by Pigeon Patrol | Apr 7, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
DESPERATE business owners are looking to armed pest controllers to rescue them from feral pigeons that are creating a serious health and safety threat.
After Salisbury Council washed its hands of the problem, restaurants and cafes in Mawson Lakes have turned to professionals cleaners, including one firm which says it can shoot up to 100 birds an hour.
O’Shea’s Carpet and Cleaning Services specialises in permanently removing pigeons by shooting them or installing netting and spikes, and cleaning the droppings. Pigeon droppings are toxic, highly corrosive and can spread disease.
Owner Kirsty O’Shea said Mawson Lakes was notorious for pigeons.
“People should consider prevention to stop the birds from coming in, like netting and spiking, and also to clean the faeces because it is not sanitary to live amongst it,” she said.
“There is also the more controversial removal method of shooting them – we can shoot up to 100 birds an hour, take away the bodies and clean up.”
Ms O’Shea said her businesshad a licence to shoot pigeons, even in suburbia, as long as it informed police before taking action.
Partner Sean O’Shea, who describes himself as a “greenie with a gun”, said he used a precision air rifle to kill the birds as “quickly, safely and humanely as possible”.
Bellezza Gourmet Chicken owner Bob Dahdah said pigeons had invaded the garage of his Mawson Lakes business.
“It is a great issue for us and it always has been because the birds are everywhere, they drop all their rubbish and dropping on the cars below,” Mr Dahdah said.
“Every building in Mawson Lakes has this issue and it’s a big health and safety concern.”
Mr Dahdah asked building management to install netting from the top of the fence in the garage to the roof, but he said it would cost too much.
La Vita Fresh Pasta owner Michael Vannini said pigeon droppings were a concern.
“Droppings around food is definitely a health and safety concern,” Mr Vannini said.
“I also hear it is a problem for one of my customers, specifically, who lives in The Bridges (estate) across from us and has spent a fair few dollars with pest control people to sort out the problem because pigeons have been on their roof with droppings and also dying.”
Salisbury Council says it is not its job to clear pigeons from private properties.
A council spokesman said staff believed the number of pigeon complaints made by members of the public was fewer than 10 each year.
Mayor Gillian Aldridge said complaints about wild or feral pigeons on private property were the responsibility of the landowner, not the council.
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 | Apr 6, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
An underpass beneath the Long Island Expressway in Middle Village has gone to the birds.
Conditions at the pedestrian underpass at 80th Street and 57th Avenue have become increasingly worse over the last several months, according to residents who have complained about the unsightly and unsanitary conditions.
The underpass has seen a growing infestation of pigeons in the tunnel, which leave droppings, broken eggs, broken spikes and feathers along the pedestrian walkway. Along with the litter and other debris left by foot traffic, the underpass has become a hazardous and unclean environment for residents who use this bridge on a daily basis.
Recently, state Senator Joseph Addabbo and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley visited the underpass.
Last week, Addabbo met with constituents at the underpass to discuss what could be done to fix the problems.
Addabbo had previously contacted the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT), which is responsible for the maintenance of the underpass, regarding the walkway’s conditions. The DOT had made efforts to clean up the sidewalks, but Addabbo believes that long-term measures are needed to prevent pigeons from gathering in the tunnel.
“The Department of Transportation listened to our concerns the first time around, and my constituents and I need them to hear us again now,” Addabbo said. “While we appreciate their efforts to tidy up this area, more needs to be done to prevent this situation from continuing to occur, worsening each time around. These pigeons and the mess they leave behind are making this walkway unbearable, and the people of Middle Village and the surrounding communities deserve better. Nobody wants to walk down a sidewalk covered in bird droppings and dirty feathers, and nobody should have to.”
Earlier in the week, Crowley joined members of the DOT to clean the underpass marred by nesting pigeons and debris. DOT started installing wooden planks along the underside of the bridge, blocking the areas from birds looking to roost.
“Pedestrians going to and from P.S. 58, Maspeth High School, Elmhurst Park, Grand Avenue and more walk under these elevated platforms every day,” Crowley said. “Keeping this underpass clean from pigeon dropping was a constant battle, but once complete, this project will give our residents the clean sidewalks and healthy space they deserve. This was a quality-of-life issue that needed our attention, and I thank the State DOT for taking action.”
A representative from the DOT confirmed the cleanup efforts at the site.
“We are adding wooden planks to deter pigeons at this location, and we believe this will serve as a permanent solution. We are also replacing any of the bird spikes that have been damaged, and we are adding additional spikes,” said Diane Park, public information office for the NYS DOT. “Additionally, this location is washed on a three-month cycle as part of NYSDOT’s bridgewashing program. It was last washed on Aug. 28, 2015.”
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 | Apr 5, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting
A York Township woman is allowed to continue operating a stray cat program that has one of her neighbors booby-trapping her flower bed with plastic forks and knives to fend off felines.
After three hours at a zoning hearing, Karen Stephenson won her appeal against a township-issued cease-and-desist order, allowing her to continue her unofficial trap, neuter and return program to reduce the number of feral cats in her Raylight Drive neighborhood.
Neighbors who opposed Stephenson complained about felines constantly running through the area, an overload of feces and cats settling in on their porches, destroying their flower beds and lounging on and under cars.
