by Pigeon Patrol | Dec 18, 2015 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
A pigeon.
When Brits began posting pictures of pink pigeons to social media, the mystery took flight.
Had the rare Columba mayeri, a pink pigeon unique to the small Indian Ocean island Mauritius that belongs to the same family as the dodo and narrowly avoided extinction itself in the 1990s, suddenly migrated to Britain?
Finally, it seems the riddle has been solved, and the conundrum was in fact much ado about nothing.
The baffling birds appear to be the work of one pigeon keeper in Bristol, who dyed the pigeons pink to protect them from predatorsaccording to the area’s local newspaper.
The Bristol Post cites cash-and-carry worker Sher Singh, 39, as the man responsible.
“I put the colour on because the Falcons will get confused,” he told the paper. “He will see the colours but won’t see the pink so well. I didn’t know if the colour for the pigeons was bad. I won’t colour them again . . . I’m sorry for colouring them, it was a mistake.”
Unfortunately, local experts in Ontario, where falcons have been thriving recently, say the man’s logic is flawed on most counts.
The pink dye would not ward off predators, and it may ostracize the birds among their fellow pigeons, according to Marion Nash, 54, vice-president of The Canadian Peregrine Foundation.
“I don’t see how that could possibly work, it’s nonsense,” she said. “Falcons eat all different kinds of coloured birds. They eat red cardinals, so why would they ignore pink birds?”
Nash doesn’t think the dye would necessarily hurt the birds because the feathers are similar to human hair and will moult quickly.
Her organization has even employed a similar practice, albeit for different reasons. The Peregrine Foundation will dye young falcons’ tail feathers to distinguish and protect them when they are learning to fly.
Where it could have an effect is in the pigeons’ relationship with its own kind.
“Pigeons will avoid others if they see them acting strange or sick,” she said. “They’ll wonder what’s wrong and might attack or avoid them.
“It could make the birds more of a target than before, from fellow pigeons or other animals. It could possibly stand out more because of the pink dye and be more of a disadvantage than an advantage.”
By using dye, the Bristol bird lover might have made it more likely his pigeons will die.
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 | Dec 15, 2015 | Bird Netting, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
PATTERSON (CBS13) – Pat Rocca has a pigeon problem. The birds have left her walkway stained, feathers stuck to the house and droppings everywhere.
“I thought well this is a horror.’” Pat said. “It’s very sticky and gooey, just terrible.”
She hired Albert Filmore Pigeon Cleanup, who services Stanislaus County, and paid him $680 to clean up the mess and prevent pigeons from coming back to roost or nest on her house.
The contract she signed promised return visits “two times a week for the next 8 weeks.”
But, five months went by and Pat said Albert only came out twice.
“He didn’t finish the job.’
Pat said the pigeons came back, and Albert has been a no show to appointments – blaming family issues. And she said Albert would not return her calls.
“We have had very similar complaints,” said Gary Almond with the Better Business Bureau.
He said his office has been unable to find Albert Filmore.
Almond said a company still has a responsibility to finish the work, even if personal issues arise.
“I’d offer a refund or offer someone else to complete the service,” he said.
So, how do you keep pigeons away?
To find out, we brought in Pest Management expert Jim Steed.
“The trick is to employ the right measures in the right spots,” Jim said.
Depending on the house, he’ll use different bird spikes or even shock tracks to keep the birds from landing.
Bird repellent glue is a popular method, and Jim says it works best when combined with other methods. But because it is sticky, dirt will eventually stick to it – making it ineffective.
If the pigeons are nesting, Steed says netting should be put up.
He says professional removal and clean up services can cost anywhere from $600 to $3,000.
“If you leave 10 percent of the area [unprotected], they’re still here.” Jim said.
As for Pat, we reached out to Albert Filmore. He told us he’s had “a lot of issues” but agreed to give her “whatever she thinks I owe her.”
In the end, Albert returned $400 of the $680 Pat paid him.
