39-469: Quins may refer to: Quins is the nickname of two rugby teams who play under the name Harlequins and play their home games at the Twickenham Stoop : It may also refer to: Twickenham Stoop Twickenham Stoop Stadium (informally referred to as The Stoop ) is a stadium located in south-west London, England, situated just across the road from Twickenham Stadium . The stadium is home to
78-403: A nuisance and an invasive species , often disparagingly referred to as "rats with wings". Actions are taken in many municipalities to lower their numbers or completely eradicate them. Feral pigeons are essentially the same size and shape as the original wild rock dove, but often display far greater variation in colour and pattern than their wild ancestors. The blue-barred pattern which
117-539: A 20-all draw, 12,360 people attended the game making it the largest rugby league crowd at the venue beating the 1997 World Club Championship match between the London Broncos and Canberra Raiders where 7,819 people attended. After eleven seasons of not playing at The Stoop, the London Broncos took their round 14 match of the 2024 Super League season against St Helens to the ground. St Helens would win
156-757: A regular venue for England Women's games, hosting Six Nations games and Autumn International Series games. On 17 January 2016 The Stoop hosted the Women's Premiership final, for the first time. In the summer of 2017, The Stoop hosted its first music concerts, with the aim of diversifying the range of events hosted, establishing itself as a music venue, as well as sports. The Stoop has hosted artists such as Elton John and Little Mix . Feral pigeon Feral pigeons ( Columba livia domestica or Columba livia forma urbana ), also called city doves , city pigeons , or street pigeons , are descendants of domestic pigeons ( Columba livia domestica ) that have returned to
195-473: A season in comparison with the six games sold out in the 2011–12 season. David Ellis also said there are some immediate concerns for development such as increasing the size of the debenture lounge and the members bar. He also mentioned the queues for drinks at the bars are too long so that will be looked into as well. On 5 September 2012 Harlequins announced that they had begun a programme of significant investment in upgrading Twickenham Stoop Stadium. All four of
234-478: A variety of reasons including spread of human disease. It is illegal to kill/destroy nests for any reason other than those listed under the general licences. In the U.S., the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 , which protects native birds, does not apply to feral pigeons, common starlings or house sparrows , because they are introduced species. It is usually legal to kill feral pigeons in
273-465: Is an area for children which consists of bouncy castle and face painting. The main public bar also has a stage where a live band performs after matches. The Fullers London pride stand (formerly the south stand) was opened for the 2009–10 season. It has new toilets, a real ale bar, the Quins Head, which sells Fullers London Pride, guest ales and a club shop. The back of the stand also has a clock for
312-575: Is banned in parts of Venice , Italy. Long-term reduction of feral pigeon populations can be achieved by restricting food supply, which in turn involves legislation and litter (garbage) control. Some cities have deliberately established favorable nesting places for pigeons—nesting places that can easily be reached by city workers who regularly remove eggs, thereby limiting their reproductive success. In addition, pigeon populations may be reduced by bird control systems that successfully reduce nesting sites. In 1998, in response to conservation groups and
351-408: Is currently ongoing. In 1995–96 and again from 1997 to 1999, the rugby league club, London Broncos , joined Harlequins at The Stoop, and they returned again in 2006–2013, becoming Harlequins RL . In 2006 the stadium held a Harlequins rugby union match and a Harlequins rugby league game on the same day. The rugby union match was played first, and in just a few hours the stadium was switched over for
390-404: Is limited to USDA use only, while 4-AP is a restricted-use pesticide, for use only by licensed applicators. The use of poisons has been proven to be fairly ineffective, however, as pigeons can breed very quickly, and their numbers are determined by how much food is available; that is, they breed more often when more food is provided to them. When pigeons are poisoned, surviving birds do not leave
429-427: Is rare that a pigeon will transmit a disease to humans due to their immune system. Although feral pigeons pose sporadic health risks to humans, the risk is low, even for humans involved in occupations that bring them into close contact with nesting sites. Analysis revealed that feral pigeons harbored a total of 60 different human pathogenic organisms. Five pathogens were viruses, nine were bacteria, 45 were fungi, and one
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#1732790110362468-855: The Harlequins in Premiership Rugby and has a capacity of 14,800. In 1906, Harlequins were invited by the Rugby Football Union to use the new national stadium in Twickenham. In those early days, only one or two internationals at most were played there during the season, and it wasn't long before the RFU ground became the headquarters of the Harlequin Football Club. In 1963, Harlequins acquired an athletics ground with 14 acres (57,000 m ), sited just across
507-748: The Piazza San Marco in Venice, Dam Square in Amsterdam, The Gateway of India and Kabutarkhana in Mumbai and (prior to 2000) Trafalgar Square in London. A 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall statue of a pigeon by artist Paul Sloan was installed at the Rundle Mall , Adelaide, South Australia, adding to their collection of art installations, including statues of pigs. Sloan intended to "elevate
