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News, little truths and wisdom regarding Pest Bird & Animal Wildlife Control, Falconry, and Birds of Prey....
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- Written by Dan Frankian
A few weeks ago there was a Bald Eagle found on Lake Michigan with a giant 8 pound ball of ice stuck under her tail feathers. The States based company, Wings of Wonder, took in this helpless bird for rehabilitation. This majestic bird was kept in their care for just over a week, in which time the team was able to slowly defrost this gigantic ball of ice successfully without damaging the bird of prey’s plumage. Since this large ball of ice prevented the bird from flying, she had to regain her strength inside one of the flight aviaries at Wings of Wonder. Once the Bald Eagle was in good health, she was released back into the wild with a fantastic flight display that many locals came out to witness. See the video of her release below.
At Hawkeye Bird Control LLC we provide rehabilitation services in Ontario and Florida for situations just like this. We are a fully licenced rehab facility, and will accept any bird of prey that needs our help. We have professional falconers who have dealt with birds of prey for many years, as well as trained veterinary technicians who can assist with rehabilitation. If you have spotted a bird of prey in need of rehabilitation please contact us immediately toll free at (855) 393-4295 any time night or day or send us an email.
At Hawkeye we not only rehabilitate and release birds of prey in good health, we also provide up close and personal experiences with our trained birds of prey. In Acton, Ontario at our main facility, we invite the public to come take a look at our facility. You will get up close and personal with over 20 different birds of prey, learn about the sport of falconry, and even get to have one of our Harris Hawks fly directly to your fist. This experience is unlike any other. We welcome children and adults, ages 5 and up to come visit us and get the true falconry experience. We also provide off site visits for schools, camps, birthday parties, and loads of other events. To book your falconry experience today, call (416) 729-4295.
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- Written by Dan Frankian
Many wildlife removal companies state that live trapping raccoons is not a permanent solution. This is only true because most wildlife removal companies only have the ability to trap and relocate fur bearing animals within one kilometer. This practice poses issues when considering the new environment the raccoon is being released in. What you may think is an appropriate place to relocate a raccoon, may still cause stress, anxiety, and more than likely a conflict with another family of raccoons already living in this territory. In fact, most relocated animals only survive up to 2 months and most mothers will abandon their babies after they have been moved. Not to mention there are strict guidelines in terms of relocation. Where the animals are moved must be considered a suitable habitat and land owner permission must be obtained. Another issue with relocation is that one kilometer is not very far – considering a raccoon can travel over six kilometers in a single day. You are bound to end up with raccoons right where you initially found them.
What makes Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control unique is that all of our technicians carry trapping licences registered with the Ontario Fur Managers Federation. What this means for you as a client is that we can provide you with a PERMANENT SOLUTION to your raccoon problem. Following the guidelines set out by the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, our licenced trappers have the ability to live trap your raccoons and euthanize them. We are the only company in Canada that carry these licences and can say for certain that your removal is PERMANENT. GUARANTEED.
During the off season between October and December, the use of one-way doors is another service we offer. A one-way door will simply allow the raccoon to leave the den but not re-enter. The time restrictions for the use of this service are to be absolutely certain that there are no babies in the den that will be left behind. Babies unattended in a den will die without the care of their mother.
No matter what your situation with a fur bearing animal, Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control will come up with a customized solution to solve your problem. We will provide permanent removal and advise you on exclusion services to prevent the same problem happening again in the future with a different raccoon. Call us now at (416) HAWK-EYE.
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- Written by Dan Frankian
Bird strikes are no joke. There are almost 15,000 airplane bird strikes reported nationally in the United Sates each year, and millions of dollars worth of damage as well.
But Salt Lake City International Airport has been having a seemingly hard go at aviation control with over 280 collisions this past year, resulting in over 600,000 worth of damage, despite all their hard efforts. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has set forth a new proposal to expand the boundary that is required for major airports to perform wildlife control from 2 miles up to 5 miles. This proposition poses quite a few issues for Salt Lake City International Airport. Not only does this proposal include the new boundary requirements, but there are also restrictions on what this 5 mile radius can include. These restrictions mention waste management facilities, any wetland that could be inviting to waterfowl, golf courses, and many other locations as well. If the FAA decides that any of these areas are creating an influx of birds at the major airports, federal funding will be cut off completely for that facility.
