Testimonials - for our pest control products

Thank you for the Bird Gard unit (Crop Gard).

It seems to be most successful. I have only had minor incursions of musk lorikeets and a few wattlebirds. The latter are not as easily scared as the lorikeets. I have, however, had to remove a few with the shotgun. Honeyeaters caused a small loss on the cherries . With the apricot crop, we have hardly lost one apricot. With a big crop, around 300-400 10 kg boxes and some are not yet ready to pick, this is an outstanding success.

Did a good job on the crows with much less damage than pervious years.

The system was set up on trial over (12) twelve Redclaw Crayfish ponds measuring twelve acres, eight of these ponds are stocked.

The system was first installed in late January of 1996. Cormorants and Heron were our main air predators. After one week of use only one Cormorant had to be eliminated. Prior to that first week at least fifty shots per week had to be fired from a twelve gauge. After three weeks of use one more Cormorant had to be eliminated and three very persistent Pied Herons were encouraged to leave also. With some more trials on water bird noises, I am sure Herons could be deterred as well.

The sounds set on the Bird Gard are AVA, Cormorant and Great Blue Heron. The settings used are short timing, maximum volume.

After four weeks of constant usage I have not seen anymore Cormorants. The catchment dam which had previously been a roost for Cormorants is nor Cormorant free. Our speakers are aimed across the ponds towards the catchment dam and this seems to be protecting our ponds and keeping the catchment dam/roosting area free.

I am at present testing some night light strobe protection which I believe may be an advantage with Night Heron in conjunction with the Bird Gard. I am very happy with the system so far.The system was set up on trial over (12) twelve Redclaw Crayfish ponds measuring twelve acres, eight of these ponds are stocked.

The system was first installed in late January of 1996. Cormorants and Heron were our main air predators. After one week of use only one Cormorant had to be eliminated. Prior to that first week at least fifty shots per week had to be fired from a twelve gauge. After three weeks of use one more Cormorant had to be eliminated and three very persistent Pied Herons were encouraged to leave also. With some more trials on water bird noises, I am sure Herons could be deterred as well.

The sounds set on the Bird Gard are AVA, Cormorant and Great Blue Heron. The settings used are short timing, maximum volume.

After four weeks of constant usage I have not seen anymore Cormorants. The catchment dam which had previously been a roost for Cormorants is nor Cormorant free. Our speakers are aimed across the ponds towards the catchment dam and this seems to be protecting our ponds and keeping the catchment dam/roosting area free.

I am at present testing some night light strobe protection which I believe may be an advantage with Night Heron in conjunction with the Bird Gard. I am very happy with the system so far.

Effective bird control is now even easier using "Bird Gard" electronic audio units in our array of 'weapons' against bird damage in our berry crops.

Bird Gard units have enabled us to target specific and general bird species with impressive results. Bloody fantastic actually. Harassment and deterrent based units through a 'Multi-Blaster' during the 1999/2000 harvest, provided excellent results with minimal disturbance to employees and pickers in the field. We used Flower Fruit Scarer, Bird & Bat Control and Super A.B.C. for Leather heads.

Growers of Raspberries, Loganberries, strawberries and cultivated blackberries.

2 1/2 acres and expanding to 5 acres.

Before we used Bird Gard we used a gas operated scare gun and shooting.

The birds we have problems with are Sulphur Crested cockatoos damaging new plants and growth and Starlings, Currawongs, Rosellas and Ravens eating the fruit.

By shooting early in the season - making a lot of noise - the birds did not want to settle in the area. When the fruit started to ripen, we used Bird Gard units, the scarecrow and AVA.

Having the light sensor on the unit - at dawn - the birds main feeding time - gave us a freedom of bird control prior to our daily picking.

We found that the Bird Gard unit kept the birds at a distance and this enabled us to follow up the scare tactics with the shooting which then resulted with the birds going elsewhere to feed.

Using this method of management we found the loss or damage of the fruit too small to measure or to be concerned about.

Due to this more than satisfactory result and a good technical back up from Bird Gard we had no hesitation in expanding our growing area.

Thank you for sending to us the Duck Off unit with two speakers.

We were being eaten out by ducks. We are now losing no fruit and the ducks are very scarce. We consider it miraculous that such a result could be gained overnight. A great instrument.

Nina and I own and operate Blueberry Hill Berries which produces Blackberries, Raspberries and Blueberries.

Over the years we have had a huge problem with blackbirds, parrots and currawongs on our Blueberry crop in Kinglake, Victoria.

Last season we installed 2 Bird Gard systems, covering an area of 4½ acres - although we still used a gas gun as back up, we achieved an increase in our yield and there were a lot less birds around.

These Bird Gard systems are not 100% perfect for keeping all the birds out, but together with gas gun as back up, they perform well. And they sure are more neighbour friendly than other alternatives. We will certainly be using them again next year.

The unit was installed at the aviary complex at the start of the breeding season. It appears after a settling in period the birds have grown used to the noise and have gone about their every day things with no apparent problems, there appears to be no mice in the aviaries at all, all the holes were filled in prior to installing the unit with no fresh evidence of them since, with no apparent effect on the birds this unit seems to work quite well.

I have installed my brand new Super Pro X and I have been running it with the Harassment chip for 5 days and the Flower Fruit # 2 for 2 days. Even though I had seen the product in the Orange field day I was still not sure of the success rate I would have but anything is better than the 50 % loss I have been experiencing. I can however assure you that I now have no bird that threatens my Cherry crop. I have a few crows buy they are no threat, however it is clear to see the effects when I noticed some Galahs coming in for a snack and as soon as they touched down the noises kicked in after there short break and the bird were out of the orchard in no time.

I have used gal pipe cemented into the ground with speakers every 25m- 30m apart with the ground allowing me to move the speakers up or down depending on the height of my trees.

Bird Gard is working wonders and looks to be a solid investment, I am very pleased so far but harvest time will show the true success, however it is clear by the fruit on the tree to be a much bigger crop.

Just a quick note to let you know the scarer system seems to be doing the trick. In combination with a powerful double bang gas gun I've seen very few birds in the orchard. This has enabled us to pick and pack one large block of Black-boy cherries without a single bird blemish.

I'm trying to rotate the scarers around so there's different noise production, as you say moving the boxes around a couple of times a week should be more efficacious. Regards and thanks again.

The scarers have been a huge success. The Crow Scarer particularly. Only one brief incur by a couple of crows. I haven't lost a cherry to them since. No losses to crows in the apricot crop either. Thank you once again.

