by Pigeon Patrol | Jan 19, 2023 | Bird Spike, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News, Raccoons, Sparrows, UltraSonic Bird Control
This time of year, males are proclaiming their territories calling loudly: “Whoo-whoo”
Doves and pigeons are birds that, for the most part, can be found out in the open and sitting on wires. And they are good-sized – no squinting at tiny songbirds this week.
The first bird to mention, and then pass by without much comment, is the very common Rock Dove. This is the bird that usually comes to mind when someone says “pigeon;” the bird that brings to mind the image of feeding popcorn to birds in the park. They have a wide variety of colors, but the most common is two-tone gray. They’re often seen on the ground where they confidently stride along. They are medium-sized birds, about 13,” with a 20” wingspan. They have short stubby black tails, a white rump patch, and white underwings. They fly with wings held up in a deep “V.”
Look for them at freeway interchanges, on city sidewalks, or sitting on utility poles or flying into nest sites under bridges.
Not an owl
Each year in the spring someone asks me about the owl they hear hooting in the trees. It seems they are hearing this calling in the daytime and are confused. However, it is not an owl at all, but rather our resident Band-tailed Pigeon. This time of year, males are proclaiming their territories calling loudly, “Whoo-whoo,” and it does sound owl-like. They are about the same size as a Rock Dove, more uniformly gray, but are usually tough to spot as they whoo-whoo way up there in their top-of-tree lofts. When they fly, it’s usually only a pair (there are always lots of Rock Doves) and they are gray all over (no white underwing for them).
Mourning Doves perhaps fit the image you have of a dove as opposed to a pigeon. They are smaller and much slimmer. They are tannish overall with black spots and have a long, pointed tail with white tips on the outer tail feathers. In flight, these white tips produce an obvious white streak along either side of the tail. These birds are found throughout the county in rural area, often perched on utility wires. They’re grain and seed eaters and readily come to feeders. They are named after their vocalization, a low mournful coo, often written “ooo, aaa, cooo, cooooo.”
And here’s an amazing story: I have a bird book published in 2000 that lists the Eurasian Collared-Dove as an introduced species, having a limited range along the southeast North American coast. In the intervening 20 years this species has expanded its range so rapidly it is now found throughout the United States, including here in Thurston County. Perhaps eight years ago, they were rare or non-existent here. Now they are at least as common as Mourning Doves.
Eurasian Collared-Doves are a bit larger than the Mourning Dove, and in good light they appear grayish rather than tan. They do not have black spots, but they do have a noticeable black collar around their necks. Their tails have outer white tips and are long and but not as pointed as the Mourning Dove. Their call is distinct; it’s still coo, but in a distinctive three syllable sequence with an emphasis on the second syllable.
People report that both species visit their feeders and, so far, it does not seem that the collared-doves, although a bit larger, are displacing our native doves. But this is certainly a possibility, and bird researchers no doubt will be tracking breeding and wintering numbers for these two species in the years to come.
AVIAN BIRD FLU ALERT
As you may have read, the 2022 Avian Bird Flu has been occurring in Thurston County, killing at least one Bald Eagle. If you find dead or dying birds, do not touch or interact with them in any way. If it seems warranted, contact the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Avian Health Program: 1-800-606-3056.
To date Avian Bird Flu does not seem to be impacting smaller birds. However in the eastern U.S., where this disease is more common, people with summer feeders are being encouraged to retire their feeders for the time being as a means of limiting bird-to-bird disease transmission.
People with chickens are advised to keep them confined, and to prevent exposure to the droppings of wild birds.
Source
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor or 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 Roosing / 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 | Jan 19, 2023 | Bird Spike, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News, Raccoons, Sparrows, UltraSonic Bird Control
To some, they’re a flying nuisance but pigeons are a big business in Senegal.
From his roof in a suburb of the capital Dakar, shopkeeper and pigeon racer Moustapha Gueye releases dozens of birds from the loft, who quickly fly out of sight.
“Here it’s a factory, I’m creating athletes,” he says.
He takes care of his winged friends every morning by training them and developing crossbreeds suitable for flying in hot weather.
“It is a sport created by Europeans, it was imported here. We discovered pigeon racing through the internet. But before we use to be pigeon breeders only,” Gueye says.
