Fake owls to deter birds?

[awp101]

We've been having a problem with birds getting into Hank's dog food when we put it out for him, pooping on the bench, porch etc.

I'd always heard the fake owls are a good deterrent but I keep thinking I've heard recently they aren't that good and there's a better way to do it. I might have read it here but I can't find the thread now.

So if you have a bird problem, how do you handle it? Besides a load of birdshot...

[gamekeeper]

Plastic owls will only work for a short time, they work better if frequently moved but still not a great deterrent. Rubber snakes work about the same, so I've heard.

[pwl44m]

Where is the Dog in all this ? I caint see a fake Owl working better than a live Dog.
Perry

[jeepnik]

One of the places I visit placed a plastic owl that hooted on a crane to deter pigeons. Within a few days, the pigeons were sitting on the owl. Pellet gun works better. Kill a few every now and then and the rest figure out there is a safer place to frequent.

[J35]

I have heard the ones that have the bobbing head work.

I know the ones that are one piece don't, I have two and have seen cowbirds and bluebirds perch on them.

A young boy with a BB gun works the best.

---J

[Blaine]

I have heard the ones that have the bobbing head work.

I know the ones that are one piece don't, I have two and have seen cowbirds and bluebirds perch on them.

A young boy with a BB gun works the best.

---J

I used to get a penny apiece for starlings...after the first half dozen bit the dust, the others wised up and never got close enough.

[Hobie]

#1 don't leave food out. Attracts all the wrong critters. If he won't eat it, take it up. He'll eat next time.
#2 killing 'em works. I have a plastic owl. Looked out one day to see a jay looking into his eye trying to figure out just what it was.

[Pete44ru]

.

FWIW, a friend used to use an articulated (battery-powered) Owl, placed atop his boat's canopy when he moored it (salt water), to keep the other birds from crapping all over his boat (back wneh he still owned the boat).

It apparently worked, 'cause he rarely had to clean poop off the poop deck after that.............




.

[awp101]

Where is the Dog in all this ? I caint see a fake Owl working better than a live Dog.

You'd think so, right? He has chased off or killed every squirrel that got into "his" yard. Or rabbit. Or possum. Or bird that landed on his pool (he has a kiddie pool to keep cool in). But I have seen him lay within striking distance of the birds getting the food from his bowl and not even pay them any attention. It's the durndest thing!

Kill a few every now and then and the rest figure out there is a safer place to frequent.

I'm just about to that point but I hate to kill something that's simply being a nuisance rather than an actual threat. Would staking the heads of a few gain me any cred in the bird world?

#1 don't leave food out. Attracts all the wrong critters. If he won't eat it, take it up. He'll eat next time.
#2 killing 'em works. I have a plastic owl. Looked out one day to see a jay looking into his eye trying to figure out just what it was.

#1 is my preferred plan and if he's not out there, the food isn't either. Every time I just about get She Who Puts Up With Me on board, she thinks about her baby being outside with no food.

#2...

[C. Cash]

Plastic owls will only work for a short time, they work better if frequently moved but still not a great deterrent. Rubber snakes work about the same, so I've heard.

GK has it. They do scare the poo out of humans too, the first few times.

[mikld]

I worked in a shop with 80' ceilings and we had a problem with pigeons (really P.O.ed some mechanics to see pigeon stuff on their $5,000 SnapOn toolbox. Owls worked for about a week. I put a back-up alarm inside one and it worked about 10 days. Finally we got a unit that reproduced predator calls (hawks, falcons, etc.). It was on a timer and worked quite well. Kinda expensive for home use, but it worked.

For my boat, I hung CDs from the rigging to keep the seagulls from ruining my canvas (boom cover, boom tent. rigging/winch covers, etc.).

http://www.nixalite.com/birdcontrolproducts.aspx

[North Country Gal]

No way would I leave uneaten food in a bowl out side all day, either in the city or the country. That will attract unwanted guests, as has been mentioned, some of which can be dangerous to your dog. These include raccoons and coyotes, both of which are notorious for raiding dog dishes and killing pets. You might tell the wife that. Maybe that will convince her. Don't know how big Hank is, but if he is not of a size that would make a coyote or coon to think twice, he could be in danger.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that your dog is safe if you live in an urban or suburban area, either. Research shows that the population density of raccoons can actually higher in urban areas than rural areas. Living in suburban Chicago for six years, I saw raccoons and coyotes, regularly, right behind the apartment and I was a long, long way from the nearest corn field. Do your dog a favor and keep the food indoors if he is not going to eat it. A little bird poop could be the least of your problems.