Well our cherries are in their last week for the final variety!! Thank goodness!! We appreciated very much the Pro-plus you lent us! It seems to work very well for us in conjunction with the Multi-Blaster. (Especially if there is little wind).

The drought seems to have caused big bird problems and again we really appreciated your help and prompt replies.

Hope to hear from you soon. Many thanks.

Council purchased a Crop Gard Super Pro bird harassment unit some four months ago to deter birds from scavenging at the city landfill. There are a variety of birds that have been a problem at the tip face, with the main species being starlings, ibis, hawks, mynas and crows. The Crop Gard has been effective on all of these birds except the ibis, which we were advised by Bird Gard would be resistant to any product on the market at that time.

Council is happy with the product and service provided by Bird Gard, which has added another valuable dimension to the constant battle to manage bird numbers at particular sites.

Muswellbrook Shire Council has purchased and installed a Bird Gard Multi Blaster to help reduce a major starling infestation in local streets.

The device has been in place for approximately four weeks and our bird problem has been substantially reduced.

Council would like to commend Bird Gard for their expertise and help in this matter.

Emerald Shire Council had been experiencing problems with the colonisation of a section of our Botanic Gardens by a large number of Flying Foxes.

We had tried a couple of measures to force the Flying Foxes to relocate but had been unsuccessful. I had a discussion with one of the local grape growers who advised me to contact bird Gard as he had had success removing birds with some of their products.

I contacted Jim from Bird Gard and on his suggestion, purchased 2 devices, one device aimed at birds and the second aimed at birds and bats. We connected and positioned these devices as advised by Jim. With these devices in conjunction with the use of a high pressure hose twice a day we managed to move the colony completely in less than 2 weeks.

Bird Gard have been very helpful in both the quality of the devices supplied and advice which they supplied. We are very happy with all facets of Bird Gards service.

Dear Andi
We have had the machine some eight months and found it achieved the results the manufacturers claim in that it made a serious rat problem in our dairy controllable by moving them away from established nests and a great food source of waste bread and grain.
We now use the machine only at night and have seen very few rats for some time now and we would suggest that if the machine was placed in a shed before the food source the problem would not occur.

We purchased the CEX machine in August 2004 to try to control Wallabies and Wallaroos from invading our garden. After a few days the Wallabies learnt to leave our garden alone. It has been a outstanding success. Our son on the Gold coast also bought a CEX unit to stop water rats from invading his fish ponds and eating all his fish. This has also been a successful operation.

After purchasing one of your Electronic Pest Repellers we have been very surprised with the result. After using it on the recommended setting for the first 3 or 4 months we found it did several things. Not only have the mice been controlled we also find that there are not as many insects in the building ( spiders, bugs etc ). So not only has it solved our first problem but it has done a better job than first thought. Thankyou for great advice and kind support.

We have installed the CEX and it appears to be successful in keeping out wallaroos, wombats and bandicoots.

Recently I bought a CEX transonic gizmo when I was at the Gardening Australia Show. We have installed the CEX and are HIGHLY DELIGHTED and I sing its praises to anyone who is complaining about their pests.

I have had one for years ( CEX ), keeps the possums at bay and the kangaroos and rabbits.

Thank you for supplying me with a Bird Gard GNB Model. Prior to this we have had significant cockatoo damage. Since installing this two weeks ago we have had no further damage. I can highly recommend this item which I believe has saved us thousands of dollars in potential damage.

(ESP on Rats and Mice in Nursery)
Machine is working very well, have lost no seed since installing it. Thanks again.

Until we purchased our first Pro Plus Harassment device, the damage caused by Cockatoos and Corellas was devastating ,every day requiring course staff to spend 2-4 hours daily repairing damage on Golf Greens not to mention damage caused to trees and shrubs around the course. Since then damage by the birds has been reduced by 90-95% We were so pleased we purchased a second unit and extra speakers ( so the units can be easily moved around the course ) The birds are still around but damage is minimal.

As discussed last Friday. we have been particularly happy with the results from using the Laser in our aircraft hangar down here in Canberra.Qantas has already noticed a decrease in the number of birds in the hangar. Furthermore, the laser has been successful in removing some nesting parrots out of the facility, and these have not been seen for over 8 days. The laser has also worked on the starlings and minor birds that have entered the hangar. The starlings were particularly impressive, they just turned and immediately left the hangar. Qantas and Defence personnel also felt the Laser was easy to use, safe for the staff and provided good directional control to ensure that the birds actually left the hangar.

With 4000 trees and the cost of full canopy netting being approximately we decided to look at the Bird Gard system as an alternative pest control method.

We were very pleased with our first season with minimal fruiting trees and only one system in operation we obtained a small amount of damage from birds and bats of around 2% of our total crop. This is our third commercial season and we now have three X8 systems from Bird Gard which we have strategically placed through our orchard. The drought made the birdlife in our district more aggressive in their feeding habits than we had experienced in the past. Hence, the damage to crop in the 2006 season was about 10%, but undoubtedly the system was still very effective.

As our orchard is young and we aim to keep our trees at 2.6 metres in height we will continue to expand the system to maintain a low level of pest damage during our season. We have every confidence that the Bird Grad system is the most cost effective way to control the bird and bat pests in our orchard.

I put AVA in, then the ESP and between the two machines have kept the parrots out completely.

Thank you for the equipment. So far we have no birds inside the circle.

The previous owner used to have a lot of trouble with birds, so we did some research and decided to give Birdgard a go. We purchased the system for the 96/97 season and installed it to suit our farm.....Birds did not fly into the orchard, rather they flew around high above the orchard and did not cause us a problem.....We did not change our tactics the following two seasons and have not had a problem with birds at all.

Initial Success for Sound/Light repellant system
Ron and Diane Geake have a total of 2500 trees on 13 hectares at Wolvi, 20 kilometres from Gympie.

Plantings of lychees, mangoes, stonefruits and citrus have been designed to spread production, and so the cash flow, over 10 months of the year.

We are taking a technological approach to control of vertebrate pests and last season installed a light and sound system marketed by Andi Flower, (Bird Gard).

Ron sees, and manages the system as a weapon. "Even if there is no obvious pattern of damage I change the layout periodically."

"The system works very well. One of the positive factors in our situation is the condensed area in which we are working because of the intensive plantings. Out tight spaces and controlled shapes mean we get very good coverage which maximises its effectiveness."

"It was very effective against birds and bats last season, and there were indications it might also have some effect against fruit sucking moth, which is a nocturnal insect."

Ron shifts the system from block to block as the season progresses.

