by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 22, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
The roof of the Prestige Senior Living High Desert facility in northeast Bend is littered with Avitrol, a bird repellent used by licensed pest control agencies. The repellent can cause seizures to birds, often in mid-flight. And during last week’s heat wave, it even led to deaths.
“Many of the birds were found on the pavement, where temperatures were over 140 degrees,” said Dr. Jeff Cooney, veterinarian with the High Desert Wildlife Rehab & Rehabilitation Center.
“Their hearts were racing, they were seizing, and they were often dying of cardiac arrest,” Cooney said/
All are side-effects of the bird repellent Avitrol, sold in the form of corn kernels that birds will consume when spread across their normal feed.
The wildlife center hired a local drone company to fly over the building to confirm that the repellent was on the roof. The video confirmed the poison, and uncovered a dead pigeon lying on the roof.
But bird carcasses have been found in other areas as well. When we initially reported this story on Friday night, Jeannette Bonomo of the High Desert Wildlife Center said that pigeons were found either seizing or dead near the Forum Shopping Center at Highway 20 and NE 27th Street.
“People were literally seeing them fall out of the sky, crash onto the ground, flopping around like a typical seizure,” Bonomo said.
Prestige Senior Living High Desert, an assisted living center to the north of the shopping center, declined to comment on our story, but issued a statement in response to concern and criticism.
“At Prestige Senior Living, the health, well-being and safety of our residents is our highest priority,” the statement began.
“When we assumed operation of High Desert, we saw that pigeons – after years of roosting – had accumulated a large amount of droppings near an air intake. We contracted with a licensed, professional company to manage the problem for us. We understand the approach they used conforms to applicable laws and regulations.”
We contacted the Oregon Department of Agriculture to confirm the legality of using Avitrol. Several areas, including San Francisco and the state of New York, have banned the toxic bait. However, it’s currently legal in the state of Oregon to use Avitrol to deter birds from an environment.
“We have not seen any reason to ban this product yet,” said Mike Odenthal of the state agency’s pesticide division. “We suggest that people look for other ways to deter the birds, but there are some cases where this may be the only or best option that a person has to repel birds.”
However, Odenthal went on to say that the repellent is not only used as a last-ditch effort. When asked if a customer could request that a pest control company use Avitrol on their premises, he said, “It’s possible.”
“That’s to be expected when you use (Avitrol), that you are going to kill some birds,” he added.
But as birds die, and others suffer seizures, those left to take care of them argue that just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s right.
“Humanely euthanize them, if that’s why you need to do (this), to eliminate them,” Cooney said.
“But to give them a poison where it’s just out, uncontrolled — that’s a little bit extreme, in my opinion,” 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 | Jul 8, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Sunday and Monday I had the doses of chemotherapy that would completely destroy my immune system. Again, that is something I thought would register physically, where I’d think, “Wow. So this is what it feels to be completely vulnerable to any sort of infection.” Again, I was wrong. Other than a slight increase of nausea… bupkus.
Tuesday was what they call around here my new birthday. My stem cells were reintroduced to my system through an IV drip. For such a major event in my life, it didn’t seem like much, but, of course, it was. It really meant turning the corner and getting back to being healthier.
I did feel sorry for my day nurse, who had to stand — no sitting allowed — and study the IV, just in case, for more than an hour. But all went well, and he finally got to sit down, I assume. No one here seems to sit down much, at least not that I get to see.
I am isolated, other than staff and my wife, Sheri, who come in, but always masked, so I see just their eyes, forehead and hair. At times, it looks like bank robbers left their convention early to avoid traffic. The last couple of days, I’ve been able to walk around the pod outside the door, as long as I wear gloves and a mask. Believe me, it’s a lot more exciting than it sounds.
Let’s see, what else has been going on. Sheri finally buzzed off the rest of my hair and beard yesterday. It seems OK to me. I have to be careful, though, because when I run my hand across my head to fix my non-existent hair, my hand goes flying off the back. Even that’s OK as long as Sheri isn’t right behind me and gets a poke in the eye. Today, I’m sharing my new Yul Brenner look with you, especially those who watch “Hoarders” just so you can look around your house and say, “Hey. This isn’t so bad.”
The two pigeons who have been hanging around outside my window for the past couple of days appear to be getting ready to fulfill their part of the “Birds do it, bees do it” equation. They are the only other living creatures I see on any sort of regular basis, so I’m quite happy for them. Hey, don’t even think about judging me. If you were watching it on PBS you would be falling all over yourself to get to a phone to renew your subscription or make a pledge.
Right now, my biggest enemy is boredom, which you probably could tell. There is a TV; I have my computer, Nook and iPod, but sometimes it’s just hard to focus, let alone sit up and do something. Sheri comes every day, for a few hours, and it’s nice to have her here, but it leaves a lot of other empty hours to fill. Staffers stay and talk if they have the time, and I try to do little spurts of stuff and then rest.
