Pile Dry

COMPACT

Scarecrow

Integrated Bird Management System

© Martin Lishman

© SBAS

What is it?

Scarecrow Compact is an integrated bird dispersal system specifically designed for use in farming and rural environments.

How it works?

The Scarecrow Compact bird dispersal system emits distress calls recorded from pest species to create an environment that appears hostile to birds, but natural and inoffensive to humans and other animals.

An added pest deterrent effect noticed during the trials was an attraction to the area of red kites, drawn to the sound of birds in distress and a possible meal.

Features

	Completely portable.
	Provides up to 360-degrees coverage.
	Automatically plays distress calls at random.
	Standards calls included are herring gull, rook, black headed gull, starling, crow and pigeon.

COMPACT

available in three versions

(1311) Master Unit

200-degree coverage

Battery powered

(1311) Master Unit

& (1312) Slave Unit

360-degree coverage

Battery powered

(1313) Solar-Powered Unit

360-degree coverage

No need for large batteries or gas bottles

Strong free standing frame

© SBAS

Feedback

Justin Stafford, who farms near Stamford, Lincolnshire, was very impressed with the performance of the Scarecrow Compact.

"We tried the crow sound in the wheat, and birds two miles away lifted and became agitated", he said. "In the rape, the pigeon sound completely cleared 400 birds and they have stayed in the wood ever since. Even my neighbour's rape was left alone".

Mr Stafford has trialled the Compact Scarecrow on his land since October, and found that even with the harsh winter conditions we have all faced, the Compact Scarecrow has not been affected by this.

A severe problem for many people are the pigeons on the rape. Our own trials at Mr Stafford's farm have clearly shown that the Compact Scarecrow is very effective at controlling the situation. When using the pigeon distress call it also includes the call of a jackdaw within the sequence, as this particular bird is known as an 'enemy' to pigeons, and will hasten their departure. For a period of time Mr Stafford's Compact Scarecrow has been on another premises, however he has been monitoring the activity of the pigeons since and is astonished that even without the bird scarer present, the effect it has had on this pest species has resulted in them not returning to the area for three weeks!

Another problem for many people are starlings, particularly in maize, silage and cattle buildings. From trials which we have conducted we have found that by playing the starling distress call provides good control of the situation, however by also selecting the rook and crow distress calls along with the starling, the control improves significantly.

Neil Evans of Holebrook Farm in Shropshire, has also been very impressed with the results from using the Scarecrow Compact.

Like many dairy farmers, his main problem was Starlings in maize silage. Around 2000 Starlings covered the maize like a plague. “When we started to use the Compact and played the Starling distress call on its own, the Starlings lifted off the field but there were still around 200 left”, said Mr Evans.

“When we randomised the Starling call with the Crow distress call, the stubborn 200 Starlings moved as well and we have achieved total control”.

FAQ

What sort of volume setting should I set the Compact Scarecrow at?

Justin Stafford has found that setting the volume to the quarter level is most effective. He has left it on this setting since first installing the Compact Scarecrow into his field.

Do I just play one distress call or can I play more?

Randomising the distress calls proves to be more effective at keeping the birds at bay for longer. For example, if your problem is pigeons on the rape crops, we recommend that you also select the rook and crow as well as the pigeon distress call to play at random throughout the day.

How often will the calls play?

Depending on however many distress calls you have selected to play at random. Generally speaking if you select four distress calls, the first call will play for 90 seconds with a 60 second gap before the second call is broadcast. This will continue until the entire sequence has been broadcast once. After this, there will be a break between 20-45 minutes. We recommend that occasionally you change the time settings to the re-inforce mode which provides a random delay time 10-30 minutes between the broadcast sequences. By doing this the birds cannot predict when the distress calls will be broadcast, therefore there are more likely to keep at bay for a longer period.

How far will the sound travel?

The coverage area depends on factors including the lie of the land and wind speed. However trials which we carried out on Justin Stafford's farm, which is relatively flat land, one position controlled pigeons in a 2 mile block of rape and scared all the crows within sight in an instant.

Will the Compact Scarecrow have an affect on other animals such as horses?

The bird distress calls which are emitted are only recognisable as a threat to that particular pest species. To any other animal or person it is simply a natural bird sound.

Made in Britain

For more information: For further information on using the Compact effectively:

Download the Bird Scarer brochure Download the Compact fact sheet