by Pigeon Patrol | Aug 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
In the dinosaur kingdom, the raptor reigns as a pop-culture bogeyman. While not as big as the T. Rex, the feathered creature had a mean set of teeth and claws. But there was at least one refuge from its tyranny: the air.
Now, however, scientists have discovered a new fossil that lays waste to that pleasant fiction. This new raptorial dinosaur named Changyuraptor yangi not only flew — it had four wings. And those wings were studded with the longest feathers any dinosaur has ever worn, said lead researcher Luis Chiappe of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he told The Washington Post. “It is a stunning specimen and it was stunning to see the size of the feathers. This is the dinosaur with the longest known feathers — by far. There is nothing like this by a very good distance. The feathers were one-fourth the size of the animal.” Chiappe paused for a moment. “It’s just wonderful,” he said.
In the pantheon of hulking dinos, this one wasn’t on the larger side. Published in the scientific journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, the article by Chiappe and colleagues reported it was only about four feet long and weighed about nine pounds — approximately three times the weight of your everyday seagull. But what it lacked in size, it made up for in importance, researchers said.
Classed as a “microraptorine,” its fossils “are essential for testing hypotheses explaining the origin and early evolution of avian flight,” the paper stated. “The lengthy feathered tail of the new fossil provides insight into the flight performance of microraptorines and how they may have maintained aerial competency at larger body sizes.”
Be nice if the WaPo would’ve told us this is from the Early Cretaceous (100-146M years ago). But anyway, that’s cool.
ntodd
by Pigeon Patrol | Aug 6, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
LAKE ALFRED, Fla. (AP) — Every evening they come.
After a day of circling the skies, scanning the ground for the dead and dying, they make their way back home — an inhospitable home, to be sure, but home.
During the past couple years, it has been turned into a fake bird cemetery; it has reverberated with loud, scary noises; it has sent electric jolts through their bodies; and most recently, it has flashed blinding light into their eyes.
But still, black vultures settle down each evening on the Lake Alfred water tower.
“We are kind of in the final attempts (to get rid of the vultures),” City Manager Ryan Leavengood told the City Commission last Monday. “You wouldn’t think these things are as resilient as they are, but I’ll give them credit where credit is due.”
Leavengood’s comment sparked laughter from the commissioners and audience, but the city has had about $24,000 worth of work done to try to persuade the vultures to settle somewhere else.
The city has tried using a buzzer to frighten them — which worked until they got used to the noise. Fake dead vultures didn’t work, either. Those attempted solutions cost about $2,000.
Commissioners accepted a $20,332 bid in November for Terminix to install bird spikes and low-voltage electric tracks on the tower. The tracks were supposed to give the birds an uncomfortable, but harmless, shock. The spikes were supposed to make the surface uncomfortable to perch on.
Public Works Director John Deaton said the electric track works but doesn’t cover the whole tower, leaving plenty of space to sit comfortably. The spikes don’t seem to do anything, he said.
Leavengood said Monday the city will pay only part of that cost because it failed to deter the birds.
“Ultimately, we paid for a solution, and we didn’t get a solution,” he said.
In an attempt to hold on to hope, the city bought two Eagle Eyes for about $1,600 in May.
Eagle Eyes are bird deterrents that reflect sunlight or artificial light, limiting birds’ vision and causing them to steer away and find somewhere else to land.
It doesn’t seem to work for vultures, though.
“It looks pretty flashing around out there,” said Public Works Director John Deaton. “But the vultures are not annoyed by it at all.”
Leavengood said the city has another last-ditch effort idea: putting up cables and wires to impede their ability to land.
“That’s about the last thing we can think of,” he said. “We were hesitant because we didn’t want them to get caught up” in the wires.
City staff members have said they want the scavengers to find a new place to perch because they are worried about damage to the tower. Vultures’ urine and regurgitated fluids are highly corrosive.
So far, the only damage has been to the paint. The vultures have no access to the water, so the water quality isn’t in danger.
But cleaning and painting the tower is costly. Staff and residents don’t find the sight of the birds particularly appealing, either.
Vultures are a protected species, and the city cannot do anything to remove the birds that would harm them.
“You know what it is?” Deaton said, with a laugh. “Lake Alfred is a great place to live, and the birds have figured it out, and they don’t want to move.”
