by johnnymarin | Jan 4, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Winter migratory birds are being sighted farther away from Delhi-NCR as the region’s own wetlands shrink into nothing. This stands true for Haryana’s Sultanpur and Basai, Uttar Pradesh’s Surajpur and Dadri, and Delhi’s own Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Sanjay Jheel and Yamuna Khadar – former rich habitats of winter-roosting avians.
Dr. Surya Prakash, a renowned biologist from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), indicated towards this in a retrospective of rare birds seen in Delhi and NCR in year 2017, on Sunday.
Wild birds are natural indicators of a healthy ecosystem. They thrive only in peaceful habitats and pollution-free environment.
Dr. Prakash said, “This year was good for birding primarily due to rains. Dhanauri wetlands in UP remained on top in number of birding trips being a ‘Sarus crane paradise.’ For many birders, Najafgarh jheel attracted due to its Greater flamingos and Common cranes.”
“Birders enjoyed Sultanpur National Park (SNP) flats to witness Stoliczka’s Bushchat’s mesmerising ‘puff-n-roll’ display. Indian Pitta and Cuckoo Shrike showed up as usual at Mangar but the highlights were Jungle Bush Quail and Greater Rackettail drongo seen at SNP and Mangar forests each,” he said.
Sohail Madan of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) reported Eurasian Griffon and King Vulture from Asola Bhatti Mines along with the second sighting of Brown Hawk Owl from the same area, Dr. Prakash added.
One Gyps species of vulture was reported from Okhla Bird Park also and a birder, CB Maurya, reported 40 Black Storks from RK Puram, that’s the highest number till date in the history of Delhi. One of the most interesting sightings from NCR cities was that of six Slavonian grebe ducks from Dighal in Haryana by birding enthusiast Rakesh Ahlawat.
Veteran birder Anand Arya said, “We have lost about 150-200 rich and healthy bird habitats over the past decade. Basai wetlands in Haryana were fed by a canal in arrangement with the irrigation department, which has now reduced to about onefourth its size. Sultanpur and Okhla Bird sanctuaries are dying due to bad management. The Yamuna Khadar has been lost to illegal agriculture and mining while Dadri and Hasanpur have gone to construction. Ponds in villages Mandkoula and Mandnaka in Palwal, Haryana, are also lost.”
Bird lovers are now venturing farther to Haryana’s pristine Dighal and Yamunanagar wetlands, which are still unspoilt by development, he said.
But interestingly, Dr. Prakash noted that forest-based raptor birds, previously seen in forest areas mainly, are now being spotted in Delhi more often, thanks to the explosion in population of feral pigeons and common mynas that serve as easy prey.
“We are spotting more of Common kestrel, Perigreen Falcon, Booted Eagle, Bonalese eagles, large owls and shikras than before – most of them with pigeon kills,” he said.
“This is besides the scavenging birds – black kites, vultures and common crows – which frequent landfills. This is quite notable for town planners and civic authorities too as pigeons are believed to be a big nuisance and carriers of diseases, believe some experts,” he informed.”
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 johnnymarin | Jan 3, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Hyderabad: A gang that was hunting birds in West Marredpally was stopped by bird conservationists on Sunday afternoon. However, the group of about eight men managed to escape leaving behind a bag full of dead and injured birds.
A dead Greater coucal, which is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, and five pigeons were recovered from the bag, while three other pigeons were recovered alive but severely injured.
Incidents of bird poaching by group who use primitive methods of hunting such as catapult and stones are common in Secunderabad, said Rama Menon, Hyderabad coordinator for Nature Forever. Catapults are also banned under the Wildlife Protection Act.
A case was booked under the Wildlife Protection Act at the West Marredpally police station, she said.
Secunderabad is home to many species of common birds, and residential colonies here often have birds coming into houses, with residents taking care of them by keeping bowls of water and food in kitchens, balconies and verandas.
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 johnnymarin | Jan 2, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Mysuru: Helping Hands’ Kabutar Daan, a project for providing food grains to Pigeons in front of Kote Anjenayaswamy Temple at the North Gate of Mysore Palace, which was started on Jan. 1, 2015 is going a step forward by successfully completing three years of feeding pigeons tomorrow.
Inspired by a Hyderabad tourist, Rajan Baghmar and Anand Patwa of Helping Hands, began the project under ‘Helping Hands Kabutar Daan Project.’
The project which began with just four members now has about 28 members, who feed the pigeons with food grains such as Bajara, Jower, Wheat, Fried Gram, Moong Dal etc., on all 365 days of the year braving all types of climate.
Birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions such as Independence Day, Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanti, Kannada Rajyotsava etc., are celebrated at the feeding venue with members Jambu Lodha, Sunil Patwa, Dinesh Bohra, Adesh Lodha and Vijay Bhora writing the names of the persons celebrating birthdays and names of festivals and other occasions with food grains.
About 200kg of food grains is fed to the pigeons by the organisation along with the members of the public, who too are feeding the pigeons daily in front of Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple. Helping Hands have started feeding Kabutar (Pigeon) at City Stanik Bhavan in Halladakeri twice a week. The total requirement of food grains per month is nearly 7,000 kg and around 84,000 kg a year which cost about 18 lakh per year. The expenses is pooled in by the members and also through generous donations from the public.
Helping Hands has been awarded with ‘Pride of Mysore’ by Pragathi Prathistan and Kannada Kriya Vedike has honoured Helping Hands Kabutar Daan Project during Kannada Rajyotsava celebration.
