If the number of birds invading your property is few, but the irritant level is high, it's time you looked into some effective low-volume bird control measures. One of the most popular in this category is the Catch and Release Bird Trap aka Humane Live Bird Trap. These are ideal for removing birds from rooftops, courtyards, warehouses, sheds or similar open areas where pest birds have become a nuisance. 
Without effective bird control measures, "big box" retailers and warehouses often have a problem with pest birds. The little critters eat right through foods or feed packaged in plastic or paper. Most of these stores and warehouses have large open bays where birds can easily fly in. Trouble is, they rarely fly out. 
It's springtime. A time when most birds are thinking about mating, nest building and rearing their young. It's also a time when birds can become real pests. And nothing discourages pest birds like plastic bird spikes.
There are times when, after you've tried a number of bird deterrents, you realize the only way to rid yourself of pest birds is to simply exclude them with some kind of physical barrier. The birds have outsmarted you at every turn and you now must resort to one of the most effective bird deterrents ever invented--bird netting.Bird proof netting has kept pest birds out of courtyards, patios, storage yards and similar areas for years. This basic exclusionary deterrent has saved property owners major cleanup and repair expenses. It has also kept seagulls from being sucked into a plane's jet engines. And saved factories and warehouses from the droppings and damage caused by pest birds. Netting has, in fact, been highly successful in preventing birds from nesting on rooftops and blocking vents, ventilators, light sensors, security cameras, and solar panels. In some cases, bird proof netting has prevented fires by keeping birds away from wires and electrical equipment. 
Recently, fifty sparrows were seen in a desperate battle with a cat as they fought the feline for a young bird. The sparrows flew at the cat so savagely that he finally released the dead bird and fled through the doors of a nearby hotel for cover. The poor cat could obviously have benefited from some kind of bird control measure. As recently as 200 years ago, there were no House Sparrows in North America. Today, there are an estimated 150 million in all 48 states. House Sparrows, sometimes called English Sparrows or "rats with wings” have interfered with or displaced a number of native birds like bluebirds, Tree- and Cliff-Swallows, and Purple Martins. Unfortunately, nuisance species like House Sparrows are prolific breeders that build nests rapidly, breeding an average of 20 chicks a year. Without effective bird control measures to limit their number, one pair of sparrows could multiply to more than 1,000 birds over a five-year period. 
In the old days, if you wanted to get rid of pest birds, you got out your trusty shotgun and peppered them with birdshot or blasted them with a propane bird cannon. Unfortunately, there were drawbacks to these "deterrents." You couldn't use them anywhere near civilization and the pesky little buggers would almost always come back. Culling pest birds by poison was and still is frowned upon by local governments and animal rights groups. 
Most facilities managers know that when pest birds gather in hangars, under overhangs, warehouses, and other large covered areas, a big expense is right around the corner. Bird netting can significantly cut these preventable costs.
Birds in a cage are nice. And birds in wild, open nature are wonderful. But pest birds gathering on your property can cause you all sorts of grief and expense.
For starters, bird droppings, nests and other bird-related debris can jam up expensive air conditioning units. They can corrode electrical parts and wiring, seize up windows, skylights, and rooftop ventilators. And let's not forget all the feathers and nesting materials, which are perfect kindling for fires in attics and near electrical wiring. What you need is bird proof sonics to keep pest birds away.
Another way pest birds can ruin your day is the acid found in bird droppings. It can ruin paint, corrode metal, crumble stonework and eat into most tar-based roofs. Then there's the problem of bird nests in rain gutters, which can cause water to back up and get under roofing tiles. This can result in some really expensive water damage to the sub-roof, attic and interior of your property. Once again, bird proof sonics can save you from this expense.
If you're a commercial property owner who deals with food, pest birds can be a real problem. It's widely known that their droppings can carry any of 60 diseases--including the West Nile virus. It's no secret that steely-eyed health inspectors pounce on any signs of bird droppings around restaurants or food processing plants. If you run an outdoor eatery, and your tables and chairs are covered with bird droppings, you can say bye-bye to your customers.
The same holds true if you operate a private school, nursery or childcare facility. Bird droppings on gyms, swings, outdoor tables and chairs can be a real turn off to parents and health inspectors. Walkways and paved areas covered with bird droppings can create potentially dangerous slip-and-fall hazards. Personal injury lawyers love this kind of expensive litigation. Bird proof sonics can help alleviate these problems.
