BLYTHE, California — Authorities say safety netting could have prevented the death of 64 birds at a Southern California solar energy plant.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise says the birds died this month at the Genesis solar plant near Blythe after getting mired in wastewater evaporation ponds that contained an oily toxic chemical.
The California Energy Commission says safety netting designed to keep birds away from the plant was destroyed by high winds in August and never replaced.
Roger Johnson, who oversees environmental compliance for the commission, says new netting’s been ordered but won’t be installed before year’s end.
However, authorities say the 10 acres of ponds are being drained and people stationed around them to keep the birds away.
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.
EDMONTON – Alberta’s energy regulator is investigating after waterfowl landed – or tried to land – on three Athabasca oilsands sites Tuesday.
An oilsands facility seen from a helicopter near Fort McMurray, Alta., on July 10, 2012. Environmental groups are giving Alberta’s energy regulator a rare pat on the back over its decision to delay approvals for certain types of oilsands projects over concerns about the intensity of development. Oilpatch critics say Alberta energy regulator is denying them right to speak
“The companies that have reported the incidents are Syncrude Canada at that Mildred Lake facility, the CNRL Horizon facility – their tailings pond – as well as Suncor Energy’s tailings pond,” said Ryan Bartlett.
The Public Affairs officer for Alberta Energy Regulator said the AER began hearing reports from companies around noon Tuesday and they continued until nightfall.
Syncrude told Global News 30 birds were recovered from one of its tailings ponds. The company claims all deterrents were operational.
CNRL said about 60 birds landed on its tailings pond. The company is still determining exactly how many died. It said its deterrence systems were working, but that there was extreme fog in the area.
Suncor said about 120 birds tried to land on one of its tailings ponds Tuesday, but deterrents were operational. However, six birds landed.
“We observed increased bird activity in the region,” said Will Gibson with Syncrude. “As a result of these observations, our bird deterrent system went into heightened alert.”
“The deterrent system was already deployed with noise-makers on every pond and our radar system was operational,” he said, adding more staff were sent out to monitor the birds around the operations.
“We can confirm that we’ve recovered 30 oiled waterfowl from our ponds in the past 24 hours,” said Gibson.
“We don’t want our operations to harm wildlife so we’re going to be reviewing our systems to see if there’s additional areas to improve on what we’ve already implemented.”
Syncrude, which operates one of the biggest oilsands sites north of Fort McMurray, was fined $3 million for the deaths of more than 1,600 ducks when they landed on its tailings pond in 2008.
Greenpeace Canada’s Mike Hudema says the province needs to get rid of tailings ponds altogether.
“The systems that they put in place to try to keep birds off are not working.”
“Industry has known for quite some time that these systems aren’t working, so birds continue to die in these tailings ponds, animals continue to die.”
“The only way to keep birds and animals safe – in, really, what is a toxic brew of chemicals – is to get these tailings ponds off the Alberta landscape.
“That’s something Premier Stelmach promised to do and of course, we’ve seen absolutely no movement on it.”
“Albertans are getting very frustrated,” said NDP leader Rachel Notley. “They want to be proud of their province, but instead they’re frustrated with the government that – through their neglect – watches the problem grow.”
Hudema says the government needs to regulate the move to dry tailings.
“The government put a directive in place to try to slowly eliminate them from our landscape and not a single company is meeting that directive at all. We’ve seen no enforcement from the government.”
The regulator stresses it is investigating the incidents.
“We’re there to ensure the companies are responding appropriately to the issue,” said Bartlett, “and to investigate what may have caused the incident, to make sure that their waterfowl deterrent systems were in place and were operational at the time.”
In a statement to Global News, CNRL said “multiple factors” led to the birds landing.
“During the early morning hours of Nov. 4, 2014, an unforeseen weather event of extreme fog conditions resulted in migratory waterfowl to land on the tailings pond despite the full operation of our waterfowl deterrent system.
Multiple factors contributed to the waterfowl landings that included the severe weather event, the timing of the waterfowl migration late in the season, and poor visibility.
Our waterfowl deterrents, including radar units, Long Range Acoustic Devices along with an array of propane cannons and effigies, were functional and effective, deterring many waterfowl from landing.
