Getting rid of the bird poo problem

[Bill.D]

Hi all. I am sure I am not the only one who has to park his van under a telephone/electric cable with the resulting mess on the roof from starlings etc.
I have heard that a dummy owl or similar keeps the birds away, anyone had experience of these or any other effective (harmless of course) device.
Bill D.

 

[Phillipcharnwoodforest]

Hiya Bill, the company I work for use a plastic model of an owl to keep birds off of the sound test pad for obvious reasons. It seems to work o/k and there isn't a real problem with them.
The owl don't eat much either, and takes very little looking after

so try it, I would do.

 

[Martin24]

Whoops was going to suggest a shotgun, then read you wanted harmless!!

 

[Bill.D]

Thanks Phillip, interesting. The one I saw was about £22 (22" high so I guess about lifesize) unless anybody knows somewhere cheaper.
Bill D.

 

[RogerL]

Eagle Owl model is what you need - the real ones eat birds, unlike the other British owls which eat small mammals.
If you can attach it at the top of the telegraph pole that'll work better.

 

[cooky1]

We tried these dummy birds at work and the Pigeons used to sit on them!

 

[xtrailman]

The Heron near the pond doesn't work either.

 

[Mel]

Our local hospital has a Falcon kite on a tall bendy pole (like at rallies) on the roof to keep away the pigeons. The pigeons are unimpressed. On the other had the real wild hawk regularly takes out a pigeon and eats it outside my office window and there are some local falconers who are on contract to bring their birds to keep the helipad clear. You could see if there is a nearby falconer who would be willing to stage a fly past, every so often to deter, your feathered friends
That or a caravan cover.
mel

 

[Paul_5041263]

Dont know if you saw a recent tele program about the London tube system.....
Anyway they had a problem with bird poo at their depot and installed one of those dummy birds of prey, this was a falcon, anyway the pigeons responsible were shown happily perched dozing close by without a care in the world.
So my advice is don't get had...

 

[mullsy1]

The problem is that pidgeons ect are only frightened of birds of prey when they are in flight.A grounded Owl or Hawk is no threat.

 

[Chewnlynn]

Hello Bill D.
I can only tell you one thing for certain, my Grandparents used to get quite upset with me because the birds that frequented my Garden during the winter months are quite fantastic. They never had much other than the odd sparrow or lonely great tit and they lived nearer the woodlands than ourselves. I tried everything to get the wild birds to enter their garden but failed miserably.
I had to move a shurb for them then during one winter and whilst doing so, I had to move their plastic Eagle Owl to do so.
Un-a-wheres to me I'd left the Eagle Owl underneath their conifer hedge, litterally out of site to the naked eye.
The birds that came into their garden was un-real. We were all dum-founded until we noticed the Owl wasn't 'on show'.
(The Owl was standing about 2.5ft in height). Perhaps this would help yourself out.
Best regards ............