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Pigeons problems in Vineland, NJ

The Vineland, NJ State Veteran Home offers long-term care services for veterans, their spouses, and Gold Star parents. It is a beautiful facility that provides those who served our nation the highest quality healthcare. Their administration contacted Cowleys to help them resolve a massive pigeon problem. Feral pigeons have a strong attraction to buildings and other man-made habitats for nesting and roosting because they resemble their natural habitat of cliffs and ledge formations. These birds harbor diseases and their prodigious droppings are unsightly and unsanitary. Their droppings are so acidic that they can dissolve paint and cause extensive property damage, especially to roofing materials and ventilation systems. Over time, there droppings can even cause concrete stonework to crumble.  Our focus with nuisance birds is to evaluate the particular building and level fo infestation to determine the best mix of bird deterrent devices to make the building inhospitable to them. Birds will soon move elsewhere they seek to avoid the deterrents or it is impossible or difficult to land. We look for humane solutions for the birds to simply relocate elsewhere, and these deterrents ensure that any new birds won’t bother your premises. There are plenty of places for nuisance birds to go. With deterrent devices the birds are sent a  loud and clear message that your property is off-limits.  Here, we set up six eagle eye deterrents in strategic locations on the roof. Eagle eyes emit an annoyingly large glare of light that distracts the birds from landing. We also installed a dozen bird repellers that use continuously moving arms that prevent large birds like gulls and pigeons from landing. The spinning and sweeping movement scares birds away. The propellers are wind-driven but can also be solar-powered for less breezy areas.   There was one area of the roof that housed the exhaust stack for the kitchen grill where we could not install these types of devices. The stack was metal and would get quite hot when in use. It would be hazardous to put any devices in the area and they would likely be damaged and rendered ineffective from the intense heat. The birds were attracted to the nearby area surrounding the stack because of its warmth. To prevent birds from landing in this area of the roof, we decided to install bird spikes around the stack where they were roosting. These spikes make the surface impossible for them to land.  With the installation of these bird repellent devices, the level of bird activity around this facility will be substantially reduced. Cowleys was not about to let these birds ruin this home to so many of our New Jersey veterans who sacrificed so much. We took this particular job personally and wanted to make sure that this beautiful building stayed beautiful. There are plenty of other places along the Jersey Shore for birds to land, nest, and deposit their droppings. We made sure that this VA home was now officially off-limits for these filthy birds.   

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A homeowner in Brielle, NJ was having a serious, ongoing nuisance bird problem, Seagulls and crows had decided that his flat roof made for an excellent rest stop, and they had turned it into a an active waste deposit facility. Seagulls do not limit their food sources to ocean aquatic life. These birds are opportunistic scavengers similar to pigeons, and they will seek out and consume almost any food debris. Just like pigeons, gulls have thrived in human habitats and these birds routinely build nests anywhere they can find readily available food sources.    Gulls are large birds that produce large quantities of white, thick, soupy, glue-like droppings. Their droppings are a toxic stew of pathogens and are a nightmare to clean, especially once they harden. Gulls are a problem not just because of the aesthetics of a roof being covered with their slime (which is bad enough!). Their acidic droppings can cause property damage — dissolving paint and even disintegrating roofing materials and causing roof leaks.   The homeowner contacted Cowleys to resolve his bird issue. We handle all types of nuisance birds in addition to wildlife like squirrels and raccoons that often find their way inside our homes. With gulls and other nuisance birds, we use a variety of deterrents to make your property inhospitable to them. The particular deterrent depends on a number of factors such as the type of bird and the layout of the home or building. We change their behavior so that they go elsewhere. We do not harm birds in any way, In fact, gulls, as a migratory species are protected by both federal and state law.. You cannot harm or destroy them, their nests, their eggs, or their chicks.   The homeowner wanted us to resolve the problem, but he did not want us to install anything that would involve directly drilling or otherwise attaching any deterrent onto his roof. We decided that the most effective way to keep the birds away was to use large cinderblocks in which we secured six “eagle eyes,” strategically placing them  across the roof. For birds, an eagle eye is a major optical annoyance. Whenever I install these deterrents, I like to think of that 70s song, “Blinded By the Light.” As the wind catches the eagle eye, it spins around and emits an tremendously annoying glare that distracts them and limits their vision — just like glare affects our ability to see when we are driving. Because, birds have different color sensitivities, we use the red eagle eye to repel gulls.   Gulls want nothing to do with them! The video shows the gulls flying over the roof but avoiding landing on their once favorite hangout and the annoying flash that these devices give off. For birds, the eagle eye is a sign that says “Sorry We’re CLOSED.” To deal with the crows, we installed birds spikes on the railing where they were roosting. By taking away their landing area, the birds will naturally move to a more hospitable location off your property. The birds don’t go away mad, they just go away!            
Birds problem on Brielle, NJ building
Recently, I was called out to a home in Englishtown, NJ, to deal with a nuisance bird infestation. Specifically, a flock of starlings (what ornithologists call a “murmuration”) had taken up residence in an uncovered dryer vent. Bird control is all about behavior modification — making the structure inhospitable to them, so they “pack their bags” and move elsewhere.   In this case, I was dealing with birds that had decided to roost in a dryer vent. Dryer vents are naturally warm enclosed areas that, for birds, are an attractive location to nest. Dryer vents with external exit holes are usually poised a few feet from the ground, making them an ideal location for nesting. The warmth of the dryer exhaust helps incubate the eggs, augmenting the warmth from the mother bird. However, birds using dryer vents can create problems for both the birds and the homeowners. As far as the birds go, dryer vents sometimes become death traps. Young birds can tumble into the vent exhaust pipe, get stuck and die. Also, the rotting bird carcass becomes an attractant for other pests, not to mention spreading a foul odor throughout the home. Even adult birds can get stuck in these narrow spaces because their wing movements are restricted. Birds in dryer nests can create major problems for homeowners as well. The nests clog the vents, reducing the efficiency of the dryers. Also, the birds are bringing in flammable nesting materials in a heated enclosed space, creating a fire hazard. Needless to say, birds that take up residence in vents must be removed immediately. Removing the birds can be difficult since they are often not readily accessible, and it would be wise for homeowners to hire a trained wildlife technician for this particular job.  This particular home in Englishtown had four uncovered dryer vents, which was trouble waiting to happen. The best way to safeguard vents from birds is sealing the exits with vent covers. However, before I could install vents, I first needed to make sure that any nesting materials were cleaned out and that there were no helpless babies left in the vent. Next, I installed a custom one-way device that would allow any adult birds still inside the vent to leave, but prevent their return. With wildlife control, a technician should never permanently seal an entry point until ensuring that there is no remaining wildlife inside. Inadvertently trapping an animal inside a structure can cause significant property damage as well as needless suffering for the trapped animal. After waiting a few days to make sure that all of the birds are gone, I’ll install permanent vent covers to prevent any future bird problems for this homeowner.
Starlings not welcome in Englishtown, NJ
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Cowleys Pest Services, Bird Solutions division installs netting to deter birds from roosting in the rafters in this South Plainfield ware house.
Bird Solutions Netting Installation in South Plainfield, NJ
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