by johnnymarin | Oct 11, 2017 | Pigeons in the News
As we know, there are a great many mad people in the southwestern bit of the country. They claim often that a black panther is living on Exmoor and that if you paint a picture, it’ll be better if you are standing on a ley line.
And now the people of Exeter are saying that homeless people, many of whom may be from Poland, are roaming the streets at night eating pigeons. There are fears this could get out of hand with a local police community support officer saying “now we’re eating pigeons, now we’re killing seagulls. It escalates.”
One resident said she saw two men pounce on a pigeon and put it in a sack and in the space of 20 minutes they’d captured 14 of them. This has made the Royal Society for the Prevention of Birds very angry, with a spokesman describing the incident as “horrible”.
“Unlikely” is nearer the mark, though. I knew a man once who wore a suit, played a lot of golf and had never had so much as a parking ticket. But one day, while walking to work over Waterloo Bridge, he remembered being told that you can never kick a pigeon, because it has a housefly-like ability to get out of the way before your foot arrives. And for reasons that haunted him for the rest of his life, he decided to put the theory to the test.
So, in front of all the other suited-and- booted Margaret Thatcher enthusiasts, he took an almighty swing at the bird strutting about in his path and — wallop — it sailed 6ft into the air and crashed back down to earth, stone dead. This proved, much to his embarrassment, that you can kick a pigeon to death.
I had a similar moment in northern Spain about 10 years ago. I was out and about in the packed streets of San Sebastian when I noticed a listless pigeon sitting on a windowsill. “I’ll put that out of its misery,” I thought, and tried to break its neck. But the manoeuvre went wrong and its head came off, which caused the body to fall to the floor where, much to the horror of the many onlookers, it flapped about for several minutes before it decided there was no point any more and lay still.
The weird thing is that this was Spain, where stabbing cows and throwing donkeys off tower blocks is basically like Swingball. And yet they were horrified that I’d pulled a pigeon’s head off.
I think the problem is that we learn from an early age that pigeons are clever. That you can take one to Berlin and it is able to find its way back to its loft in Peterborough.
The Nazis certainly thought this way. Heinrich Himmler was a pigeon enthusiast and made plans for birds to be used to convey messages from agents ahead of an invasion of Britain.
And when authorities here got wind of this, instead of saying, “Oh, don’t be stupid. Why would you use a bird to convey a message when you have a radio?”, they decided the south coast should be patrolled by falcons. And in the Scilly Isles, it really was. That really did happen. It was the Battle of Britain, with feathers.
That legacy lives on in the way people react when pigeons are being harmed. But the thing is that salmon can also home and no one minds when Jeremy Paxman hauls one of those from a river and clubs it to death. Or when a little old lady buys a tin of its flesh and feeds it to her cat.
The fact is, though, that unlike salmon, pigeons are a menace. In towns their muck ruins buildings and in the countryside they can do more damage to crops than an army of drunken students with an alien fixation and garden roller. If you shoot a pigeon — which is harder than kicking one, I assure you — and you open it up, you’ll find more grain in its stomach than in the silos at Hovis.
Which brings us back to the issues in Exeter. If you are fit and sober and you have a gun, it is only just possible to kill a fit pigeon. So I’m suspicious of the story that these homeless drunks are able, in the space of 20 minutes, to get 14 live birds into a sack. (I feel a game show coming on here.)
Let’s just say, though, that they are able, through the fog of strong cider, to catch pigeons, and if things escalate, seagulls. So what? Yes, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 it’s illegal to kill, injure or take any wild bird, but this was drawn up to stop people stealing ospreys and ptarmigans.
Let’s not forget, shall we, that Ken Livingstone, darling of the left and therefore an RSPB poster boy, ejected all the people selling grain to tourists in the pigeon-infested Trafalgar Square and when Wilbur and Myrtle continued to show up with birdseed they’d bought from a Chelsea ladies’ health food shop he introduced a Harris hawk to the area. Which is the Messerschmitt of the skies.
He’d be the first to say that homeless people should be encouraged to eat pigeons and I’d go further. Right now, the hedgerows on my farm are teeming with succulent blackberries and the few trees that haven’t been ruined by deer and squirrels are laden with all kinds of delicious fruit.
If a homeless person were to spend a day in the woods with some Rambo traps and a bit of cunning, he would end up with a feast that even Henry VIII would call “a bit extravagant”.
The problem is, if he killed a deer for some venison and a squirrel for seasoning, he’d have the whole country calling for his blood. And that’s ridiculous. We need to lose our dewy-eyed Disney sentimentality and accept that homeless people eating pigeons they’ve caught is better for them, better for our windowsills and better for the coffers at the NHS than encouraging them instead to eat takeaway pizza and Double Decker chocolate bars they’ve half-inched from the local corner shop.