She said she’ll be hiring someone else to finish the job.
“I know this will only get worse,” Pat said, pointing to signs of pigeons around her home.
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 | Dec 12, 2015 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
The French Market Corporation used “bait feeders with Avitrol, an avian toxicant that targets the motor nervous system,” in an effort to control the pigeon population around its open-air market operation in the French Quarter, New Orleans officials told WWL-TV. “The feeders were taken away because the city’s pest control board determined it’s not the most effective way to reduce pigeon populations in areas where a lot of people gather.”
WWL-TV said it could only find three pigeons for an hour around lunch time Monday. The state reported that one woman recorded a pigeon Friday appearing to have a seizure.
The French Market Corporation issued the following statement:
“The French Market Corporation was taking proactive steps to control pigeon populations. Pigeons can be a public health threat and are prone to carry disease. Through an independent pest control company, the French Market placed bait feeders with Avitrol around the market. Avitrol is an EPA-approved method of controlling pigeon populations. The New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board has since advised the French Market to explore other nonchemical solutions to control pigeon populations, and the French Market has since removed the bait feeders.
“Over the past few years, the FMC has taken a number of steps to improve the market experience and to reduce nuisance pests like pigeons by improving garbage removal and excluding food sources utilized by pests. Visitors are encouraged to refrain from feeding pigeons and to properly dispose of any garbage.”
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 | Dec 11, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
Wellington’s pigeon population is out of control, and it’s time to look at contraception or feeding bans, inner-city residents say.
New proposals for maintaining verandas in the CBD require them to be kept clean of pigeon droppings. But the Inner City Association, which represents residents and businesses, said that was an unfair burden on veranda owners, and the onus should be on the council to control the birds.
“There needs to be some humane way of controlling the pigeons,” association president Geraldine Murphy said.
People feeding the pigeons is one of the main contributors to the burgeoning population, councillor Iona Pannett says.
People feeding the pigeons is one of the main contributors to the burgeoning population, councillor Iona Pannett says.
She suggested contraception, spread in bird seed, which had been used overseas to cull populations of pigeons, sometimes known as the “rats of the sky”.
She also raised the idea of a bylaw to forbid people from feeding the birds. “The more food they get, the more they breed.”
The association has called on Wellington City Council to tackle the problem, in a submission it made on the new veranda bylaw being presented to councillors on Thursday.
It was unreasonable to expect veranda owners to clean away bird droppings, when owners of buildings without verandas did not have to keep them clean, it said.
Building owners were already struggling to cope with the problem, by such methods as putting up spikes to deter birds, and cleaning away excrement before it became too encrusted.
“It can get quite solid, from what I understand,” Murphy said.
Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the control of pigeons was “one of those endlessly problematic issues”, and it was up to private building owners to keep their buildings clean.
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 | Dec 8, 2015 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
ENGRAVER Vince Ayris has called on the support of a kettle of hawks to deal with Havelock Street’s pesky pigeon problem.
The 52-year-old, who owns the firm at the heart of a favourite haunt for the airborne pests, grew so fed up with the pooey white-wash he’s asked Phil Voller, of Wings Over Wiltshire, to unleash one of his five birds in the town centre.
“The problem is that people feed them,” said Vince. “And of course when you feed birds it has to come out the other end, and they end up pooing all over the place.
“They have the market there and it’s not hygienic, but credit to them the council has been out to jet wash the area.
“But the trees in the square are well established and of course that’s the pigeons’ homes.
“They have even started walking into the shop.”
Phil, who works for pest control company Prokill, owns five hawks which he has unleashed in Regent Circus to bring the numbers down there, and now Vince is urging him to come to the town centre proper to tidy up the area.
“It looks horrible,” said Vince. “All the birds are horrid too, they’ve all got broken feet and are in quite a sorry state.
“It’s much better in my opinion to use hawks rather than a gun because it’s more natural. I’m not into hunting or guns of any kind.