Though more popular across the continent, it is a growing sport in the West African country.
Today, there are some 350 pigeon racing enthusiasts in Senegal, who spend a lot of money. A pigeon can cost over 800 US dollars in the country.
“Currently I’m doing business with pigeons. I’ve earned several million CFA francs selling pigeons, I even bought a car through those pigeons,” he says.
“But the most important thing for me is the passion.
“It’s exciting to have pigeons, when you start participating in races, releasing a pigeon 400 km from its loft and it comes back, that’s something you can’t explain, it’s great!”
Taking flight
Pigeon racing has clearly taken flight in Senegal and continues to spread its wings.
Senegalese pigeon-racing enthusiasts are keen to turn others on to the sport, and some hope to ultimately turn professional.
But breeder and pigeon racer Oumar Johnson says some people take their dedication too far.
“When you’re too busy with pigeons, things risk going badly,” he says, adding that the pigeon-fanciers’ federation is considering less time-consuming races for youngsters.
Young people are nonetheless the future of the sport, Johnson says, adding that their devotion will make Senegal “one of the greatest pigeon-racing nations” one day.
“In Europe, you have to motivate young people to get involved,” he says.
“Here, young people are rushing into it.”
Source
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor or 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 Roosing / 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 | Jan 19, 2023 | Bird Spike, Pigeon Droppings, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News, Raccoons
Dartmouth has a problem with pigeons and their droppings.
“They’re literally pooping in the lake,” said Emma Wattie, a water resource specialist with the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Feces from pigeons that roost under a bridge along Highway 111, between Lake Banook and Lake Micmac, has been identified as one of the bacteria sources in the water.
“There’s no barrier underneath, the bridge is essentially a throughway from the old canal system, the Shubenacadie Canal,” said Wattie. “Birds are literally roosting and their feces is entering the water.”
“There are hundreds of pigeons roosting underneath there,” said Jim Hunter, an environmental risk and compliance specialist with the municipality.
“It’s not only an environmental issue with the lake, it’s a problem for the paddlers as well going underneath the bridge.”
The municipality plans to force the pigeons out by installing environmentally friendly bird netting.
“It’s a nylon mesh, very fine mesh, that’ll keep any birds of any size in this area out and that way they won’t be able to roost any longer in that location,” said Hunter.
The project is expected to cost about $175,000 and will take four-to-six weeks to complete. The first step is for crews to clean and disinfect the entire underside of the bridge.
“The ultimate goal is that we have the pigeons roosting somewhere else — not under the bridge,” said Sam Austin, the area councillor.
“You think about that bridge, it’s not a natural environment, I mean a pigeon would maybe (roost) on a cliff, in a tree, something like this, normally, but under that bridge is pretty much a direct path from bird to lake.”
Vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the area will be unaffected while crews install the netting.
“For the people who paddle, or boat, on the lake, I would just urge you to be very cautious when you’re going through there, because one side is going to be closed and then they’ll flip to the other side and then the other side will close, so for the duration of construction, one of the lanes under the bridge is closed to boating,” said Austin.
It’s hoped less pigeons and what they leave behind will lead to fewer beach closures in the summer.
by Pigeon Patrol | Jan 19, 2023 | Bird Spike, Pigeon Predators, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News, Raccoons, Sparrows, UltraSonic Bird Control
That pigeon in your neighborhood may not be your typical bird. Seattle Animal Control Officer Kevin Mack reports several “banded” pigeons found in the city recently.
“We’ve received at least two banded racing pigeons in the last couple weeks,” said Mack. “And I’ve had at least three sightings of banded birds that were moving through the city.
“These birds are essentially identical to local feral pigeons you see in the city, Rock Pigeons. But they really are domesticated birds and they usually have owners that want them back.”
People who race pigeons usually have a coop at their residence. They raise the birds, register them with their organization of choice, and then race them.
The race consists of driving the pigeon a pre-determined distance from their coop, setting them loose, and then seeing how long it takes them to return. Some pigeons are better at homing than others so sometimes they get lost on their way back. Other times they get injured or just plain tired.