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 | Oct 10, 2017 | Pigeons in the News
Who needs Farmersonly.com when love can blossom in the livestock barn.
If it wasn’t for the Kansas State Fair, Kacey Rieger, 22, Powhattan and Clay Toews, 24, Burrton, would never have met four years ago. A mutual friend introduced them while they were both showing livestock. They turned out to be agricultural soulmates and will be getting married next Saturday in Brown County.
Preparing for a wedding would be reason enough to forgo a trip to Hutchinson with a livestock trailer filled with their prize Duroc, Chester, Spot and Yorkshire swine to show.
But neither the bride-to-be nor her fiancé would consider it.
Resting on a bleacher in the Sheep, Swine and Goat Building on Friday morning, they were with her brother, 14-year-old Jake Rieger, and her parents, Lori and Bill Rieger, in between swine shows.
Clay Toews says he grew up at the Kansas State Fair.
“I use to show brown Swiss cows,” he said. His father, Bill Toews, is superintendent at the dairy barn.
“We’re a pretty tight tribe,” Clay said. “The Holling family has been showing swine for 56 years, the Harms family 50 years and the Wehner’s 25. That’s consecutive years.”
Now Clay and Kacey will return next year as husband and wife building their own memories. They have had a head start, showing swine together for the past three.
Next Saturday’s wedding will be in a barn at a pumpkin patch near the Rieger farm. A pit-barbecued pig is on the menu.
— Kathy Hanks
McPherson man shows 180 pigeons
He had made it all the way to the grandstand before the Kansas Highway Patrol caught the culprit that flew the coop.
They returned Dave Orth’s pigeon safely back to its cage.
The McPherson pigeon man was thankful. He came with 180 pigeons, and he wanted to return with them all.
Orth’s success can be seen in the poultry barn. He had a number of placings, including this year’s grand champion and reserve champion pigeons. His granddaughter, Brinley, had the grand champion at last year’s fair. Another granddaughter, Jayden, also received several honors. Someday his toddler grandson, Hudson, will have pigeons at the fair, too.
But for Orth, it’s not about winning a prize.
“People haven’t seen birds like these,” he said. “We want people to know there are more than just pigeons that fly around and crap all over cars.”
No, these aren’t your flying nuisances. These are fancy pigeons – homing pigeons, racing pigeons, Birmingham rollers, helmet pigeons. There are many other breeds in several colors and sizes. One breed has curly feathers. Another is snowy white.
He used to race pigeons at a place near Medora. He goes to a pigeon swap meet in Missouri. He takes his pigeons to shows across the Midwest.
Pigeons are a passion that developed when he was in eighth grade.
“Then you grew up and girls didn’t like pigeons,” he said with a laugh.
Later in life, after he had kids and a place to put them, he began growing his flock.
“I got a couple birds and a couple more birds,” Orth said. Now he has more than 300 birds.
His wife doesn’t mind, he said. He has pigeons. She quilts.
His grandchildren, who entered some of the birds in the fair, come over and help him feed and water them, he said.
Pigeons are a food source in developing countries, he said. They are like eating a turtle dove. In the 1940s and 1950s in the United States, people could buy squab in a can.
During World War II, pigeons were used to carry messages, Orth said.
Orth said these days there is good money in racing and show pigeons. What he earns at the Kansas State Fair pays for his annual feed bill.
These are all things he tells folks when he is in the poultry barn at the fair. It’s like a zoo, he said. He works to educate the public about the state fair flock.
Orth does this every year. He enjoys it.
“People come in ’You know what kind of bird that is?” and I tell them.
— Amy Bickel
Peanut legacy
Ron Allen and his sons Jeremy and Heath, might have the healthiest, affordable and one of the oldest concessions at the Kansas State Fair.
On Friday morning, Mark Statzer stopped at their peanut concession stand to grab a $1 bag of roasted peanuts.
The Wichita resident says he stops at the booth every year.
“I’ve already had enough grease for the day,” Statzer said. “I need something calmer.”
The simple product hasn’t changed in 73 years, except they now sell salted and Cajun spiced bags of peanuts. The Allens keep bags of peanuts warm in a large heated metal barrel. They purchased 550 pounds of peanuts to roast during the 10 days.
“Peanuts sell,” Harold said. Though, he says, it has been a slow year for all the vendors in their neighborhood. “Warm peanuts sell best when the weather is cooler. ”
The Allens purchased the stand from Harold and Dorcas Tate — better known as Mutt and Pie. From 1944 to 1992, the Tate boot with its big barrel and shaded by an assortment of beach umbrellas was always the first booth on Pride of Kansas Avenue.
Mutt and Pie missed the 1993 fair due to health issues. Then in 1995, they sold the stand to the Allens.
“They sold it lock, stock and barrel,” said Jeremy. “Literally.”
