by johnnymarin | Jan 6, 2019 | Pigeons in the News
I feel sorry for urban children. Most of them seem to lead normal lives, although what passes for “normal” nowadays often means being attached to a video game console immediately after emerging from the womb.
Meanwhile, I’m still trying to figure out how to operate common household appliances. For example, I recently discovered that you cannot cook sliced bologna in a DVD player. This seems like the gross underutilization of a perfectly good laser.
The main reason I pity town kids is that none seem to have access to the one resource that’s essential for a fulfilling and thrilling childhood: a barn.
A barn is commonly thought of as a confinement facility for livestock. But it’s also one of the best places for kids to grow up under free-range conditions. A barn contains a universe of playtime opportunities; the only limit is a child’s imagination.
When I was a mere youngling, our farm had a rickety old barn that was home to a menagerie of animals, ranging from the mighty (cows) to the lowly (pigs) to the clucky (chickens). And that doesn’t count the multitude of freeloaders such as cats and pigeons and sparrows and mice. That old barn sheltered more species than Noah’s ark.
The barn contained its own unique ecosystem. Our cattle and pigs ate the grain that we fed them and we, in turn, dined on pork and beef. Mice and pigeons scavenged leftovers from the livestock and the cats, in turn, operated a booming business that focused on the acquisition of rodent- and avian-based proteins.
We kids knew all about the circle of life long before anyone heard of the movie Lion King.
The main rule of playing in the barn was that there were no rules. My seven siblings and I could do almost anything we liked as long as it didn’t involve getting hurt. “If you fall and break your neck, don’t come running to me!” was the only guidance we received from our parents as we trotted toward the barn.
This lack of regulations was liberating. For instance, we were free to climb the barn’s wall ladder to whatever height we liked. If you were a smaller child, a rung or two might be enough. But if you were a testosterone-addled adolescent, the sky (in this case, the rafters) was the limit.
Driven by juvenile bravado, I once climbed the ladder all the way to the top. Upon reaching the apex, I clambered onto the rafters and glanced earthward. A mistake. I had stared resolutely at the barn’s wall during my ascent. Looking down, I was able to see exactly how high I was. My younger siblings seemed tiny, as if they were little kids. Which they were, but they appeared so much smaller from up there.
I realized that falling and breaking my neck wasn’t an option. Several dozen things would fracture if I fell.
I decided to go for the holy grail. Ignoring years of pigeon residue, I crawled across the diagonal rafter braces until I reached the cupola. I had gazed up at that gothic wooden structure innumerable times. At last I would get to see it from the inside and enjoy a pigeon’s-eye view!
A sweeping vista of our farmstead spread below me. The Holsteins in our cattle yard were pint-sized toys; our Leghorns looked like two-legged cotton balls. A passing cloud seemed close enough to touch.
Peering downwards, I could see the entirety of the barn’s yawning interior: the kingdom of cows and cats.
The game Hide and Seek was invented in our barn. As soon as we noticed that a mother cat had transformed from a furry cantaloupe into a four-legged stick figure, the game was afoot. Whoever found the new litter of kittens was awarded naming rights. We were lightyears ahead of modern-day corporations who expend vast sums for the privilege of slapping their names on impersonal, non-purring sporting venues.
Our Leghorns also liked to hide things. It was our mission to find the clutches of eggs that the hens had concealed throughout the barn’s labyrinthine nooks and crannies.
Some hens were surprisingly cunning, and we wouldn’t find their nests for quite a while. In those situations, we learned to be careful when collecting eggs. An egg might feel unusually light, as if it were filled with an extremely stinky gas and was about to explode. A muffled “pop!” would announce the bad news. So it was that we invented the maxim, “Last one out is a rotten egg!”
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to investigate something. Because I’m pretty sure that a guy can cook bacon in a document scanner.
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 | Jan 5, 2019 | Pigeon Spikes
A search of a Wellington property where groups of intricately decorated pigeons were found has turned up no evidence to suggest the residents are behind the bizarre abuse.
The pigeons were found in an open aviary in Kilbirnie decorated with tinsel, trinkets, and paint, during an investigation into the spiking number of birds dying or becoming seriously injured by such decorations.
But it appears the mystery decorator is still at large after the SPCA carried out a search warrant at the property and found no evidence that the house’s occupants had harmed the birds themselves.
“The search warrant found no incriminating evidence that the occupants were responsible for capturing the birds, decorating, and releasing them,” an SPCA spokesperson said in a statement.
“The owners have an open aviary with homing pigeons, and the birds found there last week have also been victim to whoever is decorating birds in the Kilbirnie area.”
The seven decorated pigeons were found at the aviary shortly after the antics of the bird decorator reached news headlines. Prior to the discovery, other birds such as sparrows had been found with tinsel wrapped around them.
Many of the sparrows had died as the decorations stopped them from being able to eat or drink
Since 2015, SPCA’s Wellington Centre have had 30 cases of birds arriving at the centre either dead, or with injuries so severe they have had to be euthanised.
Decorations were removed from the pigeons by SPCA’s veterinary team, and they each underwent a full vet examination.
