by johnnymarin | Oct 18, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
The Lafayette Racing Pigeon Club will participate in a cross country relay race helping to raise funds for Wounded Warriors. Over a 62 day period homing pigeons will fly a 4,000 mile relay race across 11 states. On September 11 the first team of birds flew from Vancouver, Washington to their home in Salem, Oregon. Teams of homing pigeons will continue these 50-250 mile relay legs until the final team arrives in Daytona Beach, Florida on Veteran’s Day November 11.
Crossing Louisiana the relay will see teams fly from Hamshire, Texas to Lake Charles, then to Lafayette, to Denham Springs, to Amite, to Slidell and a final leg to Pass Christian, Mississippi.
In Lafayette, Fred Werner will release a team of racing homing pigeons at the new Moncus Park.
Werner states that “ Moncus Park is the ideal release site since there are plans to build a Veterans Memorial here for which the park is currently soliciting donations.”
The message Werner is putting on his birds will also honor a famous homing pigeon from 100 years ago, “Cher Ami”.
Cher Ami was a military homing pigeon responsible for saving hundreds of lives by delivering lifesaving messages. Probably best known is the story of the “Lost Battalion” of the American Seventy-Seventh Infantry Division during World War I that had been isolated from other American forces in the Argonne Forest of France. They were surrounded by Germans, had no food and were running out of ammunition. The unit was being shelled by its own guns taking casualties. They had 3 military homing pigeons as the only means of requesting help. The first two unfortunately were shot down. On October 4, 1918 Cher Ami carried a message from Major Charles S. Whittlesey which read :
“WE ARE ALONG THE ROAD PARALLEL 276.4 OUR ARTILLERY IS DROPPING A BARRAGE DIRECTLY ON US. FOR HEAVENS SAKE STOP IT”.
The pigeon flew 25 miles in 25 minutes despite being shot twice, in the chest and the leg carrying the message and blinded in one eye. Badly wounded she arrived in time to stop the firing and save 194 U.S. soldiers. For this heroic service the pigeon was awarded the French Croix de Guerre, a military honor usually reserved for soldiers. She was shipped back to the U.S. with General John J Pershing personally seeing her off. The little pigeon received the best medical care including a false leg to replace the one she lost. Eventually, however, she died of her wounds and is preserved in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.
The message carried in October, 1918 is the same message Werner will have his birds carry October 2018 from Lafayette to Denham Springs to honor Cher Ami.
All funds raised from this unusual Homing Pigeon Relay Race will be donated to the non-profit Building Homes for Heroes. This organization hands over a customized home debt free to a wounded veteran every 11 days and help honor these wounded vets as the heroes they truly are.
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 johnnymarin | Oct 17, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) – The Richmond Wildlife Center urges the public to be on the lookout for banded pigeons that may be injured while trying to fly back home.
According to the organization’s Facebook page, Saturday marked the annual World Trade Center Memorial Pigeon Race. Banded birds were shipped from Bronx, NY to Lynchburg, VA and then were supposed to “race” back to their lofts in New York.
“Pigeon races have been going on for centuries, having started in Belgium,” said Melissa Stanley, Executive Director for the Richmond Wildlife Center. “This past weekend was one of the biggest races on the east coast.”
According to the Facebook post, many of these birds typically don’t make the 370-mile flight back home.
“Birds of prey are hunting, storing up reserves for migration or for those sticking around Virginia for the winter,” Stanley said. “[They’re] building up reserves for winter when food becomes more scarce.”
At least one banded pigeon was brought to the center from Church Hill after it was attacked by a hawk. It suffered a major bacterial infection. But by just looking at the pigeon you wouldn’t be able to see its injuries.
“There was a puncture under its wing and over its back,” Stanley said. “This bird was particularly lucky it managed to escape. A lot of times these pigeons, which are domesticated and live with people, are not so familiar with predators, such as hawks, and they get picked off.”
Domesticated pigeons are usually distinguishable thanks to the bands attached to their legs.
The band will tell vets the club the pigeon belongs to and when it was hatched – similar to a license on a dog collar.
“These are birds that pigeoneers typically do want back,” Stanley said.
Sometimes the pigeons will have another band on the other leg signifying a race.
“These are only on the birds when they’re in an actual race,” Stanley added.
Pigeon races happen all year round, with plenty of clubs located in Central Virginia.
However, Stanley urges the public to be aware of these birds – if they’re on the ground they’re more than likely injured.
“Every pigeon that we’ve ever admitted needed veterinary attention,” she said. “Often times when they do go down their immune systems are compromised and then they break with various diseases and parasites and have other issues.”
At this point Stanley isn’t sure whether this pigeon took part in the homing race to New York Saturday.
“Pigeons have a fascinating history and have one of the best homing instincts,” she said. “If you think about birds in general they migrate to the same locations over and over again all their lives and pigeons are no different. You raise them in a loft and they learn that the loft is home.”
