Category: Uncategorized

If not controlled properly, birds can really be destructive and a nuisance. Apart from leaving messes which can cause serious health problems, they are also fond of nesting and settling almost anywhere, eating food intended for people, and making unnecessary noises, especially in the wee hours of the morning when people are still sleeping. The list below discusses some of the most common bird deterrent systems available today and their limitations:

1. Plastic Netting System or Chicken Wire

The plastic netting system is meant to control birds by preventing them from nesting under eaves and in recessed portions of a building. The system is eco-friendly and can control a wide variety of birds, making it very suitable and reliable for very large areas.

Limitations

• It can block some architectural elements of your building
• It is very difficult and expensive to install
• If the gaps in the netting are big, small birds can easily find their way through your premises

2. Distress Call System

Recorded distress calls of birds play a major role in frightening numerous species of birds and can be used in both urban and rural areas. The effectiveness of this system depends upon the type of technology used. Birds are very sensitive and have the ability to differentiate between a real distress call and a tape-recorded one. The system not only requires the use of special and expensive equipment, but the sounds produced must also be chosen carefully and utilised with considerable knowledge bird identification, habits, habitat, and populations. It is very suitable for controlling a flock of noisy birds such as starlings during winter.

Limitations

• It causes noise pollution as the distress calls are usually very loud
• There is a likelihood of habituation as birds can get used to the repeated distress calls
• It has a temporary effect because birds can easily come back after the signal is turned off

For more information about distress calls, you can visit http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/113310

3. Bird Spikes

Bird spikes, also known as anti-roosting spike systems such as the ones provided by Sussex Rope Access (see http://sussexropeaccess.co.uk/high-level-bird-proofing/), are mainly used to control pigeons. They comprise of a series of parallel spikes supported by long rods and held firmly under tension by small springs. The spikes can be attached to building ledges, commercial signage, and street lighting to prevent feral or wild from landing or roosting. The spikes are sometimes installed at different heights so as to come into contact with the birds’ wings and make it difficult for them to perch.

Limitations

• The systems is not very suitable for large species of birds such as vultures
• It cannot be used on large areas
• Sharper spikes are utterly inhumane because they can easily prick and cause injuries to innocent birds
• The spikes can interfere with the aesthetic appeal of your building

To know more about bird spikes, please visit http://www.birdcontrolmethods.com/

4. Electric Wires

Electric wires function the same way as electric fences. They produce unpleasant and frightening shock when landed upon or touched.

Limitations

• The electric wires are very costly and not easy install. In addition, the installation process can damage some parts of the building because of complicated anchoring and sophisticated connecting devices
• Unattractive
• Difficult to maintain
• They do not affect smaller birds such as starlings

More information about electric wires can be found at http://www.buwa.nl/fileadmin/buwa_upload/leaflets/THEMALEAFLETS/LeafletBW_Electric_Power_Lines.pdf

Steeplejacks, or ‘steeple climbers’, as they were once known, belong to an old and respected profession that has been around as long as there have been tall chimneys and towers needing cleaning and repairs. Perhaps the earliest record of a steeple climber is in the Bayeaux Tapestry, created in the 1070s, where the scene called ‘The Return’ appears to show a man holding a weather vane as he climbs a church steeple.

Entertaining the Crowds

Having absolutely no fear of heights, these people used to perform acrobatic stunts from the top of local church steeples during fairs and carnivals to great acclaim, which earned them the nickname ‘steeple flyers’. Then, after the end of the celebration, they would be asked to repair problems and make good any damage (often caused by their stunts!). One famous such occasion is depicted in a Hogarth painting of 1725, when an Italian named Violante decided to return to ground level from the top of London’s St Martin’s Church, Charing Cross, by sliding head first down a rope across St Martins Lane to the Royal Mews. A few years later, in 1739, an English ‘steeple flyer’, Robert Cadman, attempted a similar stunt in Shrewsbury and fell to his death when the rope failed.

The Methods

An article in the London Chronicle in June 1767 includes comments about affixing iron hooks called ‘dogs’ into the stonework and using a bosun’s chair (a wooden seat on ropes that can be raised and lowered by the user), both still used in modern times. However, abseiling techniques are more popular than the bosun’s chair nowadays.

To begin, a steeplejack will climb a ladder to a suitable point, then place a pair of ‘dogs’ by chiselling holes and knocking the dogs in with wooden pegs to fix them. Once the dogs are in place, ladders are lashed to them and the steeplejack moves on and up to the next, eventually giving access to the full height of the structure. Once the ladders are in place the steeplejacks use them as base points to install scaffolding for use while performing whatever repairs, cleaning works, etc, are required.

THE Steeplejack, Fred Dibnah

Despite the fact that he passed on in 2004, many people still know of Fred Dibnah, MBE, the man who brought the profession of steeplejacking into the public eye. There are very few hardy souls who can watch, without wincing, a video of him, at 50 years plus, climbing a ladder all the way up a 200-foot chimney with no safety lines or harnesses! When he then stops occasionally to hook a leg around the ladder and pick at loose brick or crumbly mortar, before continuing up apparently without effort, all the while chatting to the camera – well, it takes your breath away!

More Information

If you’d like to learn more about Fred and the fantastically brave men like him, you could do worse than look him up on the internet – there are several videos of him at work on www.youtube.com, and many stories about him on his own site at www.fred-dibnah.co.uk and elsewhere.

ATLAS

The Association of Technical Lightning & Access Specialists (www.atlas.org.uk) represents the interests of professionals in the lightning protection and steeplejack industry. Since it was formed in 1946 it has worked to improve conditions for its members and to ensure high quality service by increasing their technical abilities and skills. So, whether you are an owner of a tall structure needing work, or a newbie who’d like to begin training as a steeplejack via an apprenticeship, ATLAS is probably the best place to start.