Handling problem birds is much more difficult than controlling any other infestation such as insects or animals. Before you attempt any eradication efforts potential problems should be considered and it is important to understand the different control methods available.

Bird scaring, as opposed to slaughtering birds, is crucial as a method of limiting damage to crops or property as many species are under the protection of legislation.

The level of difficulty, and the appropriate bird scaring technique required, will vary depending on what kind of bird problem you have.

The different bird habits and the possibility of scaring them away is listed in the following table. If they are roosting it’s easy to scare them, feeding it is harder but still possible and if they are nesting you don’t have a chance.

Bird Habit	Difficulty of removal
Roosting	Easy to remove
Feeding	More difficult to remove
Nesting	Impossible to remove

Roosting birds stay at a specific location because it is a habit for them. If you disrupt this habit then you will get rid of them. Feeders aren’t going to be scared so easily as you are removing something vital for their survival – their feeding ground.

A bird who has built a nest is impossible to get rid off due to their in-built natural parenting instincts. Even if you completely remove the nest they will continue to come back to the same location and rebuild. They will come back year after year so it is important to act on any problem as soon as possible either to prevent them nesting and laying eggs in the first place or to prevent it becoming an annual problem. It is important to put in place bird deterrents before the nesting season starts.

There are many bird scaring options available commercially. They go from the most basic, a plastic bag rustling in the wind or a scarecrow covered in old clothes, to advanced electronic equipment emitting noises designed to mimic natural predators.

Bird scarers tend to work by breaking up the natural habits of the birds or by replicating natural phenomena which they instinctively fear. This can be by unusual movement, bright colours or specific sounds.

The limitation of many bird scaring techniques is that the effect is only temporary. It’s easily to put something in place to disrupt birds natural habits but other time they soon get used to it and return. So the best bird scaring techniques must incorporate constant changes in to the plan. This could be changing the location of balloons or scarecrows or modifying the type of sounds and frequency of emission.

To prevent this ‘temporary effect’ some bird scarers try to imitate the behaviour of predators like hawks or owls. In theory birds should be scared permanently of these bird deterrents as it is in their instinctual nature to avoid predators. If they didn’t they would have died out quickly.

Let’s take a look at the bird scarers available.

Movement and Vision Scarers

Bird-X: Solve Bird Problems Yourself
Scarecrow

The most well known bird scaring equipment is no doubt the scarecrow which is a fixture in crop fields all over the world. It is most commonly associated with a human form typically a long and a shorter pole forming a body with hands and then covered in old clothes, a stuffed bag to form a head and a hat.

There are other non-human scarecrow types such as the TerrorEyes, Iridiscent tape and flashman birdscarer which work on the premise of scaring the birds visually.

However if you have ever seen a bird perching on a scarecrow you’ll know that it isn’t always the most effective option.

Hawk Kite Scarer

Large numbers of bird species have evolved to be instinctively scared of predators. The hawk kite uses this animal instinct to scare them away. It is simply a kite shaped like a hawk c

asting the shadow of their natural enemy.

Helikites

A helikite birdscarer is a mixture between a kite and a balloon. They are useful in situations where wind is less frequent as, unlike kites on their own, they do not need windy conditions to fly. They are not designed to actually appear like a hawk but their flight and hovering motion in the air mimic the expected hawk behaviour.

Bird Scaring Lasers

Bird scaring laser equipment casts laser across the protected area to scare away birds. The difference between standard light and the laser suprises the birds and scares them away. The equipment required is notorious for being expensive and required specific training and the long distance of the lasers can cause widespread effects at night which are not limited to just birds.

Bird Corpses

Models, or even real, bird corpses tap in to the animal instinct of birds and can cause them to avoid an area. Initially they may be attracted to a new corpse but will quickly fly away after detecting the death. This technically is commonly used around airstrips.

Bird Scaring Balloons

Bird Scaring balloons are probably the cheapest available bird deterrent. It works due to the motion of the balloons in the air – however the avians can become accustomed to this over time. Interestingly enough adding eyes to a balloon improves effectiveness of this method and slows down the rate at which birds overcome their initial fear. Also changing the location of the balloons from time to time can help.

 

 

 

Sound Bird Scarers

Propane Cannons Bird Scarer or Propane Gas Gun Bird Scarer

The propane cannon bird scarer is becoming more and more popular in agriculture throughout the western world for its scaring effect. It works by using the cannon to trigger a loud noise, goes as high as 150 decibels, at specific intervals.

To increase effectiveness it is important that the equipment can vary the noise level in magnitude, pitch and frequency.

Electronic Bird Repellers

An electronic bird repeller is made up of an electrical unit and a speaker system which is placed round the target area. Natural recorded distress noises are played including the noises of common predators. This is known as one of the most effective methods.

Ultrasonic Bird Scarers

Ultrasonic Bird Repellers are computer managed devices pumping out ultra high emission sounds which are inaudible to the human ear but not to birds.

Cartridge Bird Scarers

The cartridge bird scarer system is based on a gun which fires cartridges designed to emit a specific sound.