I talk to my daughters Jennifer and Alison each day. I know it helps them to hear my voice and know that I really am doing quite well. I can write and text anything, but when they hear it in my voice, they know it’s real, whatever “it” might be.
I do have a couple of difficult stretches ahead. My white blood cell count continues to drop, which is a good thing because it means the chemo is working, but it also means I will be really, really tired and have some other side issues to deal with, including a high temperature. But the allergy team has already been in and determined the best antibiotic to knock down any fever, and there are plenty of measures the staff can take to help counter other symptoms. I admit I really have become quite the chicken about feeling sick. I hate it, but the anti-nausea medications really help.
Still, I feel better than I did, for now, and frankly, at this stage, that’s more than good enough. We’ll see what happens next. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to write again, but it helps me a lot, so I will do my best.
For now, I have some pigeon watching to do.
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 | Jul 8, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeons in the News
A Royal Marine bit the head off a pigeon during an all-day drinking session, a court has heard.
Commando Adam Karmali, 33, sunk his teeth into the bird as he drank lager with friends near the banks of the River Taff in Bute Park, Cardiff.
He was caught after police carried out forensic tests on the headless pigeon’s body – and discovered his DNA on its neck.
Now, the soldier has been handed a 12-month community order after admitting a charge of ‘not taking all reasonable steps to ensure the needs of an animal he was responsible for were met’.
Karmali, who lives in Wimborne, Dorset, had been visiting the Welsh capital with friends when he captured the pigeon in the park, Cardiff Magistrates’ Court heard.
He then posed for pictures with the live bird’s head in his mouth, before biting it off and spitting it on to the ground.
A female passerby was so horrified that she phoned police, who arrived to find the headless pigeon lying in the grass, the court heard.
Officers later carried out forensic tests on the pigeon – and discovered Karmali’s DNA on teethmarks around the bird’s neck.
Mike Curry, prosecuting, said: ‘This was a sickening offence carried out while drunk.
‘Karmali captured a pigeon and put it in his mouth and as the group took pictures he bit its head off.
‘A witness was so appalled police were contacted, the remains were recovered and a DNA match was discovered which led him to being arrested.’
When interviewed by police, Karmali told officers he had drunk around 20 cans of lager and had thought it was a ‘prank’ at the time.
‘Sickening offence’: Karmali (left) sunk his teeth into the bird (file picture, right) as he drank lager with friends near the banks of the River Taff in Bute Park, Cardiff. He was caught after police discovered his DNA on its body
Monique McKevitt, defending, said that biting the head off a pigeon was ‘clearly an unacceptable and repulsive act’.
But she said that Karmali faced being expelled out of the forces if he was given a prison sentence for the crime.
‘There will be internal disciplinary procedures not only for the act itself but for bringing the Royal Marines reputation into disrepute,’ she said.
Sentenced: After capturing the pigeon in the park, the soldier posed for photos with the live bird’s head, before biting it off and spitting it on to the ground. Above, Karmali is pictured with a shark in Australia two years ago
‘He would never normally behave that way and he feels extreme remorse and shame.’
Magistrates’ panel chairman Robert Cozens told Karmali that biting the head off a pigeon was punishable by prison.
However, he agreed that the Commando should be spared jail because it would end his career.
Sentencing Karmali, Mr Cozens told him: ‘We have taken great consideration over this and we consider the serious and pretty awful offence as having passed the custody threshold.
Guilty: He has now been handed a 12-month community order and told to complete 150 hours’ unpaid work
‘However, we have heard from your Captain you have a good military record and that this is out of character.
‘Because of your early guilty plea and the remorse you have shown we have brought your sentence down a level.’
Karmali was also ordered to complete 150 hours’ unpaid work.
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 | Jun 12, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
As complaints about pigeons in Uptown Greenwood continue to roll in from business owners, the City of Greenwood is considering options for dealing with the problem.
Greenwood City Council heard options for dealing with the problem during their monthly work session last Monday. City manager Charlie Barrineau said the pigeons have been a problem for a number of years, but the problem has gotten worse since many of the buildings along Main Street in Uptown have undergone renovations. Many of the birds had nested in some of those buildings and have been forced to move. The birds have settled in the arcades in Uptown Greenwood.
Barrineau told council that he found a company which specializes in solving problems with birds, though Barrineau noted pigeons would always be a problem. Barrineau also said there was no guarantee that what is done will be of any long term help in solving the problem. City workers spend a significant amount of time cleaning up the droppings from the pigeons in Uptown, Barrineau said. Mayor Welborn Adams said he has received a number of calls about the issue.
The first option Barrineau presented to council was an owl statue. Owls are natural predators of pigeons. The statues would keep the pigeons at bay a week or two, Barrineau said, but they would figure out the owl is not moving and come right back. The other option was to place bird spikes along the ledges in the arcades and netting to prevent the birds from entering areas where they nest and cause the most damage. The netting is similar to what is used behind home plate at baseball fields to stop foul balls from flying into the stands.
