Page 10 - CooperatorNews March 2022

10 COOPERATORNEWS —
MARCH 2022
COOPERATORNEWS.COM
MANAGEMENT
For many, birds are a particularly con-
tentious class of animal. Some people are or manages a multifamily property must pigeons may have lost their homing abili-
extremely fond of them—admiring their contend with their presence. Whether ties, but they have not lost their comfort
colorful plumage, their melodic calls, or this takes the form of inviting them in with humans, and are now ubiquitous on
their enviable ability to soar effortlessly with feeders and ponds or deterring them any park bench in any city in the world.
above whatever mess we have going on with spikes, netting, sonic emissions,
down here. For others, avians come with or—yes—even lasers, co-ops, condos, and has developed between pigeons and hu-
a whole host of nuisances—droppings, HOAs should have a plan for addressing mans over the centuries has led to some
disease, damage—and perhaps thanks problematic bird populations and dealing pretty disgusting consequences, often left
to Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” or the with their less-than-desirable contribu-
Daphne du Maurier book by the same tions.
name, some people feel that birds have an
undeniable ominousness about them. A
group of crows is called a “murder,” after trol company that services multifamily ‘street pigeons’ may be the worst of the
all.
Indeed, the horror in Hitchcock’s film Connecticut, explains that there are par-
is effective because it is actually loosely ticular nuances to bird control and miti-
based on a true event that took place in gation that property owners and man-
the early 1960s, when a California town agers should be aware of. “Proper bird a half pounds!”
was inexplicably bombarded with dead control requires scientific evidence for an
and dying seabirds (decades later found effective plan, including a full evaluation deterred city-dwellers who insist on feed-
to be the result of a shellfish toxin). And of the property in addition to monitor-
just recently, the
Guardian
reported on ing the situation after the plan is imple-
the nearby town of Sunnyvale that is cur-
rently experiencing a problematic influx company.
of crows. The
New York Times
picked up
the story in “A California City Is Overrun especially in urban settings, Assured En-
by Crows. Could a Laser Be the Answer?,” vironments confirms that the number-
pointing to the coast-to-coast reality of one Problem Bird is none other than the also encourages and sustains the rat pop-
feeling besieged by birds.
However one might feel about birds that were used as messengers in ancient and destructive. Rats have the reputation
in general, anyone who lives in, owns, Egypt as early as 3000 B.C., today’s feral
Birds of a Feather
Assured Environments, a pest con-
properties in New York, New Jersey, and worst when it comes to New York and
mented to ensure good results,” says the familiar with the Department of Health’s
For the Northeast region they cover, lic service campaign, meant to discour-
pigeon. Descended from carrier varieties ulation, which is already over-abundant
Unfortunately, the camaraderie that
on parapets, gargoyles, terraces, awnings,
and any other outdoor appurtenance of
a building or community. According to
Assured Environments, “‘City doves’ or
New Jersey bird pests. This is because of
the colossal amount of excrement each
bird produces annually—nearly two and
As gross as that is, it has somehow not
ing the local wildlife. If you live in or have
visited New York City lately, you might be
recent “Feed a Pigeon, Breed a Rat” pub-
age people from tossing feed or seeds to
their feathered friends, since doing so
of being disease carriers—and they cer-
tainly can be—but according to Assured
Environments, pigeons actually have the
greater potential to carry and spread dis-
ease. That’s why having a plan to control
them is essential for multifamily prop-
erty owners and managers to protect the
health and safety of their residents.
“Birds themselves are a vector for dis-
ease,” Assured Environments says. “Their
feathers, droppings, and nests can all
contain potentially dangerous pathogens.
Salmonella, meningitis, tuberculosis, and
encephalitis have all been found in pigeon
excrement. Combine pigeon fleas, pigeon
parasites, and diseased pigeon feces with
an infestation, and you’ve got an extreme-
ly bad, possibly disastrous situation.” And
it’s not just pigeons that have the potential
for problems in multifamily communi-
ties. Other nuisance birds in this category
that are prevalent in the Northeast in-
clude starlings, house sparrows, Canadian
geese, and seagulls.
Cheep-Cheepskates
In addition to the health of humans
and pets, property owners should also
consider the risks that nuisance birds
pose to their building’s or community’s
financial
health. “Safety, sanitation, and
health hazards caused by bird droppings
can pose serious liability risks, and if left
untreated, can lead to accidents and law-
suits,” Assured Environments explains,
suggesting that boards consider the costs
of
not
addressing bird nuisances when
evaluating proposals from pest manage-
ment companies. Additionally, while
birds themselves may be considered beau-
tiful or at least interesting to look at, their
feces, nests, and the debris they leave be-
hind are not a good look for any building
or community and can negatively affect
property values. The ammonia and oth-
er caustic elements in accumulated bird
droppings can also degrade certain build-
ing materials and cause further damage
by clogging drain pipes, sewers, or exter-
nal HVAC equipment.
For example, “Starling droppings can
severely degrade a steel building’s com-
ponents and cause substantial structural
damage,” warns Assured Environments.
“If a starling infestation is not removed in
a timely manner, the corrosive droppings
will not only dissolve building material
Multifamily Bird Control
Coping With Feathered Pests
BY DARCEY GERSTEIN
continued on page 16