by Ryan Ponto | Aug 28, 2016 | Bird Netting
A couple has just said heart-wrenching vows and exchanged rings. After walking down the aisle together, they step outside for one more wedding ritual. As the wedding party counts down from five and the couple look to the skies, two white doves took flight out of a small cage and soar into the clouds.
#Terrence and Rotoniya Kendrick, Mississippi natives and owners of Perfect Flight White Dove Releases, have started giving events a special touch. Perfect Flight began in Farmhaven, Miss., which is about 10.5 miles northeast of Canton, in July 2014. The couple started out raising chickens, but a neighbor, Albert Brown, later introduced them to pigeons. Brown showed them how to train and care for the birds, which later motivated the Kendricks to start their dove-releasing business.
#”(Brown) made me look at it from a fun perspective,” Terrence says.
#Terrence says he has loved birds since he was a kid.
#”We’ve had all kinds of birds-—parakeets, ducks, turkeys and guineas, which are a type of fowl,” he says.
#His passion for managing his own business and building something from the ground up now is in full flight. The Kendricks have a total of 70 pigeons with 20 new birds arriving soon. Their goal is to reach 100 birds by the end of September.
#The average number of doves released is three, with four for funerals and two for weddings. The most doves they have released at once was nine.
#Although the Kendricks often work ceremonials events like weddings and funerals, they are not limited to any specific type of affair. They can release doves at varied events such as birthdays, 5Ks and
memorials.
#The Kendricks have a precise way of pampering and training their nest of feathered friends. The monthly upkeep consists of deworming and medicating each pigeon for salmonella and other diseases. To keep them clean, the Kendricks simply set a pan of water out, and the pigeons dive in for a nice bird bath.
#”It’s important to keep a routine regiment to keep your birds healthy because they often come in contact with many other birds in flight,”
Terrence says.
#Training for the birds starts while they are young. They are kept locked away for a certain amount of time, and the Kendricks only let them out when it’s feeding time.
#The more the birds fly out, the more they will get used to their environment, which makes it easier for them to find their way home. Terrence also has whistles that trigger them to fly back home.
#Although they take flight often, they sometimes become skittish. The Kendricks get a laugh at the pigeons unexpectedly becoming slightly fearful of flying out and deciding that they do not want to fly on cue.
#Pigeons have a great sense of direction and know when and where to come back, Terrence says.
#”It’s a God-given instinct that they have, that scientists have yet to figure out,” Terrence says.
#As with many jobs, the couple’s field of work has an unpleasant side. Often, when the pigeons are released at some events, they do not return on the same day. Luckily for the Kendricks, the pigeons legs now have bands, which have numbers in case the birds are found. In other cases, some pigeons fall prey to larger birds, but Terrence says that if you keep the pigeons healthy, they’ll find a way home.
#The Kendricks tell a story about a woman who was a paraplegic who made plans to have doves released at her funeral.
#However, instead of waiting until her funeral, she had the birds released outside of her home for both her and her daughter to enjoy.
#”The best part about our job is seeing smiles and the joy on people’s face as they watch the doves fly,” Rotoniya says.
#When they are not releasing birds, the Kendricks tend to their eight acres of land, organizing their garden or raising their chickens, something they consider everyday 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 Ryan Ponto | Aug 27, 2016 | Bird Netting
The wife of a South Croydon motorcyclist who died after he was hit by pigeon has said he was the “rock of the family”.
Mahnaz Niazi, 34, was at home when police knocked on her door to tell her the tragic news that her 35-year-old husband Ashar had died in a crash.
It is believed Ashar, while riding his “dream bike”, a Yamaha R1M, was hit by a pigeon as he travelled down the A22 in Godstone with three friends on August 14. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mahnaz, who will now have to raise their two children, Aisha, 6, and Yaseen, 4, without her husband, says the loss has had a heartbreaking impact on their family.
She told the Croydon Advertiser: “He was really hands on with the kids, always helping out a lot, putting them to sleep and making them breakfast.
“The children doted on their father. It’s a really big change in our lives now and it’s going to take time to deal with.
“He was such a positive person, he really helped me whenever I was down, putting a really positive spin on things.
“But he was rational and good with problem solving – he was the rock of the family.”
The local Muslim community has come together to support the family since the death of Ashar, who was devoted to his faith, praying five times a day and completing the Hajj in his younger years – a mandatory religious pilgrimage to Mecca to be completed once in a Muslim’s lifetime.
The couple, who were married 12 years, met while studying at the University of Liverpool.
