Do You Need Toronto Bird Removal Services?

Last Updated: June 2016

You don’t need to grow up or live in the GTA for too long to know that the city needs Toronto bird removal services. These free-flying, wing-flapping animals have populated Toronto for a long time now, and it appears to only be increasing. If you’re walking down the sidewalk, it is not unlikely to find a group of birds perched up on a powerline, a child running and scaring a flock of birds at a park to watch them fly away, or birds together scavenging for food at Dundas Square. While birds can be entertaining to watch from a far (so much that the activity is a hobby), their bravery and population has called for the need of Toronto bird removal services.

Bird problems have been causes for health concerns, safety problems and damaged property. To deal with Toronto bird problems requires the right kind of knowledge and professional expertise and experience. There are several things to take into consideration when dealing with Toronto bird removal, for example the laws and regulation protecting certain species of birds. Before any action in performed, it should be verified whether it is legal or not to conduct bird removal of the species you’ve encountered. Otherwise you might be faced with a penalty. There are 3 birds that are not protected under Migratory Bird Treaty; these birds are the Sparrow, the Starlings and the Pigeons.

The Sparrows, the Starlings and the Pigeons

Sparrows, starling and pigeons are the 3 species of birds that are not protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty. This means, if you encounter or are experiencing a problem with either one of these types of birds, having them removed is legal. The following are some of the characteristics of the pigeon, the sparrow and the starlings.

Pigeons (also known as Rock Dove)

  • Approximately 35 cm long and 65 cm wingspan
  • Can fly around 50 miles per hour
  • Dark blue/grey in color with specs of white on the wings and green around the neck
  • Pigeons breed all year with summer and spring being peak seasons
  • They have a 15 year lifespan
  • Can have permanent habitats and have ‘homing instincts’
  • Pigeon droppings are toxic/acidic
  • Can carry fleas and mites

Sparrows

  • Approximately 16 cm long and 20 cm wingspan
  • Can fly around 45 miles per hour
  • Small brownish, grey and white bird with rounded wings
  • Breeding season occurs march to early august
  • In the wild, sparrows usually have a life expectancy of about 4-5 years
  • Sparrows are sociable
  • Salmonella is common in House Sparrows

Starlings (also known as European Starlings)

  • Approximately 20 cm long and 40 cm wingspan
  • Can fly around 45 miles per hour
  • Appear black, but up close reveals a purple/green color and are brown in the winter
  • Breeding season occurs September to December
  • There is a record of a European Starling living up to 15 years and 3 months
  • European Starlings are cavity nesters, which means they like to find small open spaces/holes to nest
  • European Starling droppings can carry infectious disease
  • More facts about European Starlings

Toronto Bird Problem

Birds are wonderful and beautiful wildlife. Unfortunately in some cases they have become nuisances. The reason for the rise in need for Toronto bird removal is because of the problems that occur due to them. People are being faced with issues such messy nests on their property, inconveniencing them with the nest placement/ the droppings they leave, the noise caused and are altogether not happy with the situation. In addition to birds being a nuisance, bird nests are also the cause for some safety hazards. Nests placed in areas like vents are potential fire hazards and must be taken care of as soon as possible. Toronto bird removal not handled properly or in a timely manner can result in damage of air conditioning equipment, industrial machines, insulation, soffits and roofs causing structural problems. Birds are also often carriers of fleas and mites that cause redness and itchiness when it gets on skin. When not properly taken care of, in the event where a bird/birds nest is in your home’s ventilation, it can spread. Pigeon droppings are also something to be aware of, they are toxic and acidic and if not addressed, can cause damage.

SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated Toronto Bird Removal

Toronto bird removal done by SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated results in a job well done. The entire situation is clearly mapped out and a personalized plan based on the structure of your home, the service required and the type of bird is developed. Depending on the situation, different removal methods are conducted. Spikes, nets, metal meshing and one way doors are some of the processes conducted. Spiked are placed a-top a flat surface and simply deter the bird from landing. Birds like sparrows can be effectively evicted with our small one-way doors due to their size where they travel out of the funnel but are unable to return. The type/size of net or mesh is determined by the type and size of the bird, so when our wildlife operators are examining the condition, they are determining the best option for your situation.

If you notice signs of wildlife in your house give us a call. At SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, we provide superior Toronto bird removal services for residential, commercial, and industrial clients. Let us help you solve your wildlife problems. Taking action before it’s too late will help eliminate animal damage repair costs. We can easily be reached at 1-800-981-0330. Don’t wait and call us to schedule an appointment for a thorough inspection to help evacuate all your unwanted wildlife guests in the most humane way possible.

Call SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated at 1.800.981.0330 for Toronto Bird Removal!

