PRESS RELEASE: Historic lighthouse wins the battle against pest birds.
After years of combat with pesky seagulls, the historic DeTour Reef Lighthouse found a way to use today’s technology to save a little piece of yesterday. The DeTour Reef Lighthouse is located at the head of Lake Huron in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Having been built in 1847 and moved to its current location in 1931, the actual structure is over 150 years old and serves as a testament to the region’s shipping and social history.
After being placed on America’s Most Endangered Historic Places list in 1998, the lighthouse was ‘saved’ by the Detour Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society. In fact, the DRLPS has a unique program where volunteers can stay at the facility as weekend keepers, performing all the duties necessary for preserving the structure and hosting visitors. Over the years, the lighthouse staff encountered several unwelcome critters. But the longest and fiercest battle has been against the “donations” that seagulls and other birds leave on the deck.
The birds themselves were annoying the tourists and keepers, while the bird droppings were defacing property and placing a burden on volunteers to keep the walls and walkways clean. The power washer got quite a workout during the summers, and although the deck always looked great after cleaning, the seagulls were soon visiting and leaving their marks behind again.
DRLPS tried a variety of attacks on the visiting seagulls—including rubber snakes—without success. In the summer of 2010, property managers decided to invest in a bird control solution from Bird-X.
They ultimately chose the BirdXPeller PRO—an electronic bird repellent device that emits naturally recorded bird distress signals and predator calls to frighten, confuse, and disorient birds within a 1-acre range (up to 4 acres with the 4-speaker system). Once installed at the DeTour Reef Lighthouse, seagulls quickly learned to stay away.
One weekend keeper said, “Seagulls avoid landing here! The recording of desperate gulls is incredibly effective.”
Another shared, “In so many ways it has decreased the work and increased the quality of the lighthouse stay!”
The BirdXPeller PRO is a perfect solution for historic buildings like the lighthouse for many reasons, a few of them being: it is a small, weatherproof device that can be installed without changing the appearance or damaging the structure, and it can be used even when property managers are away during off-seasons. The DeTour Reef Lighthouse was the ultimate victor of this battle.
As one worker observed, “Those who have never been here before will never know the miracle of it [BirdXPeller PRO]. Those who have been here before REJOICE and never forget our fight against the seagulls. The battle is won!”
For more information about Bird-X and other ‘green’ bird and pest control solutions, visit www.bird-x.com or call 1-800-662-5021.
About Bird-X, Inc.
Bird-X is the leader in producing humane pest and bird repellent products, since 1964. We offer the most comprehensive line of bird control products that are humane, non-toxic and eco-friendly. Our bird deterrents range from state-of-the-art laser technology to sonic/ultrasonic bird control, goose and pigeon repellents, bird netting, bird spikes, visual scares, and animal sound repellers.
It’s Nesting Season for Canada Geese
Right now, resident Canada geese are settling in for their annual nesting season. They’ve selected their mates, built their nests, and are ready to lay some eggs…hopefully not on your property. Here’s the problem: once geese have ‘moved in’, it’s almost impossible to get them to leave. Imagine if someone came to your house in the middle of the night and tried to convince you to move out, leaving behind all of your comfort, security, resources…AND your children! Would that go over very well? Probably not. That’s pretty much how the geese feel when we try to get them to leave our property during their nesting season.
According to Dr. Phil “Dr. Goose” Whitford’s Calendar of the Goose, the 8—10 week period that follows is molting season (from June to August), when Canada geese gather on and around lakes and ponds to shed their old feathers, and re-grow new ones. Because they are unable to fly during this time, they can only be moved to areas they can reach on foot. New families and non-breeding geese alike move to these molting sites, doing serious damage to the landscape of the areas that they are temporarily inhabiting.
Not-So-Fun Fact: Each Canada goose defecates about 28 times per day!
Bird-X recommends goose-proofing your property before nesting season so that geese learn to take up residence elsewhere. If geese have already nested on your property this year, be prepared to move them in late May—after their eggs have hatched and when molting season is about to begin. Try combining the Bird-X GooseBuster® with some visual scare tactics. The GooseBuster is a sonic speaker system that creates an audio attack using recordings of actual Canada geese alarm, alert and distress calls. Developed using scientific research and field study, the GooseBuster is the most comprehensive goose repeller in the world.
Dr. Goose has a PhD in biological sciences, specializing in animal behavior. He also has BS and MS degrees in wildlife management. The findings from his extensive studies of the Canada goose have been presented in over 100 publications.
Written by Chrissy Hansen—Media Correspondent for Bird-X, Inc.
U.S. Bank Uses Bird-X Repellers to Solve Pigeon Problem
Electronic Repellers Help Get Rid of Birds
Here’s a great news clip featuring yet another success story where Bird-X repellers are saving a customer time, money, and public image.
[googlevideo]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2110776718413472740[/googlevideo]
The news story features sounds from our BirdXPeller Pro or our Broadband Pro bird control systems.
Bird Sound Device Scares Birds Away from U.S. Bank
U.S. Bank in Davenport Uses Bird Sound Technology
Bird-X electronic sound device scares birds away from a bank in Davenport. Unsightly birds have left the nest and are looking to make a deposit elsewhere.
A stroke of brilliance or a bird brained idea? The jury is still out on the latest plan to chase off pigeons in downtown Davenport through sound. As you walk near Second Street at Main Street, it sounds like you have walked into an Alfred Hitchcock movie. You hear birds making lots of noise, but you probably won’t see any birds.
That’s because they are being chased away by menacing bird sounds being pumped in. Jacki O’Donnell with U.S. Bank in Davenport says the idea came from a wildlife expert. “There was one called Bird X. It guaranteed this recording would keep the birds away. It’s kind of a distress call and a predator call that keeps the birds from hanging around.”
O’Donnell says something had to be done. The brazen birds were targeting townspeople and leaving behind quite a mess. “It was a huge problem. We were power washing the sidewalks constantly. This has made a huge difference for us,” O’Donnell said. And those who stroll the sidewalks nearby have noticed the difference as well.
The speakers are mounted on top of the U.S Bank building and the nearby Redstone building in downtown Davenport.
Source: http://www.kwqc.com/global/story.asp?s=10037734
While the article doesn’t mention which product the bank used, we suggest using the BroadBand Pro or the BirdXPeller Pro for uses in urban areas.
BirdXPeller Pro