by Ryan Ponto | Dec 11, 2016 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
In 1810, 24-year-old attorney Henry Marie Brackenridge traveled down the Ohio River to Ste. Genevieve, Mo., and what was still known as the French Illinois Country. Upon passing Louisville, his party encountered the unrivaled natural spectacle of the passenger pigeon, once the most abundant bird on earth.
“In part of the river where the vision extended at least ten miles down … the whole heavens to the edge of the horizon were covered and concealed by a flight of wild pigeons and remained so for upwards of two hours,” Brackenridge later wrote. “During the whole day immense flocks continued to pass.”
Brackenridge, a reliable observer of the American frontier, estimated the size of the principal flock at 10 miles wide and 120 miles in length. This staggering account was no exaggeration, squaring as it does with many 19th century observations, including those of ornithologist James Audubon.
Passenger pigeons — which as late as the mid-19th century numbered in the billions — were found in the forests of North America’s eastern half. Although Central Illinois was mostly tallgrass prairie, the timber along its rivers and streams and in its scattered groves was enough to sustain, at times, prodigious numbers of these birds. In this part of the state they would appear in great abundance several weeks in the spring and then again in the fall.
William B. Carlock, born in 1842 in a log cabin about 12 miles northwest of Bloomington, recalled the “great flocks of wild pigeons” that would pass through McLean and Woodford counties in the spring. He also mentioned the communal pigeon stews and fries held by the early pioneers.
The Rev. John W. Denning, the longtime minister of First Methodist Church of Normal, settled in the area as a young boy in 1849. “Wild pigeons were so numerous that, in their flights, they darkened the sun,” he said. “They congregated in such numbers at their roosting places that large branches were broken off the trees. People did not waste powder and shot on them in those days; they simply killed them by knocking them off their roosts with long poles.”
A network of railroads began linking Central Illinois communities in the early 1850s, speeding the demise of the passenger pigeon. Railroads everywhere gave hunters the means to travel considerable distances to the site of large roosting colonies. And with railroads came the telegraph and the ability to make known the location of colonies to interested parties both far and wide.
These twin revolutions in transportation and communication made possible a rapacious, unsustainable exploitation of what was, after all, a limited resource. Hunters interested in passenger pigeons for market or sport, along with families and sometimes whole communities, would congregate under the colonies with traps, nets, poles, firearms and whatever else would further the slaughter. The scale of violence entailed in these large-scale “harvesting” operations remains shocking, even to those well-versed in the blood-soaked history of the Euro-American advance across the continent.
Even more tragically, the nestlings were highly desired by hunters for their tender meat. This selective targeting decimated successive generations of squabs and contributed greatly to the subsequent population crash.
McLean County resident E.L. Rodman remembered “wild pigeons beyond number” in the 1850s and 1860s. He said that Thomas Bolby, who lived in Old Town Township east of Bloomington, would use a “stool pigeon” (or decoy) and net thousands of birds at a time. “He would take them to Bloomington by half-wagon box loads and I think that one load would have been sufficient to supply one (bird) to each person in the town, for it was not a large place then,” noted Rodman in a 1922 reminiscence.
As if this wanton slaughter wasn’t enough, hundreds of thousands of pigeons were taken captive so sportsmen could organize shooting contests using live birds.
“A pigeon shoot will come off LeRoy Friday this week,” reported the April 20, 1875, Pantagraph. “Five hundred wild pigeons have been secured, and a good time may be expected. Lovers of the sport are invited.”
In early October of that same year, the Bloomington Shooting Club received 2,000 live passenger pigeons for a two-day program at the old west side fairgrounds. The carnage included “world-renowned exhibition shot” Adam H. Bogardus killing 50 birds in eight minutes, all the while loading his own gun. “This will be by far the largest shooting tournament in Illinois this year,” boasted The Pantagraph, “and nearly all the best shots in the West will participate.”
