by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 11, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services
City of Wichita Falls staff said there are no easy solutions when it comes to the pigeon infestation under the overpasses along Broad and Holliday streets.
“It is an infestation, that’s the only word for it. Just like rats or mice, they can be a problem when we see them in the volume that there are on Broad and Holliday,” John Burrus, Director of Aviation and Transportation said Friday.
Burrus said the large number of pigeons that gather under the overpasses has been an ongoing problem for more than a decade.
First, the city asked the Texas Department of Transportation to address the issues. TxDOT told the city that they were not equipped to handle the problem, Burrus said.
The next step was city council approval, several years ago, for “Slinky-like devices” that were supposed to keep the birds out, but Burrus said they did not work at all. Then, Burrus said he had his welding crew members attach metal barriers along the underside of the overpasses.
“The barriers helped some, but it did not slow it (the gathering of birds) down at all,” he said.
After that attempt, Burrus said they backed off the issue for a while until there started to be an increase in bird strike reports at Wichita Falls Regional Airport.
A bird weighing just a few ounces can destroy a jet engine, so the city needed to address the bird problem for the safety of pilots and passengers.
The city and Sheppard Air Force Base regularly pair to divvy up areas of the city in an effort to control bird problems. The downtown Holliday/Broad area falls under the duties of the city, but there were still no departments equipped to handle the situation.
The city has about 35-40 metal cage traps that are baited and placed near trouble areas including Broad/Holliday area, near the Jasper Water Treatment Plant, Kickapoo Airport, and near the Regional Airport.
For a short time, the fleet maintenance department was setting traps, gathering the trapped birds and euthanizing them by hand.
Soon it was obvious that the task was more than they could handle along with their other duties. The health department and animal control services were both also asked to assist, but again said they were not equipped to handle the situation.
Because the pigeon problem affected air travel, the burden was placed on Burrus’ department.
He said they contracted with two different pest control companies, but had “bad experiences” with both companies not checking the traps regularly and several birds died of dehydration.
“That was unacceptable. I think we (the city) do a much better job that the private companies. It is a fine balance between humanely handling the birds until they are euthanized,” Burrus said.
The city teamed with a new company, Pond Pest Control out of Amarillo, about a year ago for the pigeon situation and Burrus said they have been great to work with.
The city fully cleans out the underpasses twice a year and Burrus said they have cleared out 18-inch thick layers of pigeon feces, dead birds and all manner of health hazards.
Other nuisance birds like cattle egrets and grackles can be scared away or relocated, but Burrus said the pigeons do not scare easily and come right back to their roosting area when shooed away.
“No one wants to do it (trap and euthanize the pigeons), but it’s a necessary part of the job. If we do not take care of it, there are going to be much larger problems at the airport.
A secondary issue, but still a huge, huge issues is the health problems where the birds drop feces,” Burrus 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 Pigeon Patrol | Jul 10, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services
CARLSBAD N.M. (KRQE) – Saying their dirty and dangerous, a New Mexico town in cracking down on pigeons. Feed them and you can get in trouble.
People in the Cavern City say pigeons are everywhere.
“There are quite a few pigeons here around town and at the different businesses,” said Shayella Yarbrough, Carlsbad resident.
Now the city of Carlsbad has decided to take action. City council approved an ordinance that ban residents from feeding or providing environments that attract pigeons.
“It will help move them away from the city, move them out of the middle of this city. I get calls all the time about people wanting to know how to get rid of pigeons,” said Woods Houghton, Program Director for the Eddy County Extension Office.
The city says the ordinance will help eliminate some of the health risks associated with the bird’s droppings.
Also known as rock pigeons or rock doves, the city classifies them as birds not native to North America.
“They’re called trash birds because they communicate a lot of known diseases to both livestock and humans,” said Houghton.
Now people in Carlsbad caught feeding or harboring the birds could face fines up to $500 or even jail time but the city says it doesn’t want it to come to that. They just want people to stop making the birds feel so at home in Carlsbad
“You know in town it’s definitely a good thing to do, especially around restaurants, areas where there is food preparation for humans,” said Houghton.
A lot of people in town say they will be happy to see the birds gone. “It’s just really unsanitary and not really nice,” said Yarbrough.
The city also says people can still feed native birds and set up birdhouses just not for pigeons.
