You will be interested to know that this simple device was originally invented to scare seagulls and cormorants (shags) off boats, yachts and wharves. So successful, it was quickly tried in many other situations including Cockatoos.
In most situations these hawks will work provided the Cockatoos can see the Hawk profile above them from where they are landing. It must look like the Hawk is hovering high above the Cockatoos and the crop it is protecting. You must have the Hawk at least 6 metres in the air and preferably higher.
West Lindfield Bowling club were actually the first to use them for Cockies some 15 years ago. They used them to stop Cockatoos from destroying their bowling greens. The Hawks were so successful that they have now had them taken down for some time without any Cockies returning. Other bowling clubs to use Hawks are Denman, Shoalhaven Heads, Gresford, Beaudesert, Ballina and West Pennant Hills and North Ryde to mention just a few. Telstra are also using them throughout Western and Northern Victoria to stop Correllas and Cockatoos from damaging wiring, cables and instruments on their towers.
Many private individuals have successfully used hawks to stop Cockatoo damage around houses including TV and Solar Systems installed on roofs. Therefore in your situation they will work. Birds will always attack the edge of an olive grove. They start working from an outside row moving in row by row. Therefore by protecting the perimeter of the crop you can save the entire block. Cockatoos will usually come to a nearby tree adjacent to the block and the scout bird will fly in to taste the crop. It will then call the flock in while the scout bird flies back up into a tree to keep lookout for approaching danger. They like olive trees because they can sharpen and hone their beak on the soft timber. Their beaks never stop growing throughout their life and so need to be maintained by chewing softer wood.
All you need to do is to install the Hawks high above the areas where the birds are doing the damage. There are three methods. I have enclosed information on each method. In brief you can either spike the Hawk on the end of a 6 metre length of 25 mm pipe and stand the hawk and pipe up on the perimeter of crop. Plumbers plastic water pipe is very good as it comes in 6-metre lengths or galvanised pipe is also worth using.
Alternatively you can use strong fishing line or thin fencing wire to suspend the hawk between poles, trees or other high points around the crop so the Hawks are hovering above the area to be protected.
You will obtain excellent results using this method, saving you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in time and on loss of crop. The Hawk is unique because it is a full size imitation hawk made of durable weatherproof plastic. As birds instinctively fear the Hawk they are also scared to come within sight of the profile of this replica of a hovering Hawk.
Birds do not become used to the hawk’s presence. From previous customer experience in similar situations we can say that a Hawk Bird Scarer will work for you. If it doesn’t, we offer you a money-back guarantee.
Birds are often recognized as a problem for farmers, with flocks sometimes wiping out entire crops.
But bird attack can be a problem for people living in towns and cities, and the damage bill can be many thousands of dollars for a day’s visit by a few or six cockatoos. People who live in towns and cities aren’t able to use some of the same solutions that farmers can, such as noise guns.
Sulphur-crested cockatoos can be devastating when they drop by for a visit. Their beaks are extremely strong and continue to grow throughout the bird’s life. In the wild, their beaks are used to chew into tree trunks and limbs to collect grubs.
In town, their beaks can ruin western red cedar windows, pergolas, solar hot water systems on roofs, bitumen roofs on high rise buildings, and the birds will attack expensive membranes on blocks of units and skyscrapers. Synthetic tennis courts and bowling greens are often favourites for these bands of Mother Nature’s “Hell’s Angels”.
Other species of birds can ruin household gardens and vegetable plots.
There is a simple idea that is effective for scaring birds. It was invented to scare birds away from boats, yachts and wharfs. It has now been used effectively over the past 20 years to protect agriculture crops and vineyards.
The Hawk Bird Scarer is an Australian invention. It is a durable plastic imitation of the birds’ natural predator, the goshawk.
When suspended from wires or sat atop a pole, so it can be seen by potentially marauding birds, it will trigger the birds’ instinctive fear of the predator and they will stay well away.
The Hawk Bird Scarer has many advantages over alternative methods of bird control. It is inexpensive, maintenance-free and durable. It is safe for the environment and it is not offensive to neighbours. It is sold throughout Australia and exported to Europe and America.
At $35.00 each, the Hawk Bird Scarer will provide many, many years of protection from damage that could run to many thousands of dollars.