Along with the barrel, they even included the original signs with the peanut man.
Both Dorcas and Harold have died, but their memory lives on in the State Fair Museum’s exhibit this year.
In the early days, the Tates sold peanuts for 5 cents a pint and 10 cents a quart; however, by today’s standards, a $1 for a bag of roasted peanuts is cheap. Allens also have a brisk business selling soda pop for $1.50.
The peanut booth is a family affair. While Ron is retired, Jeremy and Heath take vacation days off from their jobs to work the fair. Along with the three men, Ron’s wife, Colleen, helps with the booth. Plus Heath’s daughters, Taylor, 18, and Sydney, 11, help.
“They don’t know it yet, but it will be all theirs,” Heath said.
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 | Oct 9, 2017 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Q: I am not a hardcore outdoorsman, but I do enjoy a little dove hunting when the time rolls around each year. Typically, I get invited to a friend’s lease a few times a season and, thankful that the group I hunt with pools our take, end up with two or three freezer bags of birds when it’s all said and done. The problem is that my dove preparation, which consists of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a grill, does not impress the missus. At all. Do you have a favorite dove recipe with which I could better please my wife?
John Carter, Austin
A: Texas is blessed with both the largest population of dove in the country and, unsurprisingly, the largest population of dove hunters in the country. As such, it makes sense that Texans would consume a lot of dove. Equipping oneself with a good go-to cooking method is important, so the Texanist is glad to hear from you, Mr. Carter.
The bird of peace’s most succulent pieces are the breasts, but that succulence is, alas, relative. While doves themselves are bountiful, the same cannot be said of their bosoms, which are unimpressive in both their size and, if the Texanist is going to be honest, overall toothsomeness. Au naturel, dove are small, a smidge gamy, and wholly unsatisfactory as a standalone entree. If you were to serve the Texanist a plate with five or six scrawny bits of salt and pepper-seasoned dove and nothing more, he would be left feeling about as excited as your wife.
Thankfully, the Texanist has one word for you that will guarantee a more pleasurable experience for both Mrs. Carter and yourself. One delicious, mouthwatering word. And that word is—drumroll, please—bacon. Really, what’s not enhanced by way of a good old-fashioned bacon wrapping? Over the years, it has been the Texanist’s gluttonous delight to have consumed bacon-wrapped shrimp, bacon-wrapped asparagus, bacon-wrapped dates, and prosciutto-wrapped melon (The Texanist thinks of prosciutto as a type of Europeanized bacon). He is particularly fond of bacon-wrapped hot dogs, which are known colloquially in various locales as danger dogs, Mission dogs, Tijuana dogs, and when stuffed with cheese, francheezies or Texas Tommies. The Texanist has also heard them referred to as gout dogs.
And then there’s bacon-wrapped jalapenos, which are good, and bacon-wrapped jalapenos with cheese, which are delicious. Hey, the mention of bacon-wrapped jalapenos and cheese, in addition to making his mouth water, has reminded the Texanist that he was supposed to be working on an answer to an important question. Where were we? Ah, yes, dove. And jalapeno. And cheese. Wrapped in bacon.
Say hello to the Texanist’s World-Famous Dove Poppers.
What you’ll need:
- Dove
- Jalapeño
- Cheese
- Bacon
- Toothpicks
- Tequila
- Mylanta (optional)
How to do it:
- Take the jalapeño (the official state pepper of Texas) and slice it in two, lengthwise. Give it a rinse.
- Take a dove breast (the unofficial migratory game bird breast of Texas) and cut in half, lengthwise.
- Give these pieces the Carter treatment: olive oil, salt, pepper. Maybe a dusting of garlic powder, too.
- Cut the cheese (rimshot) into lengths similar to the jalapeño and dove. (The Texanist prefers Mexican cheese and has good results with queso fresco, queso blanco, queso cotija, queso Oaxaca, and has even used queso crema.)
- Combine the dove, the jalapeño, and the cheese, and wrap tightly with a half-slice of bacon, securing it with a tequila-soaked toothpick.
- Repeat until there is no more dove.
- Throw on a grill for a few minutes, turning occasionally, until bacon is sizzling and crispy.
- Gobble ‘em all up, washed down with the libation of your choice.
Additionally, it’s never a bad idea to augment the poppers with an entrée of juicy ribeye, sided with the sides of your choosing. The grill’s already hot, so might as well, right?
Bon appétit, Carters.
Now that’s a recipe that will not only satisfy the missus, but will, the Texanist bets, have her begging for more.
And please remember to stay safe, mind your bag and possession limits, and know your dove before you blast them out of the sky—the common ground dove, Inca dove, and band-tailed pigeon are off limits. Happy hunting. And happy eating.