Township zoning officer Lisa Frye had cited Stephenson for a violation of “Reasonable Enjoyment of Surrounding Property.”
Forks and knives: Stephenson testified that she now feeds — with the intent of trapping and fixing — about 20 cats twice per day.
Township attorney Steve Hovis asked several residents to testify about the effect the cats are having on the neighborhood.
Some produced photos of cats lounging in numerous positions in neighboring yards and porches.
Resident Pat Landis said she’s unable to leave her garage door up because of the roaming cat population.
Cat feces has completely destroyed her flower boxes, which she must now cover with chicken wire, she said.
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She also has resorted to strategically placing plastic eating utensils — such as knives and forks — in the beds to keep the cats out.
Resident Ann Azeill testified that the cats have destroyed her pool deck and gardens and that the smell of cat urine and feces makes it impossible to enjoy her yard.
She said her dogs get sick from eating the cat feces, although the dogs are kept in her yard.
Azeill said there is always a “parade” of the felines to the Stephenson house around 5 a.m., when she supposed they were being fed.
The parade is on again in the late afternoon, she said.
She added that leaving food out draws potential undesirables, such as skunks and opossums that can carry rabies.
Resident Jane Sentz said she has come out on her front porch to find cats sprawled out on her porch swing and rocking chairs and even lying on her car’s convertible top.
Neighbor George Landis testified that cats constantly running through the streets create danger for drivers trying to avoid them, and also for the cats.
“We’re under siege, and can you please help us out?” he said.
The other side: Resident Amy Nelson testified that she has lived in the neighborhood for about 20 years, and there has always been a problem with stray cats.
“She (Stephenson) didn’t start the problem, don’t punish her for something that isn’t her fault,” Nelson said.
Christine Arnold is founder of Nobody’s Cats, a nonprofit formulated to reduce the population of feral cats.
Arnold testified she has 25 years of experience in dealing with free-roaming cats.
“TNR does not cause the problems; it mitigates them,” she testified.
Once the cat is trapped and spayed or neutered, the tip of the left ear is then snipped off, so anyone can tell which ones have already been fixed.
Stephenson said she began the practice in about 2011 and has continued to lessen the population, but it takes time to get the cats to trust people enough to allow themselves be trapped, she said.
Zoning hearing board member John Myers said that if Stephenson were only feeding the cats and didn’t intend to have them spayed or neutered, that would fall under the township’s “vague” nuisance ordinance.
Board colleague Timothy Salvatore said Stephenson could have done a better job of educating the neighbors with what she is trying to do, but he said the program “provides a greater good than the harm it creates.”
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 | Apr 4, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
NETWORK Rail is running out of ideas to frighten off scores of pigeons roosting under a bridge on a main road into Taunton.
After all efforts to date have failed to shift the pests, the company is now suggesting the district council considers culling the birds.
But Taunton Deane Council says it would rather liaise with the rail company “to come to a satisfactory solution” after years of complaints from pedestrians.
Pedestrians and commuters have complained for years about the mess caused by the pigeons, blighting the first impressions of many train travellers arriving in the county town.
Network Rail originally attempted to put the pigeons to flight with a buzzing gadget called a Wailer in April 2007, but it didn’t last long as it scared passers by more than the birds. Netting installed as part of a £300,000 spruce-up in 2012 of the bridge where Station Road joins Kingston Road has also not worked.
While the birds took off at first – many setting up home barely 50 metres down the road under a disused rail bridge – they started to return within six months.
The netting, which had become scruffy as well as ineffective, was removed earlier this year.
A company spokesman said: “The netting was removed as it was not as effective at deterring the pigeons as we hoped it would be. In its place we have installed ‘get off’ gel trays that are designed to prevent birds perching or roosting.
“These gel trays have proved a successful solution on other structures along the Western route. However, they do not solve the underlying problem of a significant pigeon population.
“Therefore you may wish to give the council a call as they have the means to control the population under the auspices of Section 74 of the Public Health Act 1961.”
A Taunton Deane Council spokeswoman said: “The council is aware of the pigeon population at this bridge and continues to take action to ensure a clean passage into and out of town along this route.”
“We will continue to encourage the owners of the bridge, Network Rail, to take such steps as they are able to resolve the issue.
“The council does have a power under section 74 of the Public Health Act 1961, but this is a little known and seldom used power which involves humane euthanising of the birds.
“We would prefer to liaise with the bridge owner to come to a satisfactory solution.
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 | Apr 3, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
A Monterey school was placed on lockdown as authorities investigated a man shooting pigeons with a pellet gun on a nearby roof, according to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 2 p.m. Monday, students from private York School reported seeing a man with a rifle on a neighboring rooftop, and deputies placed the school on lockdown as they investigated the call.
Units from the Salinas and Monterey patrol areas of the sheriff’s office, a sheriff’s office K-9 unit, a sheriff’s bailiff, the sheriff’s air unit and the Monterey Police Department responded to the scene.
Deputies cleared the parking lot and the offices and determined the building owner at 24560 Silver Cloud Court was on the roof trying to eradicate pigeons with a pellet gun.
The man had left the area before authorities arrived but was compliant once contacted and admitted to using the pellet gun.
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)
