by Pigeon Patrol | Feb 5, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
For Mathis Brothers Furniture in Indio, it’s time to go solar. With a two-story showroom, a large warehouse and a lot of light fixtures, televisions and adjustable mattress bases, “The amount of power being used is pretty huge,” said sales manager, James Dorris.
On the rooftop, Solar Forward, an Los Angeles based company, is already hard at work installing nearly 2,500 solar panels.
“We’re really excited to be working with Mathis Brothers to install the largest solar system here in Indio. Basically this system is so large it could power 125 homes,” said Mark Smith, CEO of Solar Forward.
The installation’s expected to take two months and cost $2.5 million. The panels will lighten up Mathis Brothers’ electric bill 95 percent and could trim your bill too.
“We’re making the energy on site. It’s going to go from the roof into the main panel and be used right here. Any excess energy just gets distributed right in the area, consumed in the local community,” said Smith.
“We want to be able to cut down as much as we can, not just for our own benefit, but for our community,” said Dorris.
The workers are facing several challenges including the Coachella Valley heat and pigeons! They’re using everything under the sun to keep the birds away such as reflective tape and sound decoys.
“There were swamp coolers and the pigeons made it their home. Now we’re trying to teach the pigeons to go somewhere else,” said Smith.
Solar Forward said it’ll need more hands on deck to get the job done.
“Solar Forward is LA based. We want to hire local people to facilitate this installation. We need local help. This is a huge job,” Smith said.
“Overall it’s the step in the right direction for everybody,” said Dorris.
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 | Feb 5, 2015 | Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News
Businesses in a district aiming to be a global technology centre would be better off using carrier pigeons to send files than using the internet, an MP has said.
Labour’s Emily Thornberry suggested owls and ravens would also offer an improved service in Tech City, a Government-backed area endorsed by the Prime Minister, compared to the slow broadband speeds available.
The former shadow minister said it took nine hours for one of the companies based in the east London start-up collective to send a two-and-a-half minute film to Ford.
Thirty-eight businesses signed a petition last May complaining about slow and unreliable broadband in the area, MPs heard.
Ms Thornberry also said she took a sample case to BT although she was informed it was not commercially viable to connect a green cabinet outside that company’s premises, despite high-speed broadband being available in the area.
David Cameron has previously stated he wanted to help Tech City become ”one of the world’s great technology centres” while Mayor of London Boris Johnson is also backing the area.
Ms Thornberry urged the duo to ”lean” on BT to give the companies the tools they need.
The MP for Islington South and Finsbury told a Westminster Hall debate: ”This is an area that ought to be exporting but if they simply cannot export a two-and-a-half-minute film without nine hours time to upload it, it really can’t be called Tech City I’d respectfully suggest.
”Tech City doesn’t just serve the UK.
”Companies in my constituency have clients throughout the world and these clients expect these companies to have fast and reliable communications.
”I spoke to (Michael Proudfoot, of film production company Proudfoot) and it was clear his business has evolved over the past 10 years but his connectivity has not improved in line with his work.
”He said that to send a high quality sound file to Covent Garden it was quicker to put it on a stick and cycle it round to Covent Garden.
”Perhaps he should attach it to a stick and then put it on an owl like Harry Potter or perhaps put it on a carrier pigeon or even a raven, as they do in Game of Thrones. That might be equally effective.
”He said that some of his employees get better broadband speeds on their domestic home connections than they do in the heart of Tech City.”
Ms Thornberry added: “Tech City should not be relying on Game of Thrones’ ravens.”
Replying for the Government, Culture Minister Ed Vaizey said vouchers had been made available in London which would allow a business to apply and have the connection charge met.
He said 2,500 businesses in London had taken advantage of this.
Mr Vaizey said: “I get a lot of criticism about BT in debates like this and I sometimes feel that I am BT’s spokesman in the House of Commons because I’m constantly having to defend them either on customer service or on the grounds of competition.
“But it is interesting to note where you can make money and a good margin there is a competitive market – so if you’re in the centre of a city like London with a lot of SMEs you will find a lot of suppliers willing to build up networks and supply that marketplace.
“But if you’re a village in a very rural area, the only game in town tends to be BT.”
In a statement, a BT spokeswoman said: “Ultrafast high-capacity broadband services are available throughout the whole of Tech City and Government grants are available to businesses which want them.