The American Racing Pigeon Union is one of the most popular pigeon racing groups. You can tell the pigeons belong to someone who belongs to the group because they have bands on their legs with the letters “AU” on them.
The site also has good information about how to read the information on the band and some links to other organizations for birds with other types of bands.
The pigeon that is being sheltered at the Seattle Animal Shelter is from Jeanerett, Louisiana because its band includes the local club code. “2022” is the bird’s hatch year and the long number found on the other side of the band is the bird’s unique identifier.
Source
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor or 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 Roosing / 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 14, 2022 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Law, Bird Netting, Bird Spike, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News
Greg Pigeon called a television station and told them: “That’s my crow.”
And a peculiar story in the British Columbia news got even more peculiar.
The interesting tale involves a Cariboo resident, a young guy on a bike and a crow “attack” in Vancouver, a video on the Internet, multiple news reports about that video, and now, contradictory stories about where this simultaneously pesky and charming bird named, Crow, with no fear of people and an orange zip tie around its foot, really came from.
According to reports, East Vancouver locals say the crow in question fell from its nest as a baby and people there nursed it back to health.
The crow stuck around and now it’s like their friendly neighbourhood crow, a sort of precocious feathered mascot of the community, hanging out at racetracks and soccer fields, entertaining children, flying around and brazenly pecking items from people’s pockets.
The bird apparently goes by many names down in the Lower Mainland: Crackers, Mr. Jack, Canuck and Jerome.
An East Vancouver resident who was featured in the reports calls him Crow. This is what Pigeon, a 108 Mile Ranch resident, calls him, too.
But Crow was raised in the Cariboo, Pigeon claims, not in Vancouver.
The way Pigeon tells it, he found Crow in the spring at his parent’s farm near Clinton. The baby bird fell from its nest and Pigeon’s son, Steven, took care of it when the family brought it home to 108 Mile Ranch, and raised it like a pet.
“It learned how to fly eventually,” says Pigeon. “It flew around our house and visited our neighbours and they got to know him.
“He just kept coming back. Eventually, he disappeared.”
Before the bird went missing around August, Pigeon tied an orange zip tie around its left foot to distinguish it from other crows in his yard.
Pigeon says there’s no doubt the crow on the news is the same crow. After all, he asks, what are the chances there are two strikingly social, heart-winning crows flying around B.C. – with the same colour zip tie on the same foot?
Reached via e-mail and asked about the likelihood of Pigeon’s crow being the same crow in the Vancouver news reports, Tom Dickinson, Dean of Science at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, says the orange strap on the bird’s leg is “a perfect match” and he suspects it is the same bird and Pigeon’s story is true.
“Only two ways to get there: fly or hitch hike,” explains Dickinson, whose research includes bird communities in high elevation forests.
“It isn’t that far to go, especially if there is favourable wind and weather. But given how tame this [crow] looks, it is at least equally likely he was foraging inside a truck bed (or the like) and maybe didn’t get out before the door slammed and found himself in Kerrisdale.”
Pigeon shares a similar theory. But no matter how the bird made its way south, he just hopes Crow eventually makes his way back up to the Cariboo, and hopes no one hurts him in the meantime.
“If he seems to be a pain the butt, the main thing is ignore him and he’ll find someone else. If you feed him, he’s going to continue staying around.
“If he’s in 100 Mile, let me know,” Pigeon adds.
“He’s more than welcome around our house. We enjoyed having him around.”
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 | Mar 29, 2022 | Bird Spike, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons, Pigeons in the News, Raccoons, Sparrows, UltraSonic Bird Control
THREE days a week, a pair of hawks named Mowgli and Melvin are stationed by the edge of an artificial pond at the Water Garden, an office park in Santa Monica, Calif.
The birds, known as Harris’s hawks, are majestic creatures with white-tipped tails and neon orange talons. They may appear to be taking it easy as they rest on their perches. But they’re actually on the job, making sure that the pond and its environs remain free from the hundreds of sea gulls, pigeons and crows that would otherwise leave behind droppings and bacteria.
“Before I started working here, they had an issue with sea gulls actually living here,” said Nricco Iseppi, a master falconer and independent contractor for Airstrike Bird Control, a bird abatement business near San Luis Obispo, Calif. “They’d be on top of the roof, and, come lunchtime, they’d be trolling around the tables trying to steal food. So the first thing I did was, I set the hawks on them.”
