to have taken on a personality, you know?”

Now, Pidge comes when called, perches on Greg’s shoulder and goes for sleigh rides.

The two are nearly inseparable.

“Every morning, Greg gets up and says, ‘I better go see my Pidge, see how he’s doing,’” Maureen, Greg’s wife, told CTV News.

The Germscheids don’t know what makes Pidge so friendly or smart. They’ve wondered if pigeon sees them as parents, or if he came from a breeder.

Or—they’ve considered—Pidge is just an exceptional animal.

“There’s a little magic in everything, you know?” Greg asked.

The couple doesn’t cage Pidge, so he could leave as suddenly as he showed up. However, no matter what he chooses, Pidge will have friends among the Germscheids.

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Pigeon problems at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital first reported more than two years ago

pigeon show On Saturday, two patients died after contracting a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings.

While one death was reportedly not a result of contracting Cryptococcus, health chiefs are now looking into the passing of another patient, believed to be a child, as the factors leading to the death are currently unclear.

It was reported on Sunday that the Scottish Government had been aware of the issue since December.

However, a freedom of information request which has been shared with the Evening Times shows complaints relating to pigeons in the ceiling of the super hospital were made as early as January 2017.

Throughout 2017 a total of 12 issues were flagged up relating to the birds in just one department of the building.

In August and September 2017 the problem of pigeon dropping being in close-proximity to patients was shared with environmental staff at NHSGreater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), with one reporting pigeons roosting and fouling at an ambulance entrance.

NHSGGC declined to comment on the series of 2017 complaints relating to the birds. A spokesman for the health board said: “Like many very large buildings the hospital can at times attract birds.

“We have a number of control measures in place to prevent them gathering and are exploring further options to add to the existing measures.”

According to the freedom of information document, written in 2018, pigeon excrement is “periodically brushed away” and areas are power washed as required.

Netting and spikes were also installed at the hospital to prevent pigeons roosting.

However, this is limited in periods when temperatures are low to avoid ice forming.

The document adds: “NHSGGC endeavours always to provide the best experience possible for patients, their relatives, our staff, and other members of the public, in premises which are pleasant, and conducive to good health and recovery.

“The situation with the pigeons is continually monitored by NHSGGC and we are proactive in our efforts to reduce the problem.

“However, we have sought comments from our consultant in public health with special responsibility for environmental concerns who advised us that, in general, the risk for health posed by exposure to these pests is considered to be relatively minor.

“We are aware that this particular issue concerns a hospital and a population of potentially vulnerable patients rather than a residential or commercial premises, but an infestation of this kind would normally be considered as an environmental nuisance rather than a major risk for human health.”

In a statement following the deaths an NHSGGC spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with the families at this distressing time.

“These two cases of infection were identified in December and an Incident Management Team was formed. A likely source was identified and dealt with immediately.

“We are unable to comment further on the two cases due to patient confidentiality.”

On Friday some patients with compromised immunity, both children and adults, were transferred to other areas of the hospital away from the source of the infection.

The health board have since confirmed that the affected area is “non-public” and the droppings had been removed.

Alongside this, air quality tests have been carried, with filters being installed to monitor this and are said to be working effectively. No other cases have yet been detected.

The infection is caused by inhaling spores of the fungus Cryptococcus, carried in the air, found in the bird’s droppings. Most infections are mild and produce either no symptoms or a minor influenza – like illness.

However the disease can cause meningitis, high fever, blood abnormalities, pneumonia and even death.

Those experiencing issues with their immune system are the most susceptible to complications, with the infection remaining rare amongst healthy individuals.

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