Now Stanley’s focus is on making sure it recovers and spreading the word about these kinds of injuries.
“If you find a banded pigeon that is down and you’re able to catch it, please don’t follow the bad advice of feeding it, watering it and letting it go,” she said. “Often times that’s not enough.”
In order to transport the pigeon to the center please do the following:
- Place it in a box with air-holes or a cat carrier. Make sure there are towels inside for comfort.
- Fill a water dish, as least 2 inches deep, and place it inside. (Pigeons need to be able to stick their entire beak in the water)
- You can offer them seeds, but not seeds with shells on them
“When you’re giving them their food, make sure you put it right next to their water,” Stanley said. “Pigeons eat and then drink, eat and then drink. You’ll find the next morning that they’ve soaked some of their seed in water.”
There are different kinds of competitions these pigeons may take part in:
- Racing competitions: Pigeons race back to the loft and those that get home the fastest win.
- Homing competitions: Pigeons have to find their way home from long distances. The fastest one home wins.
- Roller competitions: Pigeons that are bred for a specific gene that causes a mini-seizure in flight that makes them roll in the air.
- Tumbler competitions: Similar to a roller competition but the action is on the ground.
“They’re used to relying on humans to be taken care of,” Stanley said. “If they have bands and they’re in a competition they’re very well taken care of. There’s thousands of dollars that goes into these birds.”
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 johnnymarin | Oct 16, 2018 | Pigeons in the News
At least 10 pigeons hit an Air Malta plane in a bird strike incident last month which delayed the fight but did not injure anyone.
Malta International Airport had reported at the time that a bird hit the aircraft on departure.
Transport Malta told The Sunday Times of Malta that “according to preliminary reports, between two and 10 pigeons hit the aircraft and its No. 2 engine” that day.
However, sources have put the number of pigeons involved as being at least 10, although only one of them is reported to have got into the engine.
The 7.20am flight to London on September 20 was delayed by about three-and-a-half hours for the aircraft to be examined and cleaned.
The online journal Aviation Voice reported that the Airbus A319-100 was accelerating for take-off when it encountered a flock of birds, causing multiple impacts and prompting the crew to abort take-off at high speed.
Transport Malta said the incident “cannot be considered serious”.
It said that serious accidents were investigated by the Bureau of Air Accident Investigation and explained that according to standards and practices recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a serious incident is one “involving circumstances indicating that an accident nearly occurred”.
However, one industry source – a pilot – expressed scepticism over this assessment of the incident.
“Any bird strike can have consequences but a bird strike involving that number of pigeons can be a hair-raising experience even for a very experienced pilot,” he said.
He gave his reassurance, however, that “the idea that birds clog an engine is not correct… modern turbofan engines are quite resilient”.
Each strike requires the aircraft to be inspected, leading to delays and inconvenience to passengers
The pilot said any bird strike was taken seriously by airlines because even a small bird could cause damage.
“Each strike requires the aircraft to be inspected, leading to delays and inconvenience to passengers.”
Another pilot, a commercial airline captain, said bird strikes can occur during any phase of flight up to just over 5,000 feet but are most likely to occur during the take-off, initial climb, approach and landing phases. This is because birds are more easily encountered at these lower levels.
“Bird strikes complicate flight operations and pose a real threat to lives, which is why they are, or rather should be, taken very seriously,” he said.
Bird strikes are a global phenomenon in aviation. A total of 48 were recorded at Malta International Airport last year, 19 more than in 2017. The average number of bird strikes between 2014 and 2016 was 33.
The airport has bird-hazard management procedures in place that include bird-presence patrols, harassment through acoustic distress calls, removal of food and water sources at the aerodrome and regular cutting of grass to eliminate shelter.
The MIA declined to comment on the latest strike due to the “ongoing investigation”.
Transport Malta said it expected the investigation to identify any weaknesses in the process being used by MIA to reduce the possibility of bird strikes.
Questions sent to Air Malta early last week remained unanswered.
In response to a passenger who complained on the Air Malta Facebook page about the long wait she had to endure, Air Malta apologised and asked her to “get in touch with Customer Care team for due compensation”.
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 johnnymarin | Oct 15, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
The psychologist BF Skinner put pigeons in a box to study their responses to stimuli. One cohort were given grain if they pecked a button and they quickly worked out the mechanism by which they were being rewarded. In another group, however, grain was dispensed entirely randomly, with no input from the pigeon having any effect. Rather than clocking this distribution as entirely senseless, Skinner found these pigeons instead contrived ever more elaborate patterns of behaviour to get the desired effect. Some walked in circles, others pecked at the walls, each thinking they had intuited some replicable method of attaining their desire. I think of that second group of pigeons a lot, pacing anti-clockwise round our bedroom, humming as I rub my son’s temple in a desperate attempt to get him to sleep.
