jmcquown > wrote:
>Blair P. Houghton wrote:
>> OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
>>> All three of our local supermarkets, due to the size of the ceilings,
>>> have a small population of wild birds that live inside of them. ;-)
>>> Mostly sparrows.
>>
>> Ugh.
>>
>> That's hideous.
>>
>> Birds leave nasty shit everywhere.
>>
>> Those birds are feeding on the produce section when
>> the store is closed.
>
>Where the hell do you come up with your facts, Blair? Good lord, when is
>the last time you saw a sparrow chowing down on lettuce or squash? They eat
>seed; they don't even eat bugs or worms.

Seed? You mean like the seeds on strawberries? Does your
produce section decorate with stalks of wheat? Mine does.
They have open bins full of nuts, beans, etc. And birds
don't just know where the seed is. They hop all over
everything, peck at anything until it turns out to be food,
and shit wherever they happen to shit.

>There are *some* birds that will
>peck at tomatoes but the primary culprits for that are squirrels. You don't
>see squirrels running around in grocery stores, do you? (If you do, I
>suggest you consult your psychiatrist LOL)

If you think having wild birds shitting on your food
is a GOOD thing, then I think it's time your shrink
got you on a subscription plan.

>It would be pretty obvious to the folks who work in produce if the tomatoes
>or other items had all been pecked over. And while I've seen a lot of birds
>flying in and out of places like Lowe's and Home Depot, I have *never* seen
>bird shit on any items in a grocery store.

Have you ever arrived at the store when the staff does?
How do you think those veggies get stacked every day?

>Can you actually say you have?!

I only see birds in stores one at a time, and they're gone
the next time I go in the store. What we're talking about
here is flocks of resident birds.

>Get a grip. Salmonella... sheesh!

Lick the outside of every egg you buy from now on.

Go ahead.

And report to us how it's going.

--Blair

OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
>That is true... Despite the birds in the store, I have yet to _ever_ see
>crap on any of the food items! Like I said before, the sparrows mostly
>hang out in the pet food isle. They eat spilled bird seed, and cat and
>dog food from damaged bags.

That much detritus, even in the pet-food aisle, is almost
as sickening as the bird shit getting everywhere.

--Blair

OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
>The staff says that they are mostly eating food on the pet isle. I don't
>really see them that often over in produce.

"Um, yeah, they just eat the spilled pet food, or something."

vs.

"Um, yeah, we have a real problem with them hopping around
in the lettuce looking for food but we're too cheap or
too stupid to get rid of them entirely..."

Which are you going to tell a customer you want back?

--Blair

In article .com>,
"maxine in ri" > wrote:
>
> My parents' house would periodically serve as home for a bat, who would
> meander down the holes that the pipes went through and pop out into the
> kitchen or other living areas. Mom would open the back door, Dad would
> open the front, and we'd all step out of the way.
>
> Bat would do it's sonar thing, and head straight for one door or the
> other, and we'd be bat-free for the rest of the summer. I think the
> bat didn't like the screeches that came from my sister and me.<g>
>
<snip>
>
> maxine in ri

Couple of summers ago I woke in the wee small hours and found a bat
zooming about my bedroom and in and out my rather small bathroom. (My
god are they masters at navigating in small places!) I had left the door
to the upstairs porch open.

So I got up and turned on the lights .... to help him find his way out.
Uh, duh! ;^)

Happy 4th!
Dave W.

On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 00:54:08 GMT, "Michael \"Dog3\" Lonergan"
> wrote:

>We get bats and squirrels in the fireplace. Hoot will kill a squirrel if
>she can get ahold of it. We have a lot of owls too which scare off the
>bats and squirrels. Plus we have Bart, the outside cat. Never would I kill
>an animal. Just goes against my grain.
>
>Michael

I hope the cats all have their rabies (and other) shots! Sorry, I
worry

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

On Tue, 04 Jul 2006 06:26:09 GMT, Blair P. Houghton > wrote:

>OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
>>That is true... Despite the birds in the store, I have yet to _ever_ see
>>crap on any of the food items! Like I said before, the sparrows mostly
>>hang out in the pet food isle. They eat spilled bird seed, and cat and
>>dog food from damaged bags.
>
>That much detritus, even in the pet-food aisle, is almost
>as sickening as the bird shit getting everywhere.
>
> --Blair

You're right! What ever happened to "Spill in aisle 3!" ?

I wouldn't (willingly) shop at a store that was lax about spilled
stuff in the aisle out in the open. Imagine what goes on in the back
room out of public eyes!!!

