Are Your Hog Facilities Bird-proof?
By Pork news staff  |  Monday, August 30, 2010

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For years, it’s been widely recognized that waterfowl such as ducks and geese are carriers of avian influenza virus and pose a transmission risk to humans as well as livestock. Now researchers are suggesting that some songbirds also carry AIV.

A team of researchers, including Trevon Fuller, University of California, examined samples from 225 bird species in 41 states. They found the average prevalence of AIV in passerines — or perching birds — is greater than the prevalence in eight other bird groups. Perching birds include sparrows, robins, blackbirds, starlings, jays and finches.

Read the complete article HERE

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From Bird-B-Gone:

Facilities that house and feed animals are a favorite roosting site of pest birds. Often these facilities are open and provide ample rafter areas, food and water needed for survival.  Pest Birds pose a serious health risk, as their droppings carry and transmit disease, such as salmonella. Birds will sit in rafter areas and defecate in feeding troughs or water supplies – posing a direct health risk to the animals.

Feed houses and barns must take measures to protect their livestock from disease by bird proofing their building. Bird Netting is one simple way to remedy such a problem. If you net off a rafter area, birds will simply not be able to land. Netting acts as a physical barrier to block birds. There is heavy duty bird netting that will last 10+ years, and lieghtweight, temporary options.

Bird Gel or Bird Spikes are another great way of keeping birds out of a feed house.  You apply these items to the rafters themselves to keep birds from landing.

To learn more about keeping birds out of hog facilities, barns, feed houses or more, visit Bird-B-Gone at http://www.birdbgone.com or call us direct at 1-800-392-6915 – our sales team can help you choose the right product for your application.

Since then, Dr. Rob has answered countless email questions from customers looking to solve pest bird problems.

Recently, Dr. Rob was interviewed on a radio show called “Home Grown”. Based out of Louisville Kentucky, the show focuses on all aspects of backyard gardening and is hosted by Louisville columnist Bob Hill and garden writer and enthusiast Jeneen Wiche.

You Can Listen to the interview by Clicking Here

Dr. Rob Fergus is an ornithologist who specializes in urban ecology and human/wildlife interactions. Dr. Fergus received his Ph.D. in urban bird conservation from the University of Texas at Austin. After founding the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory in Austin, Texas he created additional bird conservation programs in Austin as the first executive director of the 2,500 member Travis Audubon Society. In 2004 he moved to suburban Philadelphia where he was the Senior Scientist for Urban Bird Conservation at the National Audubon Society until 2009. In addition to researching and consulting on human/bird interactions in cities across the United States, Latin America, and Europe, Dr. Fergus currently teaches at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey and Rosemont College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Have a pest bird problem? Visit the “Ask the Bird Expert” today at http://www.birdbgone.com/ask-the-expert/blog or call us at 1-800-392-6915 for more information.

Too much pigeon poo might have caused an awning to fall and kill a man in Australia.

Victoria Wells August 18, 2010 – 11:00 am

From Bird-B-Gone:

Yuma firefighters respond to several fires Wednesday

August 12, 2010 7:06 PM

Debris from pigeons roosting in a restaurant’s electrical sign is believed to be the cause of one of several fire-related calls that firefighters from the Yuma Fire Department responded to Wednesday.

At about 8:35 p.m. a fire was reported in the free standing sign in front of Rocky’s Pizzeria, located at 2601 South 4th Avenue.

Erfert said a passerby reported seeing flames coming from the sign. Power to the sign was shut down and the fire was extinguished.

The cause of that fire, Erfert said, was believed to be electrical and debris from roosting pigeons that had been on fire.

Complete article here

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From Bird-B-Gone:

Have birds nesting on your home or business? Birds nests can be a fire hazard, but many are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Act. To make sure you are protecting your structure and humanely and lawfully addressing the bird nests, hiring a professional may be the best route.

Bird Control Professionals have experience deterring birds from all types of settings, and work with Bird-B-Gone’s humane and effective products.  Once the nest is removed, screening or netting off the area is typically the most effective way to  prevent birds from nesting.

Bird-B-Gone has a network of authorized installers across the U.S. who can help solve your bird problem. Call us at 1-800-392-6915,  email nobirds@birdbgone.com, or visit us online at http://www.birdbgone.com and we will get you in touch with a professional bird control installer in your area.