"The system, which he ran 24 hours a day during the harvest season, was effective against parrots and bats" he said.

"The stonefruit patch is adjacent to the wall of a dam which is planted to native trees, and with a torch I could see the eyes of the bats in the trees waiting to come into the orchard, but they never came. I had a permit to shoot up to 100 bats and shot only 11 for the entire season, most in the first couple of weeks of the stonefruit season."

His observations when he cut back the sound level at one stage indicated the effectiveness of the system, Ron said.

"I was using the sound at maximum volume and had not had any problems, so I decided to cut it back. That night I noticed 11 bats over the trees and shot 3 of them".

"As soon as I put the sound back up to full volume the others left. I could see it working. I'm really happy about that. I don't like shooting things and this minimises the need to take that sort of action."

An additional continuous Background Sound System has been added for the current season which is set up for possums and bats.

"This new device runs 24 hours a day and I have found my self enquiring as to whether there are any fruit bats about, because so far I have had absolutely no damage in the stonefruit crop from either lorikeets or bats."

The device is working well, its really pissing off the seagulls. There is a occasional bit now and then but on the whole it has solved the problem. The boats around us have thanked us for solving their problem to as well, so it obviously it works over quite a large area. So yep very happy with it and I would think you will get more enquiries as plenty of people have asked where it came from.

I have been distraught and enraged by gulls and shags roosting on my boat. Native birds are protected in this country and no action involving physical harm is permitted. The result is bird droppings all over my cherished and immaculate Mariner 3400 power boat which have to be cleaned off the foredeck and fly bridge covers daily. This in itself raised a problem because hosing off boats is now prohibited by local water restrictions.

I have tried absolutely everything to control the rotten birds to no avail.

I am most happy to report that after installing the unit programmed by you with random and various bird calls, with the volume set at half, no gull or shag will venture within fifthy metres of my boat. You can see them flying towards my boat and when they hear the calls, they steak off in panic. Since installing the unit I have had no droppings at all

Colin and Chris Fletcher are one of the first private growers in the Blenhiem area. "Rocenvin" was planted progressively from 1981 onwards with a mixture of principally Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling with some Chardonnay, Merlot and Cab Sauv - a current total of 52 acres in production.

With these well established plantings they contract supply their top quality grapes to the renowned wineries - Forrest Estate, Grove Mill and Villa Maria.

Viticulturist daughter Michelle, who manages the vineyard, under took a trial over the 2002 season with some of the Bird Gard acoustical bird control products. These particular units repel starlings, waxeyes, sparrows, blackbirds and thrushes, which had previously been a problem in part of their vineyard adjacent to shelter belts and the house garden with its trees.

At the end of the season they purchased all their trial units:

"Pretty wicked," said Michelle on the results "I was totally amazed that they worked so well. Sparrows and flocks of starlings would head for the Sauvignon Blanc, hit the sound and take off out of there." Michelle did find that as the sound system was over top of the crop that blackbirds and thrushes were able to come in underneath the sound barrier and take grapes. However she soon discovered that by dropping a couple of speakers to just above ground level the blackbirds and thrushes disappeared.

A point of interest - Michelle observed that the occasional bird was able to feed close to the speaker. Her method for deaf birds was disposal!

Further away in the five acre merlot block which had no Bird Gard protection the bird damage was quite devastating. But as soon as the Sauv Blanc's had been harvested, the two units were moved into this area.

"I didn't believe that feeding birds would immediately move out when we turned the sound on, acknowledged Colin Fletcher "they could not get out fast enough!" Chris then remarked that "in all the years that we have been growing grapes, nothing else has ever worked as effectively." In the past they had tried all types of electronic bird protection but without the results that Bird Gard has given them.

"We found Bird Gard provided a very effective electronic fence that birds would not go through. It protected high pressure areas of the vineyard near shelter belts, our own and neighbours trees. In particular, where the vineyard rows run away from the trees which makes netting impractical. As we are surrounded by vineyards starlings have not been a major problem, it was resident blackbirds, sparrows and waxeyes that were causing the damage until we installed Bird Gard. A great weapon to protect hot spots" said Colin.

Most importantly, all the pest birds, including sparrows had not been able to tolerate the combination of high frequency designed harassment sounds at any stage throughout the season.

This season the Fletchers will expand their Bird Gard protection.

Founder of Bird Gard, Andi Flower was very impressed by Michelle's knowledge of bird habits and her ability to efficiently manage the system to its best advantage. "The results speak for themselves," he said.

Fiddler's Green Vineyard is a 50 acres property 70 kilometres north of Christchurch (N.Z.) which is currently producing Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Both varieties have collected a number of medals.

Due to the mild winter conditions bird activity was extreme for the 2000 harvest, even though their property was well netted. The starling and waxeye populations in the area were so active that the nets were not enough to prevent damage. A quick call to Bird Gard, and a newly designed multiple harassment unit was delivered.

"Within half an hour of installation the starlings had disappeared", said Ben Johns (Vineyard Manager). "Without the Bird Gard unit damage would have been quite major, as it was around other properties in the area. I couldn't believe the results considering the initial starling population, I'm impressed!"

The main types of birds causing us problems are Galahs, Cockatoos and Crows. Presently we control birds by shooting and the use of scare guns. I was interested in trialling a system to repel crows, because they can be persistent all day long. With Galahs and Cockatoos I can almost assume they will be quiet from late morning until afternoon, so labour management is simply. This year was unusual in that all varieties of birds were 2-3 weeks later than usual, so we had the system running for quite a while with virtually no birds anywhere. At this stage it was difficult to tell what effect the system was having. Once the crows started to move in around the orchard, the protected area was actually free of birds. The closest part of the Mallee scrub also had only a few Crows congregating, where there would normally be many. I assumed this was also due to the Multi-Blasters, even though the distance is about 250 metres away. The system was turned off for a short while to see what would happen, and the Crows definitely came in right to where the units were placed. As another test I moved the units right away to a place on our main orchard where Crows were coming in by huge numbers. My first reaction was it was not working, but by next day once again the local area was free of Crows.

The trial has proven to me, the system was effective in keeping crows out of a local area.

Thank you for the use of your Multiblaster for the start of this season. David Humphries had it set up and operating directly after planting and no bird damage was evident nor were there birds in the area we wanted to protect for the three months we had it.

David does have some problems with wild deer and initially the Multiblaster controlled them also, although only for a fortnight after emergence. This control of deer was obviously not what we expected, however it was of benefit to us.

Overall, both David and I are very happy with the result achieved and are keen to see how this system works when peanuts are pulled, as when birds are in high numbers particularly in a year such as this, the damage birds can cause is considerable.

