by Ryan Ponto | Sep 16, 2016 | Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
Operations staff at the Owen Roberts International Airport are using new equipment – a fogger – to reduce the number of bird at the airport.
According to a statement issued by the Cayman Islands Airports Authority Tuesday, its Operations Department in collaboration with the Safety Office, is now using “an environmentally safe device” to keep the birds away.
The fogger “deploys a light haze of bird repellent that irritates the bird’s mucous membrane,” the Airports Authority officials said.
“The effect doesn’t harm the bird, however, it does create an unpleasant sensation which causes the bird to leave the area,” the statement continued.
Cayman Islands Airports Authority Chief Safety Officer Andrew McLaughlin said the measure had been put in place because bird strikes are a big issue for airports, so “it’s important that we do everything we can to keep birds and other wildlife away from the aerodrome.”
He added, “We are once again in the middle of a very busy bird season, and I am pleased with the way the fogger has been working so far. The fog is harmless and many motorists may also notice a very fragrant grape scent coming from the area where the fogger is located, since it consists of a substance used in flavoring many types of food.”
The Airports Authority is also urging members of the public to do their part in keeping the airport area clear of wildlife by covering trash cans, picking up garbage and not feeding the birds in the areas surrounding the airport.
A Wildlife Hazard Working Group meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 28 to alert the public to methods the airports authority is using to mitigate wildlife.
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 | Aug 14, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
Heartbreaking sight: Hapless pigeons lie dead on a complex rooftop in Margate.
My wife and I are on leave at the moment and went for a walk to the Margate beach this morning (March 21). In the parking area near the tidal pool, we noticed a pigeon in distress with mucus foaming from its beak. My wife cleaned away the foam and gave it water. We then placed it in a safe place and checked on it again after breakfast. It was still foaming and needed help so we took it home, fed it oats, which is the only thing we had available at the time, but we know it absorbs mucus and is nutritious.
We searched for an open vet, but since it was a public holiday, we found none. Upon our return to the flat in the afternoon, we discovered that the pigeon was looking healthy – no foaming and very alert. I took it downstairs and without any hesitation, it flew away. When I got back to the flat, my wife said that I must take a look at the roof of the complex next door, saying she was sure that it was connected to the distressed pigeon we rescued. Some idiot must have poisoned the pigeons. I counted 11 dead pigeons on the roof.
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 | Aug 12, 2016 | Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
Temporary work to address the pigeon infestation and roof repairs at the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court is expected to begin today.
This was confirmed by the Judiciary in a statement yesterday, following complaints by court users and workers about the current situation at the court building.
Last week, reporters were forced to abandon the press table in the First Magistrates’ Court after pigeon droppings fell on them from a gaping hole in the roof above their heads. And earlier this week, pigeon poop fell on the clothes of another reporter and on a clerical worker.
Pigeons flying through the court rooms while court is in session and intense heat have become a “normal thing” in the courthouse. There is also a large yellow tarpaulin covering the dilapidated roof of the building.
“We are so fed up complaining. We don’t know what to do again,” an employee told the T&T Guardian.
The release stated that the Judiciary, having recognised the age of and the adverse conditions plaguing the court, has over the past years undertaken a number of short-term measures and embarked upon plans for longer-term solutions to provide a safe and comfortable working environment for its staff and for court users.
It stated that a structural survey of the court’s roof was undertaken in 2014 and a consulting engineer recommended work on its structural framework, as well as the replacement of the roof sheets.
The Central Tenders Board has been engaged to tender for design, engineering, cost consultancies and project management/supervision for this project, the release stated.
However, the Judiciary said the work will only be undertaken when the building is vacated.
Court operations are expected to be relocated to a property at 1-3 Court Street, San Fernando, which is currently being prepared. It is expected to be ready for occupation by year’s end, the Judiciary confirmed.
“In the interim, the issues at the current court location, such as the pigeon infestation and the need to undertake temporary roof repairs, are being addressed.”
The Judiciary further stated that work was expected to begin today and would include the installation of louvered windows to prevent the entry of pigeons to the courtrooms.
The Judiciary also said yesterday that progress had been made in the upgrade of several courts, including at Mayaro, Siparia and Princes Town.
The Chaguanas Magistrates Court, on which extensive work has been done, is expected to be completed and re-opened within the next six weeks, it said.
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 | Aug 2, 2016 | Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
Humans could become better at switching between tasks – such as shifting from emailing to taking a phone call – if they behaved more like pigeons and stopped thinking about what they are doing, research by psychologists at the University of Exeter suggests.
In an experiment that compared humans’ ability to switch between tasks with that of pigeons, the researchers found that while the birds’ way of learning to do tasks associatively caused no decrease in accuracy, humans incurred costs, in that they were slower and made more mistakes when they stopped doing one thing and started doing another.
