Yorkton has a pigeon problem.
“There definitely is a pest bird issue,” said Richard Swallow of Riva Specialized Cleaning Services and Pigeon Control.
“Is it any worse or better than any other urban area? Probably not. Any urban or suburban area as some volume of penetration.”
Europeans introduced the species to North America in the early 1600s. City buildings and window ledges are a natural attraction to the birds because they inhabited rocky cliffs in their native habitat.
The birds are prodigious maters. One pair can produce several generations of offspring, up to 50 individuals, in a single year, so a single nest can become a large infestation in short order.
Phil de Vos, president of Yorkton Business Improvement (YBID), said they have noticed a sharp increase over the past few years and felt it was time to bring someone in to help address the issue.
Swallow was in town February 12 and 13 at the behest of YBID to discuss with business people some possible mitigation strategies. He held an information session Thursday night and toured the city looking for bird sign on Friday.
Riva’s services range all the way from euthanizing the pests to simply discouraging them from settling in the first place.
“We abide by all Canadian and American Humane Society guidelines,” he said. “Within that structure, we do all kinds of different types of deterrents and exclusions, like a netting structure or spike strips or shock strips, flex tracks, which is like electric cow wire.”
He explained there is no one-size-fits-all type of solution.
“Each area is different,” he said. “No two buildings or areas are alike so everything is custom that we do to find the proper bird control solution.”
He said it can be particularly bad when they next in HVAC systems where their fecal matter ferments and the stink can waft through the building. It can even cause sickness when the spores become airborne.
“It’s also a visual issue,” he said. “If you’ve got a business that’s got crap all over their signage, on their front steps before you even get in the building, it’s an image issue.” It is also a potential liability as people have been known to slip on the slick waste.
Juanita Polegi, executive director of the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce attended the meeting.
“I applaud YBID for bringing in an expert to discuss the issue,” she said, adding she thought it was an important first step.
“It opened the discussion, so I think we’ll be talking about pigeons again.”
Swallow said he will be back in March to do a more thorough analysis and will present a report to the YBID.
De Vos said YBID is looking forward to seeing the report and coming up with a strategy to alleviate the pigeon problem.