“The prices for these services are set to fall from this April with the wholesale installation charge for our one gbps service falling by 46% to cite just one example.
“These dedicated business lines are likely to be needed by any business with sizeable digital demands.
“Domestic level fibre broadband is available to around two-thirds of premises in Tech City. Plans are in place to extend this to 90%.”
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 | Jan 16, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
A hawk – or hawks – once made the top of City Hall home. And, apparently, the birds of prey did yeoman’s work in keeping the pigeon population in check.
Those hawks, though, have found another place to rest their claws. No one knows why. Since then, the place has really gone to… the other birds.
With no predators around, the pigeon population proliferated. So did the amount of pigeon droppings that rain down from the ledges where they perch on the 12-story building.
The droppings have become such a problem that the city hired an animal control company to move the birds. The city has also paid to have the windows power washed three times. Some city staffers have relocated important meetings because of the unsightly office windows.
“It’s gross,” city spokeswoman Lori Crouch said. “You can’t have a meeting in your office when your windows are literally covered in poo.”
So far, the animal control and cleanings have cost $24,000, with another $6,700 job coming after the holidays, according to the city. The power washings, which likely will continue every week or two, cost $1,600 apiece.
City staffers see the humor in the ordeal. One joke involves a new nickname for the building. (Hint: It rhymes with City Hall.)
For a holiday gift exchange, Crouch received a “bird poop survival kit,” including Windex, a squeegee, wipes – and a bird ornament.
Another staffer got a bird feeder.
A company named ACME Animal Control has been trying to resolve the issue since August. But, in some respects, things have gotten worse.
ACME installed bird spikes around the top floors of the building where the pigeons roost to deter them from sticking around. While some have taken the hint, the rest have gathered on a panel just below the building’s roof.
“Every place we spiked pushed them up higher and higher,” said David Freeman, director of the city’s General Services Department.
“And as they started going higher, the poop problem started getting worse.”
Freeman described a “splatter effect.”
“It has a lot more intensity when it hits something,” he said.
The windows on the 10th and 11th floors on the north and east sides of the building take the worst of the waste.
After the holidays, the city will add another round of spikes and hope that does the trick, Freeman said. If not, it will look at other options.
“It’s been a cat-and-mouse game,” Freeman said. “We’re winning all these battles and eventually we’re going to end up winning the war.”
Of course, Freeman wouldn’t mind a little help. A hawk would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
“They certainly would not starve,” Freeman said. “There would be plenty of food to eat.”
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 | Jan 16, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeons in the News
Thousands of pigeons have invaded a small town in Scotland – coating roofs, streets and pavements in droppings and feathers.
Frustrated residents in Alva, Clackmannanshire, have hit out at council officials for failing to take action to remove the birds after they claim they have been hit be a ‘plague of pigeons’.
It is thought the birds are looking for a place to roost after the demolition of a former pub, the Alva Glen Hotel, which had lain empty for years and where they had taken residency.
A small town in Scotland has been invaded by a swarm of pigeons, which have coated roofs and pavements with droppings and feathers
But it was recently knocked down after it was discovered that drug barons had been using it as a cannabis farm in 2009.
Residents have complained that persistent problems include pigeons taking to balconies and that roofs of buildings are being covered in feathers and droppings.
Frank Cairns, 45, a local publican who lives and works in Main Street where most of the birds have settled, said: ‘It’s an absolute nightmare. It’s like we’ve gone back to the Middle Ages with street hygiene.
‘It will harm trade, no doubt about that. It gives us a harder job to keep the place clean.’
His sister Katrina Cairns added: ‘We have had to clean the gutters three times to clean out the pigeon mess. It is all getting dragged in here.
‘School kids are walking along the street, walking it into shops, the school, their houses.
‘I know the council said they are sending a cleaner along the street, but the mess is still there. The disease it brings – they are not exactly clean animals.
It is thought the birds are trying to find somewhere to roost after their previous home – the Alva Glen Hotel – was recently demolished
The pigeons can be seen in their thousands as they sit on roofs of houses. Furious residents have complained the council has not done enough to remove the birds
‘It’s not great, you have to try to avoid it in the street.’
Graham Johnston owns a watch shop and has many of the pigeons roosting on his roof: ‘It is annoying. Someone must be feeding them or they’d be away by now.
