When something honks in the neighborhood, who ya gonna call?

WASHINGTON -
Of the many potential solutions to Fairfax County’s nagging goose problem, county staff has apparently reached a favorite:
Goosebuster, a system of loudspeakers that mimic quacks of warning and send the birds into a panicked retreat.
Fairfax County Executive Anthony Griffin recommended in a memo this month the county put in place Goosebuster, or a
similar product, in some of the most problematic parts of the county. It would be part of a larger strategy to curb
nonmigratory geese that have found a permanent home in Fairfax and are fouling local streams with their droppings.
“Wildlife biologists estimate that the Canada goose population is increasing at about 15 percent annually,” said a recent
report from the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council. “Which indicates that problems associated with
resident goose populations soon will increase to critical levels unless remedial action is taken.”
A brochure on Goosebuster from maker Bird-X explains that a single unit can cover as many as 7 acres and can deter not
only Canada geese, but also mallards and other sorts of ducks. It works by delivering a recorded goose “alarm” call that
signals potential or imminent danger.
“Reacting to either, they evacuate instantly, without waiting to identify the source,” the brochure said.
While combating an army of shiftless geese may not seem like a top Fairfax priority, the proliferation of the animals ranks
as one of the most pressing wildlife issues facing the county. The birds are responsible for almost a quarter of the fecal
coliform in Accotink Creek, a Potomac River tributary, according to the environmental report. The Environmental Protection
Agency recently recommended the pollutant be cut to 2 percent of its current levels in the stream.
Fairfax County has weighed a handful of other methods to combat the goose problem, including herding them with dogs,
egg addling or oiling, prohibitions on feeding, and unfriendly landscaping.
A growing threat
Wildlife biologists estimate that the Canada goose population is increasing at about 15 percent annually. The birds are
responsible for almost a quarter of the fecal coliform in Accotink Creek, a Potomac River tributary, according to a report by
the Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council.
wflook@dcexaminer.com
Examiner

The Watchdog: Recorded screeches keep birds away from Bartle Hall

Today’s problem

The piercing chirps sickened Nancy Groetken as she walked by Bartle Hall.

“It sounds like birds or animals in distress,” she writes. “I certainly hope that small animals are not getting trapped in the (heating and cooling vents) and dying a slow death…”

What’s that awful noise?

The answer

The dog sniffed around 13th and Broadway. What he heard made the fur stand up on his neck. Sure enough, it sounded exactly like birds screaming.

The mystery only deepened when the dog looked for clues. No feathers, just clean bare sidewalks. But a romp to the security department at Bartle Hall solved the mystery.

“It’s a recording. The sound of a predatory bird to keep starlings, pigeons and other birds from getting under the eaves and leaving their droppings,” says Agelon T. Jones, a superintendent with the city’s Convention & Entertainment Facilities.

The sounds — and yes, they are recordings of the last moments of starlings before they’re eaten by a hawk — emanate from a device called the BirdXPeller.

The gadgets are scattered around Bartle, mostly under its docks.

They work well, says Dan Barrett, deputy director of the convention center.

“There’s no harm to birds. No poisons. No hurt and dying animals. It just makes them move on to other places that aren’t, well … so annoying.”

‘No Parking’ at Plaza

‘No Parking’ at Plaza
By CASEY JUNKINS

WHEELING — Tim Birch uses a GooseBuster to chase Canada geese away from Heritage Port — now, he wants to use additional “No Parking” signs to chase vehicles away from Market Street Plaza.

“We have a city ordinance that forbids cars from parking in the plaza, but some of the “No Parking” signs were torn down when AEP (American Electric Power) installed some new light poles about six months ago. We need to get signs back up there to make sure people know they cannot park there,” he said.

About 4 p.m. Tuesday, a total of nine vehicles were seen parked in the plaza that has been designated as a municipal park in which parking has been prohibited since 1964. Additional vehicles were parked in the plaza Wednesday.

The plaza is situated between 10th and 11th streets along the west side of Market Street. Short Market Street — which includes the area of the plaza — also runs between 10th and 11th streets west of Market Street.

The plaza is home to several businesses and available office space, including the Stone Center.

An ordinance adopted by City Council on May 26, 1964, reads, “Parking is hereby prohibited upon the easterly and westerly sides of Short Market Street between 10 Street and 11 Street. Existing parking meters shall be removed from Short Market Street.”

Birch, city operations supervisor, said he meant to have the signs replaced earlier, but has been quite busy lately. “We’re going to install the new ‘No Parking’ signs in the plaza just as soon as we can,” he said.

Though Birch said there are not enough “No Parking” signs in the plaza, there are several clearly visible signs throughout the park.

Public Works Director Russell Jebbia said he was unaware of the situation in the plaza.

“I have not received any complaints about cars parking in the plaza or about the signs, but I will be looking into this,” he said.

Birch said he was not sure if the police department would enforce the “No Parking” ordinance without enough parking signs, but Lt. Tom Mitchell said the department is looking into the problem.

“We are going to check this out because if people are parking up there, we are going to stop it. If we find cars parked up there, those cars are going to get tickets,” he said.

Mitchell said if issuing tickets to the owners of the automobiles does not do the trick, the department will be more than glad to tow vehicles off the plaza.

“We are on top of this situation,” he said.

Pigeon Poop is Dangerous

Pigeon Poop is Dangerous
BY Elana Moriarty


Most people agree that bird droppings are an eyesore but they would be horrified to find out just how accurate the headline is.

Ocular histoplasmosis, a fungal infection that eats away at the eyeball is just one of over sixty diseases that birds can transfer to humans. Their droppings are often the vehicle for transmission as they dry out, turn to dust, become airborne, and are absorbed by the mucus membranes of unknowing victims.