The work of PhD student Christina Meier and Professors Stephen Lea and Ian McLaren, which was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, has been highlighted in the American Psychological Association’s series of ‘Particularly Exciting Experiments in Psychology’ (known as “PeePs”) this week (June 9).
A large body of research has shown that people are faster and more accurate when they repeat the same task than when they switch between tasks. This experiment showed that pigeons who learnt a task associatively by means of Pavlovian conditioning were able to switch between tasks without slowing down or making more errors.
Lead author Christina Meier said: “We looked at why humans make more errors when they move between two different tasks whereas pigeons don’t. Pigeons don’t analyse what they see. If they experienced a given situation before, the pigeons will repeat the behaviour that had the best outcome for them in those previous encounters. Humans don’t do this, we use rules. We make things complicated.”
Professor McLaren said: “We are not saying that pigeons are super clever. What this research shows is that we can teach pigeons to swap between tasks at no cost to their efficiency, and that they appear to be doing it without what psychologists call “executive control”. We suspect humans have access to this associative solution to the problem too and this has educational implications, skills implications and implications for our understanding of human behaviour.”
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 | Aug 1, 2016 | Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
Humans could be more efficient if they learnt from pigeons and stopped thinking about what they are doing, according to scientists.
Switching between making a phone call and writing an email led to more mistakes as humans stopped doing one thing and started another.
Scientists at the University of Exeter carried out research to compare a human’s ability to switch between tasks with that of pigeons.
They found that while the birds’ way of learning to do tasks associatively caused no decrease in accuracy, humans incurred costs – in that they were slower and made more mistakes when they switched tasks.
Previous studies have shown that people are faster and more accurate when they repeat the same task than when they do something different.
The work of PhD student Christina Meier and professors Stephen Lea and Ian McLaren revealed that pigeons who learnt a task associatively by means of Pavlovian conditioning were able to switch between tasks without slowing down or making more errors.
Ms Meier, the lead author, said: “We looked at why humans make more errors when they move between two different tasks whereas pigeons don’t. Pigeons don’t analyse what they see.
“If they experienced a given situation before, the pigeons will repeat the behaviour that had the best outcome for them in those previous encounters. Humans don’t do this, we use rules. We make things complicated.”
Prof McLaren said: “We are not saying that pigeons are super clever. What this research shows is that we can teach pigeons to swap between tasks at no cost to their efficiency, and that they appear to be doing it without what psychologists call ‘executive control’.
“We suspect humans have access to this associative solution to the problem too and this has educational implications, skills implications and implications for our understanding of human behaviour.”
The study, Task-Switching in Pigeons: Associative Learning or Executive Control?, is published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition.
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 29, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Netting, UltraSonic Bird Control
FEATHERS have been ruffled after peregrine falcons were encouraged to nest at Beverley Minster.
Garden bird lovers and pigeon fanciers have criticised the church for allowing the RSPB to install a bird box on top of the minster.
The box was installed this month after a pair of peregrines were spotted in residence at the minster.
But Beverley resident Annie Cox, 69, who lives near Beverley Minster, claimed the falcons are preying on song birds.
She said: “When we moved to Minster View we were delighted to wake to the dawn chorus.
“It was wonderful until summer, when falcons were introduced to control feral pigeons around the minster, we had blackbirds raising their young and variety of small birds – even the endangered sparrow.
“I’m disabled with severe osteoarthritis and had great pleasure watching birds at the feeder in the front garden. Now there are no birds to eat the seed.”
Mrs Cox said she has put up net curtains so she cannot see piles of feathers in the garden.
She said: “All that is left are piles of feathers and one pair of blackbirds and wood pigeons in our garden.”
Mrs Cox said she was distressed when she found out peregrine falcons were being encouraged to nest at the minster.
She said: “Falcons and other raptors have no place in towns and should be returned to their natural environment in the countryside where they can live on rabbits and rodents rather than decimating the small bird population, which is already at risk.”
Local pigeon fanciers are also upset about the peregrine falcons preying on other birds.
John Baker, who keeps racing pigeons, said: “It is very nice to see peregrine falcons flying, but they eat pigeons and song birds.
“They pluck them alive and pull them apart.
“Churches are not their normal habitat and I personally think the vicar is out of order letting this happen. Is he not supposed to love all creatures?”
Minster Vicar Reverend Jeremy Fletcher said: “I am not an expert, but I think sparrowhawks have much more impact on garden birds.
“The peregrines adopted the minster towers last year as a place to roost and hunt from. They came of their own accord.
“It appears peregrines are protected so if you have them you can’t do anything about that, you are required by law not to affect them.
“One of the reasons it is good for us is having peregrines at the building scares off feral pigeons, which cause damage to the stonework.”
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)
