St Philips Church in Uckfield, Sussex had spent several years trying to prevent pigeons fouling their statue “Jesus in Jeans”, which depicts a modern-day Christ. The bronze statue, which was installed in 2009, had become a popular nesting place. Droppings from pigeons were spoiling the look of the statue and making the area underneath slippery.
Cleankill Environmental Services, which has extensive expertise in controlling pest birds, was called in to assess the problem, and proposed fitting Bird Free Optical Gel to the statue.
Alan Duncan, who looks after maintenance at the church, said: “We were at a loss as to what to do next. At one point we put anti-bird spikes on various resting places, painting them gold to match the halo. Unfortunately, the pigeons were ‘most comfortable’ with these additions. We are all so pleased that Cleankill has solved the problem with Bird Free Optical Gel.”
Anyone who has visited Aberdeen will know that gulls are ubiquitous in the city. In November 2014, when the Aberdeen Business Improvement District, Aberdeen Inspired, erected four “map totems” street signs which provide information for visitors to the city it fitted them with Bird Free Optical Gel in an attempt to stop gulls from perching on them.
Ross Grant, the project manager at Aberdeen Inspired, confirmed in March 2015: “I walk past the four map totems in Aberdeen that have been fitted with dishes of Bird Free Optical Gel virtually every day, and I have never seen any gulls sitting on them, even though we are plagued with gulls in Aberdeen. I conclude that the Bird Free Optical Gel trial has been a success.”
Based on these results, Aberdeen Inspired has now erected a further 54 signs fitted with Bird Free Optical Gel.
The Palazzo Venezia dominates the Piazza San Marco in the centre of Rome. Formerly a Papal Palace and a Venetian Embassy, it is best known to Italians for the balcony from which Mussolini made his rabble-rousing speeches.
Pigeons were roosting on the wooden rafters of the medieval loggia, resulting in unpleasant surprises for the many visitors to the Palazzo. The Ministry of Heritage insisted on a discreet solution, and Italian pest control company Green Chemical recommended Bird Free Optical Gel, which was duly installed.
In an official letter, Mr Ovidio Casconi, Director of the Ministry of Heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism commended the efforts of Green Chemical saying: “The Palazzo suffered from a massive presence of pigeons that were roosting on many parts of the structure. The Bird Free Optical Gel system has proved effective in clearing pigeons from all parts of the structure to which it was applied, including their former roosts on the rafters of the loggia.”
