Motion-Activated Owl Chases Birds Away

Motion-Activated Owl Chases Birds Away MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Pest Animals 24-2-31 Califonia inventor Steve Luft got the idea for his new motion-activated moving scarecrow when he put in a large vegetable garden and pest birds dug out the seeds almost as quickly as he could get them into the ground. He tried plastic owls, homemade scarecrows, blow up snakes, and other bird-scaring devices. "None of them worked. I knew birds were afraid of the things but they got used to them for some reason. I decided to try to put some movement into them and see what happened," says Luft. He created a remote-controlled owl by connecting a rotating device to the neck of one of his plastic owls. It made a huge difference in scaring birds. The only problem was that someone had to be there to run the remote control. Luft is not an electronic engineer but he found someone to incorporate motion sensors and small electric motors into a fake owl. He also designed what he calls a "Whirly Bird". In addition to moving, the owl also makes realistic sounds. And it has glow-in-the-dark eyes. The Whirly Bird consists of a device with a helicopter-like propeller on top that can be extended out to 5 ft. in dia. The solar-powered device spins constantly and is particularly effective on top of signs, or any particular ledge that you want to keep free of birds. "We just started marketing these birds. They're not available in any store or from any other company. Some people have confused us with a cheap fake owl that makes noises but does not work. Our motion-activated owls do work and are different from anything ever developed," notes Luft. The motion-activated owl sells for $39.95. The Whirly Bird sells for $49.95. Add $6.95 S&H for each. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Steve Luft, Motion Scarecrows, Inc., Box 1966 Ventura, Calif. 93002 (ph 805 388-1770; Web site: www.nobirds.net).

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