The slaughter in Illinois continued into the 1880s, at least in the larger forested sections of the state where the bird could still be found in sufficient numbers. “Hunters report immense quantities of wild pigeons around Havana (Ill.),” noted the March 15, 1882, Pantagraph. “One man got 900 in one day, and killed as high as 20 at a single shot.”
By the mid-1890s, the days when millions upon millions of passenger pigeons passed through Illinois were gone, never to return. “Wild pigeons are rapidly becoming extinct in this country,” reported the Nov. 13, 1895, Pantagraph. “They made biennial visits to this locality several years ago in large numbers, but have been decreasing in numbers each year of late until very few of these birds are ever seen here now.”
Twenty short years later, wild pigeons had disappeared from not only Illinois but from the entire North American continent as well. “Martha,” the last known passenger pigeon, died at the Cincinnati Zoo on Sept. 1, 1914. “From billions to none in less than a century,” it was said of this appalling tragedy.
There are passenger pigeon taxidermy mounts and specimens in universities, museum and various research institutions in the U.S. and elsewhere. The John Wesley Powell-Dale Birkenholz Natural History Collections at Illinois State University include three “stuffed” pigeons, two of which are mounted. The third, a “study skin,” is dated May 26, 1877, and originated from Warsaw, Ill., a Hancock County community along the Mississippi River. The two mounted pigeons came from R.H. Holder, a Bloomington resident and amateur ornithologist.
Back in the fall of 1914, word of Martha’s passing was cause for somber reflection among some in Central Illinois.
“There is a touch of sadness in this announcement to those who still remember the millions of these beautiful birds that used to sweep in migratory flight across this country,” reflected The Pantagraph. “Every man who was a boy in those days can still picture to himself the long extended and graceful lines in which they moved, column after column, for hours and even days.”
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 Ryan Ponto | Dec 10, 2016 | Pigeon Spikes
A ROSS-SHIRE MP has told PM Theresa May that mobile phone coverage is so poor in some parts of the Highlands that people would be better using carrier pigeons.
Challenging the Prime Minister to take mobile infrastructure in the Highlands more seriously, Ian Blackford said coverage needs improved across Scotland.
Speaking in the last Prime Minister’s Questions session of 2016, he said that results just published by the Government’s own infrastructure watchdog put the UK behind even countries like Romania for coverage – making this one of the poorest served areas in the world.
“In the Highlands it is typical to get the message ‘no service’ and it would often be better to use carrier pigeons.”
Carrier pigeon better bet than mobile phone in some areas, claims MP Blackford. Picture: Fotolia
Will the Prime Minister recognise this is not acceptable and take responsibility for improving the mobile infrastructure. It is time to connect the Highlands to the rest of the world!”
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 Ryan Ponto | Dec 9, 2016 | Pigeons in the News
IS IT TRUE that tempers flared in George Street on Wednesday and Cabinet on Thursday over Minister of Commerce Donville Inniss’ call for somebody to be held responsible for the environmental issues currently affecting several businesses on the South Coast?
Is it true that some ministers expressed frustration with the manner in which Inniss continually speaks out on issues in a manner that could be interpreted as him distancing himself from them?
Can someone break the silence that characterises the Government’s handling of most issues and state if it is true or not that many in Cabinet are concerned that by his statements Inniss is seeking to promote his leadership credentials over and above Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and Richard Sealy?
Can someone in the Democratic Labour Party’s hierarchy confirm or deny that there is a general consensus in the party and Cabinet that Inniss’ statements tend to hurt the image of both as effective institutions and moves have been quietly discussed on what can be done to muzzle him?
Cou Cou awaits word on each of these with bated breath.
Holding noses over Boyce
A POLITICAL STINK is brewing on the South Coast even worse than the overflowing sewage seeping through the manholes and on to the road.
It involves the support businesses and residents will give to incumbent Christ Church South representative John Boyce when the time comes after he was a no-show at a town hall meeting to discuss the impact the sewage problem was having on them.
