by johnnymarin | Jan 30, 2019 | Bird Deterrent Products
A former health secretary has called for an inquiry into the deaths of two hospital patients who contracted a rare infection linked to pigeon droppings. Alex Neil said the cause of the deaths and the handling of the cases by Scotland’s biggest health had to be looked into. The Cryptococcus infections have been linked to the excrement of birds that got into a non-public area at the flagship Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGCC) has launched a probe into the death of one patient, with the cause still to be determined. The health board said the second patient affected – who was elderly – died of an unrelated matter. The Scottish government confirmed the infection was reported in December. Mr Neil told BBC Scotland: “I think there has to be an outside inquiry by experts to find why this happened in the first place, secondly how it has been handled by the health board and, thirdly, what precautions need to be taken for the future.” The SNP MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, who was health secretary between 2012 and 2014, questioned why it took three weeks for the news to be made public. He added: “There are confusing messages coming out of the health board so they need to clarify the situation and do so as a matter of urgency.” “There are confusing messages coming out of the health board so they need to clarify the situation and do so as a matter of urgency” Alex Neil A non-public room, thought to contain machinery, has been identified as a likely source. Measures have been taken to keep pigeons out of the area while portable units that filter the air continuously have been installed. A Scottish government spokesman: “Our primary concern, and that of the Health Board, remains the safety and wellbeing of the patients and their families at the hospital. “There is an on-going review of two isolated cases of an unusual fungal infection within the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital site, which were detected in December 2018.” A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board said an investigation remains ongoing. “These two cases of infection were identified in December and an incident management team was formed. “A likely source was identified and dealt with immediately. “The small number of paediatric and adult patients who are vulnerable to this infection are receiving medication to prevent potential infection and this has proved effective. “Air sampling was carried out and HEPA filters were brought in on 10 January to specific areas before conclusive results were available. “Results identifying the organism were obtained on 16 January. “Early indications suggest the filters are having a positive effect. “The organism is harmless to the vast majority of people and rarely causes disease in humans. “We are unable to comment further on the two cases due to patient confidentiality.”
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 johnnymarin | Jan 29, 2019 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
In January, thousands of pigeon fanciers flock to the seaside resort of Blackpool where the fastest and most beautiful pigeons are cooed over by some of the most expert keepers in the game.
The British Homing World Show of the Year is the UK’s biggest gathering of pigeon fanciers, attracting up to 15,000 people to the northwest coast of England.
“Whether you are a new member, curious about pigeons, or a veteran pigeon fancier, there is something for everyone at the show,” the event promises.
It is held in Blackpool’s historic Winter Gardens venue.
The Beatles, Queen and Oasis have played in the ballroom and every post-World War II British prime minister has spoken there during party conferences.
But on the third weekend in January, the ballroom is filled with more than 2,000 pigeons, divided into those bred for showing and for racing.
“The atmosphere is very good. It’s basically a reunion for pigeon fanciers. There are people from all over the country meeting up once a year,” said David Trippett, chairman of the show’s organising committee.
“It’s all good competition. Win or lose, people still have a smile on their face,” he told AFP.
– Year-round commitment –
The stereotypical portrayal of a pigeon fancier — working class and from the industrial cities of northern England — no longer rings true.
Queen Elizabeth II keeps pigeons, and the royal loft manager was at the show.
Trippett said it took a special kind of person to keep pigeons.
“It’s commitment. You have to have a commitment to pigeons to be a good pigeon racer,” he said.
“It’s a 365-days-a-year occupation. You can’t go off for a couple of days and leave them. They need cleaning out, feeding, training.
“It’s a lifestyle. You just do it and enjoy it. There’s no finer experience than seeing your pigeons coming home, pigeons that you have fed, bred and nurtured, coming back to your loft from a 500-mile race.
You think: ‘I did that’.”
The show dates back to 1972 and has been held in Blackpool since 1977. Profits go to charity.
Besides the ballroom, trade stalls sell every conceivable pigeon accessory, and birds themselves are up for sale.
– Pigeon v tech –
Trippett said the sport was struggling to compete in a world of video games and digital entertainment.
“It’s fighting with a technological age and it is declining because of that but we are coming up with new incentives to bring more people into the sport,” he said.
There’s a young fanciers programme and lofts are being installed in schools. They are particularly successful with children with special educational needs, said Trippett.
Technology is also creeping into the sport, with live streams of lofts.
Pigeon fancier John Bell won the supreme champion show pigeon title for the seventh time — and the fourth time in a row.
This year’s winner, who is unnamed, was a one-year-old chequer cock pigeon, who won a competition in Scotland to qualify for Blackpool.
“It’s a fantastic achievement. It’s the pinnacle. It’s like winning the lottery for everyone else,” Bell told AFP.
“You’ve got to keep them in the best condition you can; bug free, lice free. The preparation for next year starts now.
“On the judging day, you’re prepping them up to keep them spotless.
“We pride ourselves on this.”
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 johnnymarin | Jan 28, 2019 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
Two people died this month after contracting a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings.
According to The Guardian, investigators believe the individuals contracted the disease at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland. The patients—a child and an elderly man—were being treated for Cryptococcus, an airborne fungus that’s typically linked to wild bird feces. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the board that runs the hospital, confirmed that the senior man died from unrelated the causes, while the factors contributing to the child’s death are still under investigation.