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 | Oct 8, 2017 | Pigeons in the News
The Mourning Dove is one of the most common and abundant birds native to North America. It is common in open country and along roadsides. It can be found in forest clearings, prairies, deserts, farmlands, and suburbs. There are usually several sightings a year, that we know of, in Edmonds. It is far more common in rural parts of Snohomish County. Look for it on utility lines, fence posts, and foraging on the ground.
The bird in the second photo was on the beach just north of the Brackett’s Landing jetty last week, engaging in unusual behavior. It was repeatedly flying up and chasing Western Sandpipers away from the shore break and out over the water. Then it would return to walking the beach.
Nature writer Pete Dunne calls the Mourning Dove a teardrop with a tail because of its shape — a tiny head atop a slender neck atop a plump body, finished off with a long pointed tail. Dunne’s description also fits because its song is among the saddest in the avian world. It’s easy to envision teardrops falling from its eyes as it utters its dirge-like chant.
Seeds make up 99% of the Mourning Dove’s diet. The bird favors the seeds of cultivated grains, grasses, ragweeds and other plants. It usually forages on the ground, swallowing seeds and storing them in its crop, which is an enlarged pocket of the upper esophagus. Once it fills its crop, the bird will then fly to a safe perch to digest its meal. It swallows grit, which is small gravel, to aid in the digestion of hard seeds. One source notes that the seed record is held by a dove that filled its crop with 17,200 bluegrass seeds.
The male’s courtship display starts with an ascent accompanied by noisy wingbeats. He then does a long circular glide with his wings fully spread and slightly bowed down. On the ground, he approaches the female stiffly with his chest puffed out. He bows and coos loudly to her. The pair will bond by preening each other’s feathers. The male leads the female to potential nest sites. The female selects the site she will use.
The nest is most often in a tree or shrub, usually lower than 40 feet above ground. This dove will nest sometimes on a building ledge or other structure. Occasionally it will nest on the ground. The male supplies the building materials and the female constructs a flimsy nest of twigs. Both sexes incubate the two eggs for about two weeks. Both parents feed the nestlings “pigeon milk”. (Pigeon milk is a milky fluid secreted by the walls of the crop. It is rich in fat and protein.) The young leave the nest after about 15 days and continue to be fed by their parents for another two weeks. This species has multiple broods each year. In southern areas a pair may raise as many as 5-6 broods per year.
There are a number of collective nouns for any group of doves. They include cote, dole, dule, bevy, flight, and piteousness. For the Mourning Dove specifically, I would offer lament as a collective noun because of its sad song, sung over and over and over again. The oldest known Mourning Dove was 30 years and four months of age when he was shot in Florida in 1998. He had been banded in Georgia in 1968. The Mourning Dove is a game bird and hunters harvest upwards of 20 million each year.
U.S. population estimates vary widely. One source asserts that the Mourning Dove is one of the most abundant birds with a U.S. population of 350 million. Although the Mourning Dove is common across the continent, and has prospered as humans settled the landscape, the North American Breeding Bird Survey estimates a population decline of 15% between 1966 and 2015. Partners in Flight estimates a global population of 120 million, with 81 percent spending part of the year in the U.S., 5 percent in Canada, and 19 percent in Mexico. The Mourning Dove has a conservation status of least concern.
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 | Oct 7, 2017 | Bird Deterrent Products
Most birdwatchers hardly spare a glance for the feral, or semi-domesticated, pigeons of our towns, strutting across pavements or flying above the streets with their wings held momentarily in a V-shape. Yet they are interesting birds with a long history.
Nearly all of them come from ancestors that passed through human hands. Some of these were kept for food in dovecotes many were trained as homing or racing pigeons in a competitive sport that survives.
They have hybridised, and a flock may contain birds of very different appearance. Among them, however, are numerous individuals that still look very like the wild rock doves of the coast. They can be picked out by their blue-grey colour and the two heavy black bars on each wing. These probably derive from wild birds once captured by humans for use in the shooting booths. Rock doves are very quick and agile on the wing, and were good; challenging targets for the gunners when released.
In the wild they live on rocky seaside cliffs, and the pure form is found mainly in northwest Scotland. However, the feral birds sometimes go back to their cliff habitat and interbreed with them, so they may eventually die out.
The town pigeons can look very scruffy and dirty, and one wonders what they have been eating, so they are not very popular. But a sudden panicky flight into the sky by a streetful of them when they are alarmed can be quite spectacular. These can be seen much more often now that peregrine falcons are found in town centres looking for pigeons.
The town pigeons’ note is a little rolling “coo”, much used in courtship, and one can often see a male walking rapidly, in a rather hustling style, behind a female in the hope of wooing her. They nest in sheltered holes and crevices in buildings, often under railway bridges. We may not greatly like them, but it seems that we shall always have them with us.
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)