Pismo Beach Pier/ credits to pismobeach.org

Staff Report | Posted: Monday, August 9, 2010 10:16 am | (0) Comments

A recently completed scientific study has concluded the main source of water pollution near the Pismo Pier is caused by hundreds of pigeons that roost on the wooden structure.

The pigeon flock at the popular pier is estimated to be at least 400 birds, with more than 200 nests under the structure. Additionally, more than 40 percent of the bacteria samples collected from the water around the pier matched bird fecal sources, and the highest count of bird droppings was within 100 meters of the pier, according to the study.

Water samples for the research were collected from three sites extending up Pismo Creek, 10 sites along the beach bracketing Pismo Beach pier, five sites in the ocean off Pismo Beach and one site over the joint Pismo/Arroyo Grande/Oceano wastewater outfall to the south of Pismo Beach. “The data collected in this study clearly show the main source of fecal contamination on the beach is bird droppings near the pier,” Cal Poly professor Dr. Chris Kitts wrote in a final report for the study. Kitts, along with several of his students, conducted the study that aimed to identify the biological sources of fecal contamination in the water. Read The complete article here _______________________________________________________________

From Bird-B-Gone:

According to the article, the City of Pismo Beach will be holding a public workshop this Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the findings and possible solutions to the pigeon problem.

One clear way to prevent pigeons from further contaminating the water under the  pier would be the installation of  Bird Netting. Bird Netting is a humane solution for blocking birds from unwanted areas. When installed correctly, it’s low profile, long lasting, and a humane deterrent for preventing birds from sitting on rafters or beams.

The city might also consider hiring a pest control company who has experience in Bird Control and Bird Net installation. Bird Netting is installed by bird control professionals across the nation in commercial and industrial settings including warehouses, air hangars, loading docks, and other areas. Bird Netting will not harm birds, it would simply block them from the area. To learn more about Bird Netting, Bird Net Installation, Humane Bird Control, or to get in contact with a bird control professional in your area, please call Bird-B-Gone, Inc. at 1-800-392-6915, or visit us online at http://www.birdbgone.com

by Alex Kecskes

Bird Droppings Ruin Roofs

Q&A: Bruce Donoho Discusses Efforts to Build Orphanages in West Africa

8/4/2010

Donoho, owner of Bird-B-Gone, recently returned from a trip to West Africa in which he and representatives of Children o the Nation laid the groundwork for construction of an orphanage in Liberia. PCT interviewed Donoho about this experience.

Bruce Donoho at the Liberian Children’s Village and Orphanage.

Safia, an orphan girl living at a shelter that was due to close. Unfortunately, there are many orphans in Sierra Leone and Liberia, countries that have been ravaged by war.

Editor’s note: Bruce Donoho, owner of Bird-B-Gone, recently returned from a trip to West Africa in which he and representatives of Children o the Nation laid the groundwork for construction of an orphanage in Liberia. PCT interviewed Donoho about this experience.

PCT: Did your recent trip to Liberia meet your expectations?
Bruce Donoho: I approached my journey to Banta Mokelleh/ Sierra Leone as a chance to gain “hands on” and “in person” knowledge of the organization Children of the Nations (C.O.T.N.). My wife has been sponsoring a child at the C.O.T.N. children’s village for three years. His name is Alfred, and his picture hangs in our home. I wanted to meet Alfred and validate the integrity of C.O.T.N. Additionally, Chris Clark, founder of C.O.T.N., and I traveled to the neighboring country of Liberia to evaluate the need of opening up an orphanage/C.O.T.N. facility there. Children of the Nations is for real! They are saving the lives of thousands of children by offering medical aid, nutrition, safety and education.These children are being transformed into future leaders and productive members of the future Sierra Leone. I have never seen an organization more steeped in integrity than C.O.T.N. I met our sponsored child, Alfred. His father was killed in the war, and his mother left him in November. He is being raised in a village 5 miles from the C.O.T.N. facility. He walks 10 miles per day through the jungle to school. One day I joined him on his journey home to visit his village and his family. It was quite a hike — fulfilling and affirming in many ways. We traveled to the neighboring country of Liberia where the effects of a long and savage civil war are still evident. Much of the infrastructure of the country was destroyed, and as in Sierra Leone, the unemployment rate is over 80%. There is a great need in Liberia for what C.O.T.N. has to offer.

