by johnnymarin | Sep 14, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Los Angeles – What: Forever 21 has reportedly hired a contractor who has been trapping pigeons at its Los Angeles headquarters, prompting PETA supporters to plan to descend on the building on Friday to urge the retailer to stop trapping the birds immediately and instead take steps to make the area unappealing to them.
When: Friday, September 7, 2 p.m.
Where: Forever 21 Headquarters, 3880 N. Mission Rd. (at the intersection of N. Mission Road and Baldwin Street), Los Angeles
The pigeon problem appears to be related to a food truck that visits the company’s parking lot. PETA has attempted to work with Forever 21, offering myriad suggestions for peacefully coexisting with the birds and discouraging their presence, including simple measures such as keeping trash contained and secured and dumpsters locked, as well as barring workers and patrons from feeding the birds—but so far, it has refused to take these steps. Trapping initiatives actually backfire, because the resultant spike in the food supply accelerates breeding among survivors and inevitable newcomers, and populations then increase.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that trapping initiatives cause animals immense suffering, as they can quickly succumb to stress, exposure, or injuries sustained in frantic attempts to escape.
“Forever 21’s decision to trap pigeons who are simply trying to eke out an existence is cruel, and such initiatives can tear wild families apart, leaving orphaned young to starve,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on the retailer to nix this methodically cruel trapping and put into motion humane coexistence measures instead.”
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 | Sep 13, 2018 | Bird Deterrent Products
The Hyatt hotel chain has pulled all affiliation with a downtown Edmonton hotel that was ordered by Alberta Health Services to clean up leaks and venting issues tied to pigeon feces.
The company confirmed Thursday that as of Sept. 4, the Hyatt Place Hotel – located on Jasper Avenue and 95 Street – was “no longer a Hyatt-branded or a Hyatt-affiliated property.”
The luxury hotel chain did not say why the branding was pulled or whether the move was linked to the health order issued by AHS last month.
An inspection done in late August found nine HVAC units on the roof were pulling in fresh air from an area contaminated with pigeons and pigeon feces.
The inspection also found the heating and ventilation system in the hotel was not in good working order. Issues included broken fans in the laundry room and carbon monoxide detectors in the parkade that were not calibrated.
Other issues pointed out during the inspection included extensive water staining on the ceiling tiles, light fixtures and walls throughout the lower level hallways.
In its statement Thursday, Hyatt Hotels said it is in the process of reaching out to guests with upcoming reservations. Guests with questions can contact Hyatt’s Global Reservations Center at 1-888-848-9496.
The hotel in Edmonton’s Quarters district was designed by local architect Gene Dub at a cost of $60 million. The 13-storey hotel has 258 rooms and 11,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor.
The hotel began operating in October 2016 and during the official grand opening in January 2017, was dubbed a significant milestone in the redevelopment of The Quarters.
“We wanted to create something very beautiful,” Prem Singhmar, owner of Hyatt Place Edmonton/Downtown, said at the time. “We wanted it to reflect the vision for the future of downtown and the Quarters.”
Area Councillor Scott McKeen said he didn’t know why the decision was made or what the impact on the area might be. Generally speaking, though, he said there hasn’t been enough progress in The Quarters for his liking.
“I think the area has a ton of potential but I think developers have been a little skittish because it was close to areas of the city where there was social disorder and homelessness,” he said.
The Hyatt Place was the first new hotel to open in the city’s core since 1978.
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 | Sep 12, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
Network Rail has installed spikes on the structure to scare off the birds, which have made it their home for several years.
Most of the pigeons had flown off this week and have been perching on nearby walls, although a few have stubbornly refused to move from under the bridge.
And if history is anything to go by, there’s no betting the rest won’t return in the not too distant future.
People have moaned about the mess and the smell created by the pigeons over the years and all previous attempts to frighten them away have failed.
Back in 2007, Network Rail installed a buzzing gadget called a Wailer, but it simply scared passers by and was ignored by the birds.
So five years on and Network Rail spent £300,000 sprucing up the bridge where Station Road joins Kingston Road and putting up netting.
But the pigeons again took no notice and gradually returned to their favourite roost as the netting partially collapsed and had to be taken down.
At the time 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.” The trays also had no effect.
Meanwhile, Network Rail sent in crews last weekend to clear weeds and undergrowth in and around Taunton Station after members of Taunton Trains complained they had reached “epic proportions” and that the arrival in the town “resembles a jungle”.
A Network Rail spokesman said: “Work to clear vegetation took place at Taunton Station last weekend with a focus on the areas worst affected.
