by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 7, 2021 | Bird Law, Bird Netting, Bird Spikes, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News
Last September, as part of Twitter’s #PoweredByTweets exhibition at Somerset House in the UK, a proposal called ‘Pigeon Patrol’ was presented. The idea was this: armed with pollution monitors in tiny backpacks, pigeons would Tweet live pollution data from the skies of London.
It seems a little far-fetched – I mean, a pigeon can’t actually tweet, obviously – but the concept was one of the standouts of the competition. And now, ‘Pigeon Patrol’ is officially live, with a team of flying pollution monitors at work, tweeting back data from around the city.
“Over the course of three days, Plume Labs (@Plume_Labs) and DigitasLBi (@DigitasLBi_UK) will release ten pigeons wearing small pollution-monitoring backpacks. These lightweight pollution sensors, created by Plume, are stitched onto small fabric vests which fit comfortably on the pigeons and measure levels of nitrogen dioxide and ozone, the main gases behind harmful urban air pollution.”
The idea is one of the more interesting and innovative ways of using Twitter data, and it underlines the capacity of the platform as a real-time news and update service. Pigeon Patrol was one of several ideas to spark new conversations around how Twitter can be used for such purpose – others included Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital, which created a chemotherapy ward with Tweet-powered visualizations and WaterAid, which developed a water pump that Tweeted donors with live updates of where their money was going.
It’s in that capacity for real, immediate updates that Twitter holds such great value and potential. And it’s not just in terms of world events and breaking news – the more intimate and geographically targeted Twitter alerts and tracking can be the better. We’ve already seen examples of how tweets can be used to better predict earthquakes or map the path of destruction from hurricanes. Imagine if you could use tweets to get a better understanding of local traffic concerns as they happen, to track petrol prices or supermarket offers nearby? These are relatively basic, by comparison, but the underlying principle is that Twitter’s real-time stream is extremely valuable for such purpose – more so than the algorithm defined News Feed of Facebook.
The main requirement for such application, of course, is Twitter use – more people using the platform means more data, which, again, is why Twitter’s current growth issues flag a concern for the ongoing viability of the service. Right now, Twitter’s used by enough people to be an indicative measure of most large-scale events. But micro-trends – those smaller, localized alerts – would require higher concentrations of local users in order to be effective. There are examples of this type of process in action – in Spain, the town of Jun is effectively governed via tweet, for example – and as the next generation of digital natives grows up, Twitter use is likely to become more prominent. But the issue does underline, once again, why Twitter needs more people tweeting, and why ongoing growth is such a big focus for the platform.
For now, we’ll have to settle for pollution tracking pigeons, flying around London in teams of 10 and tweeting back updates.
Source
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
by Pigeon Patrol | May 31, 2021 | Bird Netting, Bird Spikes, Columbidae, history of pigeons, MBCA, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News
CHICAGO – A pigeon apparently didn’t think much of a lawmaker’s ideas to address a messy situation at a Chicago Transit Authority stop known by some as “pigeon poop station.”
WBBM-TV reports that one of the birds did its business on the head of Democratic state Rep. Jaime Andrade as he was discussing the problem with a reporter outside of the Irving Park Blue Line station.
During the interview, Andrade rubbed the top of his head and said, “I think they just got me.” They did.
The sidewalks outside of the station are covered in bird waste and feathers.
Andrade has been trying to fix the problem. One of his ideas is to ask the CTA to install a hose line for power washing when it constructs new escalators at the stop.
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
by Pigeon Patrol | May 31, 2021 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Law, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes
A thick layer of bird droppings that have built up over the last decade from pigeons living in the broken Christ Church Cathedral will end up in landfill instead of being recycled into fertiliser.
Up to two tonnes of pigeon poo has accumulated since the devastating February 2011 earthquake.
Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement project director Keith Paterson said the pigeons were “a bit of liability” and certainly not their “best friends”.
Few people have entered the building since the quake, but drones gave the reinstatement group an estimate of how much damage the pigeons had caused.
The project team aimed to reuse as much of the building material as possible.
Paterson estimated about half of the material would be reused to finish the reinstated cathedral, but much of the rubble inside would be too damaged.
Christchurch consultancy Soil Matters, which turns waste products from the dairy industry into fertiliser, was approached last year with the idea of potentially recycling the tonnes of pigeon droppings and broken limestone into something useful.