The cost for all three arcades would be about $15,000 Barrineau said, and would still be no guarantee the problem would be solved. The cost do one of the arcades as a beta test would be about $6,500 and would allow council to see if the spikes and netting will work before laying out the remainder of the cash for the other two arcades. The funding for the project will come from existing hospitality tax funds.
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 | Jun 12, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
It seems that the city of Vienna has a problem with pigeons, or is it the pigeons that now have a problem with the city? Anyhow, if you feed a pigeon in Vienna you will now face a fine of 36 euros for your efforts.
“Waste-Watchers” that have been employed in Vienna to monitor naughty dog owners who neglect to pick up the poop. Now the city is going one step further and targeting the poor pigeons.
City management reckons there are too many pigeons in the city and they have even compared the birds to vermin, with city councilor Ulrike Sima stating that “Whoever feeds pigeons, feeds rats.” Sima added that feeding pigeons is “misunderstood animal welfare.” She said that human food and bread crumbs are actually bad for the birds and that “they get sick and suffer.” OK, and the mention of rats actually means that any bread left over by the birds attracts the vermin.
“We live in a big city, but there is already limited green space,” she added, saying that this should not be rendered unusable due to the pigeons.
It seems the pigeons are breeding beyond all expectations and there is now an excess number of the birds hanging (and flying) around in the city. In the meantime a poster campaign has been launched to warn the general public on the dangers (and expense) of feeding the poor birds.
Experts in the city are coming up with some ideas, however, on how to reduce the population by setting up a special nesting site for the birds. Apparently this site will attract the birds using what they term “pigeon psychology.”
The new fancy site will house up to 400 pigeons who will be fed the appropriate food. All well and good. But in return for their life of luxury, the pigeons’ eggs will be taken from the nests and replaced with dummies, thus preventing them from breeding.
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.
by Pigeon Patrol | Jun 4, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
Ultrasonic pigeon & bird scarers are electronic devices that produce high pitch emissions known as ultrasound. Ultrasonic pigeon & bird scaring systems have been introduced into the pest control marketplace due to the fact that ultrasound is too high-pitched for human hearing but falls within the hearing range of most species of birds. Most sonic bird scaring devices produce a sound that is audible to the human ear and therefore may cause human disturbance if used in an area of human habitation.
Ultrasonic systems can be used in a wide variety of locations without causing human interference making them an ideal choice for areas where noise-related scaring is not an option. The exception to this rule may be where women and young children are concerned. With age, the human ear looses the ability to hear ultrasound but in some women and particularly in the young, ultrasound falls within hearing ranges and can cause considerable discomfort and headaches. This may have the effect of restricting the use of ultrasonic pigeon & bird scarers when used for pigeon control and gull control in urban areas and on industrial sites.
A constant 15-25 KHz setting (15 KHz for external model)
- A variable setting allowing the user to modulate the frequency between 15 and 30 KHz with different speeds or ‘warbles’ (15-25 KHz for external model)
- A high/medium/low frequency setting
- A combination mode which alternates the ‘constant’ frequency and the ‘warble’ output in timed bursts
- Up to 6500 sq feet coverage (3600 sq feet for external model)
- Power consumption: approx 10 watts (depending on brand)
Most ultrasonic pigeon & bird scarers are powered by mains electricity in an effort to provide the user with a maintenance-free option. Some manufacturers offer their range with a mains adaptor giving 12 volts DC as standard but will provide a unit with connections to a wholly DC power source (normally car/leisure battery) on request. Two manufacturers also offer an environmentally friendly solar panel option allowing the battery to be ‘topped up’ when exposed to daylight or direct sunlight.
Due to the fact that ultrasound travels in straight lines and will not pass through solid objects, a system providing multiple speaker options will provide the most comprehensive coverage. Some units also offer the option of installing extension speakers for use in areas that are architecturally complex. Due to the nature of ultra high frequency sound-waves that spread out in circular waves from the source, a multi-speaker unit with 4-speakers ensures that the sound waves overlap, providing total coverage.
The ultrasonic pigeon & bird scarers that combine ultrasound with distress calls,strobe lights and predator calls are undoubtedly an ‘all-singing-all-dancing’ product that may be ideal for certain sites, but the stroboscopic and sonic elements may result in the unit being considerably less versatile in an urban application. As a roost inhibitor, for areas rarely frequented by humans (for example the underside of a railway or river bridge), the multi-faceted device would be entirely appropriate and may offer high levels of protection. However, the lack of an AC power supply in this type of environment will inevitably make the product more labour intensive. It is clear that the combo units are species-specific and based on their potential to create human disturbance, these products must also be considered to be highly context-specific.
Also commonly known as:
Bird wailer, sonic scarers, ultrasound bird scarers, quadblaster, wailer, silent bird scarer, electronic bird scarer, maxi wailer, midi wailer
The roof of the Prestige Senior Living High Desert facility in northeast Bend is littered with Avitrol, a bird repellent used by licensed pest control agencies. The repellent can cause seizures to birds, often in mid-flight. And during last week’s heat wave, it even led to deaths.
