The Town of Pictou’s efforts to clean up for next week’s royal visit have some locals worried they’re killing pigeons.
The town’s old post office has been derelict for years and pigeons roost in it. Recently, the windows were mostly boarded up.
Rachelle Gaudet said the situation was bleak. “An awful lot of pigeons. Some of them are trapped in the building [and] there’s a lot of them hanging around trying to get in,” she said.
She learned of the situation while walking past the building. She heard a racket as birds tried to get in or out. Gaudet said a broken window in the front is too small.
“We’re expecting the royal visit next week and so I would assume they boarded up all the windows so it wasn’t an eyesore,” she said. “Even if they just took a couple [of boards] down from the back so they could get in and out.”
Others took to Twitter to raise the alarm.
“In my opinion it was done to perk up the town for the royal visit,” said Charlene Steeves. “That’s all well and good but you can’t do that at the expense of these animals.”
Steeves said the building was boarded up Friday. The town said it was done Monday after complaints from the public.
Joe Hawes, mayor of Pictou, said the flap over the pigeons was misplaced. The town boarded up the windows after vandals smashed the glass. It’s a privately owned building, so the town will charge the owner for the work.
“They weren’t trying to kill the pigeons or harm them,” he said.
“The town crews went in and boarded up the windows and painted them black. They didn’t know that there was pigeons inside. They had no idea.”
When they figured out the pigeons were having problems, the crews returned and cut holes in the new plywood to grant avian access.
“Well, they can fly out now. There’s holes in there,” Hawes said. “They’re not in there shooting them or trapping them. It’s really much ado about nothing.”
He was asked about reports birds were flying straight into the walls. “That I don’t know. Birds are pretty intelligent. If there’s a hole there to get out, they’ll get out.”
Thursday morning more holes were added to open access for the birds on all floors.
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)
John Wilkinson, who was jailed for six weeks for breaching an ASBO restricting his habit of feeding pigeons, is expected to be released before the weekend after serving half his sentence.
The Visitor campaigned to ‘Free the Morecambe Birdman’ believing his punishment did not fit the crime.
We also said sending a man to prison for feeding birds was an unnecessary waste of taxpayers’ money and unlikely to make a difference to his long-term behaviour.
We also called for active and meaningful support for those in Morecambe who have suffered years of misery as a direct result of his bird feeding activities.
Neighbours have complained for years about the noise, nuisance and smell caused by Wilkinson’s habit of feeding pigeons at his home on Cavendish Road in the West End of Morecambe.
Our campaign was sparked after angry Visitor readers bombarded social media with messages calling for Wilkinson, who is being held in HM Preston prison, to be released.
Rita Patton, a friend of Wilkinson’s who started her own campaign on Facebook and organised a public bird feeding in Morecambe to show support, said: “I’m proud of The Visitor. You’ve done things in the right way.
“Apparently John is doing really well although he’s a little nervous by all the attention, because he’s seen all the press and TV coverage.
“I’m going to have a meeting with him and (charity) West End Impact when he gets out, to explain to him why we started the campaign.
“I hope he will go back to feeding the birds, but a little more responsibly.”
Mrs Patton has collected £100 in donations, which she will hand over to Wilkinson once he is freed.
Meanwhile David Morris MP has written to the Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, to ask if procedures were followed correctly in the case of Wilkinson.
“This is a really sad case,” said Mr Morris.
“I pass Mr. Wilkinson’s house regularly and I am sure it must be frustrating for neighbours to have so many pigeons flying past all of the time.”
Wilkinson was sent to jail after feeding pigeons approximately 40kg of bird seed each day, along with vast quantities of food such as pizzas, pasta, apples and processed ready-meals, which he was forbidden from doing under the terms of his ASBO.
He will be released under legal guidelines which allow people jailed for less than a year to be freed after serving just half their sentence.
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.
Sonic bird control systems are becoming more common in the bird control sector and broadly speaking fall into three distinct categories; ultrasonic systems, sonic systems and bio-acoustic systems. For information on ultrasonic systems please see our ‘Ultrasonic Systems’ product review. Sonic systems produce a variety of electronically-generated sounds normally emitting noise levels up to 120 dB (A) and are designed to frighten birds with loud and unpleasant noises. Sonic noise is sound that is audible to the human ear – ultrasonic sound is normally not audible to the human ear but in some cases can be heard by women or young children. Bio-acoustic systems use natural alarm and distress calls as well as predator calls in order to create a hostile environment for the target species. Alarm calls are made when the bird perceives itself to be in danger, distress calls are made when the bird is in pain or has been attacked by a predator and predator calls are cries made by a predatory bird. Distress calls, alarm calls and predator calls are audible to the human ear.
