by Pigeon Patrol | Aug 4, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Rome has been invaded by thousands of gulls – the birds boldly steal food, make a mess on statues and have even attacked the Pope’s doves of peace.
I was on the bus the other morning, drowsily heading for work, but through the window I spotted something that woke me up – a rather gruesome scene.
On the pavement a big, powerful gull was standing over a pigeon it had killed. Then the gull grabbed the carcass in its beak, launched himself over the top of my bus, dropped into a piazza and starting to tear the pigeon apart.
I suppose I still expect gulls to do the sort of things they’re supposed to, like ride the wind on lonely shorelines, follow trawlers, live off scraps of fish – not devour pigeons on city streets.
But in many places these birds are giving up on the sea, and moving to town. Rome is no exception.
For thousands of years it had no nesting gulls. They only began coming in the 1980s, lured by bins and dumps groaning with food chucked away by modern Romans. Now there are tens of thousands of gulls here and this latest invasion of the Eternal City can be a bit barbaric.
Earlier this year Pope Francis was at his window, high above the masses in St Peter’s Square. Beside him two children held two, pure white doves of peace. They released them, and the crowd cheered.
Horrifyingly one bird was almost immediately attacked in mid-air by a gull. He got the dove up against a wall of the Pope’s palace, but he only had his prey by the tail.
The pigeon got away, leaving the gull with just a beak-full of feathers. Still, it was hard to imagine a more disturbing omen for peace. And things didn’t get any better when a vicious looking crow savaged the other hapless dove.
But Rome’s gulls surely love the autumn most, when millions of starlings come to the city. They swarm at dusk. It’s one of nature’s great air shows.
The flocks make vast, dark, swirling smudges in the sky. Hundreds of thousands of birds moving, almost as one, twisting and turning through the fading light. Then they roost in a screeching mass in the trees along the Tiber.
In ancient Rome the shapes the starlings made in the heavens were watched for signs – a way of knowing the mood of the gods. But these days, the swarms are hunted by the gulls. For them, it must be a sort of banqueting season.
The gulls aren’t only bothering the local wildlife. I was at a rooftop bar the other evening. A posh place with white table cloths and a sweeping panorama of the city skyline.
But the gulls were making trouble. They’d perch on the edge of the balcony, almost within touching distance and fix you with a hungry glare. They wanted your snacks.
I watched a big gull make his move. As soon as a table was abandoned he was on it – ravenously gulping down the leftovers on a plate.
Next to us another gull was threatening an assault on a table that was still occupied. A smartly-dressed lady with blonde hair piled high on her head didn’t like this, and her male companion was struggling to calm her down.
But it wasn’t so much a scene from Hitchcock’s The Birds – more of a pantomime really. A gull chick was slithering around on the tiles demanding food from his mother, screeching and screeching.
The restaurant’s pianist was doing his best, tinkling away. But the place still sounded like Aberdeen when the trawlers come home.
As soon as we stood up from our table a gull was on it, pecking at the peanuts. A chubby waiter trotted over, and wearily flapped a menu at the big bird.
Those lucky enough to have rooftop apartments must loathe the gulls who become their rowdy neighbours in the nesting season.
The birds can be aggressive if they think you’re threatening their chicks. You can be subjected to much squawking, and dive-bombing assaults or even be the target of a well-aimed streak of seagull droppings. That’ll spoil your morning on your terrace.
But as it happens I don’t live up at the top of a palazzo and I don’t mind the gulls. In fact, I reckon these latest arrivals add something to the ancient city.
I like to see flocks of them cooling off in the river when I cross the Tiber on a summer evening. I like to watch them go drifting, wings out-stretched across the red rooftops, gliding gracefully between the domes of the churches in the setting sun.
And they’re here to stay. The seagulls have become Romans.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Aug 2, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
A big problem with pigeons and the mess they leave behind is one of the driving factors behind a $900,000 renovation project at the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority’s downtown bus station in New Bedford.
“There are droppings everywhere. You can see them all over the place. That’s all from the pigeons,” said Vince Livingston.
The birds have been flocking to the steel rafters of the building ever since the ceiling was removed in the mid 2000’s.
“It’s a pain in the neck because you know they crap on you. I’ve seen them crap on a lot of people and it’s just sickening you know,” said Bobby Texeira.
An administrator with the SRTA says a major reason for the renovation is to help fix the pigeon problem.
“They do make quite a mess and especially in the wintertime, that’s really where we struggle the most in terms of cleaning it. It is difficult to go out and steam clean a sidewalk when most likely it is going to freeze,” said Erik Rousseau, an SRTA administrator.