Thank you once again for the use of your machines and we will have at least one back to you next week with a decision on the purchase of the other.

I wish to confirm how pleasantly surprised we are at the effectiveness of the 3 Bird Gard audio control units we bought and have now used for one full season on our Almond crop.

We have a severe bird problem in Renmark, being located on the edge of the Disher Creek Reserve area and being some distance form any alternative feeding areas for big flocks of Crows, Galahs, Corellas and Yellow Rosella Parrots which roost in the Reserve.

Two Bird Gard audio control systems have effectively protected a 25 acres almond block from all the bigger birds right through until the commencement of harvest. Almost no large birds came in and any crop damage was quite insignificant. When we started harvest, we became too complacent and dispensed with routine patrolling and changing the second patterns on the units. Crows then did begin to come in between the 2 systems until we renewed shot gun patrolling. Next year we will maintain our vigilance right through! The parrots were effectively reduced in numbers and redistributed away from the far boundaries, so that they were easier to control by shot gun patrols.

In the other area closer to our shed and easier to patrol the 3rd unit was completely effective. However, we also used Scare guns in this area as well.

I would conclude that the units were at least as effective as Scare guns and cheaper to operate. Probably a system using both bird deterrent systems combined with shot gun patrols, is the answer to bird control in almonds. It was also seems important to follow the installation instructions exactly and to commence operations before any birds have begun feeding.

Good luck with promoting your product, as I think that it has a definite place in the Almond industry.

We found that if there was a good flowering of native trees on Kapiti Island the bird pressure was not so great. However if there was a cold winter and little or no native tree flowering bird pressure could build up dramatically.

For us the investment into our 12 acres of olives would have been marginal if we had not contacted the company Bird Gard and brought the units with specific sounds to repel starlings and wax-eyes.

With the systems and speakers placed correctly we found the sounds environmentally and neighbour friendly. The compliance officers from the Local Council were very supportive and found the speaker decibel levels of 50 decibels very acceptable.

The Bird Gard system is cost effective and a viable option for bird control. Its not perfect or 100% effective but it has greater consideration for people as against the use of gas guns.

There is a variety of sounds for the different pest birds, some intense and others more neighbour friendly. We just placed them accordingly and have had good result and better returns from fewer fruit losses to birds.

I had been in the pest control industry for twenty years when I first began using Bird Gard products. Firstly for controlling problem birds in areas where chemical controls proved to difficult and species were protected.

With sonic and ultra-sonic devices, laser guns and kites, bird problems have never been easier to control. I have supplied to the customer and rented depending on the problem and size of it.

The CEX unit used for possum and rodent control are easily the biggest seller in Tasmania . I was always cynical about electronic devices for rodent control but the CEX unit is ideal in areas where rodent baits cannot be used.

I recently sold a CEX and extra speaker to a Pig Farmer at Winnaleah, to control a rat problem he had, I was very sceptical to say the least but since then his father has purchased another unit. These units are a good alternative for people who don't want any baiting done.

The great thing about these units is the amount of time saved in fixing the clients problems.

Since purchasing your electronic rodent repeller three years ago, we have found an approximate 80% drop in shrinkage previously caused by rodent damage. The area where the machine is operating is 30 by 50 metres storing animal feed and grass seed. The original cost of the machine has well and truly paid for itself due to the major drop in shrinkage.

I have just received a report from Kaz Miyake that the Bird Gard units have been successfully installed and so far seem very efficacious in doing what is required.. Kaz's informant reported that he had tried all manner of devices over the years BUT this gadget so far was by far the best. It pisses sparrows and crows of brilliantly.

Day 1.
Bird Species: 500 black ducks (estimate), 25 pair of black and white swans, 5 pair black swans, 4 grey herons, 2 white spoonbills.

Bird Behaviour: Black duck cautious fly and land readily. Swans calm, unperturbed. Heron and Spoonbill as for Black ducks.

Bird Gard installation: 1 Duck Off; 1 AVA, BBC combination; 1 AVA, ABC combination; 1 AVA, Electronic Scare Crow combination; 1 ABC

Day 2.
No inspection.

Day 3.
Bird Species: 5 black ducks, 10 pair black and white swans, no black swans, no spoonbills.

Bird Behaviour: A few remaining black ducks extremely nervous, black swans nervous, easily frightened, no grey herons or spoonbills.

Day 4.
Bird Species: 5 black ducks, no swans at all, no grey herons, no spoonbills.

Bird Behaviour: Black ducks extremely nervous, frighten easily.

Conclusions:
1. Duck Off sounds again repel very large numbers of black ducks.

2. Both species of swan in previous trials with the Duck-Off sounds, were not repelled; however with the introduction of two completely new sounds ie. BBC and Electronic Scarecrow by Day 4, all swans were repelled from the trial area.

3. Exactly the same conclusion can be drawn for Spoonbill and Grey Heron.

The 1994 harvest was virtually left undamaged due to the Super ABC... I was very pleased with it and would not hesitate to recommend it for grape growers.
Dr. Gary Pavlis.

"I was particularly interested in the fact that there was minimal damage on the non-harvested buffer blueberry bushes, even though berries remained on these bushes until they dropped naturally," Eric Hanson, Assoc. Professor Michigan State.

I utilized (the Bird Gard) on a commercial farm to protect the winegrape cultivars 'Merlot' and 'Cabernet Franc'. Both the grower and I were impressed that your device appeared to significantly lower bird pressure on this planting
Thomas Zabadal, Coordinator

After 14 years of bird damage, this year I harvested an additional 6 - 8 tons of blueberries on five acres thanks to the Bird Gard, Walker Miller, Clemson Professor.

Our technician was finding 10-20% damaged fruit each harvest. Soon after we installed the Bird Gard, our percentage of bird damaged fruit dropped substantially to 2 - 3%.
Wrote Monte Nesbit, Horticulturist at the Gulf Coast.

"The Bird Gard does a good job of scaring birds in our vineyards and it also does a good job of attracting predators. During the growing season a Red tailed hawk lived near the vineyard. More than once I saw the hawk actively looking for distressed birds when the distress call sounded, " Tim Johnson, Research Specialist.

"The trials with the Super ABC in sweet cherries were very successful. The orchard manager indicated he harvested the largest crop he can remember. Typically that block had suffered 40% - 50% crop loss each season," Dr Paul Curtis, IPM Wildlife Specialist.