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 6, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
A day after more than 50 pigeons were found dead in Nehru Rose Garden under mysterious circumstances, the post mortem report said ‘electrocution’ is the reason behind the deaths.
Municipal Corporation got post mortem done from Government Veterinary Dispensary, Haibowal. The report was out on Saturday which said that ‘even healthy birds have died showing symptoms of electrocution.’
Talking to Newsline, A S Sekhon, health wing incharge of MC, said, “Postmortem has confirmed that reason behind death was electrocution. “It has been found through the colour of the birds after death and absence of injuries.
“The report adds that entire internal functioning stopped suddenly which is not at all a possibility unless something happens like electrocution. Also majority of birds that died were healthy.” He added that MC was able to recover around 25 dead birds and post mortem was performed on three of them.
Also since, there was no wire or pole near the spot, thunderstorm is being suspected as reason of electrocution. On Thursday night, the city witnessed hailstorm and thunderstorm.
Morning walkers at Nehru Rose Garden were in for a horrendous surprise on Friday morning when carcass of numerous pigeons were scattered all around the place.
City’s rose garden presents an utter dismal picture as it once had a full fledged zoo which stored monkeys, deer, ducks and rabbits for children to visit. Now it houses nothing except pigeons after similar incident happened on 2012 when rabbits were found dead on April 28 and reportedly the cage was left open due an employee’s negligence.
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 6, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Theresa Schultz used to feed a flock of pigeons in Point State Park all the time. She thought she was performing a public service.
But park rangers didn’t see it that way. Two years ago they told the 81-year-old Squirrel Hill resident to stop because she was attracting geese and creating a nuisance.”They said it was up to them, not me,” she said. “I would not defy.”Mrs. Schultz followed orders because she feared going to jail.She needn’t have worried. Rarely are ordinances governing city, county and state parks enforced for minor infractions. And when they are, law-breakers get little more than a slap on the wrist.As temperatures rise and people flock to the region’s public spaces, violations of various rules seem rampant, according to an informal survey conducted in recent days by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporters.A host of illicit behaviors — walking dogs off a leash, splashing about in fountains and feeding birds — was visible from Mellon Square to Frick Park, Schenley Plaza to Point State Park.To be sure, certain misbehavior — such as public nudity or intoxication — is bound to spur unwanted attention or even a police response. But it’s the lesser violations, which also tend to be habitual, that underscore the toothless nature of regulations.”I’ve never seen anyone get in trouble for anything in a Pittsburgh park,” said Jason Lockard, 34.Court records attest to this. A review of Pittsburgh Municipal Court records shows just six violations this year under use regulations for parks and public spaces. Five were for being in parks after hours, and one was for driving off paved roads. None carried a fine. Last year there were 22 violations.The same low rate of enforcement holds true for the county’s public transit system, which asks patrons to obey rider etiquette in various ways. Citations are rare, Port Authority spokesman Jim Ritchie said, because the first response is simply to ask people eating, drinking or smoking on the bus or light rail to stop.Officials at all government levels say they prefer to educate rather than incarcerate.The clash between enforcing public ordinances and ignoring them has come into focus in Mellon Square, a Downtown plaza that reopened last month after a six-year, $10 million renovation.A prominent sign posted by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy near the center of the square bans, first and foremost, feeding pigeons and other birds. It also prohibits all forms of littering, swimming and bathing in the fountain and camping and building fires. By and large, these laws are uniform across the city, county and state.But Pittsburgh Councilwoman Darlene Harris, an avowed bird-feeding advocate, complains that ordinances are being unequally enforced. In her opinion, if the city wants to ban littering, then all forms of it — like throwing cigarette butts and french fries on the ground — must be punished. She said people like Mrs. Schultz who feed birds are being unfairly targeted.”Those parks are for everyone,” she said. “You can’t say, ‘you can’t feed the birds, but you can have lunch here.'”Mrs. Harris took issue with the parks conservancy setting rules for the use of public space.”When they start telling our residents what they can and cannot do in parks, then they are taking the roles of elected officials,” she said.Chris Fletcher, the conservancy’s content officer, defended his group’s role.”We were invited to be a part of this project, and we are required to follow all ordinances of the city,” Mr. Fletcher said. “The code expressly says that you can’t leave any organic or