Stories exposing the reluctance of city officials to address the issue of bird droppings often focus on the aesthetics of the issue. People note the terrible smell of accumulated waste. Casual observers recognize that the appearance of bird droppings lowers the perceived value of a property.

Directly after last summer’s collapse of the Minnesota Bridge, readers heard about the structural damage that droppings and their acidic nature can cause. Still, beyond avian flu and West Nile virus, diseases from birds are often glossed over.
This leads people to believe that the issue of bird infestations, and the subsequent droppings they leave behind, can be safely kept on the backburner. City officials realize this and feel free to ignore the problem in exchange for other items that garner more publicity.

If people realized that droppings are a carrier for potentially fatal illnesses like salmonella, E.coli, respiratory histoplasmosis (which can permanently affect the lungs), Cryptococcosis, or meningitis to name a few, they would have more ammunition when demanding the control of birds and their waste. This is not just a matter of image but of public health.

While some of these diseases are unfamiliar and rare, they are a real concern - especially for individuals who work in close proximity to an accumulation of bird feces. Any of the aforementioned diseases leave young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems, especially vulnerable.

Bird-related diseases are in no way limited to only this specific segment of the population; the general population also needs and deserves to be protected. Realizing this, the CDC published the following safeguards for dealing with histoplasmosis:

“Areas known or suspected of being contaminated by H. capsulatum, such as bird roosts, attics, or even entire buildings that contain accumulations of bat or bird manure, should be posted with signs warning of the health risk. … In some situations, a fence may be needed to be built around a property or locks put on attic doors to prevent unsuspecting or unprotected individuals from entering.”

The most frustrating aspect of unresolved bird infestations is that there are so many available solutions. Strategies include visual scares (like balloons with holographic eyes that follow birds wherever they fly), physical barriers (spikes or netting), taste deterrents, sonic machines (that convince birds an area is unsafe using distress call recordings), etc. Often, those in charge of a bird control program will not look into the long-term viability of a plan. They become discouraged by the fact that, when using just one method, birds become accustomed to it and return.

It is important to consider the idea of synergy when organizing a long-term approach. When two or more strategies are used together, success rates are much higher than each garners individually. This is especially important to remember when dealing with an environment that rewards the birds - like people who feed them.

For the Birds

For The Birds

Q & A Dean Barrett:
When flocks of starlings began infiltrating the Kansas City Convention and Entertainment Centers in Kansas City, MO, manager Dean Barrett searched for a humane solution to an unsanitary problem.
What is your position? How many years have you been in the facility management profession?
I have been the building operations manager for the Kansas City Convention and Entertainment Centers in Kansas City, MO for 20 years.
Please give a brief description of the facility involved in this project.
This city-operated complex consists of six buildings housing two million square feet of exhibit halls, meeting space, food service, and entertainment venues. Over a million visitors come to the convention center every year.
Why was the decision made to pursue this project for the facility?
At one point, thousands of starlings flocked to the Kansas City Convention and Entertainment Centers. Birds were everywhere—in the trees, around the buildings, and on the rooftops. The birds were out of control, and the sidewalks were a mess. Nightly power washings were necessary to remove the recurring bird droppings.
There were significant health concerns, because birds often carry disease. We do a lot of food service in the Centers, and the last thing anybody wants around food is bacteria from bird droppings.
The Exhibit Hall, which is almost half a million square feet, was vulnerable. We regularly had birds flying inside after entering through the loading dock doors. With exhibitors mounting large booths and displays, the doors were open for delivery for long periods of time, including during setup and breakdown before and after each convention.



Why was there such a pervasive bird control problem at this particular location?
Our buildings are located between the heart of the city and an area called West Bottom. West Bottom is a gathering place for livestock, and it is where the birds come to feed every day before they return to the city at night to roost in the warmth of downtown buildings. The Convention Center is a convenient midway rest stop on the starlings’ daily round trip.
We added a 250,000 square foot expansion to our exhibit hall that was directly in their flyway. Instead of going past the Centers to their normal stop, they started roosting here. The problem then went from a few birds to tens of thousands of birds.
Please describe the decision making and research process for this project.
In an attempt to curtail the onslaught of starlings, we cut down some trees. That moved the birds briefly, but they soon found new perches and landing spots. Next, we tried blasting the birds with air horns and scaring them off by hanging flashy objects in the trees.
We also obtained CD recordings of birds, including distress calls, from the county agricultural center. There were different sounds with different frequency settings, and we tried them all. But we still had a bird control problem.
In retrospect, the secret to bird control is to keep the birds from coming in the first place. A good solution is to use a sonic repeller (as we ultimately chose) as a preventive measure. Birds are creatures of habit, and you need to break their habits in a compelling manner.
What was the vendor selection process like?
I heard about a device called BirdXPeller made by Bird-X, Inc., a Chicago, IL-based manufacturer and distributor of pest control products. We had tried several other products before BirdXPeller without much success.

What led you to choose the specific solution that you did?
Repellers were easy for our crew to install, and they were effective immediately. After we wired sonic repellers into trees, on the buildings, and at the loading dock doors, the birds stopped coming inside and eating on the floor.
How did this project affect your operations and maintenance practices?
We eliminated the bird droppings issue and this maintenance item is resolved. It saves us thousands of dollars in equipment and manpower every year.
What was the most professionally rewarding aspect of this project?
We were able to solve this ongoing issue at a very reasonable cost and greatly improved our customers’ opinions of our facility.
To share your Facility Fix, send an e-mail to jruffino@groupc.com.
Barrett can be reached at Dean_Barrett@kcmo.org. For more information on Bird-X products, visit www.bird-x.com
To share your Facility Fix, send an e-mail to jruffino@groupc.com.