Bus and railway stations, airports and similar areas where thousands of people gather every day don't need the problems pest birds bring to these facilities. The noise created by pest birds gathering in these terminals can drown out important public address announcements. Birds can also get sucked into the engines of jet aircraft, cause expensive delays and even a catastrophic crash. Again, bird proof sonics can prevent these problems.
Bird Proof Sonics at Work
Bird proof sonic devices use a bit of bird psychology to effectively deter a wide range of birds. They do so by emitting the distress and predator calls of birds targeted for removal. The most effective bird proof sonic devices continually vary the pitch, frequency, timing and intensity of these sounds. Also available are ultrasonic systems, which emit pulses above the range of human hearing (many birds can hear sounds between 22Khz and 30 KHz--beyond the range of human hearing).
Flexible Sound Systems
Most bird proof sonic systems broadcast bird predator sounds through a loudspeaker. One currently available system bleeps out eight high fidelity, digitally recorded bird screeches at random intervals. The sounds are emitted at120 decibels--equivalent to a jet engine. Your typical bird proof system will broadcast for several minutes, stop for about 10 minutes then repeat. Systems like these can be set up to broadcast distress and predator calls day or night. You can add speaker units to expand the coverage area up to six acres. In evaluating a bird proof sonic system, opt for those that feature U.V. protected construction to withstand long periods of sun and weather exposure.
Tuned in to Specific Species of Birds
Many systems go beyond mere volume. Some of the best bird proof sonic systems allow you to select the sound that will strike fear in a specific bird. To deter pigeons, for example, one bird proof sonic system plays the sound of Peregrine falcons defending their territory. Another system plays hawk screeches to scare starlings and seagulls. Seagulls, by the way, are unusually attuned to the sound of their own species in distress. Another system on the market can broadcast distress and predator calls for as many as 22 types of birds. The calls are repeated on a regular basis--typically once every ten to fifteen minutes. There's also a sonic system that broadcasts distress and predator calls for Canada Geese. This system is ideal for deterring pest geese from shorelines, parks, greenbelts, yards and other areas frequented by geese.
The Effective and Humane Solution
Birds don't hear the same way we do. The fact is, they're acutely sensitive to the sounds around them. They can, for example, recognize and remember sounds in absolute pitch (the ability to reproduce a tone without reference to an external standard). Birds can also recognize 'timbre' (a fundamental note combined with harmonies). And birds hear shorter notes than we can. We process sounds in bytes about 1/20th of a second; birds only need 1/200th of a second. So in the time it takes us to hear one sound, birds could conceivably hear up to ten separate notes. Moreover, some birds, like pigeons, can hear much lower sounds than we can. One thing birds have in common with us is their range of hearing, which is most sensitive between 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz. Bird control experts have used all this knowledge to develop a number of highly effective sonic bird deterrents.
Exploiting the Talent of Our Fine Feathered Friends
Leveraging this knowledge of how birds hear, bird control manufacturers have come up with a number of very effective sonic bird repellers. These devices have been carefully designed to tap into a bird's natural fear of predators. The result has been both sonic and ultrasonic devices that emit a variety of distress and predator calls, in addition to various irritating sounds. These sounds are broadcast via special generating units to cover a lot of ground--up to 40 acres.
Humane is the Name of the Game
Today's sonic bird deterrent systems are highly effective without harming birds, pets or humans. They are much preferred to breeding falcons to kill pest birds, or using shotguns, traps or poisons to thin out a flock. They are ideal for deterring pigeons, crows, starlings, swallows, gulls, woodpeckers, sparrows, grackles, cormorants and many others. Sonic and ultrasonic bird deterrents have been widely used in backyards, courtyards, gardens, pool areas, patios, gazebos, parks, golf courses, rooftops or other large open spaces.
Birds are Not Dummies
Most birds are pretty smart. After a few false sonic threats, they figure things out and determine that the sound won't harm them. So they stay, poop and nest. For this reason, the best sonic repellers will continually alter the pitch, frequency, timing and intensity of their sounds. This keeps the "threat" fresh and alive to deter birds that quickly get used to repetitive sounds. Some birds, it seems, respond only to really loud sounds. This is why some systems on the market are capable of emitting "enemy" bird screeches at ear-piercing120 decibels--similar to a jet engine.
The Enemy is Near
Bird sonic systems are most effective when they tap into a bird's natural fear of predators. To strike fear into the hearts of pigeons, one commercially available system blasts the sound of Peregrine falcons defending their territory. Another sonic system aimed at starlings and seagulls, emits the sounds of predator hawk screeching and gulls under attack. One popular system emits distress and predator calls for as many as 22 types of birds. The calls are repeated regularly--about once every fifteen minutes.