Unfortunately, we are saddened that approximately 60 waterfowl were not deterred and we are currently in the process of confirming the final affected number. The event was reported to Alberta Environment and Sustainable Development and the Alberta Energy Regulator on Nov. 4.”
“It does seem odd that it’s occurring all at the same time,” said Bartlett. “We’re investigating what the causes may have been.”
Depending on the type of AER investigation, the process could take several months.
Environment Canada, Fish and Wildlife, and Environment and Sustainable Resources have all been notified.
Neither Alberta’s environment minister nor the energy minister would comment, saying the AER would take the lead. Premier Jim Prentice said he was disappointed, but said he’ll withhold judgement until the results of the AER investigation are released.
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.
BEIJING — A thousand new facial-recognition cameras are watching for potential troublemakers. Kite-flying has become a jailable offense in some areas. Factories have been ordered to cut back or suspend production. And those are just part of China’s efforts to clear Beijing of dangers, dissent and smog during an international summit deemed the capital’s biggest event since the 2008 Olympics.
Ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum that opened Wednesday, city crews also have replaced 450,000 flower pots, swept newsstands and breakfast kiosks from some neighborhoods and encouraged — or warned — many residents, and especially dissidents, to leave town.
Government workers get a long holiday, and authorities eager to ease congestion are taking the unusual measure of deploying cargo trains to carry the cars of holidaymakers out of the capital.
Though there will be far fewer visitors to the city than there were during the Olympics, APEC will again throw an international spotlight on China with the arrival of top leaders from the Pacific Rim along with their countries’ media.
The forum culminates in a Nov. 10-11 summit of leaders of the 21 member economies, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and authorities are wary of anything that could draw media attention away from the meetings.
The organizer of a Beijing film festival that authorities shut down in August said police have asked him several times to leave Beijing during APEC.
“The police are at my home every day,” Li Xianting of the Beijing Independent Film Festival said in a telephone interview. He said he didn’t plan to leave on principle, and also because he didn’t want to bring trouble to anyone he might stay with.
Qi Zhiyong, a rights activist who lost his leg after soldiers fired on him during the Tiananmen protests in 1989, said he was asked to leave Beijing and told not to give media interviews.
A friend of Zhou Li, who helps ordinary citizens submit complaints to the central government about corruption and other grievances, said Zhou was detained around Oct. 21 so she would not organize any protests during APEC. The friend spoke on condition of anonymity because she had been told by police not to talk to the media.
Newspaper stands and street breakfast vendors have disappeared from some areas of the city, including Chang’an Avenue, the long road that passes Tiananmen Square, the main government offices and hotels where some delegates are staying.
Taxi drivers have been told to be wary of passengers sitting in the back seat to make sure they don’t open the windows and throw out fliers, especially when driving along Chang’an Avenue, said a man in the main office of the Minhanganle taxi company who only gave his surname, Liu.
Chinese counterterrorism expert Li Wei said the gravest threats to Beijing’s APEC meetings are extremists aiming to establish an independent state in the restive western region of Xinjiang.
Several deadly attacks targeting civilians have been blamed on extremists from Xinjiang’s native Turkic Uighur population. Most were in western China, but in October of last year, three assailants drove an SUV through crowds in the heart of Beijing, killing themselves and two tourists.
Hotels have been asked to report to police any guests from Xinjiang as well as Tibet and its neighboring Qinghai province during APEC, said a manager at a Home Inns hotel in Beijing’s Changping district. Tibetans have protested Chinese rule for decades, and since 2009, about 130 have died by setting themselves on fire in protest.
In an anti-terrorism drill Oct. 27, police dealt with simulated terror incidents at two meeting venues involving terrorists driving a car carrying explosives into a crowd of people, hostage-taking and “a gathering of troublemakers,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
About 1,000 monitoring cameras with facial recognition functions were being installed in suburban Huairou district, the venue of the leaders’ meetings, according to state media reports. The cameras were to cover business areas, gas stations, schools and other densely populated areas.
People will face detention if they fly their pet pigeons or kites in the vicinity of Beijing Capital International Airport to ensure flight safety, according to notices from the Beijing city government and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The rule had been in place before APEC but was initially punishable by only a fine.
Authorities don’t want to be embarrassed by Beijing’s notoriously polluted air, so they have ordered some factories to shut down temporarily, demolitions to be halted and cars off the road.Authorities say the discharge of pollutants in Beijing and its surrounding areas is expected to be cut by a third during APEC.
