Bird Scaring
Falconry Response – Where clients have a population of nuisance birds but are unable to restrict their access through proofing measures such as netting, NBC Bird and Pest Control uses falconry response as a method of bird control, making the area undesirable to the birds and encouraging them to establish a new pattern of behaviour in another area. We provide falconry bird control to deter seagulls, pigeons, geese and also ground nesting birds such as Skylarks and Lapwings.
 Falconry Bird control, Shell, Aberdeen, with hawk |
 Bird control using hawks, Bullring, Birmingham |
 Bird control at Cemex, Lincolnshire, with hawk |
 Bird control in Aberdeen with falcon |
 Falconry Bird control on landfill site |
 Bird control using falcon at Shell, St Fergus |
some typical applications of bird scaring
Unlike audio or mechanical devices, birds never habituate to the presence of a live predator. Although unknown to the birds, using hawks or falcons to frighten off other birds is a non-lethal bird deterrent measure that can be carried out without legal threat.
These systems are natural and effective in scaring birds without the need to catch the prey, making it acceptable to the public and a great opportunity for some positive PR.
Audio Systems – Another method of dealing with a bird problem is broadcasting recordings of gulls, starlings, rooks and crows in distress through speakers which can be very effective in some situations. Once installed these bird scaring devices and systems require little maintenance, and as they are automatic there is little management required, providing a cost effective solution.
Also available through NBC Bird and Pest Solutions is a variety of products including rockets, gas guns and even special kites to assist clients who are looking to keep costs down and explore self help options.
Typical Applications
Problem: NBC Bird and Pest Solutions, a bird and pest control company, were called into Lichfield, Staffordshire, by frustrated businesses and residents in the city centre street being plagued by pigeons. The birds have even been barred from the pub, The King's Head on Bird Street, after Landlord, Stuart Green, demanded an end to flying vermin pestering his customers.
Stuart said: ‘Lichfield has a huge pigeon problem, but I'm trying to make The King's Head an exception. We are a food based business, so it is important that these bird problems are dealt with, especially in a way that uses natural pigeon deterrents.’
Solution: NBC Bird and Pest Solutions Area Manager, Graham Rees was called into help, he provides a variety of bird and pest control services in Lichfield and also throughout the West Midlands. Him and his Harris Hawk Ernie, have become local celebrities appearing in many Lichfield papers with their work in making Bird Street bird-free. Not content with clearing the pigeons on Bird Street, Graham and Ernie are now deterring seagulls from perching on the rooftops of Tippers Building Merchants, Lichfield.
Problem: Roosting gulls had caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to Hartlepool Primary School’s roof, pecking through the fabric and creating an unsightly mess of nest debris and guano. However, when construction workers arrived to repair the roof, the territorial gulls were determined not to give up their home without a fight and became extremely aggressive, attacking the workers.
Solution: NBC Bird and Pest Solutions, a national bird and pest control company implemented an intense programme of falconry response in the form of a Harris hawk to get rid of the gulls and to ensure their non-return by encouraging them to find a safer nesting spot.
Problem: Pigeons were nesting on the loading bay beams outside Cheltenham’s Regent Shopping Arcade, bringing with them associated bird problems such as droppings. Bird spiking and netting on the ledges where the birds were roosting and nesting in order to deter them, was not appropriate solution in this case however.
Solution: NBC Bird and Pest Solutions, a national bird and pest control company, flew a male Harris hawk as part of a falconry response programme, varying the times of day at which he is flown to ensure the pigeons don’t habituate due to the bird of prey’s presence. The arcade commented that it has found the hawk to be the most successful and cost effective way to get rid of the pigeons.
Problem: Shanks Waste Solutions in Aberdeen was experiencing a gull infestation scavenging food from the site. The gulls were then plaguing their next door neighbours, Greenwell, an office furniture showroom, causing tension between the two companies.
Solution: NBC Bird and Pest Solutions, a national bird and pest control company, used a pilot bird control programme of intensive falconry using two female Harris hawks. The waste management site has commented that ‘even on the days the Harris hawks are not on site there is hardly any seagull activity'.
Problem: The cement works at South Ferriby have recently employed NBC Bird and Pest Solutions, a national bird and pest control company, to help control the numbers of pigeons and starlings that decide to roost, and cause a nuisance at the site.
Solution: Ray Fretwell the Area Manager of the NBC Bird and Pest Solutions' Nottingham and Doncaster branch, takes his Harris Hawk named Ant (he has a brother called Dec!) to fly around the plant to deter other birds from the area, but in a humane way.
Bird of Prey are successful because other bird instinctively see them as a threat and therefore make themselves scarce.
A Cemex spokesperson commented that so far the use of falconry has proven successful and the number of birds observed around the site is decreasing.
Problem: As the ground nesting bird breeding season becomes an increasing concern for the construction industry, potentially causing delays that could add up huge financial losses. Lapwings and skylarks, like many of the ground nesting bird species, are attracted to undeveloped sites ,and nest for five months, from the beginning of March to the end of July. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, these protected birds are not allowed to be removed or disturbed during this breeding period, leaving construction companies at a standstill.
Solution: Advantage West Midlands used NBC’s bird and pest control services to deter skylarks and lapwings from the site on the M54. Ian Jolly, Site Supervisor, said, ‘I have experienced ground nesting birds causing delays on construction sites in the past. It was a case of ‘once bitten, twice shy’. The contract was extremely successful and as an added bonus gave the company a lot of positive PR. It is difficult to calculate how much the costs would have been had we not hired NBC Bird and Pest Solutions, but it is likely we would have lost in excess of a million pounds in standing machinery alone over the period.’
