by johnnymarin | Mar 25, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
There was a time when photographer Nicolas Tanner could comfortably say he knew very little about pigeons.
“My knowledge of pigeons was from the [HBO] show The Wire,” he said in an interview.
But that changed in the spring of 2011 when Tanner spent a month with a group of pigeon racers in coastal Maine.
“You meet these guys, and you’re meeting their friends, and all of sudden you’re involved in this community that is welcoming because they love what they do,” he said.
“I definitely did not expect to find the sort of community I did. It was very … cute. Not in a pejorative sense, just in a really … in the way they care for each other and the birds.”
The pigeon racers are part of the Biddeford Racing Club. They are a small group of older men who had spent their lives working outdoors all around Maine. They had grown up racing pigeons, attending bird auctions, and raising the birds in backyard coops.
The men Tanner met were rugged in the sense that working outdoors weathers the skin. But they showed incredible, and surprising, tenderness when it came to their birds.
Tanner spent a lot of time with a man named Marcel Letellier, who, nearing 80, was the oldest member of the Biddeford Racing Club. Letellier’s backyard was dotted by three small coops that, to Tanner, were filled with the same brownish-beige birds. But to Letellier, each was distinct.
“He had names for every single bird in his coop,” he said. “He was very closely connected to the inner and outer lives of the birds. He knew which bird was about to give birth and how to handle tiny chicks.”
“Visually that struck me — the juxtaposition between really weathered hands and burly looking men and watching them handle these shiny, often very beautiful, delicate-seeming creatures. And … they’re cooing [to the birds.]”
Pigeon racing relies on the natural abilities of the Racing Homer — a breed of domestic pigeon that has speed and enhanced homing instincts compared to other domestic pigeons. Training begins as soon as the bird is weaned and can fend for itself — about a month after hatching. When the birds are young they are exercised daily within the coop. But as they grow more familiar with their surroundings, they are given a longer and longer leash to fly away from the coop and return home.
For races, competing birds are tagged and taken to a location between 60 miles and more than 1,000 miles away from home. The birds are released from the same location and are supposed to fly back to their various coops. The time and distance are recorded and the fastest bird is declared the winner.
The sport dates back to the late 1800s, after homing pigeons were imported from Europe. The first official racing club was formed in 1872, with the larger umbrella organization — the Federation of Homing Pigeon Fanciers of America — following in 1886. Through the early 1900s, newspapers and monthly magazines dedicated exclusively to the sport sprung up to meet demand.
But between increasing restrictions on the keeping of pigeons and the fading interests of younger generations to take it on, the sport of pigeon racing is a dying tradition. And the Biddeford Racing Club is no different. In 1965, the club had 250 members. Today, just 35 members race their birds every Sunday from May through September.
Tanner got the chance to watch several Sunday race days. On one of those days, all the birds were trucked up to a location 150 miles away and released at dawn. The distance was short enough that the owners stayed at home. Some gathered together on one lawn, others waited dutifully by their own coop, but all keep their eyes to the skies anxiously scanning for the first set of wings.
When Tanner asked Jim Peck, one of the Biddeford racers, what he thought made the birds find their way home, he admitted he didn’t know. “They just want to come home,” Peck told Tanner. “Just loyal little creatures. That’s all.”
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 | Mar 24, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
A purple poppy symbolises all animals who have died during conflict.
To mark the day, a New Zealand War Animal Memorial was unveiled at the museum.
The project is the result of work by the Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation, AWAMO which was set up to honour the animals that served alongside New Zealand and Australian troops abroad.
Since the New Zealand Wars, and through to WW1 and beyond, animals have played a major part helping service men and women.
These include horses, donkeys, camels, dogs, pigeons, the occasional cat and even glow-worms, which were used as a light-source in the tunnels of Arras in the WW1.
The head of AWAMO, New Zealander Nigel Allsopp, said while the focus was often on the cavalry horse, other animals have also played their part.
“The heavy horse like mules, donkeys and Clydesdales carried all the equipment up to the front-line and carried the wounded back”.
He said the pigeons carried messages to make the attacks possible.
Mr Allsopp said one pigeon in the First World War was shot and wounded and fell to the ground, where it was gassed and then wounded by shrapnel from a grenade, but that did not stop it.
“The pigeon was still able to walk the three kilometres back to headquarters to deliver its message and where it died in its handlers arms.”
Of all the animals that served, it is the dog that is still the most active in a modern military.
A New Zealand War Animal Memorial was unveiled at the National Army Museum in Waiouru. Photo: RNZ / Andrew McRae
During the First World War canines were used as messengers and for taking medical supplies out to the wounded in no-mans land.
Nowadays, they are used for security and tracking, but also as explosive sniffing dogs, which New Zealand troops used in Afghanistan.
Alan Inkpen is the Working Dog Capability Manager (Land) for the New Zealand Defence Force.
He said it had been proven that the work dogs do, can not really be replicated by technology and explosive detection dogs were a prime example.
“To try and find the amount of target odours the dog can find you would need almost one piece of equipment each time to find that.”
Mr Inkpen said the most important thing about military working dogs was to reduce the risk to human-life.
It is estimated that in the First World War alone, about nine million animals serving in the military died.
Birds had an important role in war, carrying messages. Photo: Supplied – NZ National Army Museum
Nigel Allsopp said the time was right to mark their sacrifice.
“We obviously never forget the sacrifices of our two-legged heroes, our soldiers, however, it’s time to perhaps to just pause of thought that also four-legged soldiers served.”
He said the animals were not volunteers and were drafted.
“It’s just a way to acknowledge how they helped us.”
The National Animal Memorial at Waiouru is sculptured by American, Susan Bahary, who attended Saturday’s unveiling.