Cou Cou was told some business people and residents at the meeting were overheard saying among themselves that if Boyce could not be there to hear them in their time of need, then he better think again about coming to ask for their support in the forthcoming general election.
We are not sure what they meant by “their support”, so we can’t say if they were talking political or financial support. What we can say for sure is that the minister seems to be in “doo doo” over his non-attendance.
A container of worms
AN EMBARRASSING incident over the repossession of a newly renovated container is causing a bumpy ride in a certain ministry.
According to usually reliable sources, the rented container was renovated for $60 000 to house an outpost of a Government department. It had all the creature comforts – a roof, air conditioning and electrical fittings – and only needed tenants to move in.
But it appears someone in the ministry dropped the ball. Or there was no money to pay for the lease.
Whichever is the case, the fact is that the office which is supposed to house Government employees whose job it is to help the public prepare for a major exercise in the coming months now sits closed up, the new roof off and no one knows if it will be removed from the site or not.
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 Ryan Ponto | Dec 8, 2016 | UltraSonic Bird Control
Bath’s Pigeon Man has told magistrates they can send him to PRISON but it won’t stop him from feeding the birds.
Paul Charlton got his nickname thanks to his act, in which he balances pigeons on his arms, shoulders and head and giving members of the public grain to feed them in exchange for loose coins.
But the 42-year-old is fighting an attempt by Bath and North East Somerset Council to stop him performing which could see him fined up to £2,500.
Charlton appeared at Bath Magistrates’ Court on December 19 having been convicted of three charges of failing to comply with a community protection notice ordering him to stop feeding pigeons.
Dressed in a dark suit with shirt, tie and waistcoat, he told magistrates: “You can put me in prison for as long as you like but when I come out I will go back and feed the pigeons.
“I’m being treated like a criminal here and I haven’t done anything wrong.
“I have done what I have been asked to do by the Government.”
In response, lead magistrate Roger Witt said: “No, you have done something that you have been asked not to do by the local authority.”
Last year, Charlton was issued with a community protection notice by B&NES Council ordering him to stop feeding the pigeons.
But on May 9, May 10 and September 23 he was seen by council officers to be carrying on his act.
Charlton denied three counts of breaching the notice against him but was convicted in his absence on November 21.
At court for Charlton’s sentencing on December 19, a barrister acting on behalf of B&NES Council argued the defendant’s act caused “quite a lot of inconvenience” to cafés in the centre of Bath.
Carrie-Ann Evans told the court: “Essentially the notice asked him [Charlton] to stop giving grain to members of the public to feed the pigeons and stop giving grain to the birds himself.
“This is causing quite a lot of inconvenience for neighbouring cafés who have birds flying onto their stock.
“As a result quite a large amount of stock has to be thrown away.
“Mr Charlton was observed doing exactly what he was told not to do by the terms of the community protection notice.
“When spoken to by council officers he was quite clear in his admissions that he continued to feed the pigeons despite the terms of the notice against him.”
In response, Charlton claimed a “senior psychiatrist” had told him to continue feeding the birds.
Remonstrating with the clerk of the court, he told her: “I’m bored of you.”
Charlton, of no fixed abode, faces a £2,500 fine for the three offences.
B&NES Council has also asked for £450 costs.
The case was adjourned until January 23 pending the preparation of a psychiatric report.
Charlton was granted unconditional bail until then.
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 Ryan Ponto | Dec 7, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products
Power outages, however long they may be, slippery walking conditions, snow-covered ground and very cold temperatures all let us know we are in a Maine winter. These conditions rule our lives and the lives of all creatures in the natural world for awhile, but as we all know, life goes on, and we adapt the best we can. Some humans and some other forms of wildlife revel in the snow and ice.
