Photo (Courtesy of Bird Control Ireland) : The Hawk Kite. Kite flying, and you get to scare the birds too.
I personally welcome any bird into our garden. I enjoy looking at the crows pulling off moss
from the garage roof and even the magpies chasing the dogs away from their
bones amuses me when I am washing the pots and looking out of the kitchen
window. Thankfully we don’t have any birds that cause damage to the vegetables
or that nest in the eaves which could cause a lot of damage, especially to your
nerves as the birds scratch about when you are trying to sleep. We have a couple of wood pigeons that float past
occasionally and, as these produce my favourite bird noise, I enjoy them being
around. I find their cooing very relaxing.
Not everyone shares my enthusiasm to attract our feathered
friends onto the garden, or any public space for that matter. There was a young
entrepreneur in Nottingham kitted himself out with a large compressed air, pigeon-scaring
machine that emitted a large bang every 60 seconds. He would set it up in the market
square and eventually after a few days of constant banging, the birds would all
disappear. Bear in mind that this doesn’t kill the birds, it just scares them
off. Therefore the pigeons would move to the next county which would pay
handsomely to have them ‘removed’. The birds would then fly a bit further south
to the next county until eventually they went full circle back to Nottingham
the following year. This man has been travelling around the midlands now for
fifteen years moving this flock (and their offspring of course) from one county
after another charging the taxpayers to get rid of the same birds... Why didn’t
I think of that?
There are more and more inventive ways to keep birds away
from your garden and to help me this week I have enlisted the help of BirdControl Ireland.
Birds in the Garden
It’s not all about keeping the birds out of the garden. Many birds are beneficial so bird boxes can
be placed in nearby trees making sure the holes are the correct size for the
specific species you would like to attract.
Birds Hitting Windows
Huge numbers of birds are killed by striking windows each
year. Reflected foliage or sky fools the birds into thinking it is safe to fly
into. Try Window Alert Decal. These are
sticky transfers designed to show birds that the glass is a solid object. You
can choose from Butterfly, Humming Bird, Maple Leaf, Modern Square or Snowflake
designs.
Birds Pecking Windows
and bonding
Rooks, Magpies and Jackdaws are associated with this
problem. The birds are attracted to the soft putty or silicone and keep pecking
away at it causing a lot of damage. Many people get an early morning call with
birds pecking windows as they fight themselves. If this is an issue, try the battery operated ‘Attack Spider’.
This scary device is said to chase away nuisance birds. Activated by sound, the
spider drops down on an 18 inch string while making a loud noise. Then it
climbs back up the string, ready to attack again. Fun for kids too I’ll bet.
Herons raiding Fish
Pond
Valuable carp collections can be decimated by Herons and
Cormorants. The "Scarecrow Deterrent" will clear these raiders away
with minimum fuss. The Scarecrow, shaped a bit like a water sprinkler with a
face, uses a combination of sudden
noise, unexpected movement, and a startling blast of water to create a
memorable and unpleasant experience for the trespasser.
Bird landings
In some urban areas, birds will land on patio tables, flat
roofs or raised beds. The solar powered "Solar Bird Repeller" is a
useful device that will humanely clear the birds away. The two adjustable
“arms” cover up to 5ft in diameter by turning continuously at 30 RPM’s. A solar
panel powers a heavy duty, brushless motor which will store energy. The Solar
Bird Repeller is portable, and can store energy to keep it lasting into the
night.
Birds attacking soft
fruit, flower beds
Using something called the ‘Repeller Ribbon’, similar to an
unwound video tape but thicker and more colourful, will stop birds from eating and pecking away
at fruit. This is a bright flashing, holographic tape fixed just above the bed
or in through the bush is very good at keeping many small birds at bay.
Bird Chaser Balloons
A bit like fairground balloons with clown faces, these Bird
Chaser Balloons will frighten birds immediately. Made of durable vinyl, the
Bird Chaser is effective when used in a variety of outdoor locations such as
home orchards and gardens, berry patches, decks and patios.
Galaxy Spinner
The Galaxy Spinner workes by spinning action contains
holographic strips that reflect in the wind. The visual deterrent scares birds
off.
There are a couple of
products suitable for larger areas and effective enough for farms.
Bird Scaring Hawk
Kite.
This device will keep birds off Bales, Crops, Maize/Silage
Pits and Pasture. It is suitable for crows,
Pigeons, Geese and Gulls.
This is a Self-Launching Kite with 10m heavy duty telescopic
pole. It is easy to set up and use and can
protect up to ten acres. Simply erect the pole and the kite will fly in
the breeze scaring away any pesky birds. This comes at a price though and you won’t
get much change out of €190, but it is getting great reviews although you will
need to move it every day and take it down if the wind gets above 30mph.
Other products.
There are also one shot bird scarers and scarecrows that
emit bird distress calls to make a hostile environment. The latter are solar
powered so you can move them anywhere. There are also bird wires, bird proof
netting and bird spikes to stop them settling on window ledges. If birds are a
real problem for you and you would like to find out more visit - birdcontrol.ie.
