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There are many alternatives that a berry farmer can use instead of
noise polluting bird scare devices. These quiet alternatives are listed below in an
ever growing list:
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 Inflatables,
recently a UK group sent us an e-mail describing their new bird scare
device designed initially for airports, by people in the aviation industry.
The device can also be used in other applications, including agriculture, and
is currently in the testing phase.
For more details, please see our Inflatables page.
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Nets,
our number one recommendation for bird control. Nets that totally enclose
a blueberry crop are
environmentally friendly, and virtually 100%
effective in protecting a crop from birds.
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Side Netting,
a variation of total canopy netting described above. This approach has
been used by an Oregon grape grower with great success and is described in more
detail
on our
side netting page.
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Automated Netting Systems,
are now available that greatly reduce the number
of man hours required to cover crops with nets, making netting a much more
viable option for berry and grape farmers.
For more information, see our automated netting page.
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The Silent Sentinel,
recently the Right to Quiet Society of Vancouver found an article
in a local paper about a new device designed to deter birds. The device is a series
of flags strung over rows of berries that rotate and flap to scare
birds. For more details, please see our
Silent Sentinel page.
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Lasers,
a Cloverdale berry
farmer has invented a laser unit that is effective in scaring birds from his
fields. Lasers are totally silent
and work better than cannons according to the inventor. The details can
be found on our
laser page.
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High frequency noise devices,
products that put out a high frequency
noise that humans can't hear, but birds can and are frightened by.
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Streamers,
and reflective tapes, quiet and environmentally friendly.
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Scare Windmills,
reflective windmills,
powered by the wind. The reflective blade surfaces
flash UV light that scares birds, silently.
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Natural Predators,
one of our members recently pointed out that hawks and owls are natural predators
of starlings, and these birds should be encouraged by farmers to nest in the vicinity
of berry fields. I did a little more research on this alternative, and the details
can be found on our Natural Predators page.
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Overhead Scare Eye Balloons,
and heli-kites that simulate hawks in flight, or
large owl eyes.
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Hawk & Owl silhouettes,
similar to balloons and kites.
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Mylar vibrating line,
a thin line that flashes and also vibrates and hums to
scare birds.
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Metal and mirrored flashers,
such as hanging pie plates, mirrors, etc.
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Starling Traps,
to capture the little villains. A lot of sites go into the details about making starling traps.
See our trap page for more info.
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Professional Trapping,
recently one of our members came across a solution
used by Washington State berry growers to reduce fruit damage caused by
European Starlings. Their approach is described in more detail on our
Pro-Trapping page.
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Canine Patrols
used successfully by golf courses to discourage birds and waterfowl. Also
used at airports to deter birds for safety reasons.
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Repellents,
biodegradeable and non-poisonous please.
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ScareCrows
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