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> In article >,
> T > wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > says...
> > > In article >,
> > > T > wrote:
> > >
> > > > In article .com>,
> > > > says...
> > > > >
> > > > > Stan Horwitz wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > I was fascinated by how a bat could get in my parents' house, so I
> > > > > > continued to watch and see what it would do. My dad finally came down
> > > > > > after my mom demanded that I wake him up. My dad, being a bit groggy
> > > > > > and
> > > > > > not thinking to clearly, stood on a foot stall and grabbed the bat
> > > > > > wit
> > > > > > his bare hands. The bat proceeded to bite my dad. My dad tossed the
> > > > > > bat
> > > > > > out the front door and it flew away.
> > > > >
> > > > > My parents' house would periodically serve as home for a bat, who would
> > > > > meander down the holes that the pipes went through and pop out into the
> > > > > kitchen or other living areas. Mom would open the back door, Dad would
> > > > > open the front, and we'd all step out of the way.
> > > > >
> > > > > Bat would do it's sonar thing, and head straight for one door or the
> > > > > other, and we'd be bat-free for the rest of the summer. I think the
> > > > > bat didn't like the screeches that came from my sister and me.<g>
> > > > >
> > > > > They eat so many mosquitos, I could never kill one. At least not the
> > > > > ones in this area.'
> > > > >
> > > > > maxine in ri
> > > >
> > > > Bats are good for controlling insects in general. So I can't see the
> > > > point of killing them.
> > > >
> > > > Providence had a very big bat hangout in one of the bridge abuttments of
> > > > I-195. When they started doing repairs in preparation to move the
> > > > highway they had so much guano in the thing that it took weeks to clean
> > > > out.
> > >
> > > Any smart entrepreneur would have bagged it up and sold it...
> > >
> > > Guano is top rate fertilizer!
> > >
> >
> > It's actually classified as toxic waste.
>
> Dumb.
> --
> Peace!
> Om
When it's fresh, it is toxic. Put it straight on your garden, and
watch your plants croak. After it's aged, you're right Om, it is great
for fertilizer.

The same goes for most guano or manure. Dry and age it, and it's
wonderful. Throw fresh cowpatties on your garden and watch your
neighbors call the cops<g>

The only exception to this is farmers who spread the manure from the
barns in the fall. That stuff is fresh, and permeates the air all
round. But by Spring when they go to plant, it's all decomposed and
enriching the soil.

maxine in ri

In rec.food.cooking, OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
> >
> > Wait 'til the bird flu comes. You'll be seeing customers shooting at
> > the ceiling LOL!

> And the price of chicken will go out the roof. :-(
> Eggs probably too.

Don't you mean "drop through the floor"?

--
A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
--Edward R. Murrow

In article >,
Blair P. Houghton > wrote:

> OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
> >That is true... Despite the birds in the store, I have yet to _ever_ see
> >crap on any of the food items! Like I said before, the sparrows mostly
> >hang out in the pet food isle. They eat spilled bird seed, and cat and
> >dog food from damaged bags.
>
> That much detritus, even in the pet-food aisle, is almost
> as sickening as the bird shit getting everywhere.
>
> --Blair

It's not really that messy, but there is nearly always some spilled bird
seed and dry cat/dog kibbles somewhere on the pet isle.

I often shop early in the mornings when the store is still being cleaned
up from the late night stocking. It's still in the midst of being swept
up. I imagine the birds eat in the meantime. ;-)

I have yet to see bird crap anywhere, at all, oddly enough.
I'm wondering where the poor things get water.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
wrote:

> In rec.food.cooking, OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
> > >
> > > Wait 'til the bird flu comes. You'll be seeing customers shooting at
> > > the ceiling LOL!
>
> > And the price of chicken will go out the roof. :-(
> > Eggs probably too.
>
> Don't you mean "drop through the floor"?

No, the prices will get higher, not lower, as they kill off all the
poultry and it's no longer a cheap protein source...

More demand, lower supply.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
says...
> In article >,
> Blair P. Houghton > wrote:
>
> > OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:

> I have yet to see bird crap anywhere, at all, oddly enough.
> I'm wondering where the poor things get water.
>
Out of the produce sprayers...

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

In article >,
TopKat > wrote:

> In article >,
> says...
> > In article >,
> > Blair P. Houghton > wrote:
> >
> > > OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
>
> > I have yet to see bird crap anywhere, at all, oddly enough.
> > I'm wondering where the poor things get water.
> >
> Out of the produce sprayers...