Pure sonic systems are not widely available for the purpose of bird control with a majority of sonic devices being provided as part of a 2/3/4-way or even a 5-way system. These systems may include any of the following; distress calls, alarm calls, predator calls, ultrasonic sounds and sonic sounds. In some cases these systems are complimented by strobe lights providing a visual scaring element to the system. Most systems are available for internal or external use and a majority of the combo systems have multi-speaker options for ‘surround-sound’ scaring.
The most effective sonic systems appear to be those that are programmable and which offer sonic, ultrasonic and bio-acoustic options. For the purposes of this review it is these systems that we will concentrate upon. A majority of these systems are static systems with multi-speaker options that would normally be used for the protection of larger areas such as football stadiums or large industrial warehouses. For smaller more intimate areas the single-speaker units may be more appropriate but many of these units are only available with single-voice options such as distress calls or predator calls. Where sonic systems are installed in areas in areas of human habitation it must be understood that noise will be generated which may be intrusive, unpleasant and anti-social. For any type of urban application a thorough survey of the area must first be undertaken to assess the potential for human disturbance. If a sonic system is to be considered for an internal application such as a factory unit where people are working, care must be taken to ensure that workers do not suffer sonic disturbance (or visual disturbance if a combo unit with a strobe is used).
Most sonic systems are powered by mains electricity (AC current) for ease of use and in an effort to reduce the need for human interaction, but a majority of systems also offer a battery-powered option (DC current) and in some cases a solar panel option as well.
Ultrasonic frequency range: 15-25 KHz
Sonic frequency range: 3-5 KHz
Ultrasonic sound pressure: 95-102 dB (per speaker) at 1 metre
Sonic sound pressure: 105-110 dB (per speaker) at 1 metre
Switchable sound options: Distress calls, Predator sounds, Sonic sounds
Constant sounds: Ultrasonic sounds play constantly
Ultrasonic modes: High frequency, Medium frequency, Low frequency
Operation modes: Delay period (time between playing calls), Time of operation, Random mode
Delay period settings: Short/Medium/Long/Extra Long
Timed operations: Day only/24 hour/Night only
Random settings: Mode on, Mode off
Another major consideration when siting a sonic device is proximity to human habitation. The benefit of a fully programmable device is that the various sounds and calls (and lights if applicable) can be switched off at times when the device may be liable to cause disturbance, but the more basic units may need to be manually switched requiring regular human interaction. In the case of all sonic systems the transmission of sound will be effected by wind, temperature and the deflection of sound waves from surrounding buildings and therefore finding the optimum site may be time consuming. It is also the case that when the speakers need to be re-located due to the risk of habituation, the process of risk assessment must be undertaken all over again to ensure that the reflected sounds not only continue to be effective as a deterrent but also do not disturb people living or working in the vicinity.
The sonic bird scarer is a relatively inexpensive product based on the sheer number of scaring options provided together in one unit, certainly in the case of the multi-function scarers, but the issue of habituation is an ongoing concern for users. Most experts believe that sonic products, be they bio-acoustic, ultrasonic, sonic or a combination of all three can only ever play a part in an overall control strategy combining other deterrents and anti-perching products. Although the product may appear to be reasonably priced based on the various options available to the user and relative to some of the more cost-prohibitive exclusion products such as bird netting, when provided as part of an overall control system the product does not seem quite so cost-effective. Many users will purchase this product because they are simply looking for a maintenance-free option that is clean, cheap to run and which has numerous operating options. It is possible, however, that the product will not quite live up to their expectations when the necessity to regularly re-site the product and/or the speakers to reduce habituation is taken into consideration, combined with the probable need to complement the system with deterrents.
Also commonly known as:
Bird wailer, sonic scarers, ultrasound bird scarers, quadblaster, wailer, silent bird scarer, electronic bird scarer, maxi wailer, midi wailer, broadband pro, billboard pro, ultrasonic scarers, sonic deterrents, ultrasound deterrents, bird xpeller pro, super bird xpeller pro, distress call system, sonic distress system
Relevance to pigeon control:
Sonic systems are used to scare a wide variety of birds, predominantly in the agricultural sector, but the product is also commonly marketed as a pigeon-scaring device
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.
The information on this blog is for personal use only. Content for this blog obtained from other websites is not being used for any commercial reasons whatsoever as per the copyright statement on the Pigeon Control Resource Centre’s website. http://www.pigeoncontrolresourcecentre.org/ Special thanks for the people and companies that helped gather this information. This information is to be used for reference only.