General manager Rik Mulder said his team came up with the idea last June to recycle nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorous and calcium containedin the pigeon droppings and limestone, once they had been tested and deemed safe.
The company had planned to crush the limestone and pigeon droppings to a fine powder and apply it to paddocks in local North Canterbury farms.
But the company learned it would need a resource consent for the crushing process, which the reinstatement group said would be too costly and take too long to obtain.
It led to the decision to dispose the material through “a more conventional solution”, using contractors to take it to landfill.
“I don’t rate the [environmental] sustainability any more highly than I do the cost or the heritage requirements,” Paterson said.
“They’re all just things that are there that we have to process and do in the most economical way.”
Mulder said he understood the reinstatement group had to make a call, but felt the lengthy process of obtaining a resource consent stopped innovative thinking.
“Shutting down” such projects did not encourage people to think sustainably and “outside the box”, he said.
“We are restrained in our efforts to try new things.”
Environment Canterbury (ECan) consent planning manager Aurora Grant said a consent was required because the pigeon droppings and limestone were classified as a contaminant.
Having a consent would allow ECan to understand the “effects of the activity and ensure the proposed activity is done in a way that has environmentally sustainable outcomes”.
Pathways existed to allow innovative and sustainable use of resources and not many were prohibited in the regional plans, she said.
The $153 million cathedral restoration is expected to be finished by mid-2027, earlier than initially proposed. The project, which began in late 2018, was initially expected to be completed in early 2028.
But on Thursday Stuff revealed the Anglicans’ ruling body may have to change its approval terms for the restoration to avoid work stopping in October if more funds cannot be found.
Workers are currently stabilising the cathedral to make it safe enough to work on.
The clean-up process will start with remote controlled machines going into the ruins to start removing bigger pieces of material, expected to start in October.
It will be another six to 12 months before anyone can go inside.
“We’re constantly reassessing how we’ll access the building from a safety perspective,” Paterson said.
By the end of the stabilisation stage, Paterson said the building would be about 34 per cent of the current seismic building code.
Source
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
by Pigeon Patrol | May 31, 2021 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Law, Bird Netting, Bird Spikes, MBCA, pet bird, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News, Raccoons
Breakfast reporter Wilson Longhurst tried his best to report the unusual story of a pigeon arrested in India on suspicion of spying, but he couldn’t quite hold it together today.
The Times of India reports the bird was captured around the time of the Eid festival by villagers along the border of Pakistan and India in Jammu and Kashmir.
They handed the bird, which had been painted pink and carried a numbered band around its leg, to police, on suspicion of spying.
Police were concerned that the numbers could be a “coded message”, officials told the Times of India, and an investigation was launched.
As Longhurst reported the story on Breakfast, he did his best to remain solemn, but lost it as he reported that the owner of the pigeon in neighbouring Pakistan has appealed for the bird’s release, saying the number on it’s leg is simply his phone number.
The villager told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper that he owns more than a dozen pigeons, that they are a “symbol of peace” and that India should “refrain from victimising innocent birds”.
And it’s not the first time – Indian authorities caught a bird in 2015 that was found to have a message written on its wings in Urdu, and in 2016 a bird was found carrying a note allegedly threatening Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Source
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
by Pigeon Patrol | May 25, 2021 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Law, Bird Netting, Bird Spikes, Pigeon Control, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services
When it comes to birds, there may be more than just avian flu to be worried about. It has been suggested that there are over 60 other diseases that birds and their droppings can carry. The problem is especially worrisome in residential areas, as many of them are airborne and can be transferred to humans just by being around droppings.
a pigeon bird standing by guano manure
Chicken farms can be fairly easily secured. With a combination of visual scare devices, sonic distress call emitters, ultrasonic disrupters and roost inhibitors other birds shouldn’t be a problem. If farmers just took this preventative action it could help contain the bird flu outbreak a good deal.
- Histoplasmosis is a respiratory disease that may be fatal. It results from a fungus growing in dried bird droppings.
- Candidiasis is a yeast or fungus infection spread by pigeons. The disease affects the skin, the mouth, the respiratory system, the intestines and the urogenital tract, especially the vagina. It is a growing problem for women, causing itching, pain and discharge.
- Cryptococcosis is caused by yeast found in the intestinal tract of pigeons and starlings. The illness often begins as a pulmonary disease and may later affect the central nervous system. Since attics, cupolas, ledges, schools, offices, warehouses, mills, barns, park buildings, signs, etc. are typical roosting and nesting sites, the fungus is apt to found in these areas.
