2011 - Volume #35, Issue #6, Page #33
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Robotic Falcon Keeps Pest Birds Away
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“The first place we tried it was a farm,” says John Donald, Robop Ltd. “They had a problem with birds around the cattle sheds and feeding area. We also tried it at a chicken farm where seagulls were attacking the chickens when they came out to feed.”
In both cases, the robotic falcon did the job. In the 10 years since being introduced in Great Britain, the Robop has spread to 15 countries. Most recently, it was introduced to North America by Keith Everett, Predatech Inc., an Ontario, Canada firm. Everett had tried a wide variety of products and programs, including live falcons, to keep birds away from landfills. Among them, he found live falcons as the most effective, but limited by weather and dusty conditions.
Bad weather doesn’t stop the Robop. Once the battery or solar panel powered bird is installed on its perch, live birds simply stay away. The reason, according to Donald, is the accurate mimicry of live falcons internationally recognized as a predator of birds.
“Robop looks like a well fed falcon and moves its head and wings slightly or flaps its wings in random movements like a real peregrine,” he says. “The randomness is controlled by a computer, so there is no set pattern for birds to become accustomed to.”
Donald says factories and big-box stores with flat roofs have found the Robops particularly useful. The roofs’ drainage systems can become clogged with bird waste. He cites a Best Buy store that wanted to install a Robop and was told to clean the roof first. They took four tons of muck off the roof.
“People don’t realize how much waste birds leave,” says Donald. “The presence of one Robop is enough to scare problem birds into relocating.”
Donald can’t say how many acres a single Robop can protect as no scientific studies have been done. A single Robop is priced at $5,300 ($5,600 Canadian). He cites one large Caterpillar factory that has installed 6 of the falcons powered by solar panels.
“Farms get complicated by alternative roosting areas, such as trees and other buildings,” he says. “Commercial and industrial sites are less complicated. Installing one or more Robops is expensive, but they’re nothing compared to the cost of cleaning buildings and areas of tons of waste.”
Donald says the firm is interested in finding additional distributors in the U.S. However, the firm is looking for established entrepreneurs willing to make the needed investment of time and money.
“There is a huge opportunity in the U.S.,” he says. “We are the only people in the world who make anything like this.” You can see a video of Robop in action at www.farmshow.com.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Predatech Inc., 385 Carlisle Rd., Carlisle, Ont. Canada L0R 1H1 (ph 905 929-1409; info@predatech.ca; www.predatech.ca) or Robop Ltd., Unit 3, Satellite Park, Macmerry, Tranent, East Lothian UK EH33 1RY (ph 011 44 1875 619 991; office@robop.co.uk; www.robop.biz).
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