So there goes _that_ theory! <lol>
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

gimme facts...why are they "successful"? Why are there so many of them?
What pretty birds are you not seeing in the stores, and why? What
happened that leads you to actually believe that now you have no
choices and what do you do about it? There are a lot of ideas here. I'm
very glad you brought up this firestorm of activity, I believe it is
good "food for thought" and hopfully it got people to remove thier head
from the sand at least momentarily, long enough to see that if you
leave your head in the sand long enough: people will keep poking you in
the but. And since you asked why I'm having a cow and called me
paranoid...Fact:: I am certified by Mn Dept of Health os professional
food manager (that means I can run a restaraunt or retail food store)
The training was mainly about food safety. My so called paranoia is
fact: Look it up: food establishments are required by law (in my
state, I don't know about yours) to keep animals and birds and bugs
out. It also means I have a load of experience dealing with this issue
and food inspectors. Fact: Look it up: sparrows are invasive. Fact: I
was formerly a teacher and would expect more evidence. That's what it
is to think. Tha'ts whay I have "a cow" when I see so many people
guessing and making decisions based on emotion: I'd like to see better.
jill stardust
Stand for something or fall for anything

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> In article >,
> "jmcquown" > wrote:
>
> > > One of the clerks at Lowe's tells me that some of the birds have
> > > learned
> > > to activate the door sensors. :-) They then come in and hang out on
> > > the
> > > bird seed isle.
> >
> > LOL! Birds aren't stupid. I've been raising them for years and I know how
> > intelligent they are.
> >
> > Jill
>
> Indeed... :-)
>
> Sparrows especially seem to be very successful!
> --
> Peace!
> Om
>
> "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
> -- Jack Nicholson

Another question this brings up is: if droppings are on things like
packages and the customer handles one package, then another, then
another without washing hands between each step: we are talking about
cross-contamination of everything handled, then to top it off the
checkout and baggers handle packages and money also gets contaminated.
According to food safety law in my state this kind of cross
contamination is not at all acceptable and likely to subject the store
to forced closure because of the community health risk.
jill stardust
Stand for something or fall for anything

MoM wrote:
> "Curly Sue" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 16:34:43 GMT, Puester >
> > wrote:
> >
> >>Our grocery stores trap them and release (state law, maybe?) but I have
> >>noticed quite a few in Home Depot and Lowe's. Also the main terminal at
> >>our airport (DIA) has a few which nest in the supports of the tent roofs
> >>and in the big potted trees. Little kids love to see them.
> >
> > Fortunately, I haven't seen birds in any grocery stores where I've
> > shopped. They are charming in the trees around my home and a few are
> > cute in home centers, but not in grocery stores, thankyewverymuch!
>
> I agree 100%..... I mean where do their droppings go???
>
> But getting rid of them is quite another thing. Automated doors allow
> them easy egress.
>
> MoM

In article .com>,
"jill" > wrote:

> Another question this brings up is: if droppings are on things like
> packages and the customer handles one package, then another, then
> another without washing hands between each step: we are talking about
> cross-contamination of everything handled, then to top it off the
> checkout and baggers handle packages and money also gets contaminated.
> According to food safety law in my state this kind of cross
> contamination is not at all acceptable and likely to subject the store
> to forced closure because of the community health risk.

I'm actually more concerned about the many customers that wipe their
butts, then don't wash their hands, that then handle produce and
packages that then get handled by others... You get the idea. The dirty
human hands are _far_ more of a danger than a few random bird droppings
that might or might not be on something I handle.

As a result of this thought, my housemate and I routinely wash hands
every time we come home from the store, and I keep sanitary wipes in the
car. I wipe my hands and my steering wheel and car door handles.

Since we have made this a regular, albeit a slightly paranoid, practice,
we have drastically reduced the annual colds that we come down with. I
average one or two colds per year now as does he, and we've not had the
'flu in years. I don't take the shots either.

Humans are dirtier and more dangerous than birds dear!

And since you mention money....

Cashiers REALLY should be wearing gloves!
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

Curly Sue wrote:
> On Mon, 3 Jul 2006 22:30:03 -0400, "MoM" >
> wrote:
>
>>> Hi jill with a lower-case j I've been hanging around here for
>>> going on
>>> 10 years now; welcome to the group!
>>>
>>> Jill
>>>
>> I can't even remember how long I've been here off and on. How would
>> I find that out, Jill with a capital J? : D
>>
>> MoM
>>
> Do an "advanced" search for yourself on Google. Looks to me that your
> first appearance was May 1996 with a salsa recipe.
>
> Sue(tm)
> Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

I was relying strictly on my memory; I really have no idea when I first
posted to RFC. I seem to recall it was around 1997.

Jill

wrote:
> In rec.food.cooking, jmcquown > wrote:
>> jill wrote:
>>> good to hear some facts
>>> jill stardust
>>> stand for something or fall for anything
>>>
>> What facts? Sure, they were introduced in the 1800's. But does he
>> happen to know something about sparrows that I don't? I'm a
>> long-time bird watcher. I've never seen sparrows invade a garden
>> and crap on the plants (aka the produce aisle in the grocery store).
>
>> http://www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/HOUSPA/
>
>> From this site, I quote: "an average of 60 percent of its food comes
>> from livestock feed (that would be the dog & cat food Omni
>> mentioned), 36 percent from weed seeds (seeds at feeders and found
>> on the ground), and 4 percent from insects."
>
>> Hence, they aren't eating the produce in the grocery store.
>
>
> You said "[T]hey don't ... eat bugs or worms." You can't weasel out
> of
> it; it is right there in this very post, down below.
>
I'm not weasling out of anything. 4% of their diet is not a significant
amount. I see robins and starlings, etc. routinely digging for grubs and
worms. I've never noticed sparrows engaging in this behavior. Sparrows
also eat eggs. I'm not going to attempt to list every single thing a
sparrow will or will not eat.