Before he died, Ashar was working as an IT engineer for Education First, who have since planted a tree in memory of his life.
“He did everything a good Muslim could do,” said Maznah.
“It’s been heartwarming to have the community come together. I didn’t realise that so many people knew him, they’re asking me if I need help with anything.”
Ashar trained for the difficult Cisco certification, a qualification in IT networking, studying at weekends to complete the course.
Mahnaz, a learning support assistant, said: “He was one of those people who didn’t have to study hard and would do well.”
Close friend Asir Choudbury has also paid tribute.
Asir said about Ashar: “He had an energy and charisma that he transferred to everyone around him.
“This tragedy has taken away somebody who put his family and religion before all else.”
A charity fundraiser was launched after his death. To donate to the Penny Appeal in Ash’s memory, visit the Just Giving page.
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 Ryan Ponto | Aug 26, 2016 | Bird Netting
A fire which tore through a South Shields allotment killing 60 pigeons has been confirmed as arson by police. Fire fighters were called to the site in Holder House Way, South Shields, at 12.30am on Tuesday to tackle the blaze. Crews from South Shields, Hebburn, Marley Park and Washington stations, took three hours to extinguish the fire and were called back to the allotment at around 11.40am when the blaze began to smoulder again. Northumbria Police has confirmed the fire was stared deliberately. A spokesman said: “It has now been established the fire was started deliberately and is being treated as arson. “Enquiries are on-going. Any witnesses should ring Northumbria Police on 77 060916 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
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 Ryan Ponto | Aug 25, 2016 | Bird Netting
At first, Wisconsin’s natural resources agency was just concerned about the thousands of pounds of lead buried in the La Crosse river marsh.
Now, however, the Dept. of Natural Resources has turned its regulatory eyes to other possible contaminants there thanks to three decades of use and abuse by the La Crosse Gun Club.
The club closed up shop in 1963 but only after dropping an estimated 50,000 pounds of lead shot into the water from its skeet-shooting members.
The DNR wants the lead impacts studied.
Now, though, it is also demanding the city to identify possible contamination from some substances in the clay pigeons themselves that is considered carcinogenic.
That study and the lead study are pegged at close to $50,000 and could last nearly a year.
Meanwhile, warnings about eating fish caught from the marsh remain in place.
In 2012, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse studied lead contaminants in the marsh paid for, in part, from a $60,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. UW-L also kicked in $5,000 in trying to help determine the amount of contamination.
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 | Aug 24, 2016 | Bird Netting
Dr. Maria Forzan, of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, performed the necropsies on the pigeons at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown and sent the samples for testing at a toxicology lab at the University of Guelph.
She wants the pest control applicators and the public to know the effects of Avitrol.
“Trying to explain to them that, in fact, it is quite possible that a lot of the pigeons will die from Avitrol poisoning which is actually something that came as a surprise to us,” explained Forzan.
Dead pigeons found throughout downtown
The pigeons were found in downtown Charlottetown, ranging from Victoria Row to Victoria Park, and Forzan says it’s possible they were all feeding at the same location.
Forzan went back to the labelling information for Avitrol to find out more about what the company said about bird mortality from the product.
“We were under the impression from the older literature and from what the company was putting out, years ago when we first looked at this, about how pigeons would show abnormal behaviour and frighten the other pigeons away but only a few of them will die.”
That’s no longer the case she said — “If they show clinical signs, they are likely to die.”
‘There’s going to be some suffering’
Forzan is thinking about writing a letter to the editor to the Canadian Veterinary Journal to spread the word about the pigeon deaths from Avitrol, but admits it’s up to the public to decide if this is an appropriate way to control the pigeons.
“If people are upset about pigeons defacing buildings or cars, then something is going to be done, and whether we see it or not, people need to be aware that any time you kill an animal that you consider a pest, there’s going to be some suffering and some unpleasant sights,” said Forzan.
On P.E.I., only pest control professionals are allowed to use Avitrol.
Eleven companies are currently licensed across the Island and the licences are issued annually, expiring at the end of the calendar year.
A spokesperson for the P.E.I. government says staff in the Department of Communities, Land and Environment know who is administering the Avitrol in Charlottetown, and they have had conversations with that person about safe use of the substance.
Samples from three more dead pigeons have been sent to Guelph for testing, but no more sick birds have been reported.
“I’m kind of guessing that whoever was using Avitrol has realized that it’s probably not the best public relations results and maybe they’ve realized what it’s doing to the pigeons and they’ve stopped, or basically the problem has resolved itself, maybe the pigeons are no longer there,” observed Forzan.
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)