The issue of sleep is one I’ve not really broached in this column since – whisper it – my son had previously slept quite well in his early days. We have friends with toddlers who’ve never slept three hours in a single block, so we know how obnoxious that sounds. But for a brief, exalted time that now seems to wave to us from a distant past, he did exactly that. And we held this like a shameful secret, fearing the magic of this particular arrangement would be broken if we said it aloud. Or, like Superman’s parents, feared our beloved Clark would be taken away from us so that his super powers would be studied.
But that was then. Now, we spend our nights pondering over the wisdom of evolution, to have made these small, delicate objects simultaneously so reliant on sleep and so bad at realising this fact. My son resists sleep so enthusiastically, I’m starting to think that being closely cuddled and softly shushed is, for him, roughly equivalent to taking cocaine.
One thing that does help is music. Partly to make it more pleasurable for me and partly because I’m the worst, I feed my son a steady diet of recursive ambient music by people who sell tote bags at their gigs. Autechre’s Vletrmx21 is one of my favourite songs, now slowly curdling in my brain from applying it several times a day like an antiseptic scrub for his waking mind. If you were to look in on me putting him down for a nap, it would be to that track. It sounds like the dying siren of a rescue droid, drifting through the dust of a dead planet, seeking signs of life.
But the abstruse electronica I’ve been peddling turns out to be nowhere near as effective as my wife’s secret weapon. It renders my son unconscious as reliably as chloroform. It’s the strangled tones of Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman straining their way through the Love Medley from Moulin Rouge.
Perhaps, were he to spy our son’s fate, some poor pigeon, tracing futile circles in a distant lab, will thank his lucky stars.
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 johnnymarin | Oct 14, 2018 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
NEW ALBANY, Indiana — When Stephen Price agreed to let one of his tenants bring home a gaggle of pigeons, he didn’t know what he was getting himself into.
To be fair, the tenant, Robert “Painter Bob” Maskalick, warned him.
“He always told me, he said, ‘One day, you’re going to inherit these,'” Price said, sitting in the backyard of a house he owns on the corner of East Main and Vincennes streets in New Albany.
Maskalick built coops for the 40-or-so pigeons, kept them fed and periodically let them fly free. The birds, a mixture of roller and homing pigeons equipped with a natural GPS and survival sense, always came back.
Price thinks the birds helped Maskalick, in his early 60s, live longer than he would have otherwise. Maskalick, who had a heart condition, died about a year ago.
“I think they actually gave him several years longer, because it has a calming effect,” Price said of the pigeons. “If you ever would come out here and sit and watch, it’s like watching an aquarium or something … It calms you down, it mellows you out.”
The soft, rolling coo of the pigeons is something like a lullaby. With strangers around, they cock their heads and perch on edges. Most of Price’s pigeons are white, glistening in the low, late-afternoon sun, peeking through the wire. Others are white with black speckles, or the signature deep blues with small patches of shimmering green.
Price used popcorn — a pigeon favorite — to coax them out one day last week. Each one flapped its wings through the open gate before swiftly changing direction and landing atop the coop. They stayed there — free, but safe. Price said the birds know when darkness is near, and that the setting sun means predators are lurking. So when he releases them in the evening, they stay close, despite their ability to fly hundreds of miles away.
Still, Price has lost pigeons to hawks.
“It’s nature, but it’s very morbid,” he said.
Other than needing protection from harm, pigeons are “durable” birds, Price said. They need little more than food and clean water.
“They’re just really tough birds,” but soft as pillows, he added.
After Maskalick died, Price, who lives a few houses away and owns several nearby properties, took on the role of pigeon caretaker. He admits he’s considered getting rid of the birds, but he’s too attached to go through with it. His adoration is never more evident than when he talks to the pigeons in a steady, high-pitched tone.
“You gotta talk real nice to them,” he explained.
It’s a tactic Price has learned by doing, just like he learned almost everything else about pigeon care-taking. He’s also gotten insight from fellow pigeon people who drop tips here and there. And yes, there are plenty of fellow pigeon people. Later this month, Price and his daughter (who happens to be a longtime bird lover) will go to the National Young Bird Show in Louisville. It’s one of the country’s largest all-breed pigeon shows, according to the event’s website.
Rick Kilgore, president of the Indiana Pigeon Club and owner of more than 100 pigeons, said it’s a well-respected show competition that attracts people from all over the world.
Kilgore has raised pigeons since he was about 6 years old. He likes the challenge of improving a breed (there are hundreds of pigeon breeds) and the friendly competition of a show or race.
The Indiana Pigeon Club has 40 to 50 members and keeps growing, Kilgore said. More 4-H kids are staying interested, and it’s those kids who will keep the hobby alive.
For now, Price just enjoys the company of his pigeons.
“I tell a lot of the guys who rent from me this … in life, stay grounded and you’ll be happier,” he said. “… By living simple and doing really simple things, it’s amazing how happy you can be by doing literally almost nothing.
“You just have to kind of relax and enjoy it.”
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)