Getting food is very important for all creatures in order to survive. Feathered residents and visitors to the islands keep feeders especially busy in December. Redpolls arrive and stay through the first part of April. They come with the snowflakes and leave when spring approaches. These birds are about the size of chipping sparrows, are darkly streaked, grayish brown and have white wing bars. The breast and rump are pink, and the adult has a red cap and a black chin. You’ll notice them when they arrive. These colorful wanderers drift into the Northeast every winter in considerable numbers and are lovely to see. From a distance, you could easily mistake them for goldfinches until they get close enough for you to see the pink breast and red cap of the male redpoll. Redpolls often flock with goldfinches and pine siskins.
In the winter, they spend the short days searching for food and eating. At darkness, they retire to a thicket of evergreens to sleep. Their food consists mostly of the seeds of birches, alders and grasses. At your feeder, offer them sunflower seeds, millet, hemp, hayseed and rolled oats.
If you notice a new or different bird at your feeder, make note of the kind of bill the bird has. Grosbeaks, for instance, have thick, large bills rounded in outline. Finches, sparrows and buntings have bills much like that of a canary. A crossbill‘s bill is like none other, with its unusual crossed mandibles. Noting these facts makes identification so much easier.
Also note how the bird searched for food. Did it look for insects and grubs beneath the bark? Such birds usually have tweezer-like bills in order to grab tiny pieces of food. Owls and hawks have hooked bills for ripping apart their food. Birds flying through the air catching insects have big mouths and small bills. Noting these different characteristics will help you identify a new bird very well. It’s also good to snap a photo if you can. Even a poor photo is helpful sometimes.
Wherever I have traveled in the world, I’ve been able to figure out a new bird or at least the type of bird I was seeing for the first time by these methods. A memorable moment for me in Greece happened when I saw a nuthatch around the walls of some ancient temple. The bird was going in and out of a nest. There was no doubt that it was some sort of nuthatch, a new one on my “life list.” In South America, an oriole-type bird attracted my attention, and I was able to key it down using these helpful hints. Kingfishers, of course, are easy. Wherever you are in the world, if you see a small or large kingfisher, you know to which family it belongs even if you don’t recognize that particular kingfisher. Here on Mount Desert Island, we only see the belted kingfisher. Tropical kingfishers may be very large or small and different colors, but their shapes and habits loudly say, “I am a kingfisher.”
Where you see the new bird should be noted as well, and note what it was doing. Be a good detective and gather lots of clues to help with identification. I’m always glad to help if I can.
Mallards display their courtship antics in November and December, so watch them if you get a chance. When their favorite ponds freeze, you’ll find them in local harbors. You can even do your bird watching from the comfort of your car if you have good binoculars with you. The courtship ritual is often done after they have fed well. It’s fascinating to watch and sometimes very funny.
One chilly day, I passed several mourning doves drinking and bathing in some melted waters next to the road. In spite of the snow and cold temperatures, the birds were splashing and preening. There’s nothing like a good bath. During our winter, mourning doves gather in large flocks and roost together. If the winter snows are not too crusty, they will winter well, for they feed on grass and weed seeds and any berries they can find. In periods of freezing snow and when an icy covering encases seeds and everything else out of doors, they have great difficulty in finding food, except at a feeder. Their feet are not strong enough to scratch through crusted snow. Some mourning doves do migrate, but others stay here all year.
In the air, mourning doves are quite special to watch, for they bend their wings back after each wing stroke, and their long, pointed tails stream elegantly behind them. If you are close enough to hear them take off, their wings make a whistling sound you can hear easily. The call of the mourning dove is a plaintive “coo-coo coo coo” rising and falling in pitch and repeated many times. You probably won’t hear them call until spring. It is then they pair off and do their cooing.
You commonly see larger doves or pigeons at local docks. Actually, these larger doves are not native to America but were brought by the European settlers. They have adapted well. The tall buildings of a city are similar to the cliffs on which they prefer to live. If you live near a dock or the water where they hang about, you may have them coming to your feeder in large numbers. My suggestion to this situation, if you don’t want them coming, is to stop feeding for a week or so in hopes of discouraging them so they will go find food elsewhere.
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)
