by Pigeon Patrol | Oct 16, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services
State wildlife authorities on Tuesday asked that bird baths and feeders in residential yards be taken down in an effort to stem the spread of a parasite that is taking a heavy toll on California’s only native pigeon.
Necropsies on the carcasses of Pacific Coast band-tailed pigeons collected since December at locations from the Bay Area to San Diego determined they were infected with the protozoa responsible for avian trichomonosis, said Krysta Rogers, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Pigeons fetch more than chicken feed
The parasite, which scientists know as Trichomonas gallinae, lives in the mouth and throat of infected birds, causing lesions that block the passage of food and air. Infected birds typically die from starvation or suffocation.
The non-native urban pigeon is thought to be the main source of infection for the band-tailed pigeon, a migratory game bird that winters in California. But state veterinarians are also concerned about the risk of spillover to hawks, falcons and owls that prey on pigeons.
Bird feeders and artificial water sources may increase transmission of the disease because they bring band-tailed pigeons in close contact with other birds.
“We’re recommending that residents not feed or water wild birds while the pigeons are wintering here,” Rogers said. “But if they must, we ask that they make sure their birdbaths and feeders are cleaned well and regularly.”
In Southern California, band-tailed pigeon carcasses have been reported in oak and conifer forests in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties, and in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Deadly H5N1 bird flu needs just 5 mutations to spread easily in people
“As a precautionary measure, we drained a large pond on our grounds,” said David Myers, executive director of the nonprofit Wildlands Conservancy, which is headquartered in the San Bernardino County community of Oak Glen. “We’ve also sent nine pigeon carcasses to state wildlife officials for inspection.”
Epidemics of trichomonosis involving tens of thousands of band-tailed pigeons have been sporadic in California since 1945. Research suggests they tend to occur more often in warmer, drier winters, state officials said.
There were two reported trichomonosis events between the early 1950s and early 1980s, officials said. Over the last decade, however, there have been six such events.
The overall population of the reclusive pigeons with purplish heads and breasts, dark-tipped yellow bills, yellow legs and broad gray tail bands has been in steady decline since the 1940s, according to annual surveys and takes reported by hunters.
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 | Oct 15, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services
It is 9 a.m. on Feb. 1, a Sunday morning, and İzmir is still asleep, except for some people who want to enjoy the quietness of the city. I am on my way to the famous clock tower of İzmir and when I arrive at the square, the first thing that draws my attention is, of course, the clock tower. It is smaller than I expected, but it looks beautiful in the morning light. While looking at it, I suddenly hear the sounds of two women quarreling.
The square near the clock tower is a popular space in İzmir and, as so many other squares in the world – think about the Dam square in Amsterdam, San Marco in Venice or Trafalgar square in London – pigeons outnumber the number of visitors. Pigeons were eagerly waiting for people to come so they would get their daily dose of food. Around 8:30 and 9 a.m. people who sell pigeon food arrive and quickly prepare their little tables. There is a certain order at the square about who is allowed to sit where. The problem this morning was, a woman (let’s call her Ayşe) had taken another woman’s (Burcu’s) place. With loud arguments, Burcu tried to convince Ayşe of her wrongdoing. But whatever arguments Burcu used to convince the woman that it was her who had to go, Ayşe did not listen. “I was here first and this is going be my place for the day,” she tried reasoning with Burcu. It was Ayşe who won and Burcu, while still swearing at the woman, walked away to her new and unwanted post.
It was beautiful winter weather and the sun shone nice light on the tower. With just a couple of clouds in the background, this would allow me to take a beautiful picture. At 10 a.m. it began to get busier, but together with the increase of the number of visitors, the amount of clouds increased as well. Within one hour, the first drops came down and in no time it was raining cats and dogs. People tried to find a dry place at different locations, but when they realized that the rain would not stop soon quickly they also left the square.
I decided to go to the covered market in İzmir. On my way to it, there was this interesting, but at the same time ironic advertisement. So many people have lost connection with nature and there are some people who create new projects in which they use nature in a very clever way. By planting a small park and pond, they give people the feeling that they are living in nature. Seeing the advertisement, which promotes living in nature with that background and nothing more than some old, horrible buildings without any green struck me. Sometimes it is not what you see, but what you want to see and as a picture, I liked this scene very much.
Finally, being soaking wet, I arrived at the Kızlarağası Hanı. Although I never had seen the clock tower, I have visited this old Han many times. It is a rather small Han, not as big as the one in Şanlıurfa, but I love this covered market. A nice square inside where you can drink Boza or Salep (typical Turkish winter drinks. Boza is a cold, almost-custard thick, slightly fermented drink. Salep is a warm drink and is wonderful during cold weather) or tea, of course. Inside this Han they changed it into a shopping mall, but this is so nice, so cute. I love those kinds of shopping malls; they are client friendly, and not tiresome as 21st century shopping malls. In spite of all the technology they put into those shopping malls, it is impossible to spend more than one or two hours in those places. The worst one for me is Cevahir; after half an hour, I start to get nervous and one hour later it feels as if my head is exploding.
Then take those nice ancient covered markets. The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul is very busy; the covered market of Şanlıurfa is crowded, especially on Fridays, but it does not matter for me how busy it is; it is always fun to walk around in those places.
