Pigeon dropping causing damage to Upshur County Courthouse

Pigeon dropping causing damage to Upshur County Courthouse

You might be used to seeing birds clustered on courthouse domes, but for one area county, they’re becoming a real problem.

Upshur County officials say pigeons gathered on the courthouse windowsills and rooftops are doing significant damage because of their droppings.

That matter is so acidic it could damage the courthouse roof and dome.

Officials are now taking bids for measures to keep the birds off the building, and keep the historic structure intact.

“There’s so much history behind the courthouse.  It burned in 1899, I believe it was, and this is the facility that they built, and we’d like to keep it around as long as we can,” said Commissioner Terry Cutright.

Bids for the project will be accepted until February 12, and the commission will open them at its meeting on the 14th.
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)

Man helps thirsty pigeon drink from New York water fountain

Man helps thirsty pigeon drink from New York water fountain

A pigeon perched on a water fountain near a New York City ferry was patiently waiting for someone like Steven Pesantez for help.

Thursday, Pesantez and Mariel Mitkowski noticed the bird at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan. It looked thirsty.

So, they thought it would be funny to offer the bird a drink. Pesantez walked over to the fountain. Mitkowski started recording.

Pesantez pushed the button for water. Surprisingly, the bird wasn’t scared away. Ecstatic about the fountain of water, it started drinking.

After about 20 seconds of bobbing in the fountain, the pigeon took flight.

“It was an awesome moment helping the little guy get some water,” Pesantez told USA TODAY.

This isn’t the only time a pigeon has been recorded looking for a drink at the terminal’s water fountains. In 2017, a video posted to Instagram showed two pigeons sitting in a fountain trying to get water.

New York’s Wild Bird Fund took to Twitter (naturally) to say it’s heard “credible reports that this is a regular phenomenon at the Staten Island ferry terminal fountains, not a one-time occurrence.”

While some commenters thought the act of kindness by Pesantez, AKA “pigeon boye”on Instagram, was “cute,” “incredible” and funny, others also were a little alarmed about the sanitation of the fountain.

If you get a little grit in your water, don’t be too alarmed. The New York City Health Department says pigeon droppings pose only “modest health risks.”

 

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)

Granddad who died in van crash was ‘pillar of the community who never said no to anything’

Granddad who died in van crash was ‘pillar of the community who never said no to anything’

pigeon racing pillA pensioner who died in an early morning van crash in Maerdy was a “pillar of the community” who loved pigeon racing.

Malcolm Morgan, 73, died when his Ford Transit van collided with a parked van on Oxford Street on Sunday morning.

He was known locally at Popo and his family say his love of pigeons drove “his whole family crazy”.

In a tribute released through South Wales Police, his devastated family said: “Malcolm was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He has always been a pillar of the community and was loved by so, so many.

“Known as Popo to most, he never said no to anything. His love of pigeons drove his whole family crazy – he was the Morgan half of the ‘Newman and Morgan’ pigeon racing partnership, racing for Ynyshir club.

“What has happened has broken us as a family and we will all miss him more than words. We ask for privacy at this difficult time and thank you all for your kind memories you’ve shared of Mal.”

Officers were called to Oxford Street shortly after 8.30am on Sunday after a white Ford Transit van being driven by Malcolm collided with a parked Iveco Daily van.

Malcolm’s family are being supported by specially trained officers.

 

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)

Pigeon pedicure: Doing the nails of the Mission’s pigeons

Pigeon pedicure: Doing the nails of the Mission’s pigeons

feedingAn informal group of animal lovers have taken it upon themselves to help city-dwelling pigeons keep their feet clean. The group, known online as the “San Francisco Pigeons Stringfoot help” find flocks of pigeons and treat them for stringfoot, a condition that can deform the bird’s feet, while also working to break birds’ dependence on humans for food.

 

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)

Jerry Nelson: Growing up in a barn

Jerry Nelson: Growing up in a barn

I feel sorry for urban children. Most of them seem to lead normal lives, although what passes for “normal” nowadays often means being attached to a video game console immediately after emerging from the womb.

Meanwhile, I’m still trying to figure out how to operate common household appliances. For example, I recently discovered that you cannot cook sliced bologna in a DVD player. This seems like the gross underutilization of a perfectly good laser.

The main reason I pity town kids is that none seem to have access to the one resource that’s essential for a fulfilling and thrilling childhood: a barn.

A barn is commonly thought of as a confinement facility for livestock. But it’s also one of the best places for kids to grow up under free-range conditions. A barn contains a universe of playtime opportunities; the only limit is a child’s imagination.

When I was a mere youngling, our farm had a rickety old barn that was home to a menagerie of animals, ranging from the mighty (cows) to the lowly (pigs) to the clucky (chickens). And that doesn’t count the multitude of freeloaders such as cats and pigeons and sparrows and mice. That old barn sheltered more species than Noah’s ark.

The barn contained its own unique ecosystem. Our cattle and pigs ate the grain that we fed them and we, in turn, dined on pork and beef. Mice and pigeons scavenged leftovers from the livestock and the cats, in turn, operated a booming business that focused on the acquisition of rodent- and avian-based proteins.

We kids knew all about the circle of life long before anyone heard of the movie Lion King.

The main rule of playing in the barn was that there were no rules. My seven siblings and I could do almost anything we liked as long as it didn’t involve getting hurt. “If you fall and break your neck, don’t come running to me!” was the only guidance we received from our parents as we trotted toward the barn.

This lack of regulations was liberating. For instance, we were free to climb the barn’s wall ladder to whatever height we liked. If you were a smaller child, a rung or two might be enough. But if you were a testosterone-addled adolescent, the sky (in this case, the rafters) was the limit.

Driven by juvenile bravado, I once climbed the ladder all the way to the top. Upon reaching the apex, I clambered onto the rafters and glanced earthward. A mistake. I had stared resolutely at the barn’s wall during my ascent. Looking down, I was able to see exactly how high I was. My younger siblings seemed tiny, as if they were little kids. Which they were, but they appeared so much smaller from up there.

I realized that falling and breaking my neck wasn’t an option. Several dozen things would fracture if I fell.

I decided to go for the holy grail. Ignoring years of pigeon residue, I crawled across the diagonal rafter braces until I reached the cupola. I had gazed up at that gothic wooden structure innumerable times. At last I would get to see it from the inside and enjoy a pigeon’s-eye view!

A sweeping vista of our farmstead spread below me. The Holsteins in our cattle yard were pint-sized toys; our Leghorns looked like two-legged cotton balls. A passing cloud seemed close enough to touch.

Peering downwards, I could see the entirety of the barn’s yawning interior: the kingdom of cows and cats.

The game Hide and Seek was invented in our barn. As soon as we noticed that a mother cat had transformed from a furry cantaloupe into a four-legged stick figure, the game was afoot. Whoever found the new litter of kittens was awarded naming rights. We were lightyears ahead of modern-day corporations who expend vast sums for the privilege of slapping their names on impersonal, non-purring sporting venues.

Our Leghorns also liked to hide things. It was our mission to find the clutches of eggs that the hens had concealed throughout the barn’s labyrinthine nooks and crannies.

Some hens were surprisingly cunning, and we wouldn’t find their nests for quite a while. In those situations, we learned to be careful when collecting eggs. An egg might feel unusually light, as if it were filled with an extremely stinky gas and was about to explode. A muffled “pop!” would announce the bad news. So it was that we invented the maxim, “Last one out is a rotten egg!”

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to investigate something. Because I’m pretty sure that a guy can cook bacon in a document scanner.

 

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)