546-582: The 2012 annual report submitted by the club's operating company to Companies House , in 2010 external valuers placed the combined value of the land and buildings at £27.19 million on a depreciated replacement cost basis. In an interview with the fans website on 23 April 2012, the Chief Executive, David Ellis confirmed that an architect has visited the club and given ideas on possible improvement and further expansion of The Stoop which will be further considered if Harlequins can sell out nine or ten games
585-771: The North and Charles Stanley Stand has a memorial for Nick Duncombe who was a promising scrum half for Harlequins and won two caps for England. He also played for the England Sevens team in the 2002 Commonwealth Games. He died of meningitis in 2003. The ground's official name changed in July 2005 from the Stoop Memorial Ground to Twickenham Stoop Stadium. The club owns the ground freehold through its subsidiary Harlequin Estates (Twickenham) Limited. According to
624-572: The Super League match. This involved changing field markings, advertising boardings and such. Between 2006 and 2011, The Stoop hosted the annual Rugby League Varsity Match between Oxford University and Cambridge University. On 24 October 2009 the ground hosted the second match of the 2009 Rugby League Four Nations between world champions New Zealand and defending tournament champions (in Tri-Nations mode), Australia which resulted in
663-699: The United States; methods such as poisons may be regulated, however. In India, pigeons are protected under Section 428 and Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code . Wild pigeons are further protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 . Feral pigeons often only have small populations within cities relative to the number of humans. For example, the breeding population of feral pigeons in Sheffield , England in summer 2005
702-579: The ZP-3 sperm receptor site in the egg. This unique contraceptive action is non-hormonal and fully reversible. Registered by the EPA as a pesticide (EPA Reg. No. 80224-1), "OvoControl P", brand of nicarbazin , is increasingly used in urban areas and industrial sites to control pigeon populations. Declared safe and humane, the new technology is environmentally benign and does not represent a secondary toxicity hazard to raptors or scavengers. Avian contraception has
741-399: The abundance of feral pigeons (and other small animals) has created such a conducive environment for predators that the red-tailed hawk has begun to return in very small numbers, including the notable Pale Male . Due to their non-selective nature, most avian poisons have been banned. In the United States market, only 4-aminopyridine (Avitrol) and DRC-1339 remain registered by EPA. DRC-1339
780-412: The area. On the contrary, they are left with more food per bird than before. This attracts pigeons from outside areas as well as encouraging more breeding, and populations are re-established quickly. An additional problem with poisoning is that it also kills pigeon predators. Due to this, in cities with peregrine falcon programs it is typically illegal to poison pigeons. A more effective tactic to reduce
819-569: The coming seasons. The public areas of the stands, including the toilets, are also in the process of being decorated and upgraded. Four new turnstiles have been constructed at Gate 3 by the corner of the Fullers London Pride and DHL Stand to improve access and a new PA system to improve sound quality throughout the stadium. The hospitality facilities in the DHL and Charles Stanley Stands have also undergone renovations and redecorations. Among
SECTION 20
#1732790110362858-536: The informal name. Constructed for the start of the 2005–06 season, the Charles Stanley Stand (West Stand) is the Stoop's main stand, with a capacity of approximately 4,000. This stand has the changing rooms, a row of executive boxes across the top of the stand, a Members' Bar, the club's offices, toilets and a club shop. At the top of the stand under the roof there is also a scoreboard and a gantry where
897-562: The interval between reproductive attempts is strongly reduced, which reduces the efficiency of the method. Dummy egg nesting programs have therefore been tested in some cities with mixed results. There, the eggs are removed and replaced with dummy eggs. The real eggs are then destroyed. One such structure, in Batman Park in Melbourne, Australia, was unsuccessful in attracting pigeons and has since been removed. The loft used in Melbourne
936-420: The major improvements about to begin is the resurfacing of the North car park. In November 2017, Harlequins unveiled plans to build a new state-of-the-art 25,000-seat stadium on the same Twickenham site. The project, which is being led by architects Populous , is expected to cost in the region of £50m. Concrete plans have not yet been released, and consultation with the local community and Richmond Council
975-499: The match 52-6. The ground played host to the final of the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup . In 2015 , it began hosting what was intended to be an annual event in the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series . All matches were held at The Stoop except for the third-place match and Cup final, which were played at Twickenham Stadium. However, the Women's Sevens Series did not return to London for 2015–16 . The Stoop has become
1014-452: The match. Until the 2022-2023 season it was named the south stand. The North Stand is a temporary structure with an estimated life of 10 years, and is the most recent to be developed for the 2011–12 season. It houses approximately 2,000 and is the only stand with supporting pillars. There is a time clock to the top left of the stand. In the summer of 2022, new toilets were added and an indoor seating area with tables were added. The corner of
