A FEEDING ban at St Martin’s Churchyard has already been successful in reducing the numbers of pigeons and squirrels living there.
As the Advertiser revealed in December, the vast population of animals and “less-pleasant vermin” living around the church is causing a significant risk to the much-loved building, with architects warning there is a high potential for stonework to be damaged by large amounts of droppings. Signs were erected around the site that month calling for those walking through the yard to “Keep our wildlife wild and our children safe” and refrain from feeding animals there.
Churchwarden Peter Bunn said that while there is still a long way to go, the signs have so far proved effective.
“The number of pigeons you see sitting on the south roof waiting for food has definitely been reduced,” he said.
“It has got better. I would say that most people are respecting the signs. It’s not everyone and we have had some people we have had slight difficulties with.
“But I think most people understand our problem and we are on our way to solving it.”
As well as the potential damage to stonework, a further concern for church workers is that of squirrels finding their way inside and causing damage to the historic organ or, more seriously, chewing through electric wiring and starting a fire.
Householders in the area have also noticed an improvement.
Derek Benoliel of nearby St Martin’s Court said: “The situation is greatly improved.
“It’s not resolved but there definitely isn’t as many pigeons as there was. In the morning we used to see around 100 to 150 pigeons.
“The people that feed them do it with the best intentions in the world but they don’t know the danger.
“The number isn’t as low as it needs to be. They just make such a mess.”
He added: “We are still inundated with squirrels.
“It needs to be stopped completely. You definitely still see people doing it.
“I have nothing against pigeons as a bird but it’s the damage they cause.”
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.
Pigeons have plagued the parliament for years. When the building first opened, muck and feathers were blown through vents on to researchers’ desks and some birds even got into MSPs’ offices. Nets, wires and spikes were installed in a bid to keep the birds away.
Birds of prey were introduced in 2009 with a strict “no kill” policy. Last year, the Evening News revealed laser pens were also being used to frighten the birds away, prompting warnings by experts that birds could be blinded by such measures.
Today, pigeon experts said the parliament was wasting money by paying for any more action against the birds.
Monthly reports to Holyrood by contractors NBC Bird and Pest Solutions say they find an average of 14 birds present each time they arrive for their early-morning visits.
And the reports claim they successfully disperse about two-thirds each time.
But Emma Haskell, who until recently ran the Pigeon Control Advisory Service, said there was little chance of getting the numbers any lower.
She said: “These will undoubtedly be the same birds each time. They will return to base once the hawk has gone. You would need to fly the hawks 24/7 to deter the pigeons permanently.
“They are never going to be pigeon-free. That’s just unrealistic.
“Fourteen is a very small number of birds for an area the size of the parliament. Why are they spending any money on that number of pigeons? It’s a complete waste of money.”
Ms Haskell said the only time the pigeons would be absent from the building was when a hawk was flying and there was no reason to suppose scrapping such flights would lead to an increase in numbers.
Edinburgh Southern SNP MSP Jim Eadie said: “Given the size and importance of the building, it is appropriate there should be proper pest control measures in place.
“The public is entitled to expect that any expenditure is constantly reviewed and evaluated to ensure the taxpayer is receiving value for money.”
It is understood the parliament will consider cutting back hawk visits when the contract runs out in May next year.
A spokesman said: “While we are pleased measures have reduced the number of issues in recent times, we are aware the problem can never be fully eradicated. A decision on whether to continue with the existing approach will be taken early next year.”
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.
AN OAP was left suffering from a deadly lung disease after a flock of pigeons set up home in an empty property above her.
Rosslyn Osinski, 67, had to be taken to hospital with pigeon fancier’s lung after 70 birds moved into the derelict home and excrement started to seep through her ceiling.
Her husband Michael, 68, feared for her life after she lost more than a stone and was hooked up to oxygen to keep her alive.
Rosslyn spent two weeks in hospital and had to undergo a six-month course of steroids.
Last night, Rosslyn demanded someone is held accountable, blasting: “This has been an absolute nightmare.”
Rosslyn first visited her GP in January last year with breathlessness, diarrhoea, vomiting and fatigue.
She went to Borders General Hospital where she was put on antibiotics and hooked up to oxygen.
Rosslyn said: “On Christmas Day, I just managed to get out of bed. I looked like skin and bone – I looked absolutely terrible.
“I spent a week in hospital on antibiotics and oxygen and then I was released.
“Within 24 hours, I had to call an ambulance. I couldn’t breathe. I went back to hospital, looked at myself in the mirror and I just started crying.
“I just thought to myself, ‘I’m going to die in here.’ I thought, ‘This must be what it’s like to die’.”
Michael said: “They did a CT scan and her lungs were white. If a doctor had not spotted it, she’d be dead.”
Rosslyn’s nightmare started after the Crown Hotel above her basement home in Coldstream, Berwick- shire, fell into disrepair and the birds moved in.
The couple are taking legal action against Scottish Borders Council, claiming they failed to make the building safe despite complaints. But the council’s insurers have denied liability.
