Absolute Bird Control

Pigeons have cost one Nevada community tens of thousands of dollars http://ping.fm/V8sFG

Gulls Deterred from 150-Year-Old Lighthouse http://ping.fm/Wdtqr

Bird-B-Gone Solar Powered Bird Repeller

New Review from Craziest Gadgets.com:

Birds are awesome! I love birds! I had turducken for lunch. Birds are free, they can fly where they want. The world is theirs. But sometimes that freedom is too much for the human world and the birds go places where they shouldn’t. At that point the birds have become pest birds. Nobody wants a pest bird whether it’s a pigeon, seagull, sparrow, starling, turkey vulture, crow, or Canadian goose. There are many ways to get rid of pest birds but it can be tricky when the birds are dropping guano on your roof or other hard to reach spot (hard for you to reach, easy for our feathered friends).

The Bird-B-Gone Solar Powered Bird Repeller can help you with your bird problem. Unlike ultrasonic or other repellers, this is guaranteed to work in any conditions. The easy to mount repeller has a 5′ diameter continuously rotating arm like a helicopter. The arm rotates at 30RPMs and is powered by a solar panel. It also comes with 3 AA rechargeable batteries for nighttime use. Ideal for roofs, signs, billboards, parapet walls or any other flat surface where birds are an issue. Unless you have one of those jump-roping birds, there’s no way this can fail. Birds be gone!

http://craziestgadgets.com/2009/06/14/bird-b-gone-solar-powered-bird-repeller/

Ball Hits Seagull During Indians Game

Indians win when ball hits bird

Shin-Soo Choo liner hits a low-flying gull and drops for a single, scoring the winning run in Cleveland's 4-3 victory over Kansas City.

June 12, 2009

Cleveland -- Coco Crisp thought he still had a chance to get to Shin-Soo Choo's ball. A bird beat him to it.

The ball flattened a low-flying gull in the 10th inning and rolled past Kansas City's center fielder and Mark DeRosa scored from second base without a throw to give the Cleveland Indians a 4-3 win over the Royals on Thursday night

"Crazy things happen in this game," Crisp said after Shin-Soo Choo's liner over the second-base bag clipped the wing of one of hundreds of birds that buzz the ballpark. "It was hit so sharply, I felt like I had a chance," Crisp said. "You never know what the heck is going to happen."

The stunned bird flopped around for a few seconds before finally flying off.

-- associated press

posted from:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-al-game12-2009jun12,0,5878512.story

Bird Repellents... Say Bye Bye Birdie

By Alex A. Kecskes

As much as we love to hear them sing and coo, wild birds can be quite a nuisance. The damage they cause can be very expensive and time-consuming to repair. Their poop can discolor paint, stain wood and eventually erode metal. Even worse, if you own a restaurant or café with outdoor seating, bird deposits can carry and transmit any of 60 known diseases. All the more reason to consider keeping them away from your property. Fortunately, there are many bird repellants on the market that will do just that. Most are humane, inexpensive and easy to install.

 

For pigeons and large birds, there are a variety of bird spikes that will do the trick. These repellents have spikes made of rigid unbreakable polycarbonate, or in some cases, stainless steel. For awnings and patio covers, bird spiders are an ideal option—the spider arms flagellate with the breeze, so birds will think twice about trying to navigate a landing. Spiders are available in a wide range of diameters to cover different size areas. They require little or no maintenance and, as intimidating as they look, they won’t harm birds.

 

A simple, but surprisingly effective bird repellent is the Bird Slope. These angled, slippery panels keep birds from landing—their feet just slip right off. Bird slopes are ideal for ledges, eaves, beams and other 90-degree areas where pest birds tend to nest and roost. They’re easy to install and work for various bird types and sizes. Another simple and quite effective bird repellent, known as bird gel, is easily applied like caulk. When it dries, the gel skins over but never sets hard, creating a sticky membrane that birds don’t like to land on, yet it’s safe for birds and people. Gels are ideal for flat or curved surfaces, including conduit, pipes, ledges, I-beams, and parapet walls.

 

New Hawk Decoy for Deterring Pest Birds

Mission Viejo, CA: Bird-B-Gone Inc. the largest North American manufacturer of humane bird deterrents introduces the Bird-B-Gone Hawk, a life-like Red Tailed Hawk decoy. The Bird-B-Gone Hawk can be used to scare pest birds away from balconies, gardens, fruit trees, buildings and other areas where birds or rodents have become a problem. Birds will avoid areas treated with the decoy, and move on to a more secure spot. The Bird-B-Gone Hawk is the first Red Tailed hawk decoy available in today’s market, and can be used in much the same way as owl decoys.

 

Red Tailed hawks are known for hunting during the day, while most owl species hunt at night when pest birds are asleep. This makes the hawk a more identifiable predator to birds.  The decoy is made of heavy duty plastic, and has hand painted life-like features.  You can hang the Hawk or anchor it by adding sand. For more information on this, and other Bird-B-Gone products, please visit www.birdbgone.com, call 1-800-392-6915, or email at nobirds@birdbgone.com

 

Hardware show offers ideas for Dad's day

Glenn Haege: The Handyman

Every year, the National Hardware Show is the mecca for seeing the latest innovations in products for the home, and this year was no exception. Held in Las Vegas, this year's show featured close to 3,000 exhibitors and more than 27,000 members of the hardware industry.