SPCA’s inspectors will continue to investigate the case, and are calling on Kilbirnie residents to help.
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 | Jan 4, 2019 | Pigeons in the News
What do you think?
A reptile-themed magic act? Decoration tips of the 1980s? Snake handling on public display?
Would you believe pest control?
What we are looking at is Warren County Commissioner Bobby Johnson on a clear day in September 1988 demonstrating his community’s effort to frighten pigeons from the county courthouse.
Pigeons have a tendency to use such public buildings as regular roosts and restrooms, and they leave a mess.
This was not a new problem. The archives of The Augusta Chronicle make a consistent case that birds, most often pigeons, had been the plague of many seats of local government over the past century.
As this photo indicates, such problems often inspired remarkable measures. Here, for example, plastic snakes were attached to the building’s columns to scare away the birds.
“Bird shoots” aimed at solving the problem seem to have been regular events around Georgia courthouses even into recent times.
The Chronicle reported such an event in suburban Atlanta’s Gwinnett County in 1974. Its sheriff told The Associated Press that several men firing shotguns over several hours had bagged about 80 birds.
Their effort drew praise from Georgia’s legendary Secretary of State Ben Fortson, who said, “That’s the only way to get rid of pigeons.”
Fortson was something of a bird removal expert because he had spent years trying to rid Georgia’s gold-domed state Capitol of starlings, a smaller but more numerous winged nemesis.
Fortson said they tried to use guns, but state-sanctioned marksmen were overwhelmed. There were too many birds and firepower wasn’t working.
But fireworks did.
Fortson rattled their roosts with Roman candles. The birds departed and did not return, he said.
But pigeons seemed more pervasive.
In 1970, The Chronicle reported on pigeon problems plaguing several county seats – Sparta, Washington, Thomson and Madison. Shotguns were usually reached for to solve the problem.
Warren County’s inflatable plastic snakes were only marginally successful in 1988, according to county officials. The same was reported in Sylvania, where Screven County workers were trying to trap the pigeons but found that working the traps was time-consuming.
Taliaferro County might have had the best solution by letting nature take its course.
Screech owls had taken up housekeeping in the county seat of Crawfordville and kept the pigeons away from the courthouse. The screech owls also weren’t as messy as the pigeons.
“I let ’em come and go,” a county commissioner 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)
by johnnymarin | Jan 3, 2019 | Pigeon Patrol's Services
In an appalling case, a 70-year old farmer was beaten to death by eight people over suspicion that he had stolen pigeons from the neighbour’s house. The incident occurred on Friday night in Vasai area of Maharashtra’s Palghar district. The Vasai police have arrested eight accused including three women. The accused were booked after the complaint by the victim’s son, reported mid-day. Mumbai: Teenager Kills Ten-Year-Old Boy, Dumps Body in Nullah, for Refusing Sex; Arrested.
Ramchandra Raut, a Ranagaon resident, was rushed to nearby hospital but he was declared dead on arrival. According to mid-day, the accused were living in the same region. They had pigeons but some of them were stolen on Friday, they suspected Raut was behind the theft. After a long arguing, Raut filed a police complaint. When accused came to know about the complaint, they went to Raut’s house and beat him up. Patna: Elderly Woman Killed, 2 Others Injured as Girl Learning to Drive Rams SUV Into Several People.
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 | Jan 2, 2019 | Pigeons in the News
In an appalling incident, a 70-year-old was beaten to death in Maharashtra’s Vasai on Friday night. Police have arrested nine people in this case.
The deceased, Ramachandra Raut, had filed a complaint with the police against some of the accused for allegedly stealing pigeons.
Angry over this action by the septuagenarian, the accused went to his house and beat him.
Here’s what happened.
Raut claimed his pet pigeons were stolen
What happened
On Friday morning, Raut had told Vasai police that two people stole his pet pigeons.
Vasai police station’s Inspector Rajendra Kamble said taking cognizance of the complaint, the police served notices to the accused.
To maintain peace in the locality, they were given warning under Section 149 CrPC, he added.
But the accused didn’t like that Raut went to police.
Accused went to Raut’s house, assaulted him
The abuse
At around 7:30 PM, the accused gathered seven others, including women, and went to Raut’s house.
They started yelling at him and warned him of dire consequences for going to the police. Raut’s son Bandhu, who is 25 years old, was also shouted at.
When Raut intervened, the people started beating him. They rained kicks and blows on him and one allegedly strangled him.
Hospital declared Raut brought dead
Action
Raut was rushed to the Sir DM Petit Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. He sustained injuries on his head, neck, and back.
A case was registered under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt), 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
The people who have been arrested
Fact
The nine who were arrested are Mayur Sachin Raut, Sachin Gharat, Avinash Tandel, Abhishek Raju Kolekar, Sureka Raju Kolekar, Sneha Sachin Gharat, Ranjana Chandrakant Tandel, Raju Tukaram Kolekar, and Reena Sachin Gharat. They were remanded in police custody by a Vasai court on Saturday.
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)