“I’m an animal lover so natural is best.
“You don’t want to be there when it happens though. It is a bit messy.”
It isn’t the first time the critters have faced death by hunting after Swindon Borough Council listed the help of the bids of prey to encourage them to abandon their nests around the central library.
In 2012 two Harris hawks, Nessa and Duke, from specialist firm Prokill, descended on the town as part of a four-month bid to rid the area of vermin.
But the council said they had no plans to use the birds in the town centre because of the risk they could also pose to innocent pedestrians.
A spokesman from Swindon Borough Council said: “Pigeons can be a problem in any town centre. Swindon is no different, and we try to keep on top of the problem by using a high-pressure washer on what they leave behind.
“They congregate in areas where they think they will find something to eat, which can often be places where people stop and eat food. The problem wouldn’t be as bad if everyone put what they don’t eat in the bin, but often they don’t, and we’d certainly not encourage anyone to throw their last bit of pasty crust to the nearest hungry-looking bird.
“We use hawks from a pest control company to discourage pigeons from nesting on the roof of the town hall and library, but that’s a different problem, and we can do it without affecting members of the public who are walking nearby. It would be more difficult to do that in a pedestrianized area, and not everyone wants to see a pigeon being despatched by a large bird of prey while they are out shopping, which would always be a risk.”
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 | Dec 5, 2015 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
OVERVIEW
The ‘Bird Slope’ bird repellent is an anti-perching product that has been designed to be provided on any flat surface where birds are creating a nuisance by perching or roosting. The Bird Slope bird repellent is an extremely basic product that simply creates a slope upon which birds cannot perch and would normally be installed on a flat (or angled) surface where a 90° angle exists behind – a good example would be an ‘I’ beam (or RSJ). This product is manufactured and distributed by a company in the United States called Bird-B-Gone.
The Bird Slope bird repellent is constructed from lightweight durable UV protected plastic and comes ready to use but can be cut to size where required with a hacksaw or a pair of snips. The Bird Slope bird repellent is provided in a standard grey colour but can be painted to blend in with the structure or building upon which it is installed. The Bird Slope bird repellent is available in one size only and is 5.5” high protecting an area 5.5” wide. An ‘extender’ is available which increases both height and width by a further 5″. With the extender installed the Bird Slope bird repellent will protect an area 10″ wide. The Bird Slope bird repellent and the optional extender are only available in 2 foot sections with the extender increasing the scope of the product so that it will protect a wider surface but with a resultant increase in height which may restrict its application. An ‘end cap’ is available for both the Bird Slope bird repellent and the extender. The end cap is installed at both ends of a single run of the product to stop birds getting in behind the product where they cannot be detected. The Bird Slope bird repellent is not suitable for installation with a silicone adhesive and the manufacturer recommends an ‘outdoor construction adhesive’ for the purpose. The manufacturer also recommends that the product should cover the whole of the surface to be protected, not just the perimeter or ‘leading edge’.
One of the main applications for the Bird Slope bird repellent is for use under railway or river bridges where pigeons and starlings are often found roosting and breeding on ‘I’ beams and other infrastructure. These areas normally have difficult or restricted access and therefore a maintenance-free product like the Bird Slope bird repellent is ideal. On bridges constructed with a steel framework the Bird Slope bird repellent would be installed on the lower flange of an ‘I’ beam creating a 45° angle upon which birds cannot gain a foothold. As a bird attempts to land on the Bird Slope bird repellent it will simply slide off as soon as its feet come into contact with the smooth plastic surface. The main criteria for a successful application of the Bird Slope bird repellent is that a vertical surface exists behind the horizontal surface to be protected (creating a 90° angle) and as a result a majority of areas under a bridge, or canopy, can be adequately protected with the product. Another application for the Bird Slope bird repellent is for use on historic buildings that are Grade Listed and where restrictions are imposed in relation to what can or cannot be done in respect of the fabric of the building. In many cases non-invasive and reversible anti-perching devices such as the Bird Slope bird repellent and the anti-roosting spike are the only options allowed when protecting this type of building. Any type of anti-perching device that requires installation by drilling or bolting is normally deemed inappropriate by local government Listed Buildings Officers, particularly in the case of Grade 1 Listed Buildings.