The variety of shops combined with handcrafts makes an interesting combination. I will write about it in another story, but here in İzmir, in this Han, you will experience the same kind of feeling. There are a couple of silver shops, antique shops, touristic stuff shops etc. Every time when I visit this Han, I find something that attracts my attention. This time, I found this little music instrument shop and bought nice little pink (!) ukulele for my daughter. A bit further into the Han, I saw nice little shops that sell old Ottoman books, manuscripts and postcards. The woman working there knows how to read the Ottoman language and with a lot of passion, she explained about some of the books that I randomly picked from the shelves. One of the books was a children’s story translated from the original English. Of course, there were a couple of Qurans and even some schoolbooks.
If you are worried about food; don’t be, there are enough choices for everyone. It is not typical Michelin star food, but sitting there and enjoying the activities around you turn this place into an unforgettable experience.
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 | Oct 14, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
A British grandfather died from a freak allergy to pigeons after he let a pal keep them in his back yard.
Peter Willoughby, who didn’t even like the birds, selflessly allowed his friend to build a pigeon loft in his Hampshire yard some 25 years ago, reports the Southern Daily Echo.
But the dad-of-three didn’t realize that the favor would eventually end up killing him.
Willoughby’s health deteriorated over the years, and it then emerged that he was suffering from scarring on the lungs.
The condition, commonly known in the bird racing community as “pigeon fancier’s lungs,” came from an allergy due to his regular contact with the creatures.
Willoughby suffered from a condition known as ‘pigeon fancier’s lungs,’ as his allergy to the birds caused scarring on the lungs.
An inquest into his death heard that the 72-year-old struggled to breathe in his later years, and that he died in Southampton General Hospital in 2014.
Coroner Grahame Short recorded his death as coming from end-stage lung disease and a form of pneumonia triggered by the allergy to pigeons.
“For a number of years Mr Willoughby was working in an environment where he was exposed and in his home he was also exposed to feathers and excreta when he was close to the pigeon loft in his back garden,” Short ruled.
“I think it was a combination of those two factors,” he added.
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 | Oct 13, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Visitors believe the speakers installed last December to broadcast bird noises have done little to move on the nuisance birds in the area.
Currently recordings are broadcast intermittently through speakers throughout the parklands.
It was hoped the noise would move the large white birds away from the high traffic areas, yet the ibis remain.
CEO Jeff Weigh said the Corporation is working towards finding new options to control the number of ibis that inhabit the well visited location.
“We are looking at humane ways to make space for visitors at South Bank,” he said.
“There are a list of things we are going to try including kite birds similar to what we have in the Epicurious garden at South Bank which act as birds of prey.
Brisbane City Council advises visitors to:
not feed ibis or leave scraps of food or rubbish lying around
keep garbage bin lids closed, particularly industrial waste bins
remove water sources and reduce waste disposal
not try to kill or cause injury to the birds
not remove nests or eggs
not disturb the birds when there are fledglings in the nest
Brisbane City Council – Australian white ibis
“The ibis are a local nesting bird that live in the area so we have to keep trying different ways of deterring them.”
Visitors to South Bank have told 612 ABC Brisbane confirmed that the recorded noises are not having any affect on the nearby ibis.
“It is a good idea, but it seems the birds are just too smart for us,” said Jessica from Brisbane.
“I think that fans could work with water or possibly tougher bird noises like that of a hawk.”
One local food vendor said the recordings being played have not stopped the ibis from taking food from visitors.
“We can still see the ibis and they still get up on the tables and take food from people but I do not think we can really get rid of the birds though,” she said.
“I tell customers to watch their food, and not get distracted as that is when they [the ibis] jump on the table and take food from people.”
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 | Oct 12, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
LOS GATOS, Calif. (KGO) — A deadly disease is killing off a certain species of pigeons. In a matter of weeks, more than a thousand pigeons have died. The counties with the highest death tolls are Santa Barbara and Santa Clara counties.
“It’s really horrible,” Los Gatos resident Sally Edsall said. “In their eyes as well, their beaks in particular are very infected.”
Band-tailed pigeons are dying by the hundreds in Santa Clara County and the sudden deaths started last month, and have been rising since.
“Last week was definitely a peak where we were having five, six a day,” Edsall said.
A parasite is attacking the pigeons and specifically, and spreading trichomoniasis — a lesion causing disease that closes off the birds’ throats. The birds then die of suffocation or starvation.
“Losing a thousand is a big deal,” Rebecca Dmytryk, executive director of Wildlife Emergency Services said. “They don’t recover very quickly because they only have one chick per year.”
The drought is contributing to the problem. Pigeons are sharing limited water sources and infecting one another.
A creek in East Los Gatos may be the cause of deaths in the area.
Birds are literally falling out of the trees on Twin Oaks Drive. Thirty dead birds were found at one house alone.
“I was definitely concerned before. I didn’t even want to walk in my back yard,” Anne Griffin, a Los Gatos resident, said.
Experts hope the disease will slow down once the pigeons start migrating out of the area.
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)
State wildlife authorities on Tuesday asked that bird baths and feeders in residential yards be taken down in an effort to stem the spread of a parasite that is taking a heavy toll on California’s only native pigeon.
