I have a tiny amount of experience in bird control. Birds are devious.
I don't mean evil. They're completely amoral, but they're clever. They'll work out what's going on in order to get their food. Things that might take an insect multiple generations to work out and adapt to, a bird might spend a day or a week on.
In the decade I've been shooting, I've seen many countermeasures (and lures) come and go. Scarecrows consistently fail now. Propane cannons just annoy residents. The birds adapt swiftly because their lives depend on it. That is all to say, lasers won't last. I'd be surprised if they work for longer than a few seasons before the birds are simply used to them.
The silly thing is we know why this is an issue. Intensive farming, outrageous field size, the removal of hedgerows and the removal of predator habitats (mature trees) have all meant massive colonies of pigeons and starlings can exist. If you want to start peddling this back you have to reintroduce the natural controls that used to keep things in check.
I don't mean evil. They're completely amoral, but they're clever. They'll work out what's going on in order to get their food. Things that might take an insect multiple generations to work out and adapt to, a bird might spend a day or a week on.
In the decade I've been shooting, I've seen many countermeasures (and lures) come and go. Scarecrows consistently fail now. Propane cannons just annoy residents. The birds adapt swiftly because their lives depend on it. That is all to say, lasers won't last. I'd be surprised if they work for longer than a few seasons before the birds are simply used to them.
The silly thing is we know why this is an issue. Intensive farming, outrageous field size, the removal of hedgerows and the removal of predator habitats (mature trees) have all meant massive colonies of pigeons and starlings can exist. If you want to start peddling this back you have to reintroduce the natural controls that used to keep things in check.