One of the major benefits of the Bird Slope bird repellent is that it is non-invasive to install and is completely reversible should access to the area or surface be required for the purpose of maintenance. The product is also simple to install negating the need to instruct a specialist contractor and lending itself to a DIY installation. Large areas can be quickly protected with the Bird Slope bird repellent based on the simplicity of the product and the fact that it can be glued in place rather than requiring a system of complex fixings. The Bird Slope bird repellent is also a completely humane product that will not harm birds but just physically prevent them from gaining access to sensitive areas.
DEFRA’s view:
The Bird Slope bird repellent is not discussed on the DEFRA website.
Price range:
There does not appear to be a distributor for the Bird Slope bird repellent in the UK at this time. We are awaiting confirmation from the manufacturer of current retail costs for the Bird Slope bird repellent and this section will be updated as soon as that information is available.
User reviews:
To date we have been unable to find any user reviews for the Bird Slope bird repellent but we will update this section as and when user reviews are made available to us. If you are able to provide a user review for the Bird Slope bird repellent please contact the Pigeon Control Resource Centre.
Comments from the Manufacturer/Distributor:
At present we have been unable to obtain the manufacturer’s comments.
Editorial comments:
The Bird Slope bird repellent is a product that has limited applications but which has the potential to be a highly effective anti-perching device. Its limitations are restricted to use where a 90° angle exists and generally in areas where aesthetics are less of an issue. The Bird Slope bird repellent can be painted to reduce visibility but the product is still physically large, particularly with the optional extender installed, and is more visible than many other anti-perching products. The Bird Slope bird repellent is ideal for use under canopies and bridges and once surfaces have been prepared the product is quick and easy to install. The industry standard method of excluding birds from the underside of a bridge or canopy is to use nylon bird netting. Bird netting can be extremely expensive and invasive to install requiring regular access for the purposes of maintenance. In most cases a product like the Bird Slope bird repellent is an excellent alternative that requires no maintenance and does not degrade nor have a limited life-span as nylon netting has. As access is normally the most expensive element of any bird exclusion operation, particularly when proofing areas at height, a product that will stand the test of time and which requires no maintenance should always be the first choice.
The Bird Slope bird repellent is a good option for historic or Grade Listed buildings due to the fact that it is non-invasive to install and if painted with a textured masonry paint will blend in with the architecture around it. The product lends itself to a DIY installation and can be installed quickly and easily on almost any property or structure. The Bird Slope bird repellent is limited to applications where the surface to be protected is less than 10” wide and therefore may not be suitable for some period properties where windowsills and architectural features such as ledges often exceed 10” in depth. It must also be understood that if the extender is used to increase coverage to the maximum depth the product will be considerably more visible.
The creation of a slope on a flat surface is not a new idea. In many cases a commercially available product such as the Bird Slope bird repellent can be replicated using any number of different materials to create a slope. A simple plywood slope can be created in minutes using scrap wood and installed using silicone for a quick and easy installation. If using a material such as plywood, which lacks the smooth surface offered by the Bird Slope bird repellent, the slope may need to be provided at a more acute angle in order to be effective. Alternatively a smoother material can be sourced. The benefit of a DIY slope is that it can be ‘made to measure’ rather than having to cut a ready-made product to fit the area concerned. Once painted with an appropriately coloured paint the slope will be virtually invisible from the ground.
Also commonly known as:
The slope, bird slide, slippery slope, pigeon slope
Relevance to pigeon control:
The ‘Bird Slope’ bird repellent is a pigeon-specific anti-perching product
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)