The first phase of the renovation project started last year. The project is now in its second phase which involves ceiling tiles being put up.
“We really want this to be a comfortable convenient place for people to travel. We don’t want to add stress to them by having them worry about birds,” said Rousseau.
Bus riders say they have already noticed a difference since the tiles have started going up.
“Now that they started doing the work it’s less of a conflict. It keeps the property a whole lot cleaner,” said Willy Hart.
The renovation is being funded by both federal and state money. It is expected to be complete by the end of next month.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 23, 2014 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News, UltraSonic Bird Control
JUST a few minutes spent around some of Junee’s heritage buildings or Broadway is all it takes to spot a dreaded pigeon.
The mess created by their nesting and residency can be a health concern and a maintenance burden but it’s hoped that that will no longer be the case.
The Junee Business and Trades Association (JBT) is working on a plan to rid the town of the feathered beasts.
“We’ve identified the problem and over the past few years it’s been getting worse,” JBT member Brian Higginson said.
Mr Higginson has been developing a plan to make a dramatic impact on the number of the pigeons around Junee.
“They’re quite a problem when it comes to the town’s presentation,” he said.
Before large events such as the Farmers Markets or Rhythm ‘n’ Rail Festival, Junee Shire Council wash pavements, but it only hides the problem briefly.
“Shopkeepers are continually hosing down their footpaths – it’s a continual cost for them, the birds are also carriers of disease,” Mr Higginson said.
“The plan is in its infancy but we’re working on a solution to fix the problem … we’re seeking advice on the most effective way to eradicate them.
“Our goal is to reduce the numbers dramatically.”
However, while the JBT have taken the lead on the plan, Mr Higginson said to ensure success they needed help.
“We’d like the whole town to get behind this … it’s not just a problem for businesses, it’s got to be a town-wide effort,” he said.
“If we remove the birds from one building, it won’t be successful as they will roost in other buildings.”
Mr Higginson said helping with the pigeon problem could be by simply sealing points where pigeons can get inside buildings.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 22, 2014 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
The roof of the Prestige Senior Living High Desert facility in northeast Bend is littered with Avitrol, a bird repellent used by licensed pest control agencies. The repellent can cause seizures to birds, often in mid-flight. And during last week’s heat wave, it even led to deaths.
“Many of the birds were found on the pavement, where temperatures were over 140 degrees,” said Dr. Jeff Cooney, veterinarian with the High Desert Wildlife Rehab & Rehabilitation Center.
“Their hearts were racing, they were seizing, and they were often dying of cardiac arrest,” Cooney said/
All are side-effects of the bird repellent Avitrol, sold in the form of corn kernels that birds will consume when spread across their normal feed.
The wildlife center hired a local drone company to fly over the building to confirm that the repellent was on the roof. The video confirmed the poison, and uncovered a dead pigeon lying on the roof.
But bird carcasses have been found in other areas as well. When we initially reported this story on Friday night, Jeannette Bonomo of the High Desert Wildlife Center said that pigeons were found either seizing or dead near the Forum Shopping Center at Highway 20 and NE 27th Street.
“People were literally seeing them fall out of the sky, crash onto the ground, flopping around like a typical seizure,” Bonomo said.
Prestige Senior Living High Desert, an assisted living center to the north of the shopping center, declined to comment on our story, but issued a statement in response to concern and criticism.
“At Prestige Senior Living, the health, well-being and safety of our residents is our highest priority,” the statement began.
“When we assumed operation of High Desert, we saw that pigeons – after years of roosting – had accumulated a large amount of droppings near an air intake. We contracted with a licensed, professional company to manage the problem for us. We understand the approach they used conforms to applicable laws and regulations.”
We contacted the Oregon Department of Agriculture to confirm the legality of using Avitrol. Several areas, including San Francisco and the state of New York, have banned the toxic bait. However, it’s currently legal in the state of Oregon to use Avitrol to deter birds from an environment.
“We have not seen any reason to ban this product yet,” said Mike Odenthal of the state agency’s pesticide division. “We suggest that people look for other ways to deter the birds, but there are some cases where this may be the only or best option that a person has to repel birds.”
However, Odenthal went on to say that the repellent is not only used as a last-ditch effort. When asked if a customer could request that a pest control company use Avitrol on their premises, he said, “It’s possible.”
“That’s to be expected when you use (Avitrol), that you are going to kill some birds,” he added.
But as birds die, and others suffer seizures, those left to take care of them argue that just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s right.
“Humanely euthanize them, if that’s why you need to do (this), to eliminate them,” Cooney said.
“But to give them a poison where it’s just out, uncontrolled — that’s a little bit extreme, in my opinion,” he added.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 21, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News
Hidden from public view for more than 50 years, the interior dome of the old Fayette County Courthouse is fading and starting to deteriorate.
