Reprint from The Daily Post, Daily Newspaper of Record for The City of
Kawartha Lakes, Tuesday
July 6, 2004
Repellers
keep the
pest birds away
JASON BAINDaily Post Reporter KAWARTHA
LAKES –
This is one product that is going to the birds.
James Sackston of Fenelon Falls and Kari Wilander of Windsor have
introduced ‘Bird Repellers’ to the area.
The business has thrived in Europe, where the concept for the
repellers first originated in Finland in 1994.
The ‘great eagle’, ‘black hawk’ and ‘black eagle’ bird
repellers come in a range of sizes and are a practical, environmental
solution for golf courses, farmers protecting their crops, vineyards and
even those sick of pigeons on their balconies.
The design of the repellers simulates the presence of a predatory
bird such as a hawk or falcon, using a three-pin hanger which keeps the
silhouette in a balanced and stable position even in a strong wind.
The repellers are made from environmentally safe and durable
plastic, which is corrugated to provide additional strength.
Eganridge Inn and Country Club have already implemented several of
the repellers this year to solve the geese problem on their golf course.
Standing at the site of one of the repellers at Eganridge on the
shores of Sturgeon Lake, general manager Ken Sugarman testified to their
effectiveness.
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attendant
has to constantly clean up waste from the 400 or so birds.
“They just ruined this area,” he said. Eganridge put the
repellers in place in April and has only had to deal with a few groups of
the birds since.
“They just don’t come around. We haven’t had any problems.
This is just monumental,” he said.
“If you asked me, ‘Is it 100 per cent foolproof?’ I’d say
no, its 98 per cent. It works really well,” he added.
Sackston met Wilander at a trade show and decided he would like to
help him market the repellers at golf courses in the area and although
Eganridge has had success with them, he feels scepticism has generally led
to a lack of interest since he started in the spring, although a problem
has been recognized in several places.
But they work better than other similar method, he explained, such
as stationary owl decoys or even tape recordings to create noise to
frighten the birds.
“Over time, geese realize that they aren’t a threat. Not the
case with these because they are always moving different,” he said,
noting their possible applications in gardens, orchards, vineyards, or
anywhere birds are not welcome.
Plus, they are an environmental alternative because they don’t
harm anything or anyone, whereas netting for example, entangles birds and
means certain death.
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birds,”
Wilander said, listing crows, seagulls, wild turkey and geese.
Wilander noted that a landfill, for example, if only one repeller
was put in place, the real birds would attack it and it would be
ineffective. The solution is to put up more.
“They will gang up on one of them but with four or five, it’s a
whole different story,” he said.
“When birds see these, they have an image in their mind and they
have no second guessing,” he explained.
The ‘black hawk’ bird repeller has sold over 50,000 units in
Europe and 20 different states, plus all over Ontario from Wilander’s
hometown of Windsor, where he operates his own business, Olof’s
Travelmaps. He has also recently been fielding interest from golf
magazines who “are very eager to get this stuff out,” he said.
The ‘black hawk,’ with its wingspan of about 14 inches,
including hanger hardware, sells for $29.95.
The ‘black eagle,’ with a wingspan of 26 inches, including
hanger hardware, is $49.95. The
‘great eagle,’ the largest repeller at a wingspan of 44 inches, sells
for $99.95.
Prices do not include shipping and handling.
For more information on the bird repellers or to order, call
Olof’s Travelmaps at (519) 944-9196 or visit www.olofmaps.com.
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