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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
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.
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- Written by Dan Frankian
Many citizens of Norfolk County have been calling the police to complain about raccoons. Police are requesting residents for the third time this year, that this is not a situation the OPP is trained for. The most recent call to 911 was due to a raccoon on a Norfolk resident’s front porch. But before the officer reached their home, the call was cancelled because the raccoon had run away into the brush. Officials want to remind citizens that although raccoons are considered nocturnal animals, it is very likely to see them out and about during the day for food, or for many other reasons. Contrary to popular belief, day activity of raccoons does not always indicate that a raccoon is sick.
If you are experiencing problems with raccoons, Hawkeye can help you. We have licenced wildlife trappers that can use live traps to catch any nuisance wildlife on your property. Once in the trap the client is given two options either relocation or euthanasia in accordance to the customer’s needs. Some raccoons are aggressive, causing destruction, or harbouring disease, in which case euthanasia is the most likely solution. We are fully licenced and follow the guidelines for euthanasia set out by the Ontario veterinary medical association. We are also about to relocate the animal. In this situation Environment Canada limits the relocation to within only 1 kilometer of where they were found. Raccoons can travel over 6 km in a day, so the likelihood of that raccoon returning to your property is high.
Here are some tips to make sure you aren’t attracting raccoons to your property:
- Make sure your garbage is kept in a secure location – raccoons have a very keen sense of smell and will be attracted to your property if there is available access to food.
- Get an inspector to check for leaks or damage to the infrastructure of your shed or roof – raccoons can smell rotting wood, and will remove shingles and tear through the wood to find a warm place to nest.
- Learn more about how to secure your garbage or how to prevent a raccoon from finding entry points in your home here »
If you spot a raccoon on your property, don’t call the local authorities, call Hawkeye. We have a 24/7 line you can call toll free at (855) 393-4295 or call our office at (416) 729-4295 during normal business hours.
We will provide an efficient and permanent solution to your problem.
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- Written by Dan Frankian
Birds of Prey require a lot of speciality care in regards to housing, feeding, exercise, disease/infection identification, and veterinary care. Mark Thomas, a 45-year-old-man from the United Kingdom was recently banned from keeping birds of prey for the next 15 years – although with the way he treated these birds this should be a permanent ban. Thomas will also be spending the next 16 months in jail as he pled guilty to four charges of animal cruelty. The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) rescued all hawks under the care, or should I say neglect, of Mr. Thomas, but unfortunately one of his hawks, Storm, was found dead. Two other hawks were found underweight and in poor health, but have since made recoveries; unfortunately due to their overall treatment they will both be living with chronic health conditions.
Storm was a female Harris hawk who upon a post mortem assessment was found to be only 770 grams. This weight is not unheard of but normally female Harris Hawks average around 1 kilogram. In addition to her low weight, Storm was found with severe bumble foot on both feet, muscular atrophy, very poor bodily condition, poor feather quality and fecal staining all over her feathers. All of these conditions point to malnutrition, total lack of husbandry, improper housing, and neglect.
Bumble foot starts off as small callouses or pink areas of irritation, but untreated can turn to large lesions, open wounds, and severe infection. Bumble foot appears in different stages, and if caught early, can be rectified quite easily with a topical cream and a change of perch. In fact an inappropriate perch is the number one cause of bumble foot. Different species of raptors require different style perches which provide the most natural resting location for them. For example, falcons are more suited to block perches, and hawks are more suited to a ring, or bow perch. If the perch is not suited for the specific bird, or the material used to make the perch is too rough, a raptor can easily develop bumble foot. There are also other ways a raptor can develop bumble foot including a damp/unsanitary aviary, lack of activity, overgrown talons, and vitamin A deficiency.
When taking care of birds of prey, they must be assessed and weighed daily. Although there are many different infections and diseases they can be susceptible to, assessing your bird’s health on a daily basis will ensure you catch any early signs of disease or infection, and allows you to treat the problem before it rapidly evolves into something more serious.
The aviary provided for Thomas’ Harris Hawks was absolutely unacceptable and did not meet good practice requirements. This housing did not contain proper perches, and lacked proper weather proofing. The door was constructed with wire fencing which the birds could easily cling to, damage their feathers, or get stuck. The aviary was very small for even one Harris Hawk, never mind three Harris Hawks, and the conditions were unsafe and unsanitary – including the storage of a lawn mower in their mews.
Mark Thomas has spent his life offering falconry training and falconry experiences, teaching other aspiring falconers and members of the public about birds of prey. I am very grateful that this man was exposed for the mistreatment of his birds, and will not be teaching anyone else these neglectful ways for at least 15 years, if not forever.
If you would like to experience falconry and birds of prey that are in well-kept aviaries exceeding good practice standards, come visit us at Hawkeye. We house over 20 different birds of prey, which are all assessed, weighed, and fed daily. You will get the opportunity to have a Harris hawk in good health fly directly to your fist, get up close and personal with our birds of prey, and learn all about the sport of falconry. Contact us to book your falconry experience today!
