sparrowhawk model birdscarer

Anyone know of a place that sells models of birds? Am being driven nuts pigeon (noise) population in garden - and would like to see if eg a sparrowhawk sitting there might put them off :-) Well, I'd be fun to try. Google keeps finding aircraft!

ps Anyone tried a "silent" untrasonic bird scarer? Any success? The ones I've seen cost ~£200 which is a bit much just to try it out.

Reply to
dave
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I'd be very surprised if it works.

My office block has a large central courtyard of approx 50m on each side. We have had great trouble getting rid of the doves and pigeons that deposit vast amounts of guano on the window sun screens.

We now have two motorized (flapping wings and moving heads) models of female-sized Peregrine falcons fixed to poles at gutter height in the courtyard. Periodically they utter a sound that is supposed to be an accurate reproduction of a male Peregrine calling and move their wings/heads. Apparently female Peregrines are bigger than males but the males are more of a threat to pigeons/doves! The noise sounds like a strangled duck and the pigeons etc take no notice of them.

HTH

Richard

Reply to
Richard

My garden appears to be within the hunting range of a real sparrowhawk. I doubt a model will be as effective.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
nightjar

Nothing puts off pigeons other than mechanical means. They're too stupid.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

How about an air rifle? That is if it is safe to shoot them.

It doesn't take Pigeons long to keep their distance once they have been shot at.

The ones round here are very wary and never come within range.

/Heds

Reply to
Heds
O

Of course not !, real predators move around all over the place.

Dave

Reply to
Dave Stanton

But the hawk is equipped for dealing with prey, the dove isn't even equipped to defend itself. I once watched a pair of crows taking the hatchlings from a collar doves' nest, it was a harrowing spectacle and I could do nothing about it ... the parents, in our terms, were distraught.

They nested in the same tree the following year and they or others still do.

They don't keep away though!

Yes, I forgot wrens and robin/s in our garden.

No, even though cats have been seen to take the odd bird.

It's like sheep, cattle or deer, one of their number can be walked up to and shot in a field and the others carry on grazing.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

No, they're too clever. They're survivors.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Only the ones which have been shot :-)

I don't believe that.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Tis true, the birds round here will not come within air rifle range of any of the houses here as they have been shot at too often.

And it is not just the ones that have been shot at, others in the area will also learn to give the house a wide 'zone of safety' as soon as they start hearing the crack of the discharge.

It is most frustrating as I love eating Pigeon. All the other birds are tamer, including the Pheasant and Doves. I don't shoot these in the garden.

/Heds

Reply to
Heds

Well at least one bod has convinced enough customers that his electric birds are a sufficient deterent for hin to make a living selling or renting out these abominations.

Oh and he moves them round the courtyard every couple of weeks!

When I worked in Whitehall a firm called IIRC Flypast periodically appeared. Their pigeon solution was (is) a man with a trained falcon.

Richard

Reply to
Richard

Some people will believe anything.

The election's going to be on 5 May, in case you didn't know.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Because they breed fast and eat almost anything. Nothing to do with intelligence.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Pigeons are filthy creatures - good ridance..

Don't both about it. 5 seconds later they'll have forgotten all about it and be at it again. They are birds - not human beings Mary. I don't like to see suffering mind - even I'm not that bad.

Of course they will. These are not intellectual giants. I saw a pigeon get run over as it seemed to think the wheel of a Thames van was no match for it. It's fellow pigeons were there straight away (in the traffic) pecking away at what he was trying to eat! Yuk!

I wish I had a real hawk here.

Reply to
dave

How right you are. I know it really - I was just dreaming of a solution. I work nights, get to bed at 04:00 - waken at about 06:00 by the noise. I've even built rockwool-filled panels I can lift into the window to reduce the sound. To be fair to the pigeons (I don't really want to be you understand), it's the old dear nextdoor who keeps putting bags of birdseed out for them that's causing the problem. Letters from the council saying not to do this (disease etc etc) this don't put her off from doing it anyway. Joking aside, it's really is torture:

2-3 hrs sleep per night!
Reply to
dave

What! If you believe pigeons are clever you need psychiatric help! They are the bird-world equivalent of sheep. You might as well say bacteria are clever!

They survive here because the nanny state says I can't blow the guts out of them with a .22 as I live too near a road! Get real.

Reply to
dave

As hard as I find this to say, I agree with Mary. Hang on, in one post you say they are "too clever" and now seem to be saying they are stupid. Perhaps you can explain how coming within range of a rifle is something a "survivor" does?

Reply to
dave

Excellent my man. Can you pop around here and bump a few off. I'll provide the wine and taxi home :-)

Reply to
dave

Only one big target for an air rifle then, problem solved :-)

Owain

Reply to
Owain

I said collar doves.

Pigeons (rock doves) are not filthy creatures. We eat them.

They hadn't forgotten about it. I kept a timed record of the whole incident; from the first attack to when the doves disappeared from the garden was over two hours. I sent it to the BTO, they said it was typical of such incidents.

I'm very aware what a bird is but why should they forget about their young? They have invested a lot into their production, as with humans re-generation is their only purpose and of course they're going to be disturbed by their purpose being frustrated.

Man continues building dwellings in earthquake regions and flood plains ...

I bow to your greater intellect, I have no way of knowing how to judge the working of a pigeon's mind. I suppose it takes one to know one ...

Some humans eat things they buy from Tesco ...

What's your problem with birds?

Mary

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Reply to
Mary Fisher

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