Read the complete post here

Kings of Leon Concert Shut Down by Pigeon Poop

By Stephen M. Silverman

Sunday July 25, 2010 09:50 AM EDT

Three songs into their St. Louis concert Friday night, the Kings of Leon had to shut down the show on account of some unexpected accompaniment that CNN pins on “pooping pigeons.”

“Jared [Followill, the band's bassist] was hit several times during the first two songs,” said Andy Mendelsohn of Vector Management. “It’s not only disgusting – it’s a toxic health hazard. They really tried to hang in there.”

The dirty birds were reported to have been lurking in the rafters of the Missouri city’s Verizon Amphitheater and launching their aerial attack during the band’s opening number, “Closer.” Followill, 23, got it in the face.

Read the Complete Article Here

From Bird-B-Gone:

Amphitheater’s can be very inviting for pigeons and other birds as lighting and sound equipment in rafter areas provide plenty of high perches to sit or roost on… and when the birds get hungry, they have concert goers to thank. Beyond being a hazard for entertainers or anyone else below rafter areas, bird droppings can corrode building materials and ruin equipment. Cleanup of bird droppings in high profile areas can run maintenance costs into the thousands.

Something as simple as bird spikes could have helped to prevent this unfortunate scenario, leaving a disgusted band, and thousands of disappointed concert goers. It’s always best to tackle a bird problem as soon as it is noticed, that way the birds won’t become territorial and will be easier to move on.  There are bird control professionals across the nation who can help with pest bird problems in commercial, residential or industrial areas. If you have a bird problem, and need help or advice, call Bird-B-Gone, Inc. Bird-B-Gone has a network of authorized installers – bird control professionals in your area that can help do everything from clean-up to installation of products to keep birds away. Bird-B-Gone has a complete line of effective and humane bird control products to choose from. Visit http://www.birdbgone.com or call us at 1-800-392-6915, our Bird Control Engineers are here to help. We even work with an Ornithologist to help tackle the toughest “bird jobs”.

State tries again to fix air quality at Insurance Division

More than a month after efforts to kick the pigeons out of the Insurance Division’s ventilation system resulted in headaches and respiratory problems for employees, officials are making a final push to eliminate the problem.

In the first attempt to fix the problem, a contractor sprayed a grape seed oil-based product into the vents. The pigeons left but the chemical smell caused many of the 80 or so division employees to suffer respiratory and other problems. In fact, the literature on the product, Rejex-It, warned that “prolonged inhalation may lead to respiratory tract irritation.”

The building on Fairview Drive was shut down four days and employees sent home while work began to clear the building’s air.

Read the complete article here

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Hiring a professional to take care of your pest bird problem can mean the difference between successfully deterring birds, and well, not. Many bird deterrents’ success rely on proper installation. There are many factors to consider including the species of bird, whether or not they are nesting and the location of the problem.

Misuse of products or repellents can, as we see above, sometimes negatively effect the environment or make a pest bird situation worse. Luckily there are Pest Control Professionals who specialize in pest bird eradication. Bird-B-Gone has a network of “authorized installers” that can help properly eliminate a bird problem in commercial, industrial and residential settings. If you need to hire a bird control professional, call Bird-B-Gone at 1-800-392-6915 and we will put you in contact with an authorized installer in your area.

Brownsboro Road Closed For Cleanup Tuesday

By Steve Tellier/WLKY

POSTED: 4:06 pm EDT July 13, 2010

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

A local road was partially shut down Tuesday night as crews worked to clean up massive amounts of pigeon droppings from under an overpass.

Click Here: View Images

Brownsboro Road beneath Interstate 265 was down to one lane in both directions from 6:30 until 10 p.m. Tuesday.”We just have some areas where the pigeons roost a lot and the bird droppings, they start to mound up. They build up quite a bit,” said Andrea Clifford, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Highways. And the pigeon droppings were not scattered — the median under the overpass was covered in a thick layer of the stuff.”It’s more of a sanitation issue. We get complaints about it and go out and do it,” Clifford said.

Read the complete article  HERE

From Bird-B-Gone:

Pigeon droppings can end up costing communities thousands of dollars per year – just for clean-up. Bird deterrents like the Bird-B-Gone Bird Spikes or Bird Net 2000 could be installed to block birds from getting back to these areas, saving this county time and money. Bird-B-Gone sells a complete line of effective and humane bird control products to help solve virtually any pest bird problem. To learn more, visit us online at http://www.birdbgone.com