NHS officials announced the hospital has taken “control measures” to ensure other patients aren’t infected. Though Cryptococcus is considered harmless to the majority of humans, the hospital has installed portable air filters to prevent further infections. A small group of child and adult patients who may be vulnerable to the infection been given preventative medication. Officials also said the likely source was found in a non-public hospital room that has since been cleaned.
“[…] Most people who are exposed to it never get sick from it,” Teresa Inkster of NHSGGC told The Guardian. “We are continuing to monitor the air quality and these results are being analyzed. It remains our priority to ensure a safe environment for patients and staff.”
The hospital has not identified any other Cryptococcus cases since the control measures were implemented.
The NHS said it could not provide any more details about the aforementioned deaths due to patient confidentiality.
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 johnnymarin | Jan 27, 2019 | Pigeon Spikes
Bengaluru: Mahalakshmi Layout police have arrested a 39-year-old inter-state thief who used to burgle houses during daytime on the pretext of searching for pigeons. Stolen valuables worth Rs 8 lakh have been recovered from him. The arrested is Manjunath alias Parivala Manja, a resident of Kurubarahalli and native of Vellore. Police sources said Manja has been operating in Bengaluru and other cities for the past 15 years and has been arrested several times in the past. On getting released from jail, he would continue to burgle houses. Police said Manja was into pigeon rearing and racing. He would go around different localities on the pretext of flying or racing birds and would identify locked houses. When questioned by neighbours or passersby, he would claim that he was searching for pigeons. Police said he would shift houses frequently to avoid the police dragnet. Duo held for stealing bikes Two men have been arrested for allegedly stealing high-end bikes. The arrested are Mohammed Umrez Pasha, a resident of Shivajinagar and Zaheer Alam, 35, a resident of RT Nagar. According to police, Pasha recently quit his job as a software professional in a multinational firm. He befriended Zaheer Alam and decided to steal bikes. The duo stole three KTM Duke bikes in 15 days. However, their luck ran out when cops swooped down on them in the guise of potential customers.
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 johnnymarin | Jan 26, 2019 | Bird Deterrent Products
Boomer has a new home and a flock to fly with.
The banded pigeon who had taken up temporary residence at the Silver Creek home of Debbie Marzoni in June is roosting and flying in Kamloops.
Arriving in Marzoni’s backyard in early summer, Boomer happily accepted food, settled into her greenhouse and followed her around as she worked in the garden, while keeping a wary eye out for her cats.
While the greenhouse was a suitable summer abode, in September Marzoni began worrying about how the pigeon would fare in winter. The band Boomer was wearing was outdated and untraceable.
As cooler weather approached, Marzoni acted on expert advice, including taking Boomer as far away as Vernon in the hopes the bird would file a new flight plan.
But Boomer found her way back to the Silver Creek greenhouse within a couple of days.
In late September, Marzoni began seeking more suitable accommodation and, following a story in the Observer, received offers of a new home.
The one Marzoni chose for Boomer, who turns out to be female, is Greg Wagner and his Doves Above Kamloops, located at his home near Thompson Rivers University.
Wagner and his pure white “doves” are released for special celebrations in the Kamloops area. Following their release, the birds fly back to their comfortable home.
“There are two types of doves; true doves don’t have a homing instinct,” he says, pointing out why he can’t actually use doves for his business. “These are pure white homing pigeons.”
Rather than feeling duped, Wagner says most people attending the celebrations are usually keenly interested in the birds.
Wagner, whose family lives in Salmon Arm, was made aware of Boomer’s need for a home in an email from his sister.
“Are you missing a bird? Do you want a bird?”
He met Boomer when he came home for Thanksgiving and has since introduced her to the flock.
“She’s doing fine; I kept her inside for almost two months,” he says, noting when he first let her out with another group of birds, Boomer flew up and looked around. “She stayed out for the first night, which is common; it has happened with other birds I’ve re-homed.”
Wagner says he thinks the reason the birds stay out for a night or so has to do with their homing instinct.
“Maybe they go away to reactivate the homing instinct,” he says. “but after a night out, I think she realized there was food and water here so she came back.”
Although she’s getting better at keeping up with the other birds, Wagner says he’s not sure Boomer has the greatest homing instinct.
“She’s a little bit off,” he says, noting homing pigeons can return home from 200 miles away or more. “A bird from Lethbridge was sold to a Vancouver owner but two or three days later turned up back in Lethbridge.”
While she may not become part of the flying business, Wagner has other plans for Boomer and a darker male pigeon in the flock.
He had no intentions of breeding the male – who had other ideas and has since bred with Boomer, so he plans to use them as surrogate parents.
He removed Boomer’s eggs, which she produced at the end of last week, and says, not only does he not plan to breed the amorous pair, this is not a good time to incubate eggs.
Laughingly Wagner notes, he removed Boomer’s eggs and replaced them with wooden ones he purchased on Amazon.
“After 10 or 12 days, they’ll abandon the wooden eggs.”
Next up for Wagner and Doves Above Kamloops is a bridal show at the end of January. He has previously been called upon to release birds at weddings, funerals and a special cross removal ceremony at a local church.
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)