The National Army Museum plans to commemorate Purple Poppy Day each February 24th and it hopes the idea will catch on nation-wide.
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 | Mar 23, 2018 | Bird Deterrent Products
Maned, or Nicobar, pigeon (lat. Caloenas nicobarica) is one of the most beautiful representatives of the family columbidae, and the last survivor in the same kind of Barbary doves. His business card – the sparkling emerald and azure necklace of long feathers that form around the neck something like a multi-colored mantle.
In the most favorable light, his plumage looks under the bright sun, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. In the shadows, the colors become more subdued, giving the bird more grey everyday.
Homeland ruffed pigeons – small Islands East of India: from the Nicobar and Andaman to the Solomon Islands and New Guinea.
They live in small flocks or in pairs in the jungle, giving preference to the uninhabited Islands of Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. A solitary life on a remote island, where it had virtually no natural enemies, has left its mark on the appearance of the Barbary dove.
This heavy, weighing up to six hundred grams of poultry, growing almost forty centimeters in length, not very fond of flying. And although flocks of pigeons ruffed can often be seen plying between the Islands in search of food, most of the time they spend on the ground.
Nature has given these birds a powerful, sturdy legs, outstanding experienced walkers. Only danger can make ruffed pigeon to leave familiar ground and seek refuge in the branches of trees. During the day, gathering in flocks of several dozen individuals, ruffed pigeons fly from one island to another, leaving their attention and mainland Southeast Asia in search of seeds, berries, fruits, nuts and insects.
A special device stomach allows them to digest the nuts from the shell is so strong that to break it with a hammer.
Unlike other species, the Nicobar pigeons fly with columns, and to navigate in the pack, they help the white tails serving as a kind of beacon for flying back. With the beginning of the breeding season, ruffed pigeons fly into one of the outlying uninhabited Islands covered with dense tropical vegetation.
Like most doves, they are monogamous and choose one mate for life. But a longtime acquaintance does not exclude courtship and mating dance that can last for several days.
The basis of the wedding ceremony, all kinds of bows with bright tints lifted up the mantle. After the official part, the time of mating – the male selects a suitable nest location a few meters from the ground and collects firewood from which the female builds comfortable and stable nest. Delayed egg hatch both parents take turns every two weeks. Hatched Chicks are weak and helpless, and are under guardianship of adults for the first three months of his life.
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 | Mar 22, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Manchester Airport’s £1bn revamp is aimed at making life easier for passengers – but the construction project has attracted some unwelcome visitors.
According to the airfield’s wildlife team, the demolition phase of the Terminal Two transformation attracted ‘feral pigeons’ in search of food among the rubble.
This has meant extra work for the ‘bird scarers’ whose job is to prevent bird strikes on aircraft.
Anthony Clarke, wildlife control manager at Manchester Airport , said: “Part of our job is to look at what’s going on in the environment around the aifield, on areas such as buildng sites. The demolition of Terminal Two created a big dinner plate for birds.
“The first few metres of top soil on a site like that are a good food source. This attracted feral pigeons. It’s something we’ve had prior experience in and it’s petered out now because the buildings are going up now.”
Bird scaring is one of the many jobs carried out by the environmental team at Manchester Airport.
Officers take it in turn to be ‘scarecrows’ and use a number of techniques to get the job done.
These include blasting bird ‘distress calls’ from speakers to encourage birds to move away.
There’s also a long grass policy – with a length of between seven to 10 inches said to deter birdlife.
The team also analyse data to spot trends to help them fight the flocks – sometimes firing flares into the air as a deterrent. But sometimes the more traditional shouting and hand-waving is all it takes.
The strangest wildlife sighting for Anthony was a pink flamingo.
“I got that phone call on a Sunday evening, that was a surprise, it was night time on Terminal Two and we had to use a police thermal imaging camera to track it down”, he said.
Bird scaring is just one part of the vital work of Manchester’s airfield officers – who handle aircraft marshalling, safety audits, runway inspections and more.
“I don’t think passengers fully realise all we do to keep the runways safe. And I think it’s only with incidents like the bird strike on the Hudson River that people think about it”, Anthony said.
“We’ve got a good team on the airfield”, he added. “I feel lucky in that my job isn’t tied to the airfield – it’s about 13.5km around it too. We investigate planning applications – if anyone’s building a golf course – for example.”
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 | Mar 21, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
The illegal Kabutarkhana (feeding place for pigeons) erected by real estate tycoon and local BJP MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha using his MLA fund, was demolished by the Collector of Mumbai Sampada Mehta, on Friday morning.
The kabutarkhana had become a major bone of contention between the Shiv Sena and the BJP. This was the second time the kabutarkhana was demolished, earlier the BMC had demolished it in October. However, this time the Collector office got involved as the seashore where it was constructed falls on collector land.
However, the demolition didn’t go well with Lodha, who protested outside the office of the Mehta, along with his supporters. He claimed that kabutarkhana was constructed in 2005 with all required permissions. However, debunking Lodha’s claim, Local Member of Parliament of South Mumbai, Arvind Sawant said, “Lodha is lying, there can be no kabutarkhana construction on the seashore, and Lodha is trying to give it a political colour for his wrongdoing. The action is collector is appropriate and hence the kabutarkhana was demolished today.”
The report of superintendent of City Survey and Land Records, Mahesh Ingale, filed in the High Court further proves that the structure was illegal, “On the direction of the collector, the deputy collector encroachment issued a notice dated February 17, under section 53 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code and a hearing was given to the concerned parties, following which the said structure has been removed.” says the submission.
Meanwhile, the issue also came up in the High Court, where the petitioners for Adarsh Chowpatty Pragati Mandal, which is the High Court appointed committee also raised the issue of illegal Kabutarkhana and mentioned that, how it posed a health hazard for visitors and locals.
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)