‘Irri-tape pigeon scarer’ is a bird and pigeon control product that visually scares pigeons and birds by the use of holographic images imprinted onto a polyester film. The images resemble owl’s eyes in an interlocking pattern and the 3-dimensional holographic surface reflects the colours of the spectrum as the tape moves. Irri-tape comes in the form of a tape, normally sold in 100 foot or 500 foot rolls, that is ready for use by simply cutting to size. The tape measures 2” wide and .0001” thick. Irri-tape has a considerable number of applications and will scare a variety of bird species including waterfowl and predatory birds.
Irri-tape pigeon scarer is effective, according to the distributor, because it flashes as it moves in the wind with constantly changing colours and patterns. The flashing ‘ripple’ effect unsettles the target species and is perceived as a danger signal. Viewed from a distance, Irri-tape has a reptilian sheen and as a result may be perceived as a predator by other birds, thereby scaring them. The perceived movement of Irri-tape, courtesy of the holographic images, may even be seen by the target species as a rival for food or territory.
Irri-tape not only scares pest species of birds visually but also by making a metallic rattling sound when caught in the wind. The combination of audio and visual scarers in one product makes Irri-tape pigeon scarer an interesting bird control option.
Irri-tape’s applications include protecting ponds, lakes and lawns from waterfowl such as ducks and geese as well as protecting facilities such as fish farms from predation by hawks and other raptors. Irri-tape pigeon scarer can also be wrapped around tree trunks and grape vines to stop bird damage as well as commercial fruit crops and fruit and vegetable plots in domestic gardens. Irri-tape can be applied to flat surfaces such as narrow fences or ledges on buildings to stop birds such as pigeons landing and perching. The product can also be suspended above perching or roosting areas by specially designed wire supports and the main ribbon can be made even more effective by attaching 5 foot long ‘streamers’. Irri-tape can also be used to scare birds from pleasure craft moored in marinas and on roof tops to stop birds landing. The distributor even suggests that whole areas can be protected by providing a line of upright posts and ‘maypoling’ 6-10 foot strips of Irri-tape pigeon scarer to them, allowing the Irri-tape to blow freely in the wind.
Irri-tape pigeon scarer appears to be simple and straightforward to install in virtually every application and the product can be installed by a property ownerrather than having to instruct a specialist contractor. The product is relatively inexpensive to buy and is also lightweight, durable and maintenance-free.
Where urban installations are concerned, access to maintain and repair damaged tape must also be taken into consideration. Birds such as pigeons will often choose inaccessible areas to perch and roost and therefore access to these areas to both install and maintain the product may be difficult and potentially expensive. There are also many more areas on buildings where reflective tape may become ‘snagged’ on architectural features, for example, than in open-space environments such as gardens and fields. Based on the fact that most urban applications will require the product to be installed at height, the question of how the product will stand up to strong winds and gales must also be considered. If Irri-tape pigeon scarer is installed as a linear application, along a parapet wall for example, the likelihood of the product being damaged as a result of high winds is lessened, but cannot be ruled out.
Irri-tape pigeon scarer is clearly a product that deserves consideration whether it is used for the protection of gardens, crops or buildings. As with a vast majority of bird scarers, however, the product will be considerably more effective when provided as part of an overall control system rather than as a stand-alone device. There are very few products within the pest control marketplace, with the possible exception of anti-roosting spikes, that are 100% effective as a stand-alone deterrent/scarer or anti-perching device.
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.
The information on this blog is for personal use only. Content for this blog obtained from other websites is not being used for any commercial reasons whatsoever as per the copyright statement on the Pigeon Control Resource Centre’s website. http://www.pigeoncontrolresourcecentre.org/ Special thanks for the people and companies that helped gather this information. This information is to be used for reference only.
Olympia firefighters stepped up to help on Sunday when a duck flew right into the backstop netting at the Capitol High School baseball field and got stuck about 40 feet from the ground.
David Supensky of For Heaven’s Sake Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation said they got a call about the stuck duck and when he arrived at the scene with a ladder, he realized he wouldn’t be able to reach the bird.
He called the Olympia Fire Department and they came out with their 100-foot ladder.
“They cut the netting and put the bird in a crate and brought it down,” Supensky said.
Supensky said the bird had some abrasions on its left wing. Supensky’s wife removed the netting from the bird’s wing and kept it overnight.
The next day David released the bird back in Yauger Park, which is near the ball field.
“It went right back into the water,” Supensky said. “A happy ending.”
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.