Toronto Wildlife Removal

Last Updated: May 2016

What does Toronto Wildlife Removal mean? To us, it means saving our clients from unwanted visitors (a.k.a urban wildlife), and humanely bringing the visitors back to their natural habitats. Both in the City of Toronto and in the Greater Toronto Area, wildlife can be a nuisance to many residents, business owners, and industrial/agricultural environments.

What is Wildlife?

Wildlife traditionally refers to non-domesticated animal species. Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems, in both urban and rural sites. Common wildlife animals found in the GTA are birds, pigeons, skunks, snakes, raccoons, squirrels, opossums, and bats. Most times, these animals will behave in hostile manners when aggravated, and can be considered as dangerous and sometimes infectious.

Wildlife & Human Co-Habitance

In most cases, wildlife and humans can co-exist in urban areas. While everyone goes about their businesses, conflicts do arise at times. As weather gets cooler, urban wildlife starts seeking shelter. Raccoons, squirrels, pigeons, and bats may settle in attics, between walls, and chimneys; causing significant damage and health hazards to homeowners. Skunks could hide under porches or decks and spray house pets or unwary residents. Human-wildlife conflict does arise frequently in Toronto.

Fall is a peak season for Toronto wildlife removal needs as many animals start looking for food and shelter from the fast approaching cold weather conditions. This is the time to wildlife proof your property to avoid unwanted visitors. Usually finding warmth and food in or around a structure. Wildlife such as raccoons and squirrels easily get acclimated to their new habitats, often bringing their dependents with them. Removing wildlife in humane manner requires very specific skill-sets as well as in-depth knowledge of all the animals. Although there are many DIY solutions available for all wildlife removal needs, one can never predict the results of these projects. Trained technicians can understand animals’ behaviors, predict their motives, and even know their next moves. Trained technicians can also tell if wildlife has been breeding, where the babies may be, and if wildlife has or is suffering from any injuries. Most importantly professionals have the proper gear, equipment, and animal storage and removal tools to avoid any harm to you, to the animals, or to themselves. At SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, we ensure your safety, as well as the safety of the animals. Our trained wildlife control technicians help relocate wildlife as per Environment Canada’s guidelines. We ensure the animals are injury and stress free during this process. We try to use one ways doors as our first solution. This involves no wildlife human interaction but if this option is not suitable we use wildlife friendly cages where animals are transported comfortable and free of restraints to their new, natural environments.

Toronto wildlife removal services have become a necessity for many home and business owners as urban wildlife number are on an increase. Due to the quick adaptability and fast- breeding nature, wildlife quickly adjusts to their new environments and they promptly pass this knowledge down to their offspring, creating a smarter generation of unwanted guests. Once an animal has established a home, they like to keep it. Any female offspring raised here, will also want to return to the same place to have their own litters. Given many of the wildlife are extremely intelligent, it is quite possible for this to take place. For many reasons aside from the simple attachment issues, it is very imperative to remove all wildlife as soon as possible before it becomes a matter of a serious infestation problem.

How to Avoid Toronto Wildlife Removal Services

  • Lock up all recyclables and garbage in animal proof bins, ensure lids are securely closed at all times
  • Take garbage and recyclables out often
  • Remove any and all uneaten pet foods from pets’ bowls, remove all bird feeders at night
  • Caution neighbors against wildlife feeding, contact your local council if problem persists
  • Survey the structure of your home regularly, be aware of all cracks and holes and ensure proper measures are taken to fix these deficiencies
  • Keep your home clean and organized, don’t leave opened packages of food out or overnight
  • Keep your yard tidy by removing all unnecessary items and debris. Mow your lawn, and rake leaves regularly
  • Ensure doors and windows are closed, as most wildlife are superior climbers
  • Screen entry points and maintain fencing

Our Approach to Toronto Wildlife Removal

While there are different approaches trained technicians can use such as no trapping, or lethal trapping; we like to use the One Way Door or the Live Trapping method at SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated. This method allows use to trap the wildlife to ensure successful captivity, but it also allows us to inspect the animals to ensure they are uninjured before releasing them back into the wild. If animals are captured at the time of birthing/nesting period, we place them in protected boxes and ensure they are located to a safe environment, no further than 1 km away from the location of captivity, as per provincial guidelines. We provide the Toronto and GTA residents, humane wildlife removal services.

Wildlife Fun Facts:

  • On the mammal IQ scale, raccoons rank higher than cats, and just below monkeys
  • Squirrels are extremely intelligent: they are known to put elaborate bogus food burying display to deceive onlookers. The purpose of this fake burial is to trick potential thieves: other squirrels
  • Skunks are nocturnal. They sleep during the day and look for food at night
  • Opossums have remarkable ability to find food and remember its source. When tested for ability to remember where food it, opossums scored better than rats, rabbits, and dogs. They can also find their way through a maze faster than rodents and cats.

At SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, we provide superior Toronto Wildlife Removal services for residential, commercial, and industrial clients. Let us help you solve your wildlife problems. We easily be reached at 1-800-981-0330. Don’t wait and call us to schedule an appointment for a thorough inspection to help evacuate all your unwanted wildlife guests.

Pigeon Control

Last Updated: May 2016

While squirrels and raccoons tend to run away, birds; especially pigeons, aren’t necessarily intimidated by being in close proximity with people in Toronto. Because they’re not scared of people, pigeon control has become a serious need for residents all over the Greater Toronto Area. Pigeons are acclimated to living in urban environments, creating their nests around all types of structures. While houses and shorter buildings are more popular among pigeons to call home, they have recently started trying out the higher lifestyle monopolizing condo balconies, window ledges, patios and terraces. It causes even more of a problem to the residents of these structures because pigeons usually travel and live in flocks.

The common pigeons taking over the structures in our city are called “feral pigeons”. They are urban, and can co-habitate with people in the same space without being frightened. They are mainly dark blue/grey, sometimes have white or lighter specs on their wings, have glossy greenish iridescence around the neck, and have red feet and legs. On average they are about 35 cm’s long, with approximately 65-70 cm’s of wingspan. They breed all year around with spring and summer being the peak breeding periods. Feral pigeons usually nest and breed on or in buildings with roof voids being the most popular location. Feral pigeons can live up to 15 years. Long lifespan of pigeons often result in permanent living habits as far as locations go, requiring a pigeon control need for residents.

Pigeon Characteristics

  • They can fly at an altitude of up to 7000 feet
  • They fly at an average speed of 80 mph
  • They fly on average 600-700 miles per day
  • They are known for their intelligence and complexity
  • Pigeons are one of the only small number of species in the world to pass the “mirror test”, a test of self-recognition
  • Pigeons have outstanding navigational abilities and excellent memory, they use the sun as a guide, but a study has shown that they also use landmarks, signposts, and roads. Their excellent ability to remember helps them find their homes and food without any difficulty
  • They mate for life and raise their chicks as partners
  • They have excellent hearing abilities, and can sense distant storms and volcanoes

Often times, and in reasonable proximity from one another, it’s very common to see bird food put out for pigeons on the streets of Toronto. This could be a result of a religious ceremony performed by many different religions, or just an act of humanity as many people put out bird food and/or bread crumbs out solely for feeding purposes. This can create a situation where an ongoing pigeon control measures may be necessary.  As pigeons have excellent memory, they tend to come back to areas where they can easily get fed, and bring food to their nests to feed their partners and chicks. Although it’s an act of humanity to feed the birds, it creates a problem for many people, as their feathers and droppings monopolize people’s properties, windowsills, roofs, and balconies etc. Aside from causing and unappealing presence of one’s property, pigeons are also known carriers of diseases such as salmonella, tuberculosis, and ornithosis. They are also a source of allergens, which cause respiratory discomfort as well as allergic skin reactions.

Pigeon Control Services

When faced with a pigeon control problem, one’s first instinct is to look for Do-It-Yourself solutions. Unlike rodents, raccoons, or skunks; it is often assumed that pigeons are an easier problem for people to handle themselves. In some cases, this can be true, in most; unfortunately that’s not the case. As per above, pigeons are extremely intelligent. Before resorting to any DIY options, one has to understand the capacity of the pigeon problem. One of the problems could be daytime perching, where pigeons use buildings as a point of food source. Another problem is overnight roosting, where pigeons use buildings to protect themselves at night and sleep. Another problem could be breeding. Needless to say, each of these problems would require a different type of solution. It is also crucial to understand that no matter what action one has taken to deter pigeons, it is possible that one may simply move the problem from one area to the other. This could be a frustrating and expensive experience. As with other unwanted animals and critters, pigeon control is a service that can be provided by experts. At SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, we can take care of all of your pigeon/bird related problems. We use spikes and netting depending on your needs. We install these deterrents in a timely fashion for quick and effective results.  Not only do we use a humane technique, we also provide an ultimately permanent outcome.

If your immediate property does not require any professional pigeon control services, but you do have relevant problems in your area, you can resort to alternative options. If you live/work in an area occupied heavily by fast food outlets, and this is attracting pigeons to your area, you can contact Environment Canada for an inspection. If it’s an instance of deliberate feeding of pigeons, you can contact your respective local council. You can find your local council contacts on the City of Toronto website. There are many ways to go about when it comes to solutions for a pigeon control problem. From understanding the more basic pigeon problems yourself, to contacting the city, to getting help from the experts, don’t let pigeons be a burden to your life. Contact the experts that can provide permanent solutions quickly.

At SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated, we provide seamless pigeon control services for residential, commercial, and industrial clients. Let us help you solve your pigeon/bird problems. We can easily be reached at 1-800-981-0330. Don’t wait and call us to schedule an appointment for your pigeon removal needs.

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