Invasion of the BIRDS: Thousands of pigeons plague community

A QUIET street has been turned into a real-life version of Alfred Hitchcock’s horror film The Birds after being plagued by thousands of pigeons.

By GILES SHELDRICK

PUBLISHED: 16:37, Fri, Nov 6, 2015 | UPDATED: 17:31, Fri, Nov 6, 2015

A quiet British street has been turned into a real life version of Alfred Hitchcock's horror film The Birds after being plagued by thousands of pigeons.

Residents on Court Road in Sparkhill, Birmingham, are calling on the council to start fining people who feed the birds.

Thousands of pigeons flock to the street, which overlooks a local park, every day - covering the pavement, cars and residents, with droppings.

Shocking pictures show the birds completely covering the roofs of rows of terraced houses as they wait for people to come and feed them.

Birmingham City Council have placed signs in the area urging residents to "Stop feeding pigeons!".

Continued …

Fighting Peregrine Falcons smash through office window

3:05PM, MON 7 APR 2014

- last updated Mon 7 Apr 2014

National Grid workers in Birmingham have had quite a shock, when two duelling birds of prey smashed through their office window.

Employees based in Windsor Street, Aston, scattered after the Peregrine Falcons careered into the glass, leaving shards of glass strewn over the carpet.

One worker put on heavy industrial gloves to protect himself from their razor sharp talons.

One bird was released from the broken window, and the other taken outside, but both were unhurt.

A National Grid spokeswoman said:

“The birds were understandably dazed and workers were shocked.

“Thankfully, the falcons landed in a corridor area, quite a bit away from the 12 staff.”

A pair of peregrines have nested for years on top of 150 feet tall gas holders above the National Grid building, but workers say a third bird has recently arrived, before the dramatic aerial battle.

Stunned employees watched as the warring birds tumbled through the sky, talons locked, before smashing through the windows.

Continued

Bird-lover threatened with £5k fine for feeding pigeons

Last updated Tue 11 Mar 2014

A bird-loving father from Birmingham has been threatened with a £5,000 fine and court action for feeding pigeons.

Father-of-two Adnan Mir, aged 37, began feeding the birds in Church Road and Croft Road, Yardley, two years ago after an elderly neighbour who had fed them for 35 years died.

He said he felt sorry for the pigeons, who kept showing up expecting her to feed them - but the council took a rather dim view of his actions.

He was fined £50 for scattering seeds in November 2012, and was given a council caution last year, with the council claiming the seed attracts vermin.

And now the council is threatening further action, accusing him of "ignoring" the warnings.

Mr Mir says he now only feeds pigeons in the park, and says he is not committing a crime.

http://www.itv.com/news/central/update/2014-03-11/bird-lover-threatened-with-5k-fine-for-feeding-pigeons/

Oh, and here is another thing that may attract vermin: rubbish bags uncollected by refuse collectors employed by - guess who - councils.  Going to fine them too eh?   

HABITATS of an endangered bird could stop HS2 in its tracks north of Birmingham.

Rare bird could halt HS2

Feb 20 2013 by Carl Gavaghan, Uxbridge Gazette

The high-speed rail line will threaten the survival of rare willow tits, conservationists warned last week.

Cheshire Wildlife Trust says the tiny species and other woodland birds are in danger because their habitat is close to the proposed route of the high-speed rail trains.

The £32billion line will pass ancient forests, wetlands and patches of mosses, including some areas that are protected by law because of their scientific value.

They include the Lightshaw Meadows nature reserve near Wigan, a haven for rare birds including willow tits. It is feared bats, water voles, newts and other birds including the rare black redstart, could also be at risk.

willow tit (Wikipedia)

Charlotte Harris, director of conservation at Cheshire Wildlife Trust, said: “It’s clear the government sees high-speed rail as the best deal for the north-west economy, but it’s our job to ensure we get the best deal for wildlife too.”

Up to 11 wildlife sites will be within a 100 metre corridor of the line in the north west, and another 35 are just a kilometre away.

The trust says four sites of special scientific interest are also close to the line, including Holcroft Moss, a wetland reserve near Glazebrook, Warrington.

It says the affected local wildlife sites include ancient woodlands containing trees more than 400 years old.

Continued

Rare birds being trapped and poisoned in Birmingham, claims RSPB report

Rare birds that breed in and around Birmingham are being trapped, poisoned and their eggs stolen at a shocking rate, new figures show.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ annual ‘Birdcrime’ report show 11 incidents last year in the city region. Four investigations were carried out into egg thefts, four into the trapping of finches and one probable taxidermy offence.

A Birmingham man was also sentenced to 180 hours’ unpaid work for keeping an unregistered merlin – an extremely scarce bird of prey – and illegally trading a goshawk.

Birds face the same level of persecution in neighbouring Staffordshire, where seven cases were probed – one involving the poisoning of buzzards.

Throughout the Midlands, there were 33 reported incidents of bird of prey persecution, six reports of egg collecting and 12 poison and pesticide incidents.

The RSPB revealed the grim figures as the charity steps up its campaign to give legislation safeguarding threatened species ‘more teeth’.

Fen Gerry of the Midlands RSPB said: “The figures show egg collecting and poisoning is continuing in the Birmingham area. It is still happening.

“Fewer incidents were recorded, but birds of prey continue to die at the hands of those who want to remove them from the countryside.

"Too little has been done over the years to stop these sickening attacks on our vulnerable wildlife, but this could change with proposed reforms of wildlife law and policing.”

One culprit, 29-year-old Brynn McDonagh, from West Heath, proved something of a thorn in the RSPB’s side last year.

In April, he was sentenced to 180 hours’ unpaid work and ordered to pay £510 costs after admitting trading a goshawk and keeping a merlin without the correct paperwork.

It was not the first time McDonagh had appeared in court. In November, 2010, he was handed a suspended prison sentence for smuggling 20 birds of prey from South Africa.

To join the RSPB’s campaign go to www.rspb.org.uk/lawsforwildlife

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2012/10/15/rare-birds-being-trapped-and-poisoned-in-birmingham-claims-rspb-report-97319-32031958/