After four months of the hawks’ intimidation tactics — swooping down and scaring the gulls out of the water, for example, or simply flying in their vicinity — all signs of the other fowl disappeared. Well, almost. A family of coots remains, though Mr. Iseppi stressed that he allows them to stay.
“They have a license,” he joked.
At a time when many business solutions seem to come in the form of apps or other software, Airstrike Bird Control is promoting the ancient sport of falconry to potential customers.
Known as the “sport of kings,” falconry is thought to date back to 2,000 B.C. In medieval Europe, falcons were popular with hunters and served as a status symbol among the aristocracy.
Now, a falcon that once might have graced a king’s wrist could be helping a blueberry grower ward off hungry starlings, or the owner of a landfill contend with a siege of sea gulls.
For each Airstrike Bird Control assignment, a master falconer is deployed to scare away the problem birds by using either hawks or falcons. Hawks are better for smaller spaces; falcons, which fly at a higher altitude, are more suitable for large areas, like vineyards.
On a recent morning at the Water Garden, with no sea gulls or crows in sight, Mowgli was tethered to his perch by a leash attached to a leather anklet, and wearing a hood to limit his vision.
To demonstrate how the process works, Mr. Iseppi untethered Mowgli and removed his hood. The bird immediately took to the air and landed on a branch of a nearby tree. (If an unwanted bird had been there, the browbeating would have begun.) A few minutes later, Mr. Iseppi blew a sharp, short note on a whistle, and Mowgli flew back to Mr. Iseppi’s gloved arm.
When the hawks are actually pursuing birds, they can become “pushy,” Mr. Iseppi said. Once in a while a bird can accidentally die, even though the hawks are not meant to kill as part of the program, he said.
“The objective of the program is what we call hazing,” said Brad Felger, co-owner of Airstrike Bird Control. “You’re intimidating them, you’re scaring them, so they don’t want to be there.”
During the early, intensive part of the program, the falconers and the birds are at the job site seven days a week. Once the problem is under control, they scale back their schedule. Work can be seasonal or year-round. The practice is catching on, particularly among farmers and wine growers whose livelihoods depend on sustaining their crops, Mr. Felger said.
“Attitudes have changed a lot,” he said; during peak season he has as many as 20 jobs along the West Coast, from San Diego to Seattle. He would not disclose what the company charges its clients but said the falconers received hundreds of dollars a day for their services. “Before it was me saying, ‘Yeah, it works.’ And they’re saying, ‘Really?’ They were looking at me like I was trying to sell them a used car or something,” he adds.
THE use of falconry is an alternative to products like noise cannons and netting systems, as well as repellents applied to ledges that make it uncomfortable for birds to land.
Chris Siems, the California sales manager for Wilson Orchard and Vineyard Supply, which sells netting and other bird deterrents, said that using falcons or hawks “is not a 24-7 solution, because you can only keep birds in the air for so many hours a day.”
“It’s effective against some species of birds, such as starlings, which disperse at the sight of a circling falcon,” he said. “But others, like finches, simply burrow deeper into the vine canopy and keep eating.”
Mr. Felger has been a master falconer since 1982. He was inspired to form his company in 2003, when the California Department of Fish and Game began issuing permits for licensed falconers to use certain raptors as a way to control birds.
The location of Mr. Felger’s company, in the wine-rich swath of Central California, helped his business take off, as word of his service began spreading among wineries. In recent years, jobs like those at the Water Garden have emerged as interest in sustainable approaches to bird control has increased.
“The more you become informed about what it is, and how it works, it makes ethical sense,” said Mr. Iseppi, who also has his own bird abatement business. He was sitting cross-legged on the the Water Garden’s grass a few feet from Mowgli and Melvin, who would go home with him to Malibu when the workday was done. (Mowgli is named for a “Jungle Book” character.)
Not that everyone immediately understands what he and his birds are doing.
“There was a woman who thought I was looking after a powerful C.E.O.’s status symbols, he said, smiling. “She thought I was a hawk baby sitter.”
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