“Further work is planned to maintain the tidiness of the area in and around the station.”
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 | Sep 11, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
When they had landed back on spoil heaps left by the old alum mines at Sandsend Ness, I focused and found that a good number of the 80 or so birds sported the diagnostic white rump and black wing bars of the rock dove (Columba livia). Their blue plumage also resembled the species as illustrated in my guidebook. However, other birds in the flock ranged in colour from reddish brown to light grey, clearly hybrids that have resulted from interbreeding with other members of the dove family. These constitute the familiar city pigeons and homing pigeons. It is possible, though, that the birds I identified as rock doves were also of diluted stock. My doubt was raised by another guidebook which said that it has become almost impossible to disentangle feral from wild birds and added: “While the former can resemble and behave like wild rock doves as far south as the Yorkshire coastal cliffs, few if any are of unalloyed native stock. Those found on the remote north-western coasts of Scotland and in the outer isles are usually considered the purest examples.” However, a study of the birds at Flamborough and Bempton found that 70 per cent of the population were “blues” resembling the wild-type, while the remainder showed clear indications of domestic ancestry. That was roughly the proportion of wild to feral birds I came across last week. And after checking the admittedly imperfect photographs I managed to take of the flock I can’t really see any difference between the “blues” there and illustrations of the classic rock dove plumage. The birds have long been known to inhabit cliffs along the coast from Saltburn-by-the-Sea down to the chalk headland of Flamborough. An old North Riding name for the bird is blue dove, and on some parts of the Yorkshire coast it also became known as the cliff pigeon. Their fondness for precipices and ledges, in fact, is probably why rock dove hybrids have adapted so well to living on buildings like Leeds Town Hall and Salts Mill. The opportunistic nature of rock doves/feral pigeons is undoubtedly the secret of their success. In towns and cities the latter continue breeding well into late summer, as do rock doves on the coast. In fact, once the breeding season for seabirds like guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes is over at the cliffs of Bempton and Flamborough rock doves sometimes take over the ledges to rear another brood. Like woodpigeons, they were a reliable and cheap source of protein for centuries and kept in cages to provide food, while others were shot at several locations along the coast.
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 | Sep 10, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
The icky-sticky problem of pigeon poop on sidewalks and even in people’s hair seems to be more widespread than we figured.
Our Saturday column about hundreds of pigeons that gather at Lawrence Ave. and Markham Rd. to gobble up food spread for them, then perch on overhead wires and rain down droppings on everything below, prompted plenty of indignation from readers.
City bylaws prohibit the feeding of wildlife — including pigeons and seagulls — in city parks and public spaces, but do not ban people from feeding them in other places, like a privately-owned parking lot.
That seems to be a sore point for readers, who directed us to other locations where pigeons are no less a problem, due to people who feed them regularly and are indifferent to the mess created by the overstuffed birds.
Jim Barrett sent us photos taken last year of a man spreading bird feed from a bucket in a parking lot at the Colony Plaza, on Lawrence, near Warden Ave., surrounded by hundreds of hovering pigeons.
One of his photos showed a flock of birds on the sidewalk in front of one of the plaza storefronts, which must be a source of frustration for shopkeepers whose customers don’t want to wade through them, or their droppings.
Francesca Vivenza said she contacted the TTC many years ago about “the many pigeons” that sit on utility wires outside Broadview station, where they bombard pedestrians beneath them.
“An old lady regularly brought bread to feed them,” she said. “One day I stopped and talked kindly to her, explaining that the pigeons are dirty, unhealthy … I got plenty of insults and left.”
Don Fairbairn said food is spread for birds at a strip mall at Markham and Eglinton Ave., which draws thousands of pigeons, and also at Bluffer’s Park, at the foot of Brimley Rd., despite rules which disallow it.
“There are signs there not to feed the wildlife, but they are ignored,” he said, adding that he has never seen evidence that the bylaw is enforced.
The best note came from Francis van Dorsser, who is also familiar with the pigeons at Markham and Lawrence and observed what could be an excellent method to keep them in check.
“This past spring I was waiting in my car for a person in the medical clinic,” in the plaza where the pigeons are fed. “All of a sudden pigeons were flying in every direction. I though of the movie, ‘The Birds.’
“A few minutes later, all was calm. Directly in front of me on a rooftop was this hawk, enjoying a pigeon feast. He had swooped in, picked up his meal and started dining.
“On the same building was a row of pigeons sitting on its edge, relieved that they were not today’s meal.”
The hawk should be commended for public service. We could use a lot more like him.
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)
