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From: dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca (David Graham)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Winged rats and other introduced bird pests
Message-ID: <133704@kean.ucs.mun.ca>
Date: 11 Sep 90 19:33:30 GMT
Organization: Memorial University. St.John's Nfld, Canada
Lines: 35

One of the Sunday papers here carried a story this past weekend about 
pigeons infesting the local kids' hospital, where they are collecting 
in large numbers not only over the entrances and on windowledges but 
at the air intakes for the ventilation units. Apparently the guano 
turns to dust and is sucked in through the intakes, causing worries 
about possible respiratory problems in kids with allergies, and the 
medical staff are also concerned about diseases from parasites being 
transmitted to premature babies and kids recovering from cancer 
operations, i.e. whose immune systems are being suppressed. I'm not 
sure why this hasn't surfaced before, except that apparently the 
hospital has tried spiking the windowledges, which has led to some 
complaints to the SPCA that some pigeons were being impaled (a though 
some will find repulsive, while others will rejoice). Seems they're 
going to try to find a humane way to repel the 'winged rats' (phrase 
used by a doctor, coinciding with one appearing here last week...

All this has moved me to think about the three great introduced bird 
species in North America; all successful, none now considered 
especially handsome, two normally considered active pests (Rock Dove
and Starling, of course). What do you suppose prompts the kind of
change in attitude towards birds that would make people bring in the
three big European imports which now infest our cities? I mean, if I
were emigrating from Europe, I wouldn't choose House Sparrows or the
other two to bring with me (gimme Merops apiaster any day :-)). Were
these birds chosen simply because they were commensals of man in
Europe? because they were easily carried from one continent to
another? Anybody know? 

Blue Jays are getting more vocal around here now, either moving into 
the city for the winter or just passin' through. No signs of any 
substantial warbler movement, though.

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   David Graham					dgraham@kean.ucs.mun.ca  
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