[TowerTalk] Plastic Owls

[JD Delancy]

JLK --

> Checked out the tower install at W6OLD and noted the plastic
> owl. Anyone have any experience using these things? Are they
> effective keeping the birds off the hardware? 

A friend of mine was the Chief RF engineer at a government site
here in Southern Maryland a few years ago.  One of the towers, a
200 footer, was very prone to the Osprey building nests at or
near the top of the tower.  During one of the visits to the top
of the tower (to hang a new antenna) he had the crew take a
plastic owl up with them and secure just below the top of the
tower. 

>From day one the Osprey acted like frustrated fighter pilots
(dive bombing, high speed pass, etc) against the plastic owl. 
Its been up there since and the Opsrey's have not rebuilt their
nests.  

Its been up at least five years now. Effective?  I'd say so.

   jd



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