Highly polluting factories were told to cut emissions starting Oct. 1 and some of them are to be shut down altogether for APEC, said He Ruirui, of the environmental protection bureau of Langfang city in Hebei province, from which pollution wafts into Beijing.
The turning on of the winter heating, powered by burning coal, has been postponed until after APEC in an economic and development zone of Tianjin, a half-hour train ride from Beijing, following a notice from the Tianjin government, according to a woman surnamed Zhang from the service line of the Tianjin Taida Junlian Heating Company. Beijing’s heating is due to come on after APEC.
Half the capital’s cars are banned from the roads at any one time for a 10-day period that began Monday and ends Nov. 12. Driving privileges are alternating between vehicles with odd and even license plates. Beijing imposed the same restrictions during the 2008 Olympics, which helped herald blue skies.
Government workers get a six-day holiday from Nov. 7-12, but will be required to work an additional Saturday and Sunday to partly compensate. Schools and kindergartens will close, and people will be unable to register marriages.
People are also being encouraged to leave town.
Beijing’s railway bureau is deploying cargo trains that can carry passenger cars, so that travelers can take their vehicles with them on holiday without clogging up highways out of the capital. The fees will be roughly the same as fuel and tolls for the trip, the bureau said.
Chen Caiyin, of the public relations department of Ctrip, China’s biggest travel agency, said that Beijing’s tourism authorities asked them to tempt more tourists to travel during APEC.
She said the company is offering half-price discounts on 15 percent of their routes.
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.
DERELICT shops in one of the most unattractive parts of the town centre have fallen even further into disrepair nearly 18 months after permission was granted to revamp them.
In June last year Crawley Borough Council approved plans to replace 15-29 The Broadway with dozens of flats and new retail units.
But 17 months on there has been no visible work carried out at the site, which has also become a home for a horde of pigeons, who are covering the inside of the building with excrement.
Appalled by the state of shops, Crawley resident Jeff Herbert has called on the council to put pressure on the building owner to clean up the mess caused by the winged squatters.
The 69-year-old, who lives in Wolstonbury Close, Southgate, said: “These shops have been empty for so long and I think it’s a disgrace that they are being left in this state.
“Crawley Borough Council doesn’t seem to have picked it up, and they are usually very hot on the cleanliness of shops.
“The pigeons have got inside somehow and are pooing all over the place.”
Peter Smith, the council’s cabinet member for planning and economic development, admits the authority cannot do much about the situation.
He said: “The building has got permission for it to be redeveloped so essentially we can do little but wait until the owner decides to go through with that.
“We don’t have the powers that people think we do. It’s all down to the private owner.
“They don’t have to do what the application says and they don’t have to do it straight away.
“Whether we have any powers to force the owner to take action to clear it up, I’m not sure. We would do if there were problems around public health.”
Bob Lanzer, the shadow cabinet member for planning and economic development, was leader of the council for several years and knows only too well the problems pigeons can pose.
He explained: “A few years ago the council hired some sharp shooters (to kill pigeons), which didn’t go down too well with the public.
“Then we started having blocks of wood put in, with pins sticking up to stop the pigeons landing on buildings.
“But I noticed recently when I was walking along with High Street close to The George Hotel, that they had figured out how to remove them and push them onto the ground.
“I was astonished to see them knock one off the building right in front of me, so don’t underestimate them!”
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.
Details of the cruel treatment and illegal trade of animals have been revealed.
Created using data from the Metropolitan Wildlife Crime Unit, an online map features data for all 32 London boroughs.
There were seven cases of cruelty in Redbridge between February and July this year, including cases involving a swan, a fox and a pigeon.
One report was filed of a man shooting at pigeons in Hainault Country Park in Foxburrow Road, Hainault.
The report shows he was warned by police.
There were four cases recorded in Waltham Forest, including an illegal trade of a tortoise and goldfinches being illegally offered for sale on the internet.
The highest number of offences (26) was recorded in Richmond.
The map was compiled jointly by the Wildlife Crime Unit and charity World Animal Protection.
World Animal Protection campaigner, Alyx Elliott, said: “We commend the government for the work it has undertaken so far and welcome further dialogue around the specifics of our recommendations for fighting wildlife crime.