Rosslyn’s basement home – which is underneath the hotel – was repeatedly flooded with “dirty, brown, filthy water” which had filtered through piles of pigeon excrement.
The couple were left with a £5000 bill to repair the damage.
Rosslyn, who had hoped to run a B&B from their home said: “I still have scar tissue in my lungs and so there’s no way I can cater for people.
“It’s ruined the little business we hoped to have.”
A spokesman for Scottish Borders Council said: “We have no comment to make at this stage as we feel it may prejudice the legal process.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – Piano wire, made for use in piano strings, has found a new, unexpected use in chasing pigeons away so that buildings and structures could avoid premature corrosion as well as bad odor and noise. The Seoul metropolitan city government said on September 4 that it has come up with a novel solution to keep birds away using piano wire by experimentally installing the line on Seongsan No. 1 Bridge and the Seoul Station Overpass.
The solution is based on a simple idea that the birds wouldn’t be able to land on the extremely thin line and would fly away after trying many times. Until now, most bridges and elevated roads have been infested with pigeons, causing bad smell, often unbearable noise, and urban squalor. In some problem spots, the city government tried to install bird blocking nets but found it ineffective as most pigeon habitats were narrow holes or small cracks.
The idea of using piano wire came when a bike rider passing underneath Seongsan No. 1 Bridge petitioned the city government to do something about the pigeon problem and a city officer named Lee Jong-wook at the West Seoul Road Maintenance Corp. under the city government invented the idea after weeks of experiment. He applied for a patent for the idea with the Korea Intellectual Property Office.
Pigeon droppings may cause corrosion of steel parts in the structure as they contain ammonia and acid when they are mixed with rainwater. The droppings are major nuisance to pedestrians walking under bridges and overpasses. The piano wire-based bird chasing device is more cost effective than any other solutions such as the spike needle, bird blocking net, chemical-based bird repellent and ultrasonic bird repeller, which are expensive and often limited in applicable range.
Its installation is also simple, with no need to replace often through the tightness adjustment lever and elastic spring that tightens the line even when the temperature is high. As the wire is made from tempered high-carbon steel, it is durable and can maintain elasticity for a long time.
Lee of the West Seoul Road Maintenance Corp. said, “I thought hard and long about how to address the problem and came up with the idea of piano wire. When I developed the idea, it was winter time, which made it hard to apply any other easily available solutions. I am glad that my simple idea could relieve the problem and make our citizens happy.”
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.
Pigeons and humans have co-existed for thousands of years. But when they become a nuisance, who is to be blamed?
Pigeons, one of the most resourceful species on the planet, are traditionally, symbols of love, peace, family and faithfulness. Their inflated throaty coos are a common sound in virtually every part of the globe with the exception of the Sahara Desert and the Polar ice caps. It is ironic that the species is currently being referred to as “the most serious bird pest associated with human habitations”.
Flock together
Pigeons have lived alongside humans and been used for food, sport and as messengers. Considered one of the most intelligent species on the planet, pigeons can perform tasks previously thought to be the sole preserve of humans and primates.
Descended from wild rock doves that thrive in a cliff environment, feral pigeons form large flocks that roost on building and ledges and under bridges. They can often be found in loft spaces and empty buildings — anywhere that offers a small amount of shelter.
Naturalist Dr. T. Murugavel says, “Feral pigeons thrive in urban areas in particular because there is usually a good food source and the absence of predators. The result is that they can become ‘pests’ in built-up areas. Unless food is strictly controlled, pigeons will rapidly breed out of control, resulting in overpopulation in areas of human habitation. Researchers have proved that pigeons do not usually like any change in their nesting area. Even a decoy or an image of a raptor when placed in the nesting or roosting area of pigeons discourages them from nesting. Whatever you do, ensure that it is humane and eco-friendly.”
Research conducted around the world to find a humane way to control, includes methods like ‘birth control’ pellets to controlling the number of eggs allowed to hatch, spikes to deter landing and thorny cacti on a sunny windowsill! But aren’t ‘pigeon problems’ really ‘people problems’? Can we coexist better with a bird that has survived in close association with man for over 10,000 years?
A recent report in The Independent spoke of how people found feeding pigeons in the Austrian city of Vienna were to be fined €36 in an attempt to keep the city clean. Pigeon experts from the animal welfare ombudsman said that it was rubbish in the city that caused problems beyond the pigeon population. Obviously, unclean neighbourhoods in any part of the world are the reason for many health and environmental issues, but looks like it is the issue that is being most conveniently pigeonholed!
Shoo!
The National Audubon Society Birds site, which gives tips on “how to shoo them away”, says that many safe and effective commercial products are also available including plastic or metal bird spikes. If pigeons are roosting on a utility wire or other area where they can’t be easily blocked, a weatherproof bird sound device that plays bird alarm or distress calls may chase them away.
Downside
Pigeon droppings are acidic and can cause damage to buildings and machinery. Nesting material, droppings and feathers can block drains and air vents. Startled flocks that take flight suddenly may cause hazards to motorists and pedestrians. While large numbers of pigeons can drive smaller birds away from feeding areas, they can also spread disease to other birds.