‘There is droppings all along the pavement. It’s horrible. The mess gets brought into the shop from the pavement outside. There is nothing being done about it.’
James McDonald, 64, who lives opposite where the hotel used to be, added: ‘It’s not very nice, the mess in the street is horrible.’
George Horsburgh, former secretary of Alva Community Council, who is also part of the Alva Community Action Group, said: ‘This has infuriated many residents of Alva who are worst affected, in particular residents of the flattened dwellings in The Wynd.
‘The residents there have to put up with many of the pigeons roosting on their balconies overnight and part of the day, making them unusable to the residents, some of them have resorted to fitting strawberry netting across the front of their balconies to prevent the pigeons from gaining access.
‘One older lady constantly complains that they roost on her window ledges and wonders why no action has been taken.’
Residents have complained that persistent problems include pigeons taking to balconies and that roofs of buildings are being covered in feathers and droppings
The derelict former hotel was bought and flattened by construction firm Murdoch Smith last year after it was branded an eyesore, due to its state of disrepair and problems surrounding the maintenance of the building date as far back as 2006.
Local MP Gordon Banks agrees the pigeon issue is causing distress for many people, and believes the situation has been a long time coming.
He said: ‘There can be no doubt that there are hundreds of pigeons displaced from the old Alva Glen Hotel and such populations are an obvious result of buildings lying empty and falling into disrepair, so the problem has been a long time in the making.
‘Now that their roost has been destroyed these birds are in the open and can often be seen swarming in their hundreds in the area.
‘The council’s hope that they will naturally disperse does not seem to have much support and I hope there is some way that the council will rethink their position and investigate methods for dispersal.
‘This is a problem where buildings are allowed to fall into disrepair and impacts other areas of the county as well, so I look forward to the council being more proactive on empty buildings in the future.’
Another resident said: ‘As soon as they took the roof of the Alva Glen Hotel, the town was hit by a plague of pigeons flying around wondering where their home had gone. They had all been roosting in the attic.’
The birds had been roosting in the Alva Glen Hotel (pictured) before it was recently demolished after residents complained it was an ‘eyesore’
The small town of Alva in Clackmannanshire has been inundated with the pigeons and the local council has organised extra street cleaning
Clackmannanshire Council said it had been concerned about the potential for problems from pests from the site and, in advance of the demolition, had investigated options for culling the birds.
A spokeswoman for the council said: ‘Due to animal welfare legislation we were unable to net the buildings as it would have trapped the birds inside and due to the poor state of the building we were unable to gain access to poison the birds.
‘It was expected that the pigeon population of Alva would decrease as the air temperature dropped and the pigeons are forced to find new sheltered spots for roosting at night.
‘The persistence of birds during daytime is indicative of food being put out for the birds during the day.
‘The council has investigated a number of reports and spoken to those responsible.
‘To reduce the impact off the pigeon droppings on the pavements of Alva, the council has organised extra street cleansing and also arranged for high powered jet washing of the worst affected areas.
‘Council officers will continue to monitor the situation, and consider further action should the issue persist.’
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 | Nov 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
Physical control
Controlling pigeons permanently is hard because these birds have adapted to stress, and there are many sources of food available in urban areas.
- Never leave food out where pigeons can get it.
- Keep garbage containers closed. Dispose of garbage on a regular basis.
- On flat roofs or ledges, use bristling wires, also known as porcupine wires, or sticky pastes that will discourage pigeons from landing and gathering.
Bird scaring devices
Bird scaring devices can also be bought to frighten birds away from a given area. Loud noises, flashing lights, windmills, and recordings of bird distress calls can be effective ways of controlling pigeons, but may not all be practical in urban settings.
Ultra-sonic bird repellers are mostly used for personal balconies, backyards, or commercial rooftops
Products
Bird spikes, also known as an anti-roosting spike, is an effective device consisting of long, needle-like rods used for bird control. They can be attached to building ledges, street lighting, and commercial signage to prevent wild or feral birds from perching or roosting, in a humane way.
Pigeon Patrol spikes are an effective way to keep the birds away
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)
For Mathis Brothers Furniture in Indio, it’s time to go solar. With a two-story showroom, a large warehouse and a lot of light fixtures, televisions and adjustable mattress bases, “The amount of power being used is pretty huge,” said sales manager, James Dorris.
