by Ryan Ponto | Dec 3, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products
Unsure of how to control a tourist boom that has prompted street protests, Barcelona has at least come up with a way to stop an invasion of the feathered variety: by putting pigeons on the pill.
Experts estimate there are 85,000 pigeons in the city and they blame the birds for spreading illnesses and covering people in excrement.
Now authorities plan to introduce the contraceptive nicarbazine, which does not harm the birds’ health, in 40 feeding tanks. It is hoped the population will fall by 20 per cent in the first year and 70 per cent within four years.
Ada Colau, the left-wing Mayor of Barcelona, has opted for an “ethical” solution. In the past, council workers captured pigeons in nets and killed them using carbon dioxide.
A more difficult problem comes in the form of tourists, nine million of whom visited Barcelona last year. Residents have taken to the streets to protest against the numbers, fearing that the city will be overwhelmed. The council has fined accommodation rental websites Airbnb and HomeAway €600,000 ($850,000) each for advertising flats without tourist permits.
Meanwhile, Ms Colau has been criticised by tourism companies for a plan to cut the number of hotels in the CBD.
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 2, 2016 | Bird Netting
Unsure of how to control a tourist boom that has prompted street protests, Barcelona has at least come up with a way to stop an invasion of the feathered variety: by putting pigeons on the Pill.
Experts estimate that there are 85,000 pigeons in the city and they blame the birds for spreading illnesses and covering people in excrement.
Now authorities plan to introduce the contraceptive nicarbazine, which does not harm the birds’ health, in 40 feeding tanks. It is hoped that the population will fall by 20 per cent in the first year and 70 per cent within four years.
Ada Colau, the left-wing mayoress of Barcelona, has opted for an “ethical” solution. In the past council workers captured pigeons in nets and killed…
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 1, 2016 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
A flock of doves at Bristol Zoo have taken on the challenge of becoming foster parents – and raised a group of endangered Mauiritius pink pigeons.
Different pairs of Barbary doves took on the job of hatching the rare pigeons after their own mum proved unreliable at incubating the eggs.
The female pink pigeon had recently arrived to the zoo’s sister attraction, Wild Place Project, in the hope she would pass on her valuable genes.
After hatching, the doves fed the pink pigeon chicks as if they were their own, despite them growing to be larger and a different colour to themselves.
In a further twist, the fifth youngster was raised by another threatened species – a pair of Mindanao bleeding heart doves, which originate from the Philippines.
Wild Place manager Will Walker said: “Like all pigeons, it’s not unusual for some pink pigeons to be distracted from their parental duties.
“However, each egg is incredibly precious and, crucially, each chick represents valuable genetic diversity for the species.”
The island of Mauritius is located around 2,000km off the southeast coast of Africa, and was notably the home of another rare bird, the now extinct dodo.
In the early 1990s, the pink pigeon population had declined to fewer than 20 birds remaining in the Mauritian forests.
