Something to make a bang/clap noise

[SmartManDan]

Flocks of birds occasionally land in the garden and proceed to st over my clothes hanging out to dry, it's a real pain at this time of year with the Starlings. I often just lean out of the back door with the air rifle and fire it without any pellets in it. The noise is enough to make them fly away. Now I don't want to keep doing this for obvious reasons and I don't want to cause harm to the birds. Does anyone know of a device that makes a similar noise either manually or on a timer? The pest control products are overkill, and expensive. I'm sure someone has a genius idea. Neighbours are not an issue. Help!

[Willy Nilly]

http://portek.co.uk/portfolio-item/magnum-banger-r...

The rockets are good.

[slomax]

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/251740941810

Google/amazon/ebay is your friend...

[Jonboy_t]

Old fashioned technology, but....

[Harrytsg]

Fold a leather belt in half, hold an end in each hand, bring you hands together so the 2 parts of the belt separate, then sharply pull apart.

[RizzoTheRat]

We used to have a couple of these, bit of an overkill for your use but worked very well and would be a good entry on the frivolous purchases thread
https://www.crosscountryjumps.uk.com/bird-scarers/...

[Lugy]

Sounds daft but my Grandad used to bang together two offcuts of 4x2 to discourage the 'noisy crows' from being noisy in his trees before he cut them down. It actually worked well though.

[otolith]

There are gas gun bird scarers, but they sound like a shotgun going off, your neighbours will likely murder you.

[Fishtigua]

On boats, to keep away the gulls and all their poop, we use a rotating pole powered by the wind.

http://www.force4.co.uk/department/chandlery-above...

Or make your own using old CDs.

[viscountdallara]

Buy a cheap one of these.

It'll solve TWO problems in one go !!




Not only will it dry your clothes, but every time you attempt to move it, it will collapse with a loud 'BANG... CLAP'.

Shortly followed by some extremely loud expletives which will frighten anything alive... ( as you will have taken the end of your thumb off )

[Storer]

Starlings can be a major problem as they are a very social bird and flocks can become large. The usual reason for having a flock is a source of food nearby. They tend to be scavengers and they are attracted to livestock farms with open feeders, food processor sites and, of course, landfill sites.

They will gradually get used to any continuous scarer. They are difficult to keep away especially if they have a nearby roost or food source. If your clothes line is a rotary one then consider a canopy over it (sounds daft but you can get them).

Their poo probably contains salmonella too so has health issues as well as being unpleasant.

Probably not much help..

[Ray Singh]

Make a large one of these using thick paper (not card).

http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-popper...

These can make a hell of a noise!

[Collectingbrass]

Your problem OP is that you're only using a single shot rifle and can only hit one of them. Surely this is what you need?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKlnMwuCZso

[Pints]

If you're fresh out of leather belts (see above comment), try two pieces of wood slapped together. They'll need to be smooth and flat.

[Hoofy]

viscountdallara said:

Buy a cheap one of these.

It'll solve TWO problems in one go !!




Not only will it dry your clothes, but every time you attempt to move it, it will collapse with a loud 'BANG... CLAP'.

Shortly followed by some extremely loud expletives which will frighten anything alive... ( as you will have taken the end of your thumb off )

[SmartManDan]

Thanks for all the advice. Some good ideas there and although I have the space I can't go too mad with the noise as neighbours will complain. The PIR is a good idea as is the belt etc.

Thanks for the info on the Starlings too. It's gross for a few months at this time of year. Red/purple berry st ruins clothes!

Time to put a plan together

[SeeFive]

Before you put too much effort into this, I assume that you are aware that they are more likely to take a dump when they are scared and take flight... from your garden right over your clean washing...

[Hugo a Gogo]

seriously? starting a thread for something to make a bang/clap noise?

clap your hands, shout, bang a door/window, stamp your feet
even monkeys can bang two sticks together

[Monkeylegend]

Hugo a Gogo said:

seriously? starting a thread for something to make a bang/clap noise?

even monkeys can bang two sticks together

Yep works for me.

[DragsterRR]

What you need is the January 17th 1956 copy of the Beezer.