by johnnymarin | Aug 19, 2017 | Pigeons in the News
Birds have an impressive ability to navigate. They can fly long distances, to places that they may never have visited before, sometimes returning home after months away.
Though there has been a lot of research in this area, scientists are still trying to understand exactly how they manage to find their intended destinations.
Much of the research has focused on homing pigeons, which are famous for their ability to return to their lofts after long distance displacements. Evidence suggests that pigeons use a combination of olfactory cues to locate their position, and then the sun as a compass to head in the right direction.
We call this “map and compass navigation”, as it mirrors human orienteering strategies: we locate our position on a map, then use a compass to head in the right direction.
But pigeons navigate over relatively short distances, in the region of tens to hundreds of kilometres. Migratory birds, on the other hand, face a much bigger challenge. Every year, billions of small songbirds travel thousands of kilometres between their breeding areas in Europe and winter refuges in Africa.
This journey is one of the most dangerous things the birds will do, and if they cannot pinpoint the right habitat, they will not survive. We know from displacement experiments that these birds can also correct their path from places they have never been to, sometimes from across continents, such as in a study on white crowned sparrows in the US.
Over these vast distances, the cues that pigeons use may not work for migrating birds, and so scientists think they may require a more global mapping mechanism.
Navigation and location
To locate our position, we humans calculate latitude and longitude, that is our positon on the north-south and east-west axes of the earth. Human navigators have been able to calculate latitude from the height of the sun at midday for millennia, but it took us much longer to work out how to calculate longitude.
Eventually it was solved by having a highly accurate clock that could be used to tell the difference between local sunrise time and Greenwich meantime. Initially, scientists thought birds might use a similar mechanism, but so far no evidence suggests that shifting a migratory bird’s body clock effects its navigation ability.
There is another possibility, however, which has been proposed for some time, but never tested – until now.
The earth’s magnetic pole and the geographical north pole (true north) are not in the same place. This means that when using a magnetic compass, there is some angular difference between magnetic and true north, which varies depending on where you are on the earth. In Europe, this difference, known as declination, is consistent on an east west axis, and so can possibly be a clue to longitude.
To find out whether declination is used by migrating birds, we tested the orientation of migratory reed warblers. Migrating birds that are kept in a cage will show increased activity, and they tend to hop in the direction they migrate. We used this technique to measure their orientation after we had changed the declination of the magnetic field by eight degrees.
First, the birds were tested at the Courish spit in Russia, but the changed declination – in combination with unchanged magnetic intensity – indicated a location near Aberdeen in Scotland. All other cues were available and still told them they were in Russia.
If the birds were simply responding to the change in declination – like a magnetic compass would – they would have only shifted eight degrees. But we saw a dramatic reorientation: instead of facing their normal south-west, they turned to face south-east.
This was not consistent with a magnetic compass response, but was consistent with the birds thinking they had been displaced to Scotland, and correcting to return to their normal path. That is to say they were hopping towards the start of their migratory path as if they were near Aberdeen, not in Russia.
This means that it seems that declination is a cue to longitudinal position in these birds.
There are still some questions that need answering, however. We still don’t know for certain how birds detect the magnetic field, for example. And while declination varies consistently in Europe and the US, if you go east, it does not give such a clear picture of where the bird is, with many values potentially indicating more than one location.
There is definitely still more to learn about how birds navigate, but our findings could open up a whole new world of research.
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 | Aug 18, 2017 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Roosting birds of prey at a Taunton landmark have been given a leg – er, talon – up on the housing ladder thanks to public funds.
Taunton Deane Borough Council is planning to contribute £3,500 towards the £7,000 cost of setting up a nest box for peregrine falcons that have set up home at St Mary Magdalene Church tower and a webcam so people can keep a close eye on them.
The peregrine falcons have become a real talking point in town and they have an extra benefit in scaring away pesky pigeons and gulls.
The grant is one of several recently approved by the Taunton Unparished Area Committee that allocates money collected by the council for Taunton-specific, community focused groups and projects.
Councillor Jane Warmington, executive member for community leadership, said: “The falcons have become an attraction in their own right and, if they return as expected to St Mary’s, they would have somewhere to nest and rear young.
“The webcam will give people a chance to watch these beautiful birds without disturbing them. Of course, there is the practical point that the falcons will help control pigeons and gulls that can be a nuisance.”
The agreed funding will be released once the balance has been raised by the Church.
Other grants approved – subject to the call-in process – are:
- £919.96 to replace four existing litter bins on Mount Walk, Taunton with bins with fixed lids – to prevent litter being removed from the bins and spread into the surrounding area, including Stockwell Stream, by gulls and crows looking for food.
- £784 for a plaque commemorating the visit by the composer Franz Liszt to Taunton in 1840. While in the town he performed at the Assembly Rooms in The Market House as part of his European Tour. The plaque would be sited on The Market House alongside the one commemorating the Monmouth Rebellion.
- A contribution of £5,785 towards the overall cost of £15,381 to provide a range of adult, outdoor gym equipment to be sited on the Hawthorn Play Area off Rowan Drive, Taunton. The main part of the funding will be derived from a money in the Community Leisure budget which resulted from the development in Normandy Drive, Taunton.
- £700 to buy a replacement building ‘Poppy’ for positioning on The Market House in the centre of Taunton in the weeks before Remembrance Sunday.
