by Ryan Ponto | Oct 24, 2016 | Bird Netting
An epic report for the LH Martin Institute by former senior public servant Mark Warburton makes for exceptionally interesting reading. He doesn’t just have a unique perspective on policy, he also has some very valid and courageous ideas about the future. Warburton also isn’t afraid of setting the cat among the pigeons: he reckons the government’s mantra of cost blow outs under the demand driven system are a little myopic and self-serving because a series of budget cuts have kept the budget — as a proportion of GDP — pretty stable at 0.8 per cent of GDP since 2000. However, Warburton joins the conga line of experts voicing their escalating concerns about the disparity between higher education funding and policy and that of vocational education. Warburton argues post-school education financing should be completely overhauled, with vocational and higher education treated similarly and all courses backed by government subsidies as well as the unified loan scheme. He even has some pretty well developed ideas for HECS.
More please
HW often bemoans the state of independent higher education policy analysis. So we doff our cap to LH Martin for backing weighty reports such as this, and also the series of articles on funding by Frank Larkins and Ian Marshman.
Race day
While Victoria shut down for the race that stops the nation on Tuesday, Melbourne University was hard at work. It appears the public holiday was traded years ago as part of an enterprise bargaining round. Besides, the race always falls in the middle of exams. And so it was that students were lining up to sit exams as the rest of Melbourne was falling over in their stilettos at Flemington.
Race daze
One VC admitted to HW he had attended the Melbourne Cup just once. “That was enough. Unless you like hanging around a lot of people drinking champagne and watching TV, there’s not much point to it,” he said. HW couldn’t agree more.
Concerning times
Turkey’s state-run news agency says 10,130 more civil servants have been dismissed for alleged ties to terrorism while 15 mostly pro-Kurdish media outlets also have been shut down. Academics are among the most targeted, with 1267 academics being dismissed from universities.
Turkey declared a state of emergency following the July 15 coup attempt allowing the government to rule by decree.
Welcoming times
Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Graham Quirk will hold a giant party for 700 international students tonight. “The ceremony allows Brisbane to showcase itself as one of the world’s most welcoming and friendly cities for international students,” the press gumph says. The party comes as international education market research firm StudentMarketing estimates that a destination realises $14.4 million in economic impact, and 300 full time jobs, for every 1000 students it hosts. The report says part of the impact is derived from overseas students, along with their family and friends, making repeated return visits not just to the city but the region. It says that more than a third of students would like to stay and work following graduation. of student travellers wish to stay, work, and live in the destination after graduation.
Speaking of which
The government has this morning announced the names of 3000 students, researchers and professionals from 67 tertiary institutions who have been awarded Endeavour scholarships, fellowships and mobility grants.
Appointment
ANU has appointed ecologist Saul Cunningham as the new director of the Fenner School of Environment and Society. Formerly a principal research scientist with CSIRO Land and Water, Cunningham’s research focuses on how biodiversity might best be maintained in landscapes that are modified by humans. He is known for his work on pollination ecology, from native plants to crops, and from wild pollinators to managed honeybees. Cunningham will take up the role in January, succeeding Steve Dovers, who is stepping down after leading the school since 2009.
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 | Oct 23, 2016 | Bird Netting
Despite what it might have sounded like, pterodactyls did not invade the alley between the Athens County Board of Elections and the Athens County Court of Common Pleas.
Over the past month, people walking down Court Street noticed exceptionally loud noises resembling those of distressed birds coming from the alley next to the Board of Elections.
“At first I was like, ‘what the hell?’ because I used to work at Donkey, and so I spent a lot of time walking through this alley to put trash in the dumpsters,” Mary Pyles, an Athens resident, said.
Charlie Brown, the building superintendent of Athens County, assured that people were not imagining the strange bird sounds occurring at all hours of the day.
At the end of September, maintenance workers for the county buildings in Athens had enough with the bird droppings coming mainly from the pigeons landing on the courthouse. The attempted solution was the installation of an electronic box that put out different variations of predator and distressed bird noises on a timed schedule. The hope was that the distress sounds would frighten the pigeons enough to deter them from roosting on and around the courthouse.
“I knew it was a recording. It sounded too much like a pterodactyl being attacked in the jungle. I was like ‘yeah, that’s not real,’ ” Kelly Basilio, an employee at the Board of Elections, said.
If bird droppings scattered on the outside of the courthouse were not enough to make Brown and his staff take action, the pesky pigeons sneaking into the attic of the courthouse were.
“We were just trying to test something out because two things — the droppings on the outside of the building are kind of severe, but then also they’re migrating around enough so that they’re finding their way inside of the attic because that’s where they were really creating what potentially could be a health problem,” Brown said.
Building maintenance first tried placing the device in the bell tower on top of the courthouse to take advantage of the acoustics.
“We played in there for a week and a half or two … it had some effect on them but not what we (were) hoping for,” Brown said.
The creators of the device suggested to Brown that the louvers — angled slats fixed in the bell tower to allow light and air to pass — were projecting the sound too far downward. Because the device was guaranteed to be water and weatherproof, the next location maintenance tried was the roof of the courthouse.
The experiment ended abruptly after a big rain Athens experienced last week, despite the waterproof guarantee for the device.
“The guy that works with me unplugged it,” Brown said, “brought it down and the water was dripping out of it and I said, ‘Well I thought that was supposed to be sealed,’ and he said ‘Yeah, they said it was.’ ”
Brown is uncertain what the next attempt at keeping away the unwelcome birds will be. Installing the distress device was not the first attempt he has seen to scare away the pooping pigeons.
