Bird-Plane collisions up 25%

A recent Associated Press discussed by the Riverfront Times report stated that nearly 10,000 bird strikes were reported last year, which is up considerably from the 7,507 reported in 2007. And that rise is only an average, with some states reporting an increase considerably higher than that.

In some states, such as Texas and Minnesota, the number of bird-plane collisions have doubled since 2005 thanks to an increase in air traffic along bird migratory routes.

…bird-plane collisions at Lambert-St. Louis International airport have increased nearly 300 percent over the past decade.

Hmmmm…maybe these airports need to try Bird-X’s new Airport Bird Control System.

The airport bird and wildlife control system is perfect for this time of year when birds and other animals start heading to their spring and summer spots.

This system is made up of three of Bird-X’s best sound devices and one sensory spray: the Megablaster, the Goosebuster, the Critterblaster and Goosechase. The combination of the four of these makes it almost impossible for birds to get comfortable anywhere around an airport.

Oregon park flooded with geese droppings

Tualatin, Ore. has decided to use swan decoys to control their growing geese issues. (source: www.tualatintimes.com)

A recent article in The Times, a Portland-area newspaper, talked about a goose problem at the Lake at the Commons in Tualatin, Oregon. According to Bob Martin, parks maintenance supervisor, the geese are producing “nearly five gallons of excrement a day, which mostly ends up on the pavement.”

The mess is problematic in various ways — smell, chemical, general sanitation, take your pick — so a parks staff person has to spend an hour a day cleaning it up. This costs quite a bit of money over time, Martin says, so the city has tried multiple methods of “goose abatement.”

They hit it right on the head - geese can become a pest, but dealing with their droppings is expensive and  can be down-right dangerous. Slip-and-fall incidents are not uncommo, and that can lead to lawsuits. Not to mention that acidic droppings can erode multiple surfaces and are filled with transferable diseases.

Their solution was two plastic swans anchored at the bottom of the lake shown above. Swans and geese are natural enemies, so having decoy swans in the lake does make sense.

A good addition to the swans would be a predator decoy; something like a fox or coyote replica works well because both of them present a valid danger. If the geese get to close, they may turn into dinner! Bird-X carries predator decoys, like our 3D coyote and the fox replica. The 3D coyote is life-like and in attack mode, creating the illusion of danger to the geese.

The fox replica is a menacing 2D decoy that covers up to one acre, perfect for small lakes and community parks. Luckily, both of these bird control options are low maintenance — set it up once and you’re done. No clean up. No reapplying a product. And no hassle.

Get in contact with one of our experts to order one today!

Coyote replica a success in Arkansas

A recent article in central Arkansas’ Jacksonville Patriot talked about the effectiveness of a replica coyote in scaring geese.

Maumelle residents who think they’ve seen a coyote around town aren’t seeing things. Actually what they’re seeing is a fake coyote.

Philip Raborn, director of Maumelle Parks and Recreation, said the department purchased two fake coyotes that they are moving around the city’s two lakes in an effort to keep the Canadian geese off the pathways around town.

The migratory birds have become a problem leaving droppings all over the lake area and even harassing visitors, he said.

This is the city’s first year using replica coyotes for geese control. Last year, the city destroyed goose eggs with special permission from the federal government. This is a common mistake people make when fighting birds; killing the parents and addling their eggs only eliminates the current crop. Unless you make the environment unpleasant for the birds, they’ll continue to be a problem.

And the replica coyotes in Maumelle have been a success.

…the geese appear to be staying in the lake and not getting out to relieve themselves and leave droppings all over the place.

Raborn said that’s the intended purpose (of the replica coyotes) - to keep the geese in the water. He said they won’t excrete in the water and obviously are going somewhere else to do so, but at least they’re not leaving their droppings on the two city lake’s walkways as they did before the coyotes were placed.

Bird-X carries a top-of-the-line 3D coyote replica, as well as a 2D one and a 2D fox replica.

Bird-X's 3D coyote is a humane way to eliminate geese.

This live-size predator strikes instinctual fear in all birds and small animals, especially geese. The 3D replica coyote appears real from every angle, increasing effectiveness more than other products on the market. Since bird vision is strong, this is considered to be more effective than some sound devices.