When navigating this monstrous display of home and hardware products, I always look for some new, unique things that people can use around the home.

Here are a few that caught my eye:

• With the cost of energy going up, monitoring the electric power you use in your home is becoming more and more important. The Kill A Watt Power Strip, $99.95 from P3 International, (212) 346-7979, www.p3international.com, works like a standard surge protector, but it also enables you to assess the amount of power you are using for computer, television or other appliances you plug into the power strip. In addition, it provides protection against a drop in voltage or "brownout" conditions that can do serious damage, especially to electric motors. A digital display on the power strip enables you to check the quality of your power by monitoring voltage, line frequency, amperage and kilowatts per hour. You can also calculate the cumulative electrical expenses and forecast by week, month and year.

• Another monitoring product, the Power Kuff Monitor System, (302) 684-2008, www.powerkuff.com, $99.95, is a wireless device that straps onto the electric line that enters your home from your meter and allows you to monitor your power usage on a digital display. You can then transfer the data to your computer by using a free downloadable software program to graph your electric usage throughout the day. This is a great tool to determine how much power you are using when running various lights and appliances, and to learn how to manage your energy consumption.

Question of the Week: Woodpeckers

Question:
I have a ceder deck. I'm finding small wood dust piles at different location of my deck, and small holes. I have not seen the bird or birds that are doing this. My questions is are woodpecker the only bird that will do this type of damage? What can I do to stop them?

Answer:
Yes, woodpeckers are the only birds that drill holes. Are you away during the daytime, and therefore not around to hear any pecking? Most people start by treating the area with a "visual" bird deterrent, to try and scare the bird from the area. If you go back to our website, you will see flash tape, diverters, and a Bird-B-Gone Balloon, all of which can be hung right in front or on top of where the bird has been pecking. The idea is that when they see these items, they will be confused or afraid and will want to leave the area. We also sell a woodpecker kit. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Why Your Home and Garden need Bird Control

Not everyone is aware that more than 60 human diseases are related to birds and their droppings, and some of them can even be fatal to humans. When birds cause damage to your home, they leave ugly stains, cause the structure to deteriorate, and may also lessen the value of your property. In addition, experienced home owners can tell you that the repairs, maintenance and clean-up from their invasions can be quite expensive, and humane bird control provided by Bird-B-Gone is a preventive measure you can take to keep expenses down.

Some reasons for using bird control around your home

Woodpeckers can severely damage wood homes, siding and shingles, and Canada geese can ruin your lawn. (They can also make quite a mess of your property if they are not controlled.) Blackbirds and starlings can eat the fruit and vegetables you cultivate so carefully in order to economize and feed your family well, and the great blue heron will go after the fish in your pond, if you have one.

Pigeons are generally considered to be “the number one bird pest” in America, their numbers are increasing, and their nesting instincts are strong. They usually mate for life, live in communal flocks that travel together, and tend to seek locations where adequate food and shelter can be found. To deter them, try installing a post-and-wire system that also makes a potential landing unstable for seagulls and larger birds.

Taking control of the situation

Article: When Gardening Efforts Go to the Birds

When Gardening Efforts go to the Birds

It’s a sign the times, edible backyard gardens are on the rise. In 2008 the garden writers association reported that 39% of people they surveyed with backyards were planning on growing vegetables in the next year. That’s almost double the increase of a typical year. Some are calling these the new “victory gardens” in response to rising food prices, and growing food safety issues.

 

One of the biggest challenges these gardeners will face are pests. Concerted efforts in the garden can lead to disappointment if pests are not properly addressed on time. It’s no wonder then that pesticides are a garden center staple, many carrying an arsenal of pest control products, solutions for snails, spiders, aphids, deer, you can find it all… but what about pest birds?

 

It may be hard to image why anyone would want to repel a bird. Birds are one of Mother Nature’s most diverse, intelligent species & inviting birds into garden spaces can be very rewarding. In fact, most centers make sure to stock bird baths, houses, and even bird seed.

 

But ask a home owner who just lost a substantial amount of the blueberries or cherries they planted, or someone who has trouble keeping birds away from their grass seed, and they will undoubtedly agree; birds are a force to be reckoned with in the garden.

 

Birds have presented themselves as a formidable garden foe for ages.  In fact the first mention of a “scarecrow” was found in the year 712 in the “Kojiki” known to be the oldest surviving book in Japan.  It’s no surprise then that many backyard gardeners have experienced the disappointment of working hard all season, only to have the birds gobble up the fruits of their labor, literally. After tending the soil, planting the seeds, nourishing the plants, and repelling the common pests, birds can swoop in for the prize. The situation is common with many gardeners, and farmers, whether its blueberries, broccoli, ground seed, or other backyard edibles.