by Pigeon Patrol | Aug 31, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, UltraSonic Bird Control
WEST CHESTER >>Chester County employees and visitors to the county’s Justice Center have been greeted by squawks and screeches, chatters and chitters, cawing and cackling over the past 
few weeks, all in the name of pigeon-proofing the county-owned parking garage there.
Thanks to the installation of a sonic bird repellent system in the garage, those parking their cars hear something vaguely reminiscent of a bad Tarzan jungle movie sound track, or something not too far from the noise in the shower scene of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.”
The sounds that come from the system’s speakers – one on each of the floors two through six in the multi-level structure – are designed to mimic sounds of fright from pigeons and calls of impending avian doom from predator raptors.
And as much as the system seems to be working – one county employee described seeing pigeons perched on the concrete rafters of the garage scattering like roaches after a light is turned on when the system is activated –it also has caused some consternation in the neighborhood adjacent to the garage on West Market Street.
When the unit – a Electronic Bird Repeller Model 110 db purchased by the county’s Facilities and Parks Department for $1,104 from a retailer in Frazer – was installed three weeks ago, the manufacturer advised that it should be operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the initial break-in period, a county spokeswoman said.
That did not sit well with those whose homes surround the garage.
“At first I thought it was a mockingbird,” said one resident, who asked not to be identified. The screeching noises were easily heard in the night, what with windows open in the cool, fall-like weather, and kept the light sleeper awake. “I wondered where it was coming from, and finally decided it was coming form the garage.”
The contours of the system dictate that the recorded sonic bird bombardment goes on and off at irregular intervals, lasting for a minute or so. “I could hear it all night, even after I closed the windows,” the resident said. “I lost a lot of sleep.”
Rebecca Brain, county public information officer, said last week that the system had been switched to run only during the daytime hours from now on, although what constitutes daytime is open to interpretation. One observer said he heard the artificial birdcalls begin at 6:15 a.m. Saturday.
Brain said the system was installed to attempt to control the population of pigeons that had taken to roosting in the garage. The birds were not only a nuisance – spoiling the hoods and roofs of cars parked beneath them with their droppings – but also a public heath hazard because of the amount of guano they left behind.
“We looked at various options, and this was determined to be the most cost-effective and humane,” Brain said. A similar system had been in place at the county’s former Hazlett Building on North Walnut Street, and is now installed on the tower at the Government Services Center in West Goshen.
The need for a permanent electronic system became evident when the pigeons natural predator – a Peregrine Falcon that had taken up hunting the birds last fall – went elsewhere, having diverted the pigeons away from the garage. “The falcon left its perch and the pigeon population came back,” Brain said.
The soundtrack of the system is unnerving when one first encounters it, said one county employee who was bombarded one night when leaving the office late. But others say that unless someone points it out, the noises are just part of the background hum of life in downtown West Chester.
“When you hear it during the day, it is not nearly as bothersome as it was at night,” said the neighbor whose sleep was disturbed. “Although it is still not pleasant.”
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.
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 30, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
WICKER PARK — Members of a grassroots coalition who are hoping to revitalize the pigeon-plagued intersection of Ashland, Milwaukee, and Division known as the Polish Triangle are soliciting feedback on how to improve the transit-friendly patch that serves as a gateway to four neighborhoods.
Inaddition to polling residents about what they’d like to see on the triangle, such as food trucks and seating, the short online survey released Wednesday asks, “If possible, should the existing fountain be removed?” and “If possible, should the pigeons be relocated?”
The long talked about pigeon relocation plan, which would require financing and city permits, would involve building a structure just east of the triangle where pigeons can nest, as their eggs are replaced with fake eggs to reduce the population.
“We can’t get rid of the pigeon feeders — the people that want to feed the birds will do that. But we want to get [the birds] off the triangle and somewhere else,” said Kapra Fleming, who owns the House of Two Urns, a bed and breakfast at 1239 N. Greenview Ave., around the corner from the triangle.
Fleming is one of 12 core members of the Polish Triangle Coalition, a group of leaders from local businesses and community groups who want to improve the small but significant spot that serves as Wicker Park’s southern gateway and a bridge to West Town enclaves East Village, Pulaski Park and Noble Square.
In addition to offering an entrance to the underground CTA Division Blue Line “L” station, the transit-oriented triangle has a stop for the CTA’s No. 70 Division bus.
The neighborhood’s only cab stand is located along the Milwaukee Avenue side of the triangle.
The most pressing question in the survey involves the uncovered stairway leading to the underground “L” station. The CTA is planning to add a canopy over the entrance as part of “Your New Blue,” a $492 million project that will modernize several stations.
“There is nothing protecting the steps from wind, snow and ice. Installing canopies has been on our wish list. The CTA said they would listen to community input. They are looking to see if people prefer a more contemporary or traditional look for the canopies,” Fleming said.