1053-411: The number of feral pigeons is deprivation. Cities around the world have discovered that not feeding their local birds results in a steady population decrease in only a few years. As scavengers, pigeons will still pick at garbage bags containing discarded food or at leftovers carelessly dropped on the ground, but securely disposing of foodstuffs will greatly reduce scavenger populations. Feeding of pigeons
1092-421: The original wild rock dove displays is generally less common in more urban areas. Urban pigeons tend to have darker plumage than those in more rural areas. The avoidance of mating between related individuals is ordinarily regarded as adaptive since it decreases the likelihood of inbreeding depression in progeny that can be caused by the expression of deleterious recessive alleles . However in feral pigeons it
1131-571: The public interest, the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC), a USDA/APHIS laboratory in Fort Collins , Colorado , started work on nicarbazin , a promising compound for avian contraception. Originally developed for use in resident Canada geese, nicarbazin was introduced for use as a contraceptive for feral pigeons in 2007. The active ingredient, nicarbazin , interferes with the viability of eggs by binding
1170-555: The road from the RFU ground, which became the Harlequins training pitch. The ground was for many years named the Stoop Memorial Ground after Adrian Stoop , a former England international , longtime Harlequins player, and club president. In 2005, the club formally renamed it as Twickenham Stoop Stadium , but it is colloquially known simply as The Stoop , with even the Harlequins' official website frequently using
1209-984: The skyscrapers of large cities and often feed exclusively on rock doves. Some cities actively encourage this through falcon breeding programs. Projects include the Unibase Falcon Project and the Victorian Peregrine Project. Other predators of the pigeon have been recorded, including Eurasian sparrowhawks , crows and gulls . In London, the population of Great white pelicans at St. James's Park have also been recorded killing and consuming pigeons even when alternative food sources are available. In cities in Western Europe, European herring gulls may occasionally hunt and consume feral pigeons in addition to other birds and small mammals. Larger birds of prey occasionally take advantage of this population as well. In New York City ,
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1248-408: The stands have been deep cleaned, this has included the installation of anti-roosting netting that features an unobtrusive fine mesh, secured high in the stands that will prevent damage to the seats and decking caused by the local pigeon population. Replacement of the broken or sun-bleached seating has also commenced and eventually all seating will be replaced block by block in a rolling programme over
1287-701: The support of a range of animal welfare groups including the Humane Society of the United States , the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals . Avian contraceptives are also perceived by some civilians as an acceptable method for population control, over other methods such as prohibition to feeding or extermination. When eggs are removed in artificial pigeon houses,
1326-427: The television cameras populate. The DHL Stand (East Stand) has a capacity of approximately 4,000 and has a row of corporate boxes across the top. The East Stand was the first to be constructed as part of the 1997 redevelopment of The Stoop. A score board also hangs under the roof. The stand has toilets, the main public bar, Debenture Lounge and Players' Lounge. The area is also home to the "Mighty Quins Village" which
1365-580: The wild. The domestic pigeon was originally bred from the wild rock dove , which naturally inhabits sea-cliffs and mountains. Rock, domestic, and feral pigeons are all the same species and will readily interbreed. Feral pigeons find the ledges of buildings to be a substitute for sea cliffs, have become adapted to urban life, and are abundant in towns and cities throughout much of the world. Owing to their capacity to create large amounts of excrement and be an occasional disease vector to humans combined with crop and property damage, pigeons are largely considered
1404-568: Was a protozoan. However, only five pathogens were routinely transmitted to humans. There were single case incidences for transmission of Salmonella enterica. Pigeons often cause significant pollution with their droppings, though there is little evidence of them driving out other bird species. Pigeons are labeled an invasive species in North America by the USDA. Peregrine falcons , which are also originally cliff dwellers, have too adapted to
1443-485: Was estimated at 12,130 individuals (95% confidence interval 7757–18,970), in a city with a human population of about 500,000. Despite this, feral pigeons usually reach their highest densities in the central portions of cities, so they are frequently encountered by people, which may lead to conflict. Feral pigeons are widely considered pests, and can be reservoirs and vectors of some human and livestock diseases , such as salmonellosis and tuberculosis. However, it
1482-480: Was found that despite detectable inbreeding depression, pairwise relatedness between mates was significantly greater than it was between nonmates. This suggests that mating with close kin provides inclusive fitness benefits that outweigh the costs of inbreeding depression. In the United Kingdom, pigeons are covered under the "General Licences" and can be humanely culled by the land owner or their agent for
1521-566: Was on stilts, with a cage door allowing access from beneath for accessing the structure at night when the pigeons are asleep. Estimating the population size of pigeons is necessary for monitoring and control programs of pigeons in parks and other urban areas. The methods used for estimating populations sizes are: Many city squares have large pigeon populations, such as Washington Square Park in New York City, George Square in Glasgow ,
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