Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

B irdlovers notwithstanding, pigeons, starlings and sparrows are terrible nuisances! The main reason is that they share the same buildings with us, in an uncivilized manner. Maintenance personnel know too well the nest debris and feathers that clog gutters and downspouts, the acids in bird droppings that corrode roofs and fire escapes. Moreover, birds carry insects that can transmit germs to humans. The most common bird-borne disease is the sometimes fatal psittacosis, which has the same symptoms as virus pneumonia. It can be inhaled by humans from the blown dust of dried excrement or from keeping close company with these birds. Austin L. Rand, chief curator of zoology at Chicago’s Natural History Museum, says a single wild pigeon can be host to a community of parasites. On one bird he listed two species of ticks, eight mites, one fly, six lice, nine roundworms, 18 tapeworms, three flukes, eight protozoans, two fungi, nine bacteria, four viruses and one unidentified bug. Oddly, many insects share the same nests — unmolested by these dirty birds. What Is Being Done? According to the Miami News, one hotel manager put mothballs in the nests he found, and a lady fed rat poison to her pigeons, but it only made the pests burp. Owl statues, fake snakes and scarecrows used for horrifying the birds, only become favorite, defaced roosts. Results from scare devices such as firecrackers and recorded bird distress signals, are spotty. Luckily, some successful measures have been found : ® Sanitation and building design — Based upon the belief that an ounce of prevention is worth more than 17 tons of pigeon excrement per building, we should: (1) deny nuisance birds food (2) practice careful sanitation (3) design buildings with a minimum of roosting places, without wide ledges or overhanging cornices. Sculpture and ornamentation should have no alighting spots (4) screen off existing pigeon-pleasing edifices with three-fourths-inch chicken wire (5) add wires and sharp metal strips over doorways and small ledges so birds will “get the point.” USE OF REPELLENTS • Repellents — These have been most successful. When a bird lands on a surface containing commercial glues and jellies, he is irritated but not injured by the sticky substances and thereafter gives the building a wide berth. One anti-roost chemical that looks like yellow toothpaste and also comes in liquid form, is recommended by the Audubon Society. It is spread by pressure gun on bird landings and gives a mild “hot foot” to those who dare to alight. One application lasts one to three years. Pleasant to humans, this stuff is like b.o. to birds. One fowl smell sends them to somebody else’s roosting place. In the nation’s capital alone, during the 1961 inauguration, ten thousand dollars were spent for bird-repellent to protect silk top hats and spectators from starlings. 'Reprinted, courtesy of Institutions Magazine. Photo at top, courtesy of Bird Control Laboratories. Man has regarded birds as a source of beauty and pleasure since the dawn of civilization. But, as Ogden Nash points out in his rhyme below, certain plumed creatures have their nuisance elements. *. . . there is nothing in any religion which says YOU MUST LOVE A PIGEON’ Other repellents are applied with caulking guns, putty knives, wooden paddles, polyethylene squeeze bottles, compressed air sprayers and aerosol containers. Glues are spread in strips one-half-inch wide, about three inches apart. Whichever is used, it is economical to clean the surfaces first by sandblasting, steam spraying, or scrubbing with detergent. Porous concrete, wood, brick and stone should first be primed with a clear sealer. Unloved Doves Steel strips with spikes and weak solutions of ammonia in water have driven away starlings, but not pigeons. However, pieces of metal or wood, slanted at 45° have succeeded in St. Louis as “pigeon slides.” • Trapping — Pigeons can be captured alive in specially constructed traps. Grain placed near natural feeding areas is the preferred lure, with live bird decoys in the traps to enhance prospects for a good haul. Always check to make sure that no captured pigeons are banded: the sign of racing pigeons, which should be released. Captured birds can be disposed of humanely with gas or sold to gun clubs or trainers of hunting dogs. Frank Approach to Bird Control If you are not afraid of the laws in many cities against feeding nuisance birds, try one ingenious fellow’s method. He spiked some mash with gin. The birds got so drunk, they fell off perches and were easily picked up for disposal ! • Killing — Those who wish to destroy nuisance birds should first make sure the birds are not protected by law. Where game ordinances permit, poisoning is probably the most effective way to remove pigeons and sparrows. Starlings are rural feeders in the daytime and harder to poison. They also travel and roost with blackbirds and it is illegal to kill blackbirds, since they are song birds. Seed seasoned with swift-acting thallium sulfate, strychnine sulfate or strychnine alkaloid are most commonly used in poisoning campaigns. Every care and precaution must be exercised in handling these materials, including the wearing of gloves. Nor should poisoning be attempted where people, pets or other animals would be in danger. The choice of bait into which the poison Continued on page 61 Pigeons captured in cages baited with their favorite grain can be removed and disposed of humanely. However, any banded birds are trained homing or racing pigeons. These are protected by law and must be released, rather than destroyed. BOXOFFICE :: October 21, 1963 57