Fleming said some of coalition’s members met with CTA representatives in September to discuss the canopies and are scheduled to discuss the topic again in November.
The survey also polls residents on whether they would like to see the Polish Triangle’s fountain removed or replaced.
“Some people like the fountain; some want to get rid of it and redevelop the entire space. We want to get broader feedback,” Fleming said.
The survey will remain online through Oct. 24. The results of the survey will be posted on the coalition’s website in November.
Early Thursday, Greg Garrod, a worker at Sweet Cakes Bakery, 1223 N. Milwaukee Ave., which overlooks the triangle, said he would like to see the area improved.
“Every time I walk by it, I think it’s a focal point, they should do something more [with it], make it more community-oriented. Yesterday was a nice day and I would like to see places to sit. I sit on the fountain edge and get bombarded by pigeons,” Garrod said.
Take the Polish Triangle Coalition’s survey here.
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 29, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
CHENNAI: It may not be the worst idea to carry an umbrella, if you’re at the airport, wearing your Sunday best. After all, you wouldn’t want it soiled with pigeon droppings right before you board an enclosed plane with 180 or so others. Even after trying to get their ‘pigeon hole’ problem sorted out, Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials are stumped at how these birds keep finding their way into th
e high-rise terminals. A Jet Airways ticketing staff even laughed about how pigeons were always on night-duty and were the first to ‘meet’ them when they enter the terminal at 3.30 am every morning.
Recently, a group of pigeons were seen enjoying the bliss of the terminal near the passenger waiting area, on the soft carpets paid for by AAI. “It was quite funny actually. Some of the sweepers tried to shoo them away, but they just hopped off and continued to preen themselves on the carpet. Maybe they wanted air-conditioning,” said Reena Makhija, who posted a photo of the pigeons on a social networking site. “Personally, I’m not complaining. It was great fun for the kids to watch the pigeons up close,” she added
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After several complaints about how pigeons were dropping their ‘uric acid’ pellets on unsuspecting passengers, AAI decided to deploy nets to cover the openings in the roof — but these were found to cause a different problem. “They are dirtying our floors and carpets as well. But by closing the skylights with nets, the lighting became a problem, so we are working out a solution for the trusses,” said an official. The ceiling was cleaned a month ago and several partial nests were cleared. But this has not impeded the entry and exit of the pigeons.
AAI had even consulted an expert about this issue last year, but we’re unable to find a viable solution. Ornithologist N Sankar pointed out that the openings in the ceiling and the high beams provided a perfect place for birds like pigeons to nest. “In an airport, there are firecrackers on the tarmac nearby used to scare birds away from the planes, so this will seem like a safe place to them,” he reasoned. He added that getting them to vacate after they had nested was a difficult task.
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 28, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
In a scene reminiscent of a terrifying Alfred Hitchcock movie, a hospital in Drogheda has had to spend almost €20,000 on specialist netting to protect its workers from flocks of angry birds.
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital bought the equipment last year to shield maintenance workers from feathered assailants in the vicinity of rooms containing vital hospital equipment, located on the roof of the public hospital.
A total of €18,435 was spent on three specialist roof nets to protect staff from the threat of nuisance birds, according to documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
The hospital is situated close to Drogheda Port and around five miles from the Irish Sea.
The netting was required to protect staff from flocks of seagulls while carrying out maintenance work on ventilation systems and other machinery.
In addition, a pest control company was employed to remove a number of bird nests from the roof in July and August last year.
Nets
The cost of the specialist nets is part of a €35,152 spend on pest control by the hospital during the past five years.
“A decision was taken to purchase roof netting by Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in order to address bird activity and nesting in the vicinity of the hospital,” said a spokesperson for the Health Service Executive.
@The roof netting has been put in place to provide safe access for maintenance staff to the hospital’s plant rooms located on the hospital roof. “The plant rooms house hospital systems such as the main ventilation systems for operating theatres and intensive care areas.”
The spokesperson added that the netting has “proven successful in providing safe access to the staff to carry out their work in the plant rooms”.
The three roof nets cost over €6,000 each.
However, the hospital is examining additional methods of bird control to protect its staff from their feathered foes.
A proposal to install an ultrasonic bird repellent is currently being considered by management. In July the spread of seagulls was raised in the Seanad where Senator Ned O’Sullivan said they had “lost the run of themselves”.
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 26, 2015 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, UltraSonic Bird Control
A campaign to rid a town centre of its pigeon problem has launched to help improve the area for visitors and businesses.
People are being urged not to feed the birds in and around Harrow Town centre as part of a project launched today.
The Harrow Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID) launched the campaign as part of its ongoing work to increase footfall to St Anns and Station Roads.
Louise Baxter operations manager for the Harrow BID said: “The day has been all about education of the public, explaining what we are trying to do and how we can improve the area.
“One of the biggest issues for businesses in the town centre, and the people who visit it, is the pigeons.
