A NET LOSS FOR BIRDS
Upper E. Siders push for scaffold fix to halt harm to pigeons
Animal lovers on the Upper East Side are pushing back against a system of scaffold netting they say is trapping and harming birds — netting the city says shouldn’t have been installed at all.
Normandie Court, a luxury apartment complex on E. 95th St. between Second and Third Aves., has had scaffolding in place for about three years to address facade issues.
Management said netting was recently added to the scaffolding after residents complained about the number of pigeons relieving themselves on the sidewalk, and the Department of Health issued a citation. But since then many birds have been caught in the netting, injuring and even killing some, according to several volunteers.
The Department of Buildings sent an inspector to the site on Monday to assess the situation, with sources saying they found the approved plans for the sidewalk shed did not appear to include netting. The investigation is continuing.
“The problem is the nets are trapping the pigeons in there, and they’re also preventing the parents from feeding the babies in the nests,” said Kevan Cleary, who chairs the Animal Law Committee of the New York County Lawyers Association. “Some of the pigeons are getting caught in the net and some of them are in a lot of distress because they’re trapped.”
It’s unclear how many pigeons have died. Sonia Izak is one of those leading rescue efforts and said she saw three dead in the netting last week.
She said between herself and a small group of volunteers they’ve saved about 20 pigeons. Two of those were taken to the Wild Bird Fund, a rehabilitation center on the Upper West Side.
A representative for Normandie Court’s owner, Ogden CAP Properties, acknowledged several birds had perished.
“Normandie Court is working with the netting company to make sure that no further harm or hazard comes to the pigeons and to prevent the pigeons from entering the area,” said Fraser Seitel. “They’re working to do the right thing and to solve the problem.”
The situation has residents concerned. “I’ve unfortunately seen dead birds on the scaffolding as well as caught in the netting when they fall due to being too weak,” said resident Allison Schorr. “Many of them can be seen trying to escape the netting or trying to get in, likely to get to their nests. It’s their home, too. We live in Manhattan, and this goes with the territory of living here.”
The owner of the company that was contracted to install the netting, U.S. Bird Control, said they are taking steps to improve the situation. “We left the openings so birds will come out. It takes a couple of days,” said the man, who gave his name as Nugo.
Wednesday there were eight birds on the inside of the netting — none of which appeared to be trapped or in immediate distress — and signs of five nests, though it was unclear if they were occupied. There were also several swaths of open netting where birds could exit.
Izak and a group of volunteers helped free some of the pigeons late on Sunday, and Nugo reportedly came around 2 a.m. to free more and open parts of the netting.
“The attention that the management company has been receiving, maybe it has made a difference because there are definitely a lot less birds here now than there were last night,” Izak said while surveying the netting on Monday afternoon. “Which is the whole objective of this, we just want the birds out.”