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 | Nov 30, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products
TREVOR WEEKS: Injured pigeon was found to have been shot WRAS Rescuer Iain with the rescue Canada goose at Piltdown Pond SUS-161123-101421001 07:00Sunday 27 November 2016 0 HAVE YOUR SAY We were horrified on Monday when we received a call to a grounded pigeon in Hailsham High Street. Barely able to muster the strength to stand let alone get away, the pigeon was picked up and immediately it was clear he had a horrific wound under his wing. He was rushed to the casualty centre where Kathy, Katie and I examined him and immediately suspected he had been shot due to the compacted feathers pushed into the wound. Sure enough as the plug of feathers was pulled out so was a large 8mm ball bearing, along with more damaged tissue and feather behind it. The pigeon was in good condition and good age before this happened, so it is very upsetting indeed to see him suffering in this way. Shooting animals or birds and leaving them sick and injured to die a long, lingering death is just plain cruelty and illegal. Due to how recent his injury was Sussex Police was informed. This is one of a number of shot birds we have had in from Hailsham. If anyone has any information on who is doing this please contact the police or us privately. If anyone witnessed the incident please contact Sussex Police by dialing 101 and quoting ref 0904 of 21st November 2016. Another upsetting case was a juvenile gull rescued at Norman’s Bay. The poor bird has a huge fishing hook through the soft tissue at the corner of mouth. After working on the bird at our casualty centre the hook was safely removed. We have had a beautiful grebe admitted from West Rise Junior School in Eastbourne on Tuesday. He is being taken straight to the Swan Sanctuary by rescuer Tony for specialist care. We are very low on newspapers and desperately need our supplies topping up! Any size newspapers but try to avoid the magazines that come with them if you can. If you have any, please bring them to our Casualty Centre, The Shaw Barn, A22, Whitesmith, BN8 6JD. We have two donation bins outside our reception at Unit 2. Rescuers have been all over East Sussex this week, from Hastings to Burgess Hill and everywhere in between. Rescuers Andrew and Charlotte dealt with a baby hedgehog out during the day, they have been to a crashed goose, looked for an injured swan in Eastbourne and released a sparrowhawk back to the wild. Kathy and I had our Sunday lunch interrupted after a poorly pigeon was found in Uckfield High Street. We rushed down which is thought to have had a collision either with a vehicle or window. We gave emergency first aid before the pigeon was brought back to the Casualty Centre to be further assessed. Chris Tucker at Bexhill Wildlife Rescue dealt with a window strike owl for us in Sedlescombe. Luckily the owl was only stunned and flew off before capture. Rescuers also dealt with a cygnet crash landed in Linfield Road Eastbourne, a hedgehog and a partridge in Ringmer and a dove in Newhaven. At one point we had all our ambulances out on the road plus volunteer in their own vehicles all at the same time! I was called out Saturday morning to deal with a collapsed fox in Uckfield’s Victoria Park Pleasure Ground. My first visit was unsuccessful in finding the fox. The finder was waiting for us but luckily local councillor Ian Smith spotted the fox and rang us for help and met us at the car park to show us direct to the casualty. The fox was in a very serious condition and was rushed to Henley House Vets where they were able to stop the fox from suffering further. Tony meanwhile rushed to Old Heathfield after a woodpigeon smashed through a window. Surprisingly the bird had no severe injuries apart from a graze to the head. The window definitely came off the worst! Katie was also busy with a hedgehog being delivered to the centre after being found early in the morning. Luckily nothing wrong other than just being way too small for hibernation. Rescuers Kathy, Iain and I visited Piltdown Pond to check on a Canadian goose with a damaged leg. Kathy was able to encourage the goose away from the water’s edge where she was able to quickly catch the goose before Iain and I had finished screwing net heads on our rescue polls. A huge thank you to everyone who donated towards our thermal imaging cameras. After reports of a hoglet running around Eastbourne sports park, centre manager Chris Riddington thought he would just take a look on his way home. Using the new thermal imaging cameras he managed to spot the hoglet running through some undergrowth. Thinking job done, Chris continued to play around with the camera on the way back to the van and when a small glow appeared, he quickly investigated. One became two hedgehogs. Both too small to hibernate and were quickly on their way to a nice dinner in Katie’s warm orphan room. These two would not of made it without kind donations from members of the public. Chris would have had no chance finding them otherwise. Donations will also help to pay for these guys to stay with us over the winter whilst they fatten up for spring. Thank you so much for all of your support! It really makes a difference, they only weigh 135 and 160g! A sparrowhawk has come into care after flying inside City Electrical Factors in Hawthorn Road Eastbourne. Flying around the bird was hitting the beams and glass windows. WRAS rescuer Tony Neads was able to catch the bird which has now been admitted to WRAS’s Casualty Centre for observation and because a blood on its head. We hope he will be a quick turn around and be back out in the wild shortly.