Thank you for the use of the Weitech Bird Gard Audio Bird Control Electronic Bird Repeller (ABC) this past season. The repeller's performance was very impressive and we are pleased with the results.

We positioned the Bird gard ABC north of a 3 year old Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vineyard (1.7 acres). The vineyard is a training trial consisting of single and double curtain trellis systems. The test area was part of a 3.8 acre block stripped of its crop over a two day period by birds last year. (This year the Chardonnay portion of the block was netted at considerable cost.) The vines were damaged by winter injury and crape clusters only developed close to the ground. The low clusters put the fruit at bird's eye level, therefore, some feeding damage occurred around the edges of the vineyard where the birds had easy access to the rows. While the vineyard is far from its potential we did harvest 1.5 tons of grapes this year. I believe that the yield would have been much less if not for the Bird Gard ABC.

One afternoon in September I watched the Bird Gard do its stuff. A large flock of starlings congregated on electrical wires north of the vineyard. Several birds were feeding in the vineyard and others were circling for a landing. The Bird Gard "Time Off" switch was set to "L" so sound bursts were about 6 minutes apart. I waited for the alarm to sound and the first distress calls had no effect on the flock. This was very discouraging because I thought the Starling distress call was the second of the three. When the third call sounded the flock took to the air. They circled and headed west to the safety of a hedge row. While the alarm didn't keep the birds completely out of the vineyard, it did disrupt the feeding cycle so that damage was minimal.

The alarm does a good job of scaring birds and it also does a good job of attracting predators. During the growing season a Red Tailed Hawk lived near the vineyard. More than once I saw the hawk actively looking for distressed birds when the alarm sounded.

Introduction
The information in this report is based on observations made during a visit to Andi's lychee orchard near Yandina on 3/2/2000 to observe a working system and discussions with Andi regarding its use. Presently there is no data available from controlled experimental trials available on which to base a statistically proven scientific assessment of the Birdgard system.

Notes on the Birdgard system and its use.
The system is sold as a pack of 4 or 6 speakers and cables, plus a digital noise generating unit which incorporates a programmable timing system and volume control. The system normally runs off 12v battery (with an option to augment the battery with a solar panel) but is also sold with an adaptor for mains power. The speakers need to be mounted on apple at least a metre above the canopy of the orchard, the grower needs to arrange this and simple wooden or metal poles suffice.

The distributors recommend that the speakers are placed along the perimeter of the orchard facing outwards about 5 - 10 metres from the edge of the crop. One set of speakers with a noise generator/control box about $1200 and this equipment would be enough to provide control over an area of 1 to 2.5 hectares, depending upon the crop and conditions under which it is used. The best positioning of speakers and most effective noises to use depends on the species of bird to be controlled and the surrounding environment, factors such as perimeter scrub, creeks, shape of orchard and locality of houses all need to be taken into consideration. The distributors will provide advice to individual growers regarding how to set up the equipment for their conditions and which noises to use, growers are asked to fax details of their orchard to the distributors to facilitate this.

The speakers should be used at full volume (90 decibels), the distributors believe that incomplete control using this system is often a result of incorrect siting and low speaker volume. There are 5 of different noises used in the equipment and a number of options on timing and type of noise used, several different noises can be used to deter a wide range of bird pests. The noises are developed using electronic equipment to produce sounds that confuse and jam the birds sensory systems which stresses, isolates and irritates them. The sounds also prevent them from communicating with each other. The system is designed to deter birds from entering or staying the orchard, the aim of the system is to create a "no go" area for pests. Fixed and mobile versions of the system area available.

The sounds are not simply bird or animal alarm calls, they are "artificial" sounds that have been observed to harass the main pests and prevent them from entering the orchard. The distributor recommends that to achieve optimum control the equipment must be switched on in advance of the crop becoming attractive to the pests and kept on permanently until about two weeks after the harvest is complete and unharvested fruit is no longer attractive. If birds come in to clean up the remanent of the crop after harvest they are likely to become familiar with the orchard as a food source and return the next season. It is important to use the system at all times the birds may be tempted to enter the orchard, in practice this means having the equipment on the whole time.

The distributor commented that when pest pressure are very high, such as after high rainfall which washes nectar from native trees, some other deterrent methods may be needed such as patrolling and shooting to control determined birds. This is only to maintain the integrity of the system temporarily and under normal circumstances the birds are deterred by the noise from the Birdgard system.

In the orchard visited flying foxes are controlled by suing powerful floodlights to augment the Birdgard system, limited patrolling is also needed from time to time at dusk to prevent the "scout" animals becoming familiar with the orchard.

The orchard visited appeared to have a good crop this year and a yield of 80kg per tree was recorded in the previous harvest season (1999) when the same equipment was used. At the time of the visit no birds were observed in the orchard and no signs of bird or flying fox damage were seen. Uptake of the equipment is reported to have been greatest in the southern states especially in grape growing regions, 90 percent of sales being outside Queensland.

With this type of equipment and pest problem it is impossible to predict how successful the system will be in a specific situation, much depends on the hunger of the animals which is dependant on uncontrollable environmental factors such as rainfall. Observation of the orchard visited and the comments of the distributor indicate that Birdgard is effective in many situations but needs to be sued with care and skill to achieve the best results.

Initial Success for Sound/Light repellant system
Ron and Diane Geake have a total of 2500 trees on 13 hectares at Wolvi, 20 kilometres from Gympie.

Plantings of lychees, mangoes, stonefruits and citrus have been designed to spread production, and so the cash flow, over 10 months of the year.

We are taking a technological approach to control of vertebrate pests and last season installed a light and sound system marketed by Andi Flower, (Bird Gard).

Ron sees, and manages the system as a weapon. "Even if there is no obvious pattern of damage I change the layout periodically."

"The system works very well. One of the positive factors in our situation is the condensed area in which we are working because of the intensive plantings. Out tight spaces and controlled shapes mean we get very good coverage which maximises its effectiveness."

"It was very effective against birds and bats last season, and there were indications it might also have some effect against fruit sucking moth, which is a nocturnal insect."

Ron shifts the system from block to block as the season progresses.

"The system, which he ran 24 hours a day during the harvest season, was effective against parrots and bats" he said.

"The stonefruit patch is adjacent to the wall of a dam which is planted to native trees, and with a torch I could see the eyes of the bats in the trees waiting to come into the orchard, but they never came. I had a permit to shoot up to 100 bats and shot only 11 for the entire season, most in the first couple of weeks of the stonefruit season."

His observations when he cut back the sound level at one stage indicated the effectiveness of the system, Ron said.