Using this in conjunction with Bird-X’s GooseBuster and Goose Chase will solve your goose problem permanently.

Bird-X’s Joe Seid on “Your World” with Neil Cavuto

Bird-X’s Joe Seid on “Your World” with Neil Cavuto

Bird Strikes and the U.S. Airways Hudson River Crash

Our Co-Principle Joe Seid recently appeared on Neil Cavuto’s show, “Your World” to talk about the U.S. Airways Crash in Hudson River. In the discussion they cover bird strikes and how they affect the airline industry.

View the Bird-X Airport Bird Control System here.

Those frakkin’ geese!

Geese chilling at the train station pond

I take the train to work because of the traffic and the amount of money I save in gas and upkeep costs. Though I have to tell you that I’m really getting sick and tired of those frakkin’ geese! I’m at the station in the morning and there they are, busy flying overhead, crapping on the train platform just to protect their rights to the man-made pond nearby. And then I come home in the evening, trying to leave the parking area before I get stuck in a logjam of traffic and they are busy taking their own sweet time crossing the street. I swear, I often think about just plowing on through them, but they are protected by the government.

And that incessant honking! Can anything by any louder or more annoying than the geese communicating to each other? And what are they saying to one another? If only we could understand what they are saying, maybe their conversation would go something like this:

Goose #1: “Hey, I’m gonna take a big old dump right on the sidewalk. And then I’m going to honk at and chase the next human that walks by.”

Goose #2: “Oh yeah? Well, I’m going to go for a swim, defecate in the water, eat part of a fish and leave him in the pond. Then I’m going to fly over to that parking lot and I’m going to defecate some more right on that shiny red car.”

Goose #3: “You two are doing child’s play. I’m going to grab three friends and walk across that wide road all day long and stop traffic. And, while I’m in the middle of the road, I’m going to stop and clean myself.”

Geese 1 & 2: “Ooh. You win.”

And geese are smart. No matter what you do to stop them or get rid of them, they just ignore it…well, almost anything.

There’s this biologist in Ohio who’s like the Diane Fossey of geese. He’s been watching geese for over 25 years and is the foremost authority on goose behavior. He has been working with us here at Bird-X to develop products that will make geese leave - on their own - and take their friends with them. There’s this cool sound device called a GooseBuster that emits natural recordings of goose alarm and alert calls. Once the geese hear those soundas, they vamoose, knowing that trouble is afoot!

So I decided to do a little test. I asked my train mates about putting this sound device out there to see if it would scare away the geese - we’re subjected to the early morning honking and late afternoon jaywalking so why not try to get them to go elsewhere? They agreed and we set out to get rid of the geese. It took only three days! And now we hear faint honking and a distant corporate park when the wind is not in our favor. But the key here is that the geese are gone from our train stop. No more honking (from geese - cars are another issue). No more defecating on the train platform (someone actually slipped and fell in it once). And no more afternoon strolls across the street. Nada. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. They are gone - those frakkin’ geese are gone!

Want to control geese? Here’s five tips:

Tip: Geese love simple landscaping. “Hard” edges like those in parks, flower beds, gardens and around ponds will almost certainly attract their flock. Keep a more natural terrain; plant thicker grasses around ponds. This makes access to water more difficult.

Tip: Don’t feed them. Obvious? Definitely, but some people need an extra reminder. If the geese can’t eat on your property, they have no reason to return. A great way to discourage those in public parks is posting “Do not feed the geese” signs.

Tip: You know what geese hate? The smell and taste of Concord grapes. Bird-X’s GooseChase active ingredient, Methyl Anthranilate, is made from a constituent of Concord grapes. One gallon of concentrate yields 60 gallons of mixture. Spray it onto dry grass and said goodbye to geese.

Tip: Shooting and poisoning them don’t work! Short-term solutions do not change the fact that your property is appealing to geese. And these methods create another problem: animal rights activists, angry neighbors, and law enforcement. Stick with humane geese control.

Tip: Visual scares can work wonders if used properly. Try an aversion with mylar eyes, like Terror-Eyes. The lenticular eyes produce a holographic effect, constantly changing, making the birds believe they are being followed everywhere.