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.
The following questions were asked recently on the Wonderline:
Q: The Lincoln Avenue underpass has been recently painted by city employees. How much was budgeted for this project and what was actually spent, including the city employees’ labor? Also, the pigeons are still roosting in the underpass — how much was spent attempting to stop the pigeons from roosting where they have been for many years?
A: Mitch Doht, the city’s public works director, says “$165,000 was in this year’s budget for painting the underpass. Informal contractor estimates for the project were around $250,000. I don’t have final numbers on what the city spent because the project is not yet complete and because not all of the expenses have been invoiced, but my feeling is that we should be around $80,000, including all wages, equipment and materials. We only spent half of our budget, and not even one-third of what it would have cost for a contractor to do it. City government at its best, if you ask me. I’m really proud of our employees for the quality job they did and the money they saved taxpayers.”
As far as the pigeon issue, Doht had this informative and yet entertaining message, directed to the pigeons themselves:
“A personal message to all you freeloading pigeons in York. I realize you have been living in the same place for many years, following the same boring routine, into the underpass, out of the underpass, into the underpass, out of the underpass, etc., but today is a new day! Change is a good thing. Spread your wings and find a new place to live. Maybe Seward has an underpass? I realize that York’s city property tax levy is way lower than Seward’s, but you will be so much closer to Lincoln. Imagine the possibilities! By the way, consider this your eviction notice! I mistakenly left you a couple little spots at the underpass for you and your buddies to fight over, but alas, those too will soon be gone. Good luck and Godspeed!”
And he added, regarding the cost of pigeon proofing, that it “wasn’t much.”
Q: Every summer the City street department repairs and fills cracks in streets, however this year this job has not been done yet. Will this project be completed yet this summer or did the Lincoln Avenue underpass project take away the workers from other necessary street repair projects?
A: Doht responds, “They tell me that it has actually been many years since pavement crack sealing has been done in York. The city’s tar machine is a piece of crap and it wasn’t working for several years. So I borrowed a pavement router (Thanks Tom and Harv!), leased a tar machine, and we are back at it this year, and will be every year while I’m in charge.
“I totally agree that this type of work is necessary. A formal pavement preservation program is one of my goals for the street department. Well-timed, routine maintenance strategies can save us so much money over the life of a pavement.
“You are also correct, in that every project we do takes away from every other project on the list. Does that make sense? I’m not sure that people understand that we have a much longer list of needs than what will ever get done with our current resources. We do our best to prioritize projects and really try to make a difference. Thankfully, crack seal and underpass painting both made the cut this year. Crack sealing work has already started at several locations in town. Those areas will be finished in the next few weeks. A much larger pavement preservation project will happen this fall or next spring, depending upon how the new budget is finalized.”
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.
While the Toronto Blue Jays were supposedly violating the unwritten rules of baseball in their 4-1 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday, a pair of rogue pigeons found their way on to the field at Rogers Centre despite the roof being closed and caused a temporary delay in the action.
The delay happened in the eighth inning, long after Colby Lewis left the field, which is very good news for the pigeons. They basically marched right up to the pitcher’s mound, and had they walked on the mound, it would have been a violation of one of baseball’s most famous unwritten rules.
Remember the Dallas Braden-Alex Rodriguez fiasco from a few years ago?
There was no repeat of that, but the pigeons did seem to overstay their welcome rather quickly, at least in the eyes of Rangers players. Pitcher Roman Mendez appeared poised to bombard them with the rosin bag, and then third baseman Adrian Beltre took charge and shooed them away much the same way he chases off teammate Elvis Andrus when he tries to touch his head.crowd didn’t really appreciate Beltre ending the impromptu entertainment, but at least the game was able to continue as the pigeons reluctantly relocated into foul territory on the first base line. They would remain in that general vicinity for most of the final inning, and thankfully neither of them met their maker like the unfortunate bird who once crossed Randy Johnson’s fastball.
See, Beltre was just taking the best interest of the pigeons to heart. You might even call him a hero to the pigeon community.
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.