"I was using the sound at maximum volume and had not had any problems, so I decided to cut it back. That night I noticed 11 bats over the trees and shot 3 of them".

"As soon as I put the sound back up to full volume the others left. I could see it working. I'm really happy about that. I don't like shooting things and this minimises the need to take that sort of action."

An additional continuous Background Sound System has been added for the current season which is set up for possums and bats.

"This new device runs 24 hours a day and I have found my self enquiring as to whether there are any fruit bats about, because so far I have had absolutely no damage in the stonefruit crop from either lorikeets or bats."

With the start of control with distress calls in the Bird Gard ABC, crows virtually abandoned 2 almond orchards in Yolo County and remained away from 3 other almond orchards in Sutter County for periods ranging from 9 to 30 days. Damage decreased at all sites compared to 1997. Almond losses ranged from $22/ac to $138/ac in 1998 compared to $46/ac to $1,015/ac in 1997. The decrease in damage represented significant dollar savings of $998, $3,642, and $5,914 for the three individual orchards.
Paul Gorenzel, Horticulturist.

The Bird Gard Electronic Repeller with the gull chip (for crows) did a good job of changing crow feeding areas. The Bird Gard disrupted the crows and they moved to other areas. The way I used the Bird Gard was effective for about a week and then it had to be moved to another area.
Wrote: Dr. Thomas Crocker, Horticulturist-Pecans.

My family and I looked seriously for a year or two before finally investing $ 9,000 in a few Multi Blasters.

Crows and large parrots ( mostly cockatoos ) were our main concern in our stonefruit orchard at Cobram, Victoria, on the Murray River.

In the first season we easily saved $ 40,000 to $ 50,000 which would normally have been lost to birds.

The Multi-blasters were simply to set up and we installed them early, before the usual bird damage commenced.

At the end of our season I loaned the devices to a neighbour ( Persimmon grower ) who was more than grateful.

In recent months the Multi Blasters have been loaned to a leading Strawberry Grower in the district who has had very successful results on his high value crop. He is presently considering purchasing his own Bird Gard system.

I am looking forward to another good season using the Bird Gard.

The scarers have been a huge success. The Crow Scarer particularly. Only one brief incur by a couple of crows. I haven't lost a cherry to them since. No losses to crows in the apricot crop either. Thank you once again.

It works! Haven't had a lorikeet around the stonefruit for over two weeks I'm beginning to feel sorry for them (someone shoot me!) Looking forward to letter her rip over the lychees. Many thanks.

We installed our first Bird Gard in 1992 and the immediate effect was so good that two days later we rang and ordered another one. We now have four machines and 20 speakers strategically placed throughout the orchard.....and now our losses are minimal; I would say, less than one percent. In fact we are really excited about the results.

Thank you for the Bird Gard unit (Crop Gard).

It seems to be most successful. I have only had minor incursions of musk lorikeets and a few wattlebirds. The latter are not as easily scared as the lorikeets. I have, however, had to remove a few with the shotgun. Honeyeaters caused a small loss on the cherries . With the apricot crop, we have hardly lost one apricot. With a big crop, around 300-400 10 kg boxes and some are not yet ready to pick, this is an outstanding success.

Bloody marvellous. In 1997 we had losses with lorikeets and other birds.
In 1998 we installed Bird Gard's system with minimal damage.
Last season we had next to no bird damage.

Grapes looking really good. No birds... combination of Bird Gard and Gas gun doing good job.

Just to let you know how things are going so far. We started picking this week but still have 90% of crop on the vines.

General

It may be tempting fate, but so far the bird problem is much less than last year. I have not seen a single Starling enter the vineyard, although there are flocks in the grassland areas nearby, and roosting on powerlines around the place.

We had a hugh flock of Noisy Friarbirds about a fortnight ago. I moved several different sounds around but nothing (it seemed) to bother them. I put our two gas guns on and also took certain other measures to deter them (ring and Ill tell you). Suddenly about the time I put the Butcherbird sound on the Friarbirds have stopped coming although the Unit is a long way from the parts they were infesting and its hard to believe they can hear it. The Friarbirds are still worrying Roger down at Brindabella Hills but for some reason they've left us alone at this stage even though we've got plenty of ripe fruit here.

Down below the tennis court near the house I rigged by a 4-way blaster together with two speakers placed about 20 metres apart pointing towards the bird entry points. I am playing the Fruit Flower and Electronic Scarecrows sounds and they seem (touch wood) to have stopped most of the birds entering the 7-acre vineyard via the trees adjacent to the tennis court (and maybe have upset the Friarbirds as well).

Vines at front of property near the pine trees

The new Butcher-bird sound is on the patch of vines below the shed towards our front gate - you may remember walking down there near the pine trees? Theres a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir area there where in the past nothing has kept out the birds, particularly the Silvereyes, and in the past we've lost up to 60% of the crop, a loss which we reduced to about 20% last year in those rows.

So far with only about 7 days till we pick these vines (ie other words very ripe fruit up round 11.9 Beaume degrees) there is no Silvereye damage at all, not even at ends of rows where they usually start. There are Silvereye in the area, quite a few up near the house in the fruit trees and round the house garden - I can hear them twittering to themselves. I have also seen a few flying over the vines, and maybe there's a bit of damage in there somewhere we'll find when we pick, but haven't seen any yet.

The Butcherbird unit is running thru the PA speaker you sent down, as well as through two other of the small speakers set back about 15 metres into the vineyard, and about 25 metres apart, and pointing out at the pine trees which are only a few feet from the row endposts as you know.

Pinetree area next to 10 Acre vineyard at South of house

This week we picked the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc and there was not a sign of bird damage in either. Also the Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot are almost totally free of bird damage except for a few Silvereye pecks here and there.

The thing that we've done differently from last year is to string out four speakers from the 4-way blaster site, each speakers about 30 metres apart. So we have the central point with the 4-way blaster, and on each side of it two speakers at 30m intervals giving us a linear cover of about 60 metres either side of the Blaster unit.

I have kept moving the sounds around and have also put that little self contained unit up there as well, in the Riesling.

I didn't realise what the sound was like unit I drove the tractor down to Rogers place - on the way past the vineyard I though the tractor had developed some terrible engine fault so got out to have a look and realised it was the bird scarer sounds!

Anyway Jim so far its looking better even than last year and I'll keep you informed.

So far as the neighbours are concerned they're putting out more and more nets but we are trying to avoid that, Roger is having terrible trouble with Currawongs and I think maybe our Friarbirds have gone down there too.

This is to give my impressions on the Bird Gard electronic units I have used in my 50 acre Vineyard at Hall, New South Wales.

