The Complete Guide To Bird Cannons

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Birds and other pests can be a huge nuisance for farmers, businesses, and homeowners in rural areas. They can cause an incredible amount of damage, a loss of income, and also be a major safety concern. A bird cannon is a cost-effective and highly efficient pest control solution that’s ideal for large areas of land.  And here is everything you need to know about them.

Bird Cannon Basics  

Despite its name, a bird cannon does not fire actual projectiles. Instead, it is a device that creates extremely loud blasts of sound to scare off birds and other animal pests. To do this it uses a controlled mixture of air and LPG/propane or butane gas from an attached tank. The gas is blown into a combustion chamber where it produces a pressure-regulated sonic blast of noise that shoots out of the barrel.

The sound produced by a bird cannon is so loud that it is comparable to that of a jackhammer, approaching ambulance, or a 12 gauge shotgun. This causes a fear and flight response in birds and other pests which makes them immediately flee the area.  Most models actually produce enough sound to protect an area that is several acres in size.

And while bird cannons come in several different configurations, and with various features, they typically will function in the same basic way. When shopping for one you may notice that they are also sometimes called a: “bird scare cannon”, “propane bird cannon”, “bird banger,” or simply a “scare cannon.”

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What Type Of Pests Are They Used For?

Bird cannons are mainly used to deter pest birds. For example, they are commonly used for Canada geese, starlings, sparrows, herons, crows, wild turkeys, ravens, blackbirds, starlings, grackles, seagulls, turkey vultures, and black vultures. However, they are effective for virtually all pest bird species.

In addition, they are also an efficient deterrent against a range of non-bird pests as well such as deer, elk, wild hogs, kangaroos, monkeys, and even elephants to name a few. They are used to deter predators like bears, coyotes, and wolves too.

Where And Why Are They Used?

Because of the incredibly loud sound blasts that they can produce bird cannons are not a pest control option for the typical backyard. Instead, they are generally used in large, rural, or industrial areas such as:

Agricultural Farms

Cannons are commonly used to prevent crop damage by pests on a wide variety of crops types for example fruit, vegetable, nut, and grain crops. They are used on a range of different farm types including orchards and vineyards.

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Aquaculture Farms

Fish farms and hatcheries often employ bird cannons to keep predatory birds such herons, pelican, eagles, and cormorants among others from eating their fish and crustaceans.

Garbage Dumps

Waste management sites use cannons to deter both animal and bird pests which often visit or take up residence in sites in large numbers to scavenge on garbage.

Airports and Helipads

Bird scare cannons are widely used by airports, helipads, and aeronautics facilities to keep birds and pests away from landing and takeoff areas.  This prevents collisions with birds known as “bird strike,” which can save lives (both human and bird) as collisions can have deadly consequences.

Structures

Roosting and nesting birds create a lot of waste. And that waste can be