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 | Nov 29, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products
The city’s Department of Environmental Protection has suspended its plans to string bird-deterrent wires across Jerome Park Reservoir, officials told The Press this week, after the community denounced the project as a needless expense that would further blight the historic reservoir’s natural beauty.
When the DEP submits its “rehabilitation project” for the reservoir to the city’s Public Design Committee for approval in January, “this submission will exclude the bird deterrent system,” DEP deputy commissioner Eric Landau said in a letter to the chairwoman of the Community Board 8 environment and sanitation committee, Laura Spalter, a copy of which his office provided to The Press.
The letter, dated Dec. 7, indicated, however, that the bird-deterrent system was not completely off the table and that plans to build it may be restored later.
When the DEP had developed its plans for bird-deterrent wires at Jerome Park Reservoir, the goal was to reduce pollutants, particularly fecal coliform bacteria, from waterbirds and to allow the Croton Filtration Plant – which purifies the reservoir’s water before it flows into the city’s taps – to “run more efficiently,” Mr. Landau said in his letter.
“As the plant has been up and running for only a year and half, we have determined that it is prudent to collect additional data on operational efficiency, especially now that the plant is running at full capacity, before a decision about whether to install the bird-deterrent system is made,” Mr. Landau said. But he reiterated that the bird-deterrent system will be “removed from the current construction contract … to rehabilitate the reservoir.”
Ms. Spalter described the letter as “excellent news,” saying in an interview with The Press on Tuesday: “We’re very pleased that this [bird-deterrent system] has been removed” from the project.
The DEP presented its reservoir-rehabilitation project to Community Board 8’s environment and sanitation committee on Nov. 16. The large-scale project included building a fence-like structure around the reservoir, which is already encircled by two fences. The new structure was to comprise poles set about 25 feet apart to hold wires that were to stretch across the reservoir to deter birds from landing on its surface.
Critics, who included a dozen or so board members at the gathering and several environmental activists from outside the board, charged that the wire system would further add to the array of barriers surrounding the reservoir. A bird-deterrent system is not required by any environmental laws or regulations, according to the DEP, and the reservoir holds only untreated water, which then goes for purification at the nearby filtration plant.
After the DEP scrapped the bird-deterrent plan, Karen Argenti of the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality praised the city agency as being “very reasonable” in rescinding the plan. An ardent advocate of opening the reservoir for public access, Ms. Argenti has been a vocal opponent opponent of the bird-deterrent plans during the November meeting.
“I think it’s good that they [DEP officials] listened to the people,” she told The Press this week.
Community Board 8 chairman Daniel Padernacht also had only words of appreciation for the DEP, saying Mr. Landau and others seem to “really make an effort” to heed community views.
With the bird-deterrent plan scrapped, the DEP has addressed what Mr. Padernacht said appeared to have been “the two biggest concerns” raised at the Nov. 16 meeting. The other involved the DEP’s plan to reduce the height of the reservoir’s inner fence to 4 feet from the current 10 feet or so. Community activists worried that lowering the fence would provide the city with a pretext to further block public access, as a security measure. But the DEP’s Mr. Landau has provided written assurances this would not be the case, Mr. Padernacht told The Press on Tuesday.
Jerome Park Reservoir opened for public access for one weekend in late November – although visitors had to pass through security gates manned by officers armed with automatic rifles and to leave all cameras, bags or cellphones outside. The DEP also plans to open the reservoir for another weekend in May.
After the DEP suspended the bird-wire plan, Mr. Landau also expressed hope in his letter that the environment and sanitation committee of Community Board 8 will support other parts of the department’s reservoir-rehabilitation project.
The committee was to adopt a resolution on the project at its next meeting, scheduled for Dec. 21, and planned to send the document to the city’s Public Design Committee.
The chairpeople of Community Board 8 and of its environment and sanitation committee declined to say whether they would back the remaining parts of the DEP project.
“I’m going to wait until the community discusses it that night,” Mr. Padernacht 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)
