Feathered Friend or Foe

Overview

Objectives/Goals The goal of my project was to discover an environmentally safe, effective and harmless deterrent to keep unwanted pest birds from damaging a desirable food source such as a garden, berry patch or orchard. Methods/Materials A bird feeding site that was established fifteen years ago was choosen for testing. The consistent feeding patterns of the birds provided excellent data. Four different deterrents were introduced and removed at even intervals: an artificial owl, and artificial crow, a windmill and shiny tinsel that moved in the wind. I observed and recorded the effects of these deterrents on the bird visitation to the previously unprotected food source. Results The averaged data collected from my trials show that the owl decoy was by far the most effective deterrent to the species of birds that frequented the feeding area. The owl was followed by the crow, the windmill and finally the tinsel. Conclusions/Discussion In conclusion, I found that nature can supply answers to it's problems. The bird's natural predator, the owl, proved to be the most effective and harmless alternative to pest bird control.

Competition history

• CSEF 2008 Environmental Science (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1011

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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