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 | Jul 9, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting
But the authority claims the note was delivered around the Palmer estate “in error”, and has launched an investigation into its “clearly inappropriate” content. The menacing letter, purporting to be from “quality assurance officer” Gassimu Jah, is littered with grammatical errors and orders residents to stop feeding pigeons due to a build-up of excrement on Littlefield Close and Greatfield Close. It reads: “Islington are not prepared to allow this kind of behaviour and will take steps to enforce the conditions of tenancy and covenant which may [sic] severe consequences including court action and could lead to injunction or the loss of your home. “Islington council have appointed a ‘professional witness’ to obtain video and hear say evidence to identify the culprits of this behaviour. No further warnings will be given regarding this issue.” But after being approached by the Gazette, a council spokesman said: “This letter was sent out in error and is clearly inappropriate. We are looking into how it went out and apologise for any upset. “We would only ever use a professional witness in instances where we believe serious crimes are happening or suspected, which is clearly not the case here.” Ryan Ross, who lives in Greatfield Close, told London24: “It seems strange it would say that they were delivered in error. They were hand delivered on Tuesday – I think the council is backtracking.” The 28-year-old added: “The council has delivered letters like this before, with a similar tone. It had a go at me once for not using a parking permit properly. “I never feed pigeons myself, so I didn’t feel particularly threatened by the letter. To be honest, I’ve never even noticed any pigeons around here. “What struck me most was the threat of spying. The people who feed pigeons tend to be elderly, so if this was real, it was targeted at them. Either way, it’s not something that makes you feel welcome.”
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 | Jul 8, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
The latest animal concerns have targeted skunks, which are far more populous in our area’s only city, especially in summer, than one would think.
The city had a $25,000 contract with a local man to provide animal control, including trapping and removing skunks. But as councilors prepared a tough 2016 budget, that funding was cut.
Resident Patti Hackett pointed out to councilors that about 70 skunks were captured in the city last year. She noted that skunks pose a rabies threat on top of the obvious irritation: the stink that prompts people to hold their breath and slam shut their windows. And dog owners can attest to the tenacity of that odor once it attaches to fur.
Improper garbage disposal is contributing to the problem of nuisance animals, and the city should clamp down on residents who don’t have trash secured in garbage cans with lids.
We aren’t suggesting fines; a city-sponsored education campaign, such as leaflets sent in the utility bills detailing the problems caused by exposed trash, could mitigate the problem.
The city is looking into a skunk-trapping campaign this spring. Some “lucky” crew could be paid around $10,000 to seek out known skunk dens and snag the creatures before they start breeding.
The Press-Republican believes that every community that has a fairly large population concentration should offer some kind of animal control.
Many towns contract with local animal shelters or have part-time officers or pay by the job to remove nuisance animals. A few wildlife rehabilitators help out with certain types of creatures.
Certainly a city the size of Plattsburgh can afford $25,000 for animal control in a $53.1 million budget. That amount is justified when measured against the service rendered — ask anyone who has watched a smelly skunk waddle through the back yard.
Maybe the city can share this service with the Town of Plattsburgh, whose residents are also in the line of spray.
But the most acute animal problem in larger communities is not the distinctively marked black and white invaders — it is feral cats.
Overrunning neighborhoods, getting into garbage and, most sadly, suffering starvation, exposure and sickness, wild cats present an overwhelming concern that few municipal governments are properly addressing.
Because shelters and a smattering of other aid programs exist, public officials act as though they are off the hook as cats continue to breed, live and die in corners of our neighborhoods.
It is inhumane to the cats and frustrating and heartbreaking for humans.
Every municipality with a population center, especially the City of Plattsburgh, should be investing in trap, neuter and release programs to reduce the feral-cat population.
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 | Jul 7, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
There’s a bit of a problem with pigeons in Islington.
Hundreds, nay thousands of the sky rats have been pictured landing on rooftops and in parks around the London neighbourhood.
A council has now written to people in the area saying that they believe the problem is down to people feeding them creating an ‘unsightly mess’.
They’ve even threatened court action that could lead to people being evicted and have appointed a ‘professional witness’ to gather evidence of pigeon feeders.
In its threatening letter, the council wrote: ‘Islington council have appointed a “professional witness” to obtain video and hear say evidence to identify culprits of this behaviour. No further warnings will be given regarding this issue.’
The authority has since said that letter was delivered to houses on the Palmer Estate ‘in error’.
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)
City of Wichita Falls staff said there are no easy solutions when it comes to the pigeon infestation under the overpasses along Broad and Holliday streets.