by johnnymarin | May 11, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Some years ago, Gordon Corera, the BBC’s security correspondent, covered a strange story about a dead pigeon found in a chimney in Surrey. Attached to the pigeon’s leg was a message that stumped even the code-breakers at Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters.
Corera, determined to decode the message, visited the National Archives in Kew. There, perusing the contents of an unusual file, he chanced upon the incredible story of Operation Columba: a top-secret British mission to collect intelligence from behind enemy lines during the Second World War using homing pigeons (Columba livia is their scientific name).
So starved of useful knowledge about enemy movements were the British that, at one point, MI14, a military intelligence unit at the War Office created specifically to gather information about the German effort, briefly considered employing the services of “an astrologer and water diviner, ‘Smokey Joe’, from Yorkshire”. Pigeons, in this desperate situation, were a boon. The homing instinct of pigeons, as Corera writes, is an inexplicable super-power. Blindfolded and dropped hundreds of miles from their lofts, pigeons make their way “home” in a matter of hours. Scientists cannot explain how they manage to do this.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, pigeon fanciers – collectively known as “the Fancy” – in Britain were called on to register their birds; any pigeon found without a ring was culled and owners who hadn’t registered a pigeon weren’t allowed to buy bird food. Some 18,000 lofts were registered with the National Pigeon Service in 1939. And between April 1941 and September 1944, 16,544 pigeons were dropped in an arc stretching from Denmark to the south of France.
Each pigeon, with a tiny green Bakelite cylinder the size of a pen-top tied to its leg, was placed inside a special container along with two sheets of rice paper, a pencil, a questionnaire and a resistance newspaper. The boxes were dropped from an altitude of 600 to 1,000 feet by aircraft flying at 180 miles an hour – easy targets for enemy fire.
The exercise was animated by the hope that men and women under Nazi occupation might pick up the box, recognise its purpose, write down German positions on the rice paper, insert it in the green canister, tie it to the pigeon’s leg and release the bird into the skies. Some of the pigeons ended up as dinner. Some were probably never found. Yet, astonishingly, Operation Columba yielded results.
Corera narrates the poignant story of a Belgian priest who, upon finding a Columba pigeon in July 1941, laboured with a small band of patriotic anti-Nazis to share intelligence with the British; the information they supplied – written in minute characters on the rice paper – was so detailed that it filled a dozen pages when transcribed in England. The group, calling itself Leopold Vindictive, posed for a photograph before releasing the bird at 8.15am a few days after coming upon it; the pigeon was home by 3.30pm.
Members of the Leopold Vindictive were willing to risk their lives to spy for Britain. But, as Operation Columba became hampered by petty bureaucracy, they were eventually discovered and killed by the Nazis. Most of the pigeons, too, lost their lives on their flight home. The Germans released hawks against the British pigeons.
Corera’s previous book, Shopping For Bombs, meticulously pieced together the story of the nuclear black market built by AQ Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb. He brings to this book the same rigour. Although it sags a little in the middle, Secret Pigeon Service is a riveting and revelatory book.
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 | May 10, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Their coos may be an annoyance to many, but one man’s actions to try and deter pigeons from his area resulted in a talking to from the RCMP.
Drayton Valley Mounties say on May 1 just before 11:30 a.m. on 50th Avenue in Brazeau County a report came in of an individual shooting a gun at pigeons in a neighboring yard.
Several members attended the scene due to the potential seriousness of the situation. A man was located and police advised him of the risks involved with shooting any type of firearm in a residential neighborhood.
Safer options to remove pesky pigeons from invading your space include placing a decoy owl or hawk, wind chime or an aluminum foil pan on your deck or patio.
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 | May 9, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Lop Buri’s Muang district office’s public relations demonstrated various recipes for cooking pigeons on Wednesday and its announcement to buy a live pigeon at Bt10 (for a minimum batch of 200 birds) in a bid to lower the pigeon population has prompted many residents to set traps to hunt the birds, district chief Plaek Theparak said on Thursday.
The live pigeons caught would be gathered by the Lop Buri Animal Quarantine Station – whose veterinarian Sarawuth Prajang confirmed the agency had originally made the live pigeon buying offer – to pass onto Sara Buri’s Thap Kwang Animal Husbandry and Research Centre which studies pigeon behaviour and collects DNA samples for bird flu detection, he said.
Village headman Sakchai Butsri from Tambon Tha Khae, who led his fellow villagers to catch pigeons for cooking, said this project reflected the Muang district’s focus on eradicating the birds that had affected farmers and residents. He said properly cooked pigeons can make a meal, while live ones, in a large batch, can be sold to the district.
Village headman Boonrod On-ngern of Tambon Pho Kao Ton also gave the project his backing as the pigeons had disturbed residents and the programme might help reduce the pigeon population.
He said he was not worried about eating pigeon as long as they were cooked properly at a sufficient heat.
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 | May 8, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
THE Eastern Province Fancy Pigeon Association will host its annual regional fancy pigeon show Saturday, May 12th at Altona Primary School in Greenbushes near Port Elizabeth.
According to Nic Hanekom, secretary of the Eastern Province Fancy Pigeon Association, the keeping of fancy pigeons as a hobby exits in many forms.
“Pigeons have been linked to humans since ancient times. Already by the year 3200BC pigeons were kept in Egypt for meat purposes, as well as used as messengers,” said Hane-kom.
Those who are interested in keeping fancy pigeons are advised to select a breed with a tame nature.
“Stick to clean leg breeds with normal beak lengths. Breeds with abnormal ornaments like crest and muffs, as well as breeds with very short beaks, should be left to the experienced fanciers.
“Also guard against the urge to start off with too many breeds. Rather try to visit a number of shows and breeders before you make your choice,” said Hanekom.
The South African Fancy Pigeon Association (SAFPA) was founded in 1943, with the sole purpose to promote the fancy pigeon sport in South Africa. This organisation is divided into provincial regions which on an annual basis host shows. The SA Championship Show rotates between the regions and takes place during early July.
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 | May 7, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
At quarter past six at dawn, a large flock of pigeons perch on top of huts bordering the Besant Nagar beach and wait.
After a good game of volleyball, a bunch of men drag sacks, open them and take a handful of grains from them. Within seconds, hundreds of flapping pigeons shift into view. “Every day, about 15 of us feed 150 kg of grains like wheat or millet to thousands of pigeons,” said B. Sunil Kumar.
Collective exercise
Six years ago, as a casual exercise, each of them got some grains and fed a few pigeons on the beach. Last year, they decided to make it a collective exercise every day, he added “We all know each other because we have been playing volleyball. Since some of us were feeding separately, we wondered why not do it on a larger scale,” he said.
They spend a few thousands every day to buy the grains. Once a week, they buy the grains and store it in one of the houses. “Our grandfathers in Rajasthan have been feeding pigeons. So, we thought we can do it here. It makes us all happy,” said P. Mukesh.
Soon, they plan to have a small, cement structure for birds to drink water. “The heat is going to get worse and birds certainly need more water. We already installed a huge bowl, but it was stolen from the beach. Now, we are going to place another one,” Mr. Mukesh added.
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)