I had good control in general, only on late red varieties towards the end of the season did birds become a problem, this was dealt with by shot gun.

I would advise anyone going to use these that you must monitor the birds and adjust the units accordingly.

The Bird Gard units are a cost effective alternative to nets. Please feel free to call me if you require more information.

I initially purchased my Bird Gard units in 2001, they have been extremely successful and I have been adding to them every year.

My main problem was Starlings and Silver-eyes. Starling flock sizes varied from 30 to 400 birds and they can start damage when the grapes are still green. Last year alone my Bird Gard installation saved me $ 50,000

Since purchasing an X-8 ( Bird Gards newest machine ) my damage has been virtually zero. Why bother with nets when Bird Gard is so easy to install, which also saves time and money ? Id lose about 10% of my crop without the Bird Gard system. Because my neighbours don't use Bird Gard Im further advantaged as all the birds prefer their place to mine.

My advice "Buy Bird Gard"

I thought it may be helpful to you if I passed on some comments regarding our experience with the Bird Gard system. We have been very pleased with the overall effectiveness of the system. I believe we have saved a very large amount of fruit which normally we would have lost, particularly at the end of vine rows, near trees and at the edges of the vineyard where in previous years losses have been total.

Starlings
These have been a devastating pest in the past three years, and have been becoming worse each vintage. They have been especially bad in areas near trees, and at the end of vine rows where losses have been 100%.

I am pleased to tell you that, of all the birds have been almost totally deterred by the system of sounds. I watched their behaviour closely after installing the disruption noises (Fruit & Flower and Bird & Bat). For a period of a couple of days the starlings tried to enter the vineyard, hovered over the vines and occasionally would settle on the vines' tops. However, they flew off almost immediately and did not stop to feed.

In areas of the vineyard where ends of rows have been completely stripped in the past, no damage whatsoever has occurred this year due to starlings.

Crows and parrots
These seem to have also been deterred completely by the sounds.

Currawongs
These have still been hanging around the vineyard but to a lesser degree and I have found that gas guns, combined with the sounds, have been very effective.

Silver Eyes
I believe the sounds have definitely been effective, and have significantly reduced damage levels.

I feel the distress sounds can be very effective if used in short bursts in combination wit the disruption sounds, and should be considered in the vineyard context.

Our experiences with the '8 daisy chain' speakers and Crop Gard were very positive. We were happy with the results and certainly noticed the birds staying away once the new unit was installed.

Now that we have the unit we will be able to put it out much earlier and maximise its potential.

The bird gard is working very well!

Churchview Estate is a premium wine grape vineyard. Currently there is 16ha under vines with a further 50ha planned over the next 5 years. Last March was our first vintage. The property has several significant stands of remnant trees as well as tree-lined roads adjacent to the vineyard. The trees are regarded as a valuable asset as wind protection as well as providing aesthetic value. However the trees also provide shelter to birds which can have a disastrous effect on the ripening grapes.

As this was our first vintage we were keen to avoid bird damage. The most destructive bird by far in the Margaret River region is the 'Silvereye'. Second are 'Crows', 'Rosellas' and 'Twentyeights'. If the season has been preceded by a normal to high rainfall winter then the Marri blossom is usually prolific during the grape ripening time. Silvereyes prefer Marri blossom to grapes; hence damage can be quite low and within acceptable limits so long as there is good Marri blossom. The 2001 vintage was shaping up to be one of those horror years when there was little if any Marri blossom about. We had to look at the options available to protect our crop. Nets was going to cost about $60,000 to purchase. To this we needed to add the cost of caps to the steel posts. Plus the costs of putting the nets on and taking them off, plus the cost of repairing the nets due to snags and tearing plus the cost of replacing the nets after a few years. We worked out that netting was going to cost us $17,000 per year every year plus inflation. Not only that but getting good fungicide spray penetration into the canopy can be a problem if the spray unit can only spray every second row due to the nets.

Was there another solution?

Bird scaring devices such as gas guns, kites, mirrors and electronic audible scarers were scoffed at by others in the industry as a waste of time and money. But then we had to try something as we were barely into veraison and already the silvereyes were attacking the Chardonnay and the Merlot blocks with a vengeance. We contacted two manufacturers of electronic audible scarers through the advertisements in the "Grape Grower". One firm said they could deal with the parrots and the crows but Silvereyes their equipment could not deal with effectively. Your firm claimed that they had a new innovation, which was very effective in deterring Silvereyes. Needless to say we were more than a little sceptical. Yet we felt that we had to put your claims to the test.

We installed your recommended equipment as you designed it for our vineyard about three weeks after we started getting attacked by birds. Damage to the Merlot block was already around 5% with another 6 weeks to harvest. When we turned the equipment on flocks of 50 to 100 Silvereyes erupted out of the Merlot block. After a while they went back in again, but only briefly and then they flew out again. They kept this up for about a week and progressively we saw fewer and fewer till after 10 days or so there was rarely a Silvereye to be seen. They had in fact moved further along to the Shiraz block where the equipment was a bit sparse. There were a few 'gaps' in the coverage where the determined little pests were persistently having a go. Next year we will fill this in with another six pack FFS unit.

We did not see another crow, very few twentyeights and rosellas, and by way of bonus we saw lots of eagles hovering over the vineyard every day. The eagles are attracted by some of the 'bird in distress' sounds.

The end result of our crop losses due to birds were:

Merlot: 8% -10%
Note: (This block is surrounded on three sides by heavy tree cover)

Cabernet Sauvignon: Nil

Shiraz: 2%

Many small to medium growers in the Margaret River region have reported losses of 30% to 60%. One grower I know lost his entire 2001 crop lot to birds. Some growers with nets still lost over 20% due to not placing the nets until closer to harvest.

Our overall losses were less than 5% without any nets at all!

Needless to say we are convinced that the Birdgard equipment is significant and effective management tool for minimising Bird damage. It a far cheaper option than nets. Considering the dry winter we are having it seems as if it will be another bad year for bird damage. We will again be using the Birdgard units as the main tool to control birds.

To the sceptics I would say: "If Birdgard can reduce your losses to less than 5% in a bad year without nets does it not pay for itself in the first year of operation?

We wish you well with your products.

Sceptical at first, I am now a convinced zealot and am relieved that the awful problem of vineyard bird control appears to have an economical and non-violent solution.

Our technician was finding 10-20% damaged fruit each harvest. Soon after we installed the Bird Gard, our percentage of bird damaged fruit dropped substantially to 2 - 3%.
Wrote Monte Nesbit, Horticulturist at the Gulf Coast.