The yellow paint on the walls is peeling. Pigeons have moved in.
On the ceiling of the dome are black dots — burned-out light bulbs that used to replicate stars.
The cost to restore the dome to what it looked like in 1900, when the courthouse first opened, is one of several issues that will be addressed in a new study.
This month, the Urban County Council approved a $110,000 contract with EOP architects for an initial structure assessment and a historical inventory of the four-story former courthouse on Main Street.
The building was closed in July 2012 after the discovery of lead dust, asbestos and other hazardous materials. The three museums that were housed in the building — the Lexington History Museum, a police museum and a pharmacy museum — were forced out.
“This is the first step to see what needs to be done,” said Jeff Fugate, president of the Lexington Downtown Development Authority, which is overseeing the old courthouse project. “I really hope this report will be a call to action.”
The report will be finished in late fall. It will serve as a road map for the next steps for one of the city’s oldest municipal buildings.
“We can’t move forward without knowing what we are dealing with,” Fugate said.
Foster Ockerman Jr. said he hopes the EOP assessment will generate more public input and investment in the structure that sits in the heart of downtown in a bustling entertainment district.
Ockerman has pushed to have the courthouse restored since 2001, when construction began on Lexington’s two newer courthouses.
“Why has it taken so long?” Ockerman asked about efforts to restore the building. “It’s just a function of the community bringing its focus to the old courthouse. We have had a lot going on. We have been concerned about CentrePointe, the Lyric Theatre and then Rupp Arena.”
Mayor Jim Gray temporarily suspended the Rupp Arena project in June.
Ockerman, a lawyer, said now that Rupp is off the table, he hopes the city and its citizens can focus on the courthouse.
Ockerman chairs the nonprofit Courthouse Square Foundation, which has been working with the city to find new uses for the building — Fayette County’s fifth courthouse and the third on that site.
With new developments on Main Street, including the nearby 21c Museum Hotel and CentrePointe, that area of downtown has become a focal point, Ockerman said.
To have a historic building sit dark for too long can drain energy from downtown and send the wrong message to visitors and investors, Fugate said.
“We put between two to three million dollars into Cheapside Park, millions of dollars have gone into restaurants in the area, $40 million in the 21c Museum and hundreds of millions into the CentrePointe development,” Fugate said. “For us to yawn and assume that the courthouse isn’t important or that the courthouse is too hard, does not encourage people to invest in Lexington.”
Lexington has a habit of tearing down its historic public buildings, Fugate said.
“We tore down the old post office, we tore down the old train station, we have torn down the old city hall,” Fugate said. “The only major historic public building left in Lexington is the old courthouse, and it sits on Main Street.”
Once EOP finishes its assessment, the city will have a better idea of what it will cost to fix some of the problems in the building.
A previous study estimated the cost at $18 million to $20 million to restore the courthouse to what it looked like before the 1960s, when it was modernized and its atrium was filled with HVAC systems, bathrooms and other mechanical structures.
Before that major renovation, the central atrium rose 111 feet from the ground level to the interior top of the dome. It had a two-story staircase and a dramatic, two-story courtroom.
Andrew Moore and Daniel Polk of EOP started their assessment last week. Moore said they are trying to determine exactly what’s in the building, what’s original and what was added. Polk said that even the most current architectural plans for the courthouse have rooms marked on them that are no longer there.
A complete restoration to what it looked like when it opened in 1900 might be too costly, Fugate said.
It’s the cost that worries Urban County Council member Julian Beard.
“$18 million is too much,” Beard said. Beard, who has been the council’s most vocal skeptic about the project, said he also questions whether the courthouse could be converted into retail or cafe space.
“It only has two parking spaces,” Beard said.
But how the space will be used might determine what work will be needed, Fugate said.
Ockerman said that it could still be used for museum space or possibly the Visitors and Convention Bureau, now called VisitLex.
“It’s the perfect place to start any sort of historic tour in Fayette County,” Ockerman said.
Other possibilities include retail, cafe and market space on the ground floor, public meeting space on the second floor and office space and storage on the third and fourth floors.
EOP is working with Philadelphia firm Preservation Design Partnership, which specializes in restoring and repurposing historic buildings. Part of the report will include possible uses for the building, said Moore, project manager for EOP.
The city has set aside a little more than $500,000 for the initial planning stages of the project.
The Lexington Downtown Development Authority is exploring a host of funding options depending on what the space will be used for. Those options could include historic and other tax credits, private investment, fundraising and public money.
“What the space will be used for will decide how we fund it,” Fugate said.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