[madman4570]

#1 don't leave food out. Attracts all the wrong critters. If he won't eat it, take it up. He'll eat next time.
#2 killing 'em works. I have a plastic owl. Looked out one day to see a jay looking into his eye trying to figure out just what it was.

+1
Yep!

We have a big ceramic hand painted one----even scares me------but the birds like to sit on it.
Wack a few----rest will smarten up!
Dog food----inside!

[wfo]

I worked in a shop with 80' ceilings and we had a problem with pigeons (really P.O.ed some mechanics to see pigeon stuff on their $5,000 SnapOn toolbox. Owls worked for about a week. I put a back-up alarm inside one and it worked about 10 days. Finally we got a unit that reproduced predator calls (hawks, falcons, etc.). It was on a timer and worked quite well. Kinda expensive for home use, but it worked.

For my boat, I hung CDs from the rigging to keep the seagulls from ruining my canvas (boom cover, boom tent. rigging/winch covers, etc.).

http://www.nixalite.com/birdcontrolproducts.aspx

I use old CDs/DVDs hung on strings on my wild Cherry trees to keep the birds from beating me to the harvest, and it's been working like a charm. Most of the disks came free in the mail from AOL or other places.

[rbertalotto]

I had a loading dock on a building I owned that had terrible pigeon problems. I got a couple plastic owls and within 48 hours the pigeons were sitting on the owls heads!

So I too a piece of black cardboard, about 6" round and glued two big eyes I cut out of yellow paper. Two eyes on each side. Hung these by a string, one at each end of the dock. As they moved around due to the wind it kept the birds away for years.

[Borregos]

Plastic owls will only work for a short time, they work better if frequently moved but still not a great deterrent. Rubber snakes work about the same, so I've heard.

This is my experience with them, no idea about rubber snakes though!!

[20cows]

Somehow my phone put on twice.


BAD PHONE!

[20cows]

My uncle hung some rubber snakes on the rafters of his garage to keep the birds off his car. He was a farmer and did not live in town. After he passed away, my father and I were visiting with one of his sons in the garage and the son made the comment that the one on the workbench sure was lifelike and reach over to touch it.

It moved.

Things got real exciting for the next few minutes.

Don't know if the snakes worked for birds, but it cleared the people out.

[North Country Gal]

My uncle hung some rubber snakes on the rafters of his garage to keep the birds off his car. He was a farmer and did not live in town. After he passed away, my father and I were visiting with one of his sons in the garage and the son made the comment that the one on the workbench sure was lifelike and reach over to touch it.

It moved.

Things got real exciting for the next few minutes.

Don't know if the snakes worked for birds, but it cleared the people out.

[cas]

The owl WILL attract crows however, so you may just end up with MORE birds.

[awp101]

20cows, that's great!

Just to reiterate, the food isn't out unless he is. He's a 70-75# (maybe 80# now since he hasn't shed the winter fat he packed on. Kinda like his old man... ) Border Collie/Wheten Terrier mix. I watched him chase a buzzard (at least I think that's what it was, it was B-I-G) away from his pool a couple of summers ago. About the only thing that he runs from is the street cleaning truck. This afternoon I watched him give two squirrels the business when one chased the other out of one tree and into the next. When he figured out they weren't coming back down, he went into stalking mode and watched both trees. If either came down after I went back inside, it won't surprise me to find a squirrel tail sticking up out of the ground next time I mow.

cas, the more I think about it it's either crows or grackles getting his food (I don't know the difference). We have smaller birds around but it seems like it's always the bigger black birds I see on the porch.

I've made arrangements with The Old Man to pick up the old Crosman pellet revolver we used to take to the deer lease we had. I'll just have to be careful since the backyard is visible on 3 sides. And if he's out when I start thinning the herd I'll have to beat him to the carcasses.

[Ji in Hawaii]

A local shopping center put a bunch of owl decoys on their roof to scare the pigeons. Owls are so rare here the pigeons had no fear and were roosting right next to the owl decoys.