inorganic materials on the ground.”Even with the rule on the books, chances are slim that anyone would get in trouble for feedings birds in the plaza.Myron Hyman, a Mellon Square guard from the AM-GARD security firm contracted by the city, said he is supposed to allow people to feed pigeons out of their hands. More flagrant feeders who throw food on the ground are not cited, Mr. Myron, 29, said, but he gives them a stern lecture.In Pittsburgh there is no rule against feeding birds, but officials interpret the ban on littering to prohibit such activity. In the past two years, just one person has been charged under the city’s sanitation ordinance. The charge carried no monetary penalty and was dismissed.Meanwhile, county officials cannot write citations for feeding wildlife because it is not formalized in county ordinances, according to county spokeswoman Amie Downs.At all levels, the goal is education, officials said.”We want to bring the public up to speed — to teach them about the hazards and the dangers of feeding wildlife,” said John Hallas, assistant director of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of State Parks.Citations are issued only in cases of “flagrant or habitual violations,” and they carry little penalty beyond a nominal fine, Mr. Hallas said.The same apparently applies to dog walkers, who flout the rules just as much as bird feeders, if not more so.On a recent sunny weekday in Frick Park, dogs roamed untethered. Tricia Wood of Edgewood said she is careful to put her Australian Shepherd on a leash when she sees a white truck approaching — what she says is the well-known signal to dog walkers that Pittsburgh’s Bureau of Animal Care & Control is near. Otherwise, she said, the “off-leash area” carries little practical meaning.Rich Wagner, 57, said he walks through Frick Park’s four miles of trails every day, and frequently sees people walking their dogs without leashes despite it being a violation of city ordinances. He added that most rules have little hold over people’s behavior because there are few signs posted in the park.John Levine, a professor of social psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, said the prominence of signs articulating a given rule is a deciding factor in whether it is followed.When a rule is unclear or does not exist, it is social consensus that determines the norms people follow, Mr. Levine said.An Animal Control employee who would not give his name said he “could” cite people caught with roaming dogs, but rarely does. He referred further comment to Sonya Toler, spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety.Ms. Toler said that when someone breaks a law that is not a criminal offense, the police prefer to instruct rather than arrest.Mr. Levine said authorities use a cost-benefit analysis when deciding how to punish misbehavior. For park-related infractions, he said, the sliding scale may lead to a more lax response.On the same day that owners unleashed their dogs in Frick Park, Kinjal Patel, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student, dipped her feet in an Oakland fountain near Schenley Plaza, which is owned by the city. She said she knew it was against the rules, recalling how a Pitt police officer once told her to stop playing in the water. But he didn’t write her up, so, she figured, what’s the risk?Meghan Dale, a Pitt graduate student, said the enforcement of rules is similarly loose for the possession of alcohol on the plaza, where students congregate at outdoor concerts and other events.”As long as you’re not chugging,” Ms. Dale said, “it’s pretty hard to get in trouble.”
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 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht said tonight it is calling on climbers and walkers in the area to help protect the Peregrine Falcons, which are nesting in the quarry and have four chicks nearly ready to fledge.
Peregrine Falcons are a protected species and the deliberate killing of them is a criminal offence.
The Department said that a “significant threat” to the birds has arisen, as on Wednesday evening a walker noticed two tethered pigeons flapping near the Perigrine Falcons’ nest.
The pigeons’ wings had been clipped to stop them flying, and the birds had been attached to ground stakes. They also had a “wet substance” on their neck.
The pigeons were brought to the State laboratories for testing.
It is believed that they were laced with a poison in a deliberate attempt to kill the breeding Falcons. Peregrines eat live prey and would have been attracted to the pigeons by their wing flapping as they attempted to escape their tethers.
The NPWS and the Parks Department for Killiney Hill, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council are now calling on the public who use the park to remain vigilant and report any similar incidents.
Here’s how you can help:
- Look out for people acting suspiciously around the nest area
- Keep watch for tethered birds or birds fluttering a lot in the one area but not moving, which may mean that they are tied in some way.
- Report any dead birds seen
- Keep children and pets away from suspect birds
”It is not tolerable for these majestic and extraordinary birds of prey or any other wildlife to be persecuted or poisoned,” said Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
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)