Still another sonic system aimed at deterring Canadian Geese broadcasts predator and distress calls that cover up to three acres. Ideal for deterring geese from shorelines, parks, greenbelts, yards and other areas frequented by geese, this system broadcasts for two minutes, stops for 10 minutes then repeats. In general, sonic sound systems emit natural sounds that are not unpleasant to humans. They can be set up to emit distress and predator calls day or night. And speaker units can easily be added to expand the coverage area up to six acres.
Why Bird Sonics
Sonic pest bird deterrents can prevent you from hearing the sound of money leaving your pocket. Pest birds cause millions of dollars in property damage annually. Their nests, droppings and the diseases have been shown to have a major impact on homeowners, boat owners, facilities managers and municipalities worldwide. Birds can carry up to 60 known disease--some very serious. Bird droppings can also destroy wood, plastic stone and even steel. Many people have slipped on bird droppings and major restaurants have been cited for the "presence on the premises" of bird droppings. All of this underscore the need for effective pest bird control, and sonic systems are one way to deter these birds.
Let's face it, pest birds can cost you a lot of money. Especially when they gather, nest and poop in airplane hangars, canopies, garages, factories, warehouses, eaves and other covered areas. There are many ways to humanely get rid of pest birds. One of the most effective is bird netting. But before getting into why bird netting works so well, we should look at why doing nothing is not a good idea.
When pest birds make their home in warehouses, their droppings can ruin expensive products awaiting shipment in loading bays. We all know that pest birds like to invade covered areas in large numbers. And that means lots of bird droppings. Droppings that can freeze up forklifts, chain-driven power lifts, loading dock doors, windows, and access panels. Droppings that can cover and damage electrical panels and outlets. Another problem is that bird droppings can create slip-and-fall hazards for workers and visitors. This can become a huge legal liability to both public and private concerns. One begins to see why bird netting could be indispensable.
Birds in aircraft hangars can create all sorts of problems. Clinton Air Force Base in Oklahoma had six hangars with 200-300 house sparrows in each hangar. Lockbourne Air Base in Ohio had 2,000 to 3,000 house sparrows between three hangars with an additional 2,000-3,000 starlings. Bird droppings, accumulating on the aluminum skin of airplanes, can corrode the metal and eventually weaken the structure itself. Another serious concern is that if droppings, feathers, and other matter get into the engines, critically important parts must be cleaned as they could stop an engine during flight. Cleaning an aircraft engine is very expensive and time consuming.
Pest bird droppings can also pose significant health risks, carrying and transmitting any of 60 known diseases. Sparrows and Feral Pigeons can carry bacteria causing Salmonellosis. Feral Pigeons carry Ornithosis, which is similar to viral pneumonia. Birds, bird droppings and their nesting materials contain insects and mites. These insects can damage property, foods and fabrics stored in warehouses. More reasons why bird netting is so important.
Bird netting has been shown to be an effective and humane bird control solution for a growing variety of commercial applications. It comes in a number of colors, including white, stone and black. Black bird netting provides natural U.V. protection and won't discolor when it gets dirty and dusty. Installed properly, this type of bird netting is almost invisible.
You can get bird proof netting in several mesh sizes to control pest birds without trapping them. For large birds like pigeons and seagulls, a 1-1/8” to 2” mesh size is recommended. For smaller birds like sparrows and starlings, smaller sizes are available. Some netting is U.V. stabilized, flame resistant and rot and waterproof to last longer. Heavy-duty bird netting is made of high strength polyethylene. Then there's knotted polyethylene bird netting, which is available in U.V. treated twine for extended life and comes in burst strengths of up to 40 pounds. Many of these nets are flame resistant and have a high melting point. Ideal for hot enclosed areas.
If you want to cover an airplane hangar, warehouse or other large area with sufficient bird netting, you'll need thousands of square feet of bird netting and special lifts and power equipment to hoist it into place. To ensure a proper installation, a cable should be set up around the perimeter of the area being netted, and the netting should then be attached to this cable. A big job like this usually requires a professional bird control installer. Keep in mind that if bird netting is not properly installed, it will sag and droop, creating gaps that allow pest birds to enter.
If you're a facilities manager in charge of a hangar, warehouse or other large building, and you can't afford the problems of pest birds invading your space, it's easy to see why bird netting is such a viable solution.
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