Along with Kabutar Daan Project, Helping Hands is also involved in various social activities. They have adopted a Government School in Ittigegud where they are providing books and other stationary items, tables and chairs, uniforms to poor school children besides providing financial assistance to poor students to pursue higher education under ‘Shiksa Project.’
The organisation is also undertaking eye screening camps, artificial limb distribution camps, heart and sugar check up camps regularly besides providing financial assistance for poor patients to undergo various surgeries.
Helping Hands thanking everyone for their support and has urged the public to join them in celebrating New Year by feeding pigeons in Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple at 6.30 am tomorrow.
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 johnnymarin | Jan 1, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
The noise can leave the animals deaf and the smoke can cause the breathing related problems to animals, claim veterinary doctors,
Thane : Animals are the worst affected by the smog and noise of crackers during Diwali. The noise can leave the animals deaf and the smoke can cause the breathing related problems to animals, claim veterinary doctors.
“The human ear can bear the sound of 2,000 to 20,000 megahertz, but dogs can bear from 20,000 to 1 lakh megahertz. The sound of crackers affect them badly,” said Dr. Yuvaraj Kaginkar, veterinary expert with a charitable trust. Vets always advice their clients to change the timings of walks of their pets during Diwali.
“Morning there is thick smoke and that can affect the pets. The pets can develop breathing problems, congestion due to it. The noise of crackers can hurt their ears, hence, we advice the owners to keep the pets in the inner rooms where there will be low sound level,” he added.
The strays have their own strategy to stay away from such pollution. They normally stay far from such places where it can affect them. The worst sufferers are the birds who stay near the houses.
Pigeons, sparrows, crows temporarily migrate during these days. The pigeons suffer trauma during the festival of noise and one can see many pigeons dying during these days, claim experts.
The various trusts that work for animals are creating an awareness among people to make them understand the evil effects of the crackers. And this has led to such incidences being reduced, according to the experts.
Previously, there were many cases, where crackers were tied to a dog’s tail. Now there is an awareness that such activity can be dangerous and cases have reduced, claimed Dr. Kaginkar.
The good news is that awareness of the ill effects is growing. Even animal lovers are trying to educate others about the pollution.
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 johnnymarin | Dec 31, 2017 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Many of the buildings in the center of Madrid have interior and exterior apartments. An exterior apartment borders the street, while an interior one meets the apartment building on the parallel street. Imagine a solid building with a few shafts bored out of the center. When you open the curtains in the morning, the chances are that, a few feet across from you, you will see your neighbor doing the same. Both of you try to pretend that you do not see the other.
At the back of our apartment on Calle San Ildefonso, the building opposite contained a few very small windows that nobody opened, with small ledges. As a result, the pigeons moved in and made nests out of them. Every year, in spring and in autumn, the pigeons who had taken up residence directly opposite our bedroom window laid two eggs. In autumn, usually the eggs did not hatch, or if they did, the chicks did not survive. When the chicks died, the mother sat with them for a day or two, and then the two pigeons tried to avoid touching the corpses, moving to the far side of the window ledge. In winter, the pigeons spent most of their time huddled together in one corner of the ledge.
One year, in spring, the pigeons laid two eggs and one of them survived. All baby animals are cute: we seem to have a genetic predisposition to find babies of any species cute, I suppose to encourage us to care more about them and nurture them through their dangerous infancy. Baby pigeons are an exception. When they hatch, they are vomit yellow, with scraggly necks and feathers that remind you of the wisps of hair of an old man who has not washed his hair in weeks. It is hard, if not impossible, to look at a baby pigeon and think that it is cute. They make a lot of noise very early in the morning, and they require constant feeding from both parents. I saw the pigeons flying all day to bring food — they took turns staying at home to look after the baby and going out to work. Pigeon parenting is very egalitarian.
After a few days, the pigeon was able to sort of stand and observe things around herself. Unfortunately, in the shaft in which she was born, there was very little to see, except for my wife and I as we walked past the window, and every time we did, the baby pigeon tried to press herself against the back window, to get as far away from us as possible. After a few weeks, however, the baby was bigger, less afraid and more curious, and most importantly, less ugly. She was starting to resemble what we know as a pigeon. By this time, as well, the parents started to leave the baby for longer and longer periods, and eventually they left her for whole days, returning only in the evenings after work.
Eventually, the pigeon started to explore. She walked to the edge of the ledge, looked down, stretched her wings and flapped back. She did this for several days. Then one day I looked out of the window and saw the pigeon standing on our window ledge. Then she flew back to her nest.
The next day, the baby pigeon was gone. I felt sad that she had left. For the entire day, we heard the flapping of pigeon wings, and when we looked out, we saw both the mother and the father flying back and forth through the shaft, looking for their baby. They flew up and down, from side to side, for the entire day. I assumed that the baby had flown away when they were out at work. I wondered if the baby would be all right. How would she find food? Would she be able to find her way back if she needed help? Would she be lost in the city? Was she already lost? Perhaps the parents were thinking the same. I went to bed and worried about the baby pigeon.
When I woke up, the pigeon was not there. I made breakfast, had a shower and got dressed. Then I glanced out the window and the baby pigeon was there, back on our window ledge. Not only the baby, but the father, too, stuck to his child as if by glue, never more than ten centimeters from her. When the child walked from one side of the ledge to the other, the father went there too. When she flew back to the nest, the father flew there too. When she leaped into the air and flew away, so too did the father.
That was the last time we ever saw the baby pigeon. The parents eventually returned and laid more eggs, but none survived. Finally the builders came and renovated the building, destroying the nest in the process. The parents moved on, and we moved 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)