The device likely did not work as well as planned because of birds’ ability to become desensitized to triggers supposed to scare them off, Brown said.
The device cost building maintenance about $250. However, a disappointed Brown said he has every intention of having the money refunded that went toward the bird box.
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 | Oct 22, 2016 | Bird Netting
Mangaluru, Nov 3: Vittal (32), a native of Aikala Yeradubettu near Kinnigoli in the taluk, fell into a well without protective wall and lost his life. This incident happened at Sthalantaguthu Palke within Aikala gram panchayat near Kinnigoli on Wednesday November 2 afternoon.
Vittal was member of a group of three friends who had ventured out to catch pigeons. Santosh and Rajesh from Yeradubettu Aikala had accompanied him in the hunting trip which began at around 11 AM on Wednesday.
The group of friends noticed the presence of some pigeons in an area in Sthalantaguthu Palke that looked like a small area covered by bushes. All the three darted towards the spot in an effort to catch hold of the birds. As the open well was not visible, Vittal fell into it when hurrying towards the birds, Santosh stated.
Information about the tragedy was later conveyed to the family of Vittal and to the Mulky police. Firemen attached to Moodbidri fire brigade brought the body of Vittal out of the well. It is gathered that the well, which is 40 feet deep, has 20 feet of standing water as of now. Vittal had also suffered severe blow on his head, policemen stated.
The deceased is survived by his wife and three daughters.
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 | Oct 21, 2016 | Bird Netting
Pigeons drop a big problem on High Street Reverend John Mitchell outside his Bonnyrigg Parish Church which has been plagued by pigeon droppings. A recent increase in pigeon droppings on Bonnyrigg High Street has raised safety fears and left a church £2000 out of pocket. Bonnyrigg Parish Church had already spent £400 earlier in the summer tackling the problem and, by the end of work being undetaken, will have spent around £2000 on having spikes fitted on the roof and spire to stop pigeons making a mess on the 170-year-old building. The Rev. John Mitchell has been at the church for 25 years and said he has “never seen anything like this before”. He added: “For the last nine months we have had an absolute mess at the church. “They are resting on the church area, particularly the steeple, and the droppings are all over the pavement. “The droppings have an acid in them that starts to corrode buildings so that’s why we have to make moves to stop this. “When it’s wet the droppings just become mud, it’s literally a skating rink. “We did approach the council about six months ago to see if there were any small grants available for us to spike the church building. It did its best but we heard nothing back so we have had to cough up the money for it. “We don’t want the mess – and the smell that comes with it – dragged into the church.” Mr Mitchell revealed that the church was not the only building affected. He said: “The town centre has been swamped by pigeons in the last year. There seems to be more and more appearing. “I think other shop owners near the toll are angry too. “It’s not their job to clean the pavement to stop it being dragged into their shops. It’s obviously a council problem. “We are all at a loss as to who should be cleaning what area but we shouldn’t be cleaning public highways.” A Midlothian Council spokesman said: “We are aware of the situation at Bonnyrigg High Street and the area will be cleaned. “But unlike dog fouling or littering, there is no legislation in place concerning pigeon fouling, thus it is not the council’s responsibility to clean the mess. “Nevertheless we understand the frustrations of the shop owners and Bonnyrigg Parish Church concerning the on-going situation.”
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 | Oct 20, 2016 | Bird Netting
The birds were released from both race points — Barringun and Coongoola — at 6.30am on Friday into a light southerly wind.
It was reasonably warm during the day and it would be fair to assume the birds may have landed for a drink on their journey south.
No birds made it home on the day from either race, however early Saturday morning birds were reported from both races although returns were quite scattered.
Even in ideal conditions the 500-mile and 600-mile races are an extreme test of a bird’s endurance with varied wind strengths and directions along the route and the ever present danger of falcons who often drive the birds off course or make them take shelter in a tree to avoid being attacked.
These are last two races on the 2016 program and club members will have their presentation night at the Tuppal Hotel in Finley on December 1 at 6.30pm.
It has been a successful year for Murray Pigeon Club members and they have acquitted themselves very well against flyers from Benalla, Shepparton, Kyabram, Echuca, Waaia and Rochester who are all part of the Greater Valley Pigeon Federation.
Tony Fraser was placed second in the Federation in the race from Barringun, and the partnership of Luke Sibraa and John Trist had the first bird in the Federation from Coongoola.
Murray Pigeon Club members already have their birds paired up hoping to breed next year’s champions.
Barringun 500 miles results (flyer/town/velocity): Tony Fraser (Cobram) 801mpm; Michael Hawkins and George Hill (Berrigan) 782; Luke Sibraa and John Trist (Finley) 716; Daryl Sinclair (Yarrawonga) 645; Margot Robertson (Mayrung) 537; Frank and Dennis Hickey (Berrigan) 381.
Coongoola 600 miles: Luke Sibraa and John Trist (Finley) 881mpm; Michael Hawkins and George Hill (Berrigan) 859; Margot Robertson (Mayrung) 842; Tony Fraser (Cobram) 785.
Murray Pigeon Club aggregate (flyer/town/aggregate points): Michael Hawkins and George Hill (Berrigan) 81 points; Luke Sibraa and John Trist (Finley) 78; Tony Fraser (Cobram) 48; Margot Robertson (Mayrung) 40; Frank and Dennis Hickey (Berrigan) 26; Daryl Sinclair (Yarrawonga) 20.
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)
