Tip: Birds in the Hangar

I should have passed this along a while back, but I just got the chance to verify it.

If you have birds that fly into your hangar and set up shop, I've found this to be a foolproof way of getting rid of them without raising the ire of law enforcement by discharging a firearm or risking a ricochet from a pellet gun into somebody's wing skin:

Get a high-power laser pointer and start chasing them around with it. It's the opposite of what happens with cats. Birds do NOT like the laser beam at all, and if you leave a door partially open so they can get out, you can chase them toward it and they'll leave. Not only that, they usually stay gone.

It's a really fun game that beats the heck out of guano removal.

Usual disclaimers: wear eye protection, don't aim the laser at eye level with others nearby, and don't point it at the collection of old mirror balls and chandeliers stored in the back corner.

Thats a great tip. We have a bird that has been spending the night and doing his business on about a dozen of our helicopters during the night. I am going to take aim!!!!

Wish the local Lowe's store would try that. I was there last night and it sounded like the birds were warming up for choir practice!

A cost effective method to stop bird from sitting on sprinler pipe is to use chicken wire. Cut strips of chicken wire with diagnoal cutters. Make the strips wide enough to wrap around the pipe with the pokey end pointing up. After I did this there was no longer bird poop on my airplane.

Get a Green Laser off Ebay

We kept about a thousand crows out of our work site with a green laser.
They would start coming in around sunset to roost. Couple shots with the green laser from over a quarter mile away did the trick. It was like magic.

i always thought a bottle rocket would do the trick if i needed to vacate a feathered friend from my hangar but this is the way to go. thanks
now all i have to do is remember this. never seen a bird in my florida hangar in 15 years.

No birds in our hangars at GKY (Arlington TX Muni). We have rabbits! Yep, rabbits! They burrow out in between the runway and taxiway (I am guessing) and find a way in and run up and down through our hangars along the bottoms of the doors. Craziest thing I ever thought I'd see in my hangar.

Love it. I've got Turkey vultures ( or something---huge black things) that sit on my roof and then whitewash it every day. Neighbors make fun of "You've got snow on the roof again" First thing tomorrow, I'm going to try this.

I don't know if this works outside on buzzards, but that's brilliant if it does.

It works on pigeons indoors, that's for sure.

Sounds way less fun than a 20-gauge

...but cheaper and safer.

The ground around my hangar is littered with shell hulls from the summertime game of Gunning for Starlings. Open the rear door, stand just outside at the ready, hear them start to dart around in the roof trusses, here they come... headed for daylight...

"Pull!"

Sometimes I miss, and once I bagged the corner of the tin roof doing this stuff.

I will happily try the green laser next nesting season.

-Stormy

I figured someone would have an example out there in Internetlandia. Sure enough...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWEfMTPQCCA

No "buzzards"?? today to try this. I got a red laser. Does red not work? Where does one find a green one?

John Courte said:

I should have passed this along a while back, but I just got the chance to verify it.

If you have birds that fly into your hangar and set up shop, I've found this to be a foolproof way of getting rid of them without raising the ire of law enforcement by discharging a firearm or risking a ricochet from a pellet gun into somebody's wing skin:

Get a high-power laser pointer and start chasing them around with it. It's the opposite of what happens with cats. Birds do NOT like the laser beam at all, and if you leave a door partially open so they can get out, you can chase them toward it and they'll leave. Not only that, they usually stay gone.

It's a really fun game that beats the heck out of guano removal.

Usual disclaimers: wear eye protection, don't aim the laser at eye level with others nearby, and don't point it at the collection of old mirror balls and chandeliers stored in the back corner.

Click to expand...

The green laser also works great for geese on our neighborhood pond. At my rural airport, I prefer a pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) pellet gun. That is definitely 100% effective for repeat offenders. So far no complaints.

Ebay

donaziza said:

No "buzzards"?? today to try this. I got a red laser. Does red not work? Where does one find a green one?

Click to expand...

The Red Laser didn't work for me. Only seemed good for having fun with cats.
Just checked and there are hundreds of Green lasers on Ebay. I got mine there for less than 5 bucks. Just do a search for "Green Laser"

Same result here

Went to Staples. Biggest one they sell is a 5mW red laser. Not exactly a cannon - more like a cap pistol. It did sorta persuade some of the birds to leave, but a couple others just stared me down. Arrogant punk sparrows! Score it a fail. Now I'll have to go get a big bore green one just to redeem my manhood.

Side note: Thought I was gonna have to apply for a security clearance to get the clerk to show me what they had in stock?they don't keep them out on the floor. Sheesh. Stand back everyone?I have a cat exerciser and I'm not afraid to use it!

I've heard hanging up a few old CD's with some twine or fishing line works very well to... a light relection thing I take.

John, look at lasers on Amazon.

Or, look for sites that sell astronomy gear--------high power green laser is a great tool for pointing out sky goodies. http://www.telescope.com/ for one.

I use this one.

http://sewelldirect.com/Green-Laser-Pointer-5mW.asp?gclid=CIul1bKlqb0CFdBqfgod06gA-A

XOverZero said:

Went to Staples. Biggest one they sell is a 5mW red laser. Not exactly a cannon - more like a cap pistol. It did sorta persuade some of the birds to leave, but a couple others just stared me down. Arrogant punk sparrows! Score it a fail. Now I'll have to go get a big bore green one just to redeem my manhood.

Side note: Thought I was gonna have to apply for a security clearance to get the clerk to show me what they had in stock…they don't keep them out on the floor. Sheesh. Stand back everyone…I have a cat exerciser and I'm not afraid to use it!

Click to expand...

I thought I'd share this:

I was concerned about plunking down $80 -$100 for a laser pointer powerful enough to actually have much effect on birds. One website recommended a red laser of 90 - 100mw as being a good "bird scarer". And, they just happened to have one for a mere $99 payable through something called "World Pay" (I guess its like PayPal. But, I've never heard of it.)

A portable, battery operated laser of more than 5mw is classified as a class IIIb laser by the FDA. It is illegal for manufacturers or businesses to sell a class IIIb lasers, inside the USA, which are promoted as laser pointers, and/or do not have specific interlock controls and warning labels.

These things are readily available on the internet. But, they are being sold by businesses (or someone) from outside the US.

Since I heard about DHS seizing a shipload of AirSoft rifles a couple of years ago, I've been more and more wary of buying stuff off of the internet, from countries like China, or many eastern European countries.

I'm not saying, "don't buy 'em, 'cause they're evil scary things." I'm just saying, if I buy one, it'll have to be a risk I'm willing to take. And, I'm no gambler.