The main issue faced by Salt Lake City is that all of the surrounding area of their airport is prime habitat for many different types of birds including song birds, waterfowl, birds of prey, pigeons, and doves. Within the past 2 months, this airport has reported that they scared off over 1000 different birds including geese, ducks, and gulls, but this doesn’t seem to be preventing bird strikes. Even though they have been doing everything they can to scare off or catch and release birds that are invading their airspace, FAA officials say that airports are not investing enough into wildlife management. If this bill passes, the future of Salt Lake City may include many restrictions in regards to building operations and retention pond locations. Salt Lake City has even halted production of a new jail facility because the wildlife at this location is now relocating to the airport.
Birds can become a real nuisance in terms of everyday operations for many commercial and industrial companies. At Hawkeye Bird and Animal control, our technicians are knowledgeable about birds, their populations, habitats, and tendencies. With communications and permits obtained by Environment Canada, we can ensure that your problems can be solved while keeping wildlife management at the forefront. Using birds of prey and other scare tactics and deterrents, our trained falconers can provide you with the perfect solution to your wildlife control problem. If you are experiencing a bird control issue or would just like to inquire about our services, please visit the contact us section of the website and we would be happy to provide you with a customized solution.
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- Written by Dan Frankian
Wildlife removal experts are warning homeowners in Northern Virginia that bird infestations are putting residents at risk for up to 60 different illnesses – some causing mild symptoms, while some being fatal. The most common of these include Histoplasmosis and Salmonellosis, which can be cured quickly with the proper treatment. But there are also more life-threatening diseases that can be contracted including Avian Flu that can become critical very quickly.
If you are experiencing a bird infestation, there is a lot at risk in terms of your health. Birds cannot be dealt with in the same way as most nuisance wildlife – traps and poisons are simply unviable options to deal with this problem as the importance of birds to our environment is very vast. They disperse seeds, recycle nutrients, and pollinate plants to name a few. In situations like this it is best to turn to professionals who can humanely and efficiently solve your bird control issues. At Hawkeye Bird Control Inc. We utilize the sport of falconry and birds of prey to effectively disperse large flocks of birds and deter them from returning to the same area. We also use equipment such as pyrotechnics, spikes, netting, and professional bird barrier equipment to prevent a problem like this happening again in the future. If you would like to find out more about what we can do for you, visit our website at www.hawkeye.ca. But first lets discuss some of the contraction methods and symptoms of the more prevalent illnesses that can be contracted from birds/bird droppings.
Let start with Histoplasmosis. The fungus, Histoplasma is found mostly in soil harbouring a high percentage of bird droppings. A single fungus produces billions and billions of microscopic spores in a matter of months which become air-borne, allowing them to be inhaled or ingested easily and unknowingly by humans. When thousands of fungi are producing this quantity of spores, there are far more in the air you’re breathing than you could ever imagine. This infection can have an onset of symptoms which highly resemble the common flu. Chest pain, muscle pain, joint pain, fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, and overall fatigue. If you are experiencing these symptoms and you have recently been in an area with a bird infestation, you should definitely get yourself checked out. If the initial infection goes untreated, there is a possibility that you may get better without treatment, but depending on the quantity of spores ingested and the condition of your immune system, a more chronic serious disease can ensue. This could lead to low blood pressure, swelling of the spleen/liver, and gastrointestinal bleeding – Histoplasmosis may also cause death in more severe cases.
Another common illness very prevalent in areas with large bird infestations is Salmonellosis. The bacterium Salmonella has many different species that can affect both birds and humans. This infection is usually contracted by contaminated food/water. This goes for not only dairy and meat products, but fruits and vegetables that are incorrectly washed can have traces of salmonella through the manure they were grown in. Salmonella can also be contracted by coming in contact with wild birds/feces in which cause the bacteria can enter your body when you touch your eyes, nose, mouth, or ears with unwashed hands. Indications that you have an infection include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, headache, cramps, and bloody stool. If you are noticing any of these symptoms, they do normally go away within a few days, but if they last any longer, a doctor should be contacted. If a salmonella infection spreads to your blood stream the tissues around your brain, spinal cord, heart, heart valves, bones, bone marrow, and the lining of your blood vessels could become infected and lead to very serious disease.
Avian Flu is a disease that can be contracted easily from bird to bird and bird to human, but does not transfer from human to human very easily. Avian Flu is caused by the Influenza virus A – also known as H5N1. This virus has killed over 60% of humans who have contracted it, and it is almost always deadly to birds. This virus is mostly transferred to humans through close contact with bird droppings, including inhalation or physical contact. Early symptoms of Avian Flu can present as the common flu, so it is always important to get yourself checked out as these symptoms can quickly escalate into a severe respiratory disease which could also spread to your digestive tract or even your brain.
Learn more about Bird Control and Bird Removal, as well as preventing bird infestation here or call our 24/7 line toll free at (855) 393-4295.