“We feel our report busts some myths about what wildlife crime looks like in the UK and demonstrates the urgent need for more to be done to tackle it here at home.”
If you witness wildlife crime, the Metropolitan Wildlife Crime Unit can be contacted on 02072308898
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.
Commonly seen defacing the structures that facility managers (fms) work so hard to build and maintain, pest birds can cause serious problems. From office buildings to schools and hospitals to food manufacturing facilities and restaurants, birds and their droppings create unsanitary conditions and add expense to facility maintenance.
Birds frequent areas because of two primary reasons: shelter and food. In all situations, cleaning existing bird mess away is essential, including droppings, feathers, nests, and any other territorial markings. This task requires proper safety precautions such as wearing protective equipment, as bird mess notoriously carries toxic fungus and transmissible diseases.
No matter what repellent measures are taken, the area must first be thoroughly cleansed of bird smell and visual markings for an approach to be effective. Using a strong cleaner is highly recommended. Certain species are protected under the United States Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, so fms should be certain these laws are understood prior to clearing away any nests to avoid any unexpected fines.
Food sources also must be removed or blocked off. Dumpsters containing organic waste must be secured with lids, and any workers or customers feeding the birds should be instructed to stop. Posting “Do Not Feed the Birds” signs is beneficial for this purpose. Birds are far more difficult to control if food is available to them.
Fms in urban populations are all too familiar with pigeons perching on the sides of buildings and defacing architecture, windows, and sidewalks with droppings. Not only is this aesthetically alarming but large quantities of bird droppings can cause slipping hazards and disease risks—certainly no liability any responsible business takes lightly. In these situations, simple physical barriers are easy to implement—installing bird spikes, bird wire, sticky bird gels, or electrified, low-profile bird track will quickly clear ledges of these pests.
The same methods may be used on the ledges of hospitals, restaurant windows, and schools, as they are humane to pest animals, do not make noise, and do not contain chemicals or poisons.
Fms in food processing facilities know the challenge of birds very well. These situations are even more difficult because not only is there a food source to attract birds, but the FDA and other health organizations have rigid regulations about pest animals and food production. A bird infestation during a health inspection can mean fines, citations, and even business closure.
Pest droppings are obviously unsanitary and can quickly contaminate an area through air conditioning and ventilation ducts or being brought in on workers’ shoes. If birds come in direct contact with the food or processing equipment, finished food products may contain pathogens and feces.
The best success strategy for any food processing plant is to block the food source from pests physically. Securing dumpsters with lids and closing off openings to warehouses and silos will help drastically. If areas are kept semi-enclosed, securing openings with bird netting will not only keep birds out, but will also deter bats, rats, mice, and other pests. In facilities that contain restaurants, bird netting can form an attractive enclosure for patios and open windows.
In semi-enclosed areas such as parking garages, airplane hangars and open warehouses, ultrasonic bird repellent systems are extremely effective with the added benefit of being silent to humans. Ultrasonic soundwaves are above the average human’s hearing range, however the frequencies are disruptive to birds and other pests. Light deterrents such as strobes and laser systems work well in dim warehouse corners, or when pest control is only needed at night.
Large, open outdoor areas such as golf courses with bodies of water, orchards, vineyards, and small lakes can be frustrating for fms due to their attraction for birds, especially when food is available. Taste aversion liquids and physical barriers may not be feasible in these areas, so sonic bird control methods can come into play. Additionally, one of the most effective bird control methods for preventing bird strikes at airports is a sonic control system.The overhangs of all man-made structures, including buildings, overpasses, garages, warehouses, stables, and barns are often prone to problems with barn swallows. These birds exclusively build their mud nests on man-made structures when caves are not available. These birds are protected by federal law (inhabited nests may not be disrupted), so repelling them humanely before nests are occupied is essential. Their nests can cause structural damage, mite infestations, and unsanitary conditions, as well as obvious aesthetic problems. Applying deterrent liquids along the upper walls and eaves of structures, and in certain situations installing physical barriers such as netting, are effective and legal methods to control swallows.
Every facility and bird scenario is different, but no matter the situation or budget an effective solution is available. Avoiding the costs of constant cleaning and maintenance, equipment and property damage, and liability risks make bird control an important part of responsible facility management.
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.