- St. Louis Encephalitis, an inflammation of the nervous system, usually causes drowsiness, headache and fever. It may even result in paralysis, coma or death. St. Louis encephalitis occurs in all age groups, but is especially fatal to persons over age 60. The disease is spread by mosquitoes which have fed on infected house sparrow, pigeons and house finches carrying the Group B virus responsible for St. Louis encephalitis.
- Salmonellosis often occurs as “food poisoning” and can be traced to pigeons, starlings and sparrows. The disease bacteria are found in bird droppings; dust from droppings can be sucked through ventilators and air conditioners, contaminating food and cooking surfaces in restaurants, homes and food processing plants.
- E.coli. Cattle carry E. coli 0157:H7. When birds peck on cow manure, the E. coli go right through the birds and the bird droppings can land on or in a food or water supply.
Besides being direct carriers of disease, nuisance birds are frequently associated with over 50 kinds of ectoparasites, which can work their way throughout structures to infest and bite humans. About two-thirds of these pests may be detrimental to the general health and well-being of humans and domestic animals. The rest are considered nuisance or incidental pests.
A few examples of ectoparasites include:
- Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) may consume up to five times their own weight in blood drawn from hosts which include humans and some domestic animals. In any extreme condition, victims may become weak and anemic. Pigeons, starlings and house sparrows are known to carry bed bugs.
- Chicken mites (Dermanyssus gallinae) are known carriers of encephalitis and may also cause fowl mite dermatitis and acariasis. While they subsist on blood drawn from a variety of birds, they may also attack humans. They have been found on pigeons, starlings and house sparrows.
- Yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), perhaps the most common beetle parasites of people in the United States, live in pigeon nests. It is found in grain or grain products, often winding up in breakfast cereals, and may cause intestinal canthariasis and hymenolespiasis.
- West Nile Virus while West Nile is technically not transmitted to humans from birds, humans can get infected by the bite of a mosquito who has bitten an infected bird. The obvious lesson is that the fewer birds there are in any given area, the better. This translates into a smaller chance of an infected bird in that area, a smaller chance of a mosquito biting an infected bird and then biting a human.
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
by Pigeon Patrol | May 17, 2021 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News
When pigeons live on our buildings and deface it, it is possible to remove the birds by excluding them (netting) from the area, but we don’t need to kill them. You should make it a priority to clean the area’s they have been since pigeons do carry mites and you don’t want the mites going in your building when the pigeons are gone.
Pigeons are frequently called rats with wings. The term “rats with wings” came from a 1980 play, “Stardust Memories” starring Woody Allen. Allen used the term in the movie and apparently someone with a vested interest in misleading the public decided to use it in a campaign to drum up business for pigeon control. The facts are just the opposite. Yes, there are some diseases that can be transmitted by pigeons, but no more so than any other bird, including such popular pets as parakeets, canaries, etc.
They do have their attributes. During World War I, pigeons carried thousands of messages that saved many hundreds of lives. In World War II pigeons continued to be used. Radios were frequently not working due to damage or when unfavorable terrain rendered them almost useless. Pigeons continued to fly through enemy fire, and amazingly 95% of them completed their missions. One pigeon in particular, named “Cher Ami” was a World War I Carrier Pigeon, one of 600 birds owned and flown by the U.S. Signal Corps. Cher Ami was originally bred by the British Signal Corps. He was transferred to the Americans after the war on Oct. 27, 1918.
Cher Ami delivered 12 important messages within the American sector at Verdun, France. On his last mission, Cher Ami, shot through the breast by enemy fire, managed to return to his loft. A message capsule was found dangling from the ligaments of one of his legs that had also been shattered by enemy fire. The message he carried was from Major Whittlesey’s “Lost Battalion” of the 77th Infantry Division that had been isolated from other American forces. Just a few hours after the message was received, 194 survivors of the battalion were safe behind American lines. Cher Ami was awarded the French “Croix de Guerre” with Palm for his heroic service between the forts of Verdun. He died in 1919 as a result of his battle wounds. Cher Ami was later inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931 and received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Racing Pigeon Fanciers in recognition of his extraordinary service during World War I.
Pigeons continued their valiant service during World War II and the Korean War. The Dickin Medal for Valor, an award only for animals, was given to 31 pigeons in World War II, more than any other animal. (The next closest animals were dogs, with 8 medals).
Source
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 Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
