Keeping birds away from precious fruit, vegetables or other plants and landscape features can be difficult. However, people have found many inventive ways to achieve this. The traditional scarecrow is still used in gardens today. However, a more modern approach is to hang old, unwanted CDs from tree branches to scare off birds. Research has shown that this method actually works.
Birds are often deterred from landing on or near garden vegetables if their vision is distracted. A shiny, reflective CD hanging near the garden provides just the right movement and distraction needed to keep the birds away. “Country Living” magazine says a CD is more effective than an old-fashioned scarecrow and simpler than another common method, “putting a pair of pantyhose over sprouts and cabbages.”
Birds, like most creatures, can get used to certain sounds and ignore them after a while. Kelly Cross, writing in “Pollution Engineering,” said sound deterrents must “vary in frequency, duration and sequence.” Arranging several CDs so they click against one another in random sound patterns helps keep birds away.
For the best effect, CDs strung in a tree must have both a sound quality that is disturbing to birds and a visual presence that wards them off. This visual presence ideally would include movement, which is why the familiar plastic owl sold in home and garden stores eventually loses effectiveness. Because the owl never moves, birds get over being afraid of it. Mirrors, which have a reflective quality similar to CDs, have also been used to deter birds, including crows nesting on power poles and short-circuiting the conductors. “The Aberdeen Press and Journal” noted that crows are afraid of their own reflection, so the mirrors “fool the birds into nesting somewhere safer.”
Some crafty vineyard owners who were losing a great deal of their crops to of birds used a deterrent similar to CDs. They hung mirror-covered disco balls in the vineyards. Rod Windrim told the “Newcastle Herald” that the movement of the disco ball “shoots shards of light bouncing across the property,” scaring away the birds. A group of CDs fastened together in a circle or swinging in the breeze can do the same thing.
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Like most animals, birds can eventually grow accustomed to hearing certain noises and ignore them. According to Kelly Cross’s article in “Pollution Engineering,” sound deterrents need to be different in terms of frequency, duration, and order. “You can deter birds by setting up multiple CDs to click against each other in random patterns.”
A deterrent akin to CDs was employed by some cunning vineyard owners who were losing a significant portion of their crops to birds. They hung mirror-covered disco balls in the vineyards. The disco ball’s movement “shoots shards of light bouncing across the property,” according to Rod Windrim, who told the “Newcastle Herald” that it scared the birds away. The same effect can be achieved by arranging a bunch of CDs in a circle or letting them sway in the wind.
CDs hung from a tree should ideally have a sound that disturbs birds as well as a visual presence that deters them. Idealistically, this visual presence would involve movement, which is why the common plastic owl found in home and garden stores gradually becomes less useful. Because it never moves, birds learn to overcome their fear of the owl. Mirrors have also been used as a bird deterrent, particularly crows that nest on power poles and short circuit the conductors, because they reflect light similarly to CDs. Crows are scared of their own reflection, so mirrors “fool the birds into nesting somewhere safer,” according to “The Aberdeen Press and Journal.” “.
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It can be challenging to keep birds away from valuable fruit, vegetables, or other plants and landscape elements. However, people have found many inventive ways to achieve this. The traditional scarecrow is still used in gardens today. But a more contemporary method involves scaring off birds by hanging unwanted, old CDs from tree branches. Research has shown that this method actually works.
Step 2: Cut and Shape Reflecters
I divided the CDs into trapezoids, or “pie slices,” with the short inner side measuring between 3/4 and 1 inch. This worked out to about 7 per CD. I didn’t realize the CD pieces’ jagged edges until after I had finished cutting them. Suddenly I had visions of these things, flapping in the wind, slamming right into my eye. So, I decided to round off the corners. I think the end result is better looking as well. You can see the results in the next step. Wearing goggles is a must when cutting and sanding the pieces. I didn’t wear gloves when sanding because they are uncontrollable and the sander doesn’t go fast enough to seriously injure skin (though thankfully that didn’t happen). Please be safe and think ahead when shaping the pieces!!.
Step 1: Materials Needed
Materials: – I’ve saved up a bunch of old work-related software install CDs; you can see that they are MS Enterprise products in other pictures. As stated in the introduction, I wanted two CD pieces for each reflector. Using six reflectors per line to create six lines, I was able to cut about 80 pieces out of 12 CDs. – I also had some leftover dollar store synthetic twine. You can see this cut and used in step 3. – Lastly, I like working with Loctite instant mix epoxy. They include two auto mix nozzles, which is useful because I usually don’t need the entire tube. I completed the first few sets using both of the leftover 1-minute packs, then I opened a new 5-minute pack to give me a little extra time to finish the remaining exercises and take some quality pictures. Tools: – To cut the CDs, use straight-cut tin snips or another tool. The CDs are very brittle, so scissors probably wont work. A bandsaw might. Experiment and see what works for you. To remove the sharp edges, use a power sander of some sort. A laser etcher/cutter would be ideal for this task. Alternatively, you could just cut them off, which would reduce the sharp points but not produce a result as smooth. – Scissors or something to cut the twine. – A device to secure the twine ends during the setup process before adhering I used old marble samples. Clamps and weights could also work. – Something to hold the pieces sandwiched with the line. I used the marble samples and some weights.
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