- A further grant of £175 to pave a route around the newly completed toilet block at Galmington Allotments to serve an emergency fire escape door which is to be made in the fence dividing the allotment site and the adjoining Trident Centre Play Group.
- To meet 50 per cent of the £5,000 cost of enabling 12 young people from the Taunton Academy to participate in a ‘Phoenix’ course to be run by the Devon and Somerset Fire Rescue Service. The course will provide a unique opportunity for the young people who are at risk of being excluded from school and/or involved in anti-social behaviour to work with the Fire Service and take part in a variety of physical and mental challenges that will help develop life-long skills.
- A contribution of £500 to the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society towards the £1,800 printing costs of a book on the life of Sir Benjamin Hammet.
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 | Aug 17, 2017 | Bird Deterrent Products
Dr. Shine observed that most of the sea snakes there were black — as they were in a remote atoll nearby that was used as a bombing range. This was weird, he thought, because in the rest of their range, from northern Australia to Vietnam, about 95 percent of the sea snakes wrapped themselves in skins of blue and black bands or speckles.
There seemed to be no advantage.
But then Claire Goiran, a marine biologist at Labex Corail & Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie in New Caledonia and lead author of the study, told Dr. Shine about black pigeons that dominated the streets of Paris. She had learned that in their black feathers, they collected metals from the city and shed them when they molted. Maybe the sea snakes did something similar.
To find out, the researchers tested the shed skins of black and banded sea snakes for more than a dozen trace minerals, including zinc, arsenic, cobalt and nickel. As expected, the black skin — whether it belonged to a whole black snake or just a black band — contained more of the metals.
Trying to figure out the evolutionary advantage of this correlation, the researchers determined that it wasn’t camouflage. And it didn’t make snakes sexier to other snakes. They reasoned that the minerals accumulated in the water, moved up the food chain and became sequestered in the black skin. The dark skin also attracted an algae, which took residence on the snakes’ bodies, creating a heavy, velvety cloak. To get rid of the algae, which slowed them down in the water, the snakes shed their skin more often, protecting them from levels of metals that are toxic in other animals. Like the urban moths and pigeons, their skin may have adapted to deal with a stressful environment.
“On the one hand it’s encouraging that wildlife can adapt very rapidly to the new challenges we’re imposing on them. On the other hand, there are bound to be limitations to that resilience,” Dr. Shine said. “We can’t keep treating natural ecosystems the way we do without losing some pretty spectacular animals.”
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 | Aug 16, 2017 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
At present we are treating more than 12 birds at our hospital,” said Dr. Raj Kumar, in-charge at Charity Birds Hospital. More than a dozens of birds — who got injuries from kite strings — are being treated at the Charity Birds Hospital, located at Sadar Bazar, the only bird hospital in the city. The doctors have received calls from South City-1, DLF Phase-1 and Sector 50 to pick the injured birds. The injured birds include pigeons, crow, mayna as they live close to human habitat and they construct their nests in and around houses,” said Kumar. “We have received 10 calls today from various locations in the city regarding injured birds.
More than a dozens of birds — who got injuries from kite strings — are being treated at the Charity Birds Hospital, located at Sadar Bazar, the only bird hospital in the city. Every year, due to the kite flying ceremony usually observed by the residents of the city during Independence Day, many birds get injured. “We have received 10 calls today from various locations in the city regarding injured birds. At present we are treating more than 12 birds at our hospital,” said Dr. Raj Kumar, in-charge at Charity Birds Hospital. The doctors have received calls from South City-1, DLF Phase-1 and Sector 50 to pick the injured birds , As Reported By Hindustan Times.
According to the Newspaper,Few birds have lost their legs as they were trapped in the glass coated strings, while some have injuries around their neck. Most of the injured birds have their wings damaged. “We also came across dehydrated birds and their wings were badly injured. The injured birds include pigeons, crow, mayna as they live close to human habitat and they construct their nests in and around houses,” said Kumar. These birds are given glucose and they will take a week to recover, said Kumar.
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 | Aug 15, 2017 | Pigeons in the News
ST ANDREW, Jamaica — The 2017 Game Bird Shooting Season will start this Saturday and close September 24, according to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA).
NEPA said, during the season, hunting sessions are from sunrise to 9:00 am and 2:30 pm to sunset on Saturdays and from sunrise to 9:00 am on Sundays.
The planning agency, in a newspaper advertisement today, advised that only the following birds may be hunted: Zenaida Dove/Pea Dove, White-winged Dove, White-crowned Pigeon/Bald-pate and Mourning Dove/Long-tailed Pea Dove.
NEPA said the bag limit for each shooting session is 20 birds, of which no more that 15 should be White-crowned Pigeon/Bald-pate. It also said the feathered heads of all Game birds must be retained for inspection.
Bird shooters are being reminded that shooting within Game Reserves/Sanctuaries, Forest Reserves and 50-metre distance away from Game Reserves/Sanctuaries is prohibited.
A copy of the Hunter’s Handbook for Game Birds in Jamaica is available on NEPA’s website.
Meanwhile, NEPA said Hunter’s Licence may be obtained from NEPA and authorised vendors at a fee of $20,000. It also said all hunters should have a valid firearm’s licence or user’s permit and Hunter’s Licence on person.
NEPA warns that each breach under the Wild Life Protection Act will attract a fine up to $100,000 and/or up to twelve months in prison.
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)