Jill

Blair P. Houghton wrote:
> jmcquown > wrote:
>> Blair P. Houghton wrote:
>>> OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
>>>> All three of our local supermarkets, due to the size of the
>>>> ceilings, have a small population of wild birds that live inside
>>>> of them. ;-) Mostly sparrows.
>>>
>>> Ugh.
>>>
>>> That's hideous.
>>>
>>> Birds leave nasty shit everywhere.
>>>
>>> Those birds are feeding on the produce section when
>>> the store is closed.
>>
>> Where the hell do you come up with your facts, Blair? Good lord,
>> when is the last time you saw a sparrow chowing down on lettuce or
>> squash? They eat seed; they don't even eat bugs or worms.
>
> Seed? You mean like the seeds on strawberries? Does your
> produce section decorate with stalks of wheat? Mine does.
> They have open bins full of nuts, beans, etc. And birds
> don't just know where the seed is. They hop all over
> everything, peck at anything until it turns out to be food,
> and shit wherever they happen to shit.
>
My grocery store sells the strawberries in (generally pint-size) containers
covered with plastic wrap. They don't decorate with wheat. They don't have
open bins of nuts, beans, etc.

> If you think having wild birds shitting on your food
> is a GOOD thing, then I think it's time your shrink
> got you on a subscription plan.
>
I never said it was a GOOD thing, but again, I've never seen bird shit on
anything in my grocery store.

>> It would be pretty obvious to the folks who work in produce if the
>> tomatoes or other items had all been pecked over. And while I've
>> seen a lot of birds flying in and out of places like Lowe's and Home
>> Depot, I have *never* seen bird shit on any items in a grocery store.
>
> Have you ever arrived at the store when the staff does?
> How do you think those veggies get stacked every day?
>
>> Can you actually say you have?!
>
> I only see birds in stores one at a time, and they're gone
> the next time I go in the store. What we're talking about
> here is flocks of resident birds.
>
Now THAT would be a major problem and a call to the health department in
order. I admit I must have missed that part of the original post.

Jill

In rec.food.cooking, jmcquown > wrote:

> > You said "[T]hey don't ... eat bugs or worms." You can't weasel out
> > of
> > it; it is right there in this very post, down below.
> >
> I'm not weasling out of anything. 4% of their diet is not a significant
> amount.

Do you now know that they DO eat bugs? Good. There's hope.


--
A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
--Edward R. Murrow

On Mon, 03 Jul 2006 06:04:45 -0500, OmManiPadmeOmelet
> wrote:

>Unless one closes themselves up in a sterile environment and never goes
>outside, birds are no more of a health hazard indoors as outdoors. ;-)
>
>Never had bird crap on your car?

There's a huge tree over my back deck. I've had birds crapping on *me*
quite regularly over the past couple of years.

Jo Anne

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> > I only see birds in stores one at a time, and they're gone
> > the next time I go in the store. What we're talking about
> > here is flocks of resident birds.
> >
> Now THAT would be a major problem and a call to the health department in
> order. I admit I must have missed that part of the original post.
>
> Jill

Small flock, yes, around probably a dozen birds... and I was hearing
babies up in one corner.

I noted, however, when I went shopping yesterday, that the nests were
removed. I guess they had to draw the line at them reproducing. ;-)
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

In article >,
Jo Anne Slaven > wrote:

> On Mon, 03 Jul 2006 06:04:45 -0500, OmManiPadmeOmelet
> > wrote:
>
> >Unless one closes themselves up in a sterile environment and never goes
> >outside, birds are no more of a health hazard indoors as outdoors. ;-)
> >
> >Never had bird crap on your car?
>
> There's a huge tree over my back deck. I've had birds crapping on *me*
> quite regularly over the past couple of years.
>
> Jo Anne

Roof the deck. ;-)
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
>In article >,
> TopKat > wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> says...
>> > In article >,
>> > Blair P. Houghton > wrote:
>> >
>> > > OmManiPadmeOmelet > wrote:
>>
>> > I have yet to see bird crap anywhere, at all, oddly enough.
>> > I'm wondering where the poor things get water.
>> >
>> Out of the produce sprayers...
>
>So there goes _that_ theory! <lol>

I was gonna say the soup tureens...

--Blair