George Buchan from Pestforce Edinburgh has no direct association with the Bird Man movie but considering the character Riggan Thomson, played by Michael Keaton, was famous for being the superhero “Bird Man” you can draw some sense in George referring to this in his day to day work in and around Edinburgh.
 
And in keeping with the superhero persona you must bear in the mind that BIRDS can cause all sorts of chaos and in the worst (and sad) cases they can KILL!!!
 
In real life George has no aspiration to be a super hero. He is a pest control and environmental specialist who manages all aspects of services and pest control measures helping schools, businesses and households to have a clean and healthy environment for the users and occupants.
But you cannot ignore that many of his customers in and around the city think his work is “heroic” as he tackles pests from all angles, shapes and sizes.
 
For the most of us pest control is a relatively “discrete” service that is being performed every day to protect and prevent against the disease, destruction and danger from living animals, insects and plants.
 
Without trying to labour the point of the importance of pest control and treating pest problems seriously, it was recently highlighted how pigeon poo (guano) was an attributing factor in the death of 2 people in Glasgow.
 
Now let’s be clear, the instance of deaths from diseases and bacteria spread by “Pests” are rare but the risk is ever present. The good thing is that they can be easily reduced and mitigated through good pest control, good personal hygiene and property cleaning regimes.
That’s where George the “bird man” comes in.
 
Pigeons and seagulls are the most common type of UK birds that could be considered pests.
 
This doesn’t mean that all pigeons or seagulls are pests as there are many instances where they live without causing any problems whatsoever. They are part of the UK Eco System and have the right to roam freely without any interference from control and preventive measures.
However, in the built-up environment of a town pigeons (and seagulls) are not just a nuisance, they pose a hazard to public health!!
 
What Health Hazards are caused by Birds..?
Birds – and in particular pigeons – are associated with a couple of potentially nasty diseases and there is a danger of human infection from the droppings.
 
The infection is spread through the inhalation of the fungal spores as the aging or drying of the droppings does not reduce the chance of infection. In fact, the dry droppings pose a bigger risk as the spores can become airborne by disturbing the droppings.
 
The infections from both diseases affect the lungs/respiratory systems with mild symptoms being most common. In extreme circumstances these infections cause complications with some patients and in extreme circumstances can lead to death as appears to be the case of the 2 people in Glasgow.
 
Are All Birds Pests…?
Any bird could be considered a “pest” depending on the situation, however there can be limits on the solutions you can implement depending on the species.
 
Some species are fully protected and others can only be dealt with at certain times of the year.
This does pose some complications if you have a bird nuisance problem.
The most common birds that cause the most challenges to a pest controller are pigeons and sea gulls.
 
Bird Problems…
Birds can cause a number of problems that lead customers to call out a professional pest controller including:
  • Noise – particularly when mating, nesting and roosting. The noise can very strong and off putting
  • Aggressive – once birds start nesting and have chicks the parents are very protective. Seagulls are a big problem in coastal locations. There is little that can be done until the chicks have flown the nest
  • Additional “pests” – Nesting birds can bring additional problems like mites and parasites
  • Nuisance to occupants and / or customers – seagulls are particularly bad when searching for food
  • Droppings – particularly bad around nesting and roosting areas
  • Shop closures – we get many call outs from retail shops that have had a bird enter the store causing problems for staff and customers along with delaying the closing of the store
Prevention better than Cure
As with so many things in life Prevention is better than Cure. With the various limitations in managing a bird problem (infestation) it is best to try and put prevention measures in place.
 
There are various non-intrusive and humane bird control measures that can prevent a problem in the first place or help quickly reduce a growing problem.
 
We have highlighted that there are significant risks associated with birds and the associated fouling / droppings so if birds are a problem call a professional pest control expert for advice BUT if they are not causing a problem then let them be FREE.
 
And if the “bird phone” rings, George your Local & Trusted Expert will be there. Contact George “The Bird Man” Buchan via:
Phone: 0131 639 0390

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