After 14 years of bird damage, this year I harvested an additional 6 - 8 tons of blueberries on five acres thanks to the Bird Gard, Walker Miller, Clemson Professor.

"The Bird Gard does a good job of scaring birds in our vineyards and it also does a good job of attracting predators. During the growing season a Red tailed hawk lived near the vineyard. More than once I saw the hawk actively looking for distressed birds when the distress call sounded, " Tim Johnson, Research Specialist.

"The trials with the Super ABC in sweet cherries were very successful. The orchard manager indicated he harvested the largest crop he can remember. Typically that block had suffered 40% - 50% crop loss each season," Dr Paul Curtis, IPM Wildlife Specialist.

Thank you for the use of the Weitech Bird Gard Audio Bird Control Electronic Bird Repeller (ABC) this past season. The repeller's performance was very impressive and we are pleased with the results.

We positioned the Bird gard ABC north of a 3 year old Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vineyard (1.7 acres). The vineyard is a training trial consisting of single and double curtain trellis systems. The test area was part of a 3.8 acre block stripped of its crop over a two day period by birds last year. (This year the Chardonnay portion of the block was netted at considerable cost.) The vines were damaged by winter injury and crape clusters only developed close to the ground. The low clusters put the fruit at bird's eye level, therefore, some feeding damage occurred around the edges of the vineyard where the birds had easy access to the rows. While the vineyard is far from its potential we did harvest 1.5 tons of grapes this year. I believe that the yield would have been much less if not for the Bird Gard ABC.

One afternoon in September I watched the Bird Gard do its stuff. A large flock of starlings congregated on electrical wires north of the vineyard. Several birds were feeding in the vineyard and others were circling for a landing. The Bird Gard "Time Off" switch was set to "L" so sound bursts were about 6 minutes apart. I waited for the alarm to sound and the first distress calls had no effect on the flock. This was very discouraging because I thought the Starling distress call was the second of the three. When the third call sounded the flock took to the air. They circled and headed west to the safety of a hedge row. While the alarm didn't keep the birds completely out of the vineyard, it did disrupt the feeding cycle so that damage was minimal.

The alarm does a good job of scaring birds and it also does a good job of attracting predators. During the growing season a Red Tailed Hawk lived near the vineyard. More than once I saw the hawk actively looking for distressed birds when the alarm sounded.

We farm approximately 1, 200 acres. It was very impressive to watch the bird damage be eliminated....this is a block that has had problems every year, regardless of the season. It was quite amazing to see no bird damage occur at all. We were able to extend the ripening time with no pressure to pick early.The system has many advantages, the most obvious being the reduction of bird damage and subsequent yield savings. In addition, there are labor savings as well as an increase in quality.

Sceptical at first, I am now a convinced zealot and am relieved that the awful problem of vineyard bird control appears to have an economical and non-violent solution.

I am writing to let you know how successful we were with your products during the 1999 harvest.....There are sections of the vineyard that we normally write off as too hard to protect. This year the harvest was on and off....on off days there was no one around to scare the birds. It was not a problem. We took days off with the confidence that no disasters would occur in our absence. Thank you again for your assistance.

I utilized (the Bird Gard) on a commercial farm to protect the winegrape cultivars 'Merlot' and 'Cabernet Franc'. Both the grower and I were impressed that your device appeared to significantly lower bird pressure on this planting
Thomas Zabadal, Coordinator

"I was particularly interested in the fact that there was minimal damage on the non-harvested buffer blueberry bushes, even though berries remained on these bushes until they dropped naturally," Eric Hanson, Assoc. Professor Michigan State.

I'm writing to you to share some information on our experiences we have had using your bird scaring devices on our 30 acre blueberry field in Silverton, crop year 1999.

We tested all likely devises in your line up with three of them working extremely well on their own early in the season. When bird pressure started to become heavier we simply put a part time person in the field hazing them with noise makers. The three leading devices are the Super Pro distress call, the Electronic Scarer (Flower Fruit Scarer) and the Electronic Scarecrow. These three used together are extremely effective for bird control and our neighbours appreciate the lower sound levels.

"Under moderate pressure from starlings, robins and cedar waxwings, the Bird Gard units provided a valuable component of an integrated bird control program," Steve Castagnoli, Faculty Research Assistant.

The grape harvest is over in New Jersey and fermentation is rapidly progressing throughout the state. As a result I felt it appropriate to convey to you how we made out with your Super ABC bird repeller. As you may recall, I tested this device at a winery close to my office in Mays Landing. Balic Winery has approximately 30 acres of grapes in production and last year's yield was decreased by 50% on the red varieties of "Chambourcin" block, thus I was very aware of the extent of the damage.

This year, the 1994 harvest was virtually left undamaged due to the Super ABC. In fact, the neighbour who occasionally works at the winery recently told me that he noticed that there were also no birds on this property while the device was present in the vineyard, attesting to the effectiveness of your device.

I was very pleased with the Super ABC and would not hesitate to recommend it to other grape growers. I look forward to testing it in other locations in the future. Thank you for your cooperation.

The 1994 harvest was virtually left undamaged due to the Super ABC... I was very pleased with it and would not hesitate to recommend it for grape growers.
Dr. Gary Pavlis.

I was willing to try a new control method but a bit skeptical due to my past failures with sound cannons, shotgun and bird stress calls. Super Pro and ESC bird repellent equipment was highly successful in the fall of 1999.....This harvest year we had zero bird damage due to our use of Bird Gard sound equipment. In early November, as an experiment, we disconnected the sound system early in the morning...hundreds of robins, starlings and cedar waxwings flew into the vineyard. We reconnected the sound system, all birds immediately flew far away.

With the start of control with distress calls in the Bird Gard ABC, crows virtually abandoned 2 almond orchards in Yolo County and remained away from 3 other almond orchards in Sutter County for periods ranging from 9 to 30 days. Damage decreased at all sites compared to 1997. Almond losses ranged from $22/ac to $138/ac in 1998 compared to $46/ac to $1,015/ac in 1997. The decrease in damage represented significant dollar savings of $998, $3,642, and $5,914 for the three individual orchards.
Paul Gorenzel, Horticulturist.

The Bird Gard Electronic Repeller with the gull chip (for crows) did a good job of changing crow feeding areas. The Bird Gard disrupted the crows and they moved to other areas. The way I used the Bird Gard was effective for about a week and then it had to be moved to another area.
Wrote: Dr. Thomas Crocker, Horticulturist-Pecans.