Mike Tyson may have found peace in the company of pigeons but in Howrah, a dispute over possession of a bird spurred a 48-year-old man to punch his best friend to death on Sunday evening.
Nageswar Rai kept punching his long-time friend and neighbour Navraj Singh, 50, in the face and body till he collapsed on the pavement in Round Tank Lane, say police.
Singh was taken to hospital where he died early on Monday. Doctors suspect the barrage of punches damaged his vital organs. Rai is absconding.
Singh was an employee in the conservancy department of Howrah Municipal Corporation. On Sunday evening, he returned to home clutching a ‘lotan’ pigeon (known in Bengali as ‘noton payra’). Everyone knew that Singh has a soft corner for animals and birds.
The first thing he did was to call out to his old buddy Rai. The two began to admire the bird’s qualities. After a while, Rai asked Singh to give the pigeon to him, saying it would be better off in his care.
Rai also warned Singh that stray cats may get to the bird if he insisted on keeping it. An argument ensued after which Rai allegedly attempted to snatch the bird from Singh’s hands.
In the scuffle that followed, the pigeon flew off. An enraged Singh turned on Rai, accusing him for the loss.
Within minutes, the two men were at each other’s throats, say police. Rai, a hawker, threw a flurry of punches and fled as Singh slumped to the ground. Singh’s family members helped him inside the house.
Later in the evening, he started complaining of discomfort and was moved to Howrah district hospital where he died early in the morning. The body has been sent for autopsy.
But what was so unique about this pigeon?
“The uniqueness of this bird is that if shaken slightly and kept on the ground, it starts doing rolls. The only way to stop the rolling is to pick up the bird and blow into its mouth. These birds cost Rs 2,000-2,500 each,” said Joydip Chatterjee of Chatterjee Pet House in Ashoknagar.
The neighbourhood is shocked by Singh’s death. His wife Saro Devi lodged a complaint with police, accusing Rai, following which he was charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, said Howrah OC Tathagata Pande.
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.
John Wilkinson, who was jailed for six weeks for breaching an ASBO restricting his habit of feeding pigeons, is expected to be released before the weekend after serving half his sentence.
The Visitor campaigned to ‘Free the Morecambe Birdman’ believing his punishment did not fit the crime.
We also said sending a man to prison for feeding birds was an unnecessary waste of taxpayers’ money and unlikely to make a difference to his long-term behaviour.
We also called for active and meaningful support for those in Morecambe who have suffered years of misery as a direct result of his bird feeding activities.
Neighbours have complained for years about the noise, nuisance and smell caused by Wilkinson’s habit of feeding pigeons at his home on Cavendish Road in the West End of Morecambe.
Our campaign was sparked after angry Visitor readers bombarded social media with messages calling for Wilkinson, who is being held in HM Preston prison, to be released.
Rita Patton, a friend of Wilkinson’s who started her own campaign on Facebook and organised a public bird feeding in Morecambe to show support, said: “I’m proud of The Visitor. You’ve done things in the right way.
“Apparently John is doing really well although he’s a little nervous by all the attention, because he’s seen all the press and TV coverage.
“I’m going to have a meeting with him and (charity) West End Impact when he gets out, to explain to him why we started the campaign.
“I hope he will go back to feeding the birds, but a little more responsibly.”
Mrs Patton has collected £100 in donations, which she will hand over to Wilkinson once he is freed.
Meanwhile David Morris MP has written to the Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, to ask if procedures were followed correctly in the case of Wilkinson.
“This is a really sad case,” said Mr Morris.
“I pass Mr. Wilkinson’s house regularly and I am sure it must be frustrating for neighbours to have so many pigeons flying past all of the time.”
Wilkinson was sent to jail after feeding pigeons approximately 40kg of bird seed each day, along with vast quantities of food such as pizzas, pasta, apples and processed ready-meals, which he was forbidden from doing under the terms of his ASBO.
He will be released under legal guidelines which allow people jailed for less than a year to be freed after serving just half their sentence.
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.
LAKE ALFRED, Fla. (AP) — Every evening they come.