“A lot of the feedback we get tells us that people are put off from visiting because of the flocks of birds flying around and making a mess.
“We really want to make Harrow a vibrant place and a destination for people. And sorting this problem is a big part of our plan.”
Also at the launch was James Bradbury from BH Environment pest control with his Harris Hawk Max, demonstrating how his company goes about removing pigeons from town areas.
Jay Patel, who runs the Chocolate Room and is on the board of Harrow BID said: “This is a huge issue for all the businesses here.
“To me they are rats with wings and they make the area look scruffy which means people don’t want to come to the town centre.
“We want everyone to work together to make Harrow a more inviting place.”
Fellow trader Deivid Silva, of the Silver Rivet clothes shop said: “Some mornings we have had to clean the front step to our shop because of the bird mess.
“I understand if you want to feed birds in a park, but the town centre is not an appropriate place. They spread disease and are a general health hazard.”
The Harrow BID campaign is being supported by Harrow Borough Council which has also warned people that putting food on the ground constitutes littering and they could face an on the sport fine of £75.
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 23, 2015 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
Foot deformities are ubiquitous in urban pigeons – why? As you’ll know if you’ve spent any time watching the pigeons of towns and cities, something like one in every ten (or more) has missing or partial toes, or swollen toes, or other pedal deformities of some sort. And then there are really extreme individuals – the ones that are missing feet altogether.
Poor footless urban pigeon, encountered close to Kew train station. The right foot is completely absent; the left one had at least one toe, curled round such that the bird was walking on the toe’s lateral side. Photo by Darren Naish.
I’m talking here about the domestic form of Columba livia, the so-called Rock pigeon or Rock dove. And, while I’ve only noticed deformed pigeons here in the UK, it certainly isn’t a UK-only thing, as continental European and North American [UPDATE: and South American] people will confirm.
The bird in the photos here was able to fly around and feed itself, and it might be broadly described as ‘healthy’. However, note that it’s in pretty poor condition. The feathers on its head and neck looked terrible and its rectrices (the big tail feathers) were frayed and shabby. I reckon this is partly due to an inability to groom and scratch itself: obviously, birds use their feet to reach parts that they can’t get to with the bill.
The impact of this is more than cosmetic, since birds with a poorly maintained or unrepaired plumage are disadvantaged in flight relative to tidier individuals, and less able to keep themselves warm and waterproofed. And a bird that isn’t able to groom parts of its plumage is also at risk of being unable to keep on top of parasites like ticks and feather mites (see the ‘pigeon’s eye view’ Tet Zoo article linked to below). And, as has been demonstrated through various experiments, birds with shabby-looking plumage are less attractive as mates (Clayton 1990), so a bad-looking pigeon is likely to be a non-breeding pigeon. It’s also worth noting that (like many animals), pigeons preferentially use one foot more than the other as goes the way they land and perch and sit and so on (Fisher 1957), so individuals that lose or damage their preferred foot might end up being doubly disadvantaged (imagine being right-handed, and then having to rely only on your left hand for evermore). I don’t know how concerned people are about the emotional well-being of animals like urban pigeons (or how far they’re prepared to go in admitting that non-human animals have feelings and states of mind), but I think we can be fairly confident that the most severely deformed of these birds are – at least at times – miserable, unhappy and frustrated.
Several ideas have been put forward to explain the many foot problems seen in urban pigeons. Some probably lose toes after getting them tangled in litter or anti-pigeon netting, or after they’ve injuries received from anti-pigeon spikes installed on signs and ledges. Fine wire, string, cotton thread and even human hair can all cause problems for birds when caught on or around digits, and some people say that interaction with fine thread and string and so on is the primary cause of pigeon foot damage. It’s also sometimes suggested that the deformities result from infections received after standing on excrement, and also that the birds become damaged through interaction with chemicals used on roofs and building stone. But the ‘chemical injury’ idea is unlikely to be correct, since (A) exactly what sort of chemicals are we talking about here, and why have they been used on buildings in the first place?, and (B) a chemical would basically have to be a powerful acid or alkaline agent (hydrochloric acid, or a very strong bleach) before it might damage a bird’s feet. For completeness, note that hereditary deformities like those reported for some captive populations of other pigeon species (Flach & Cooper 1991) might also explain some of the abnormalities observed in urban pigeons.
Other hazards that might affect an urban pigeon. At left: voracious park-dwelling pelicans! (photo: PA). At right: deceased Wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) following encounter with motor vehicle; note ‘terror-moulted’ lack of rectrices. Photo by Darren Naish.
Pigeons are not, of course, the only birds that end up with damaged feet. You might recall the foot-lacking Rock pipit Anthus petrosus I featured here recently…
I’ve been photographing pigeons a lot lately, but pigeons of a different species from C. livia. More about that another time. For previous Tet Zoo articles relevant to some of the subjects covered here, see…
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)
few weeks, all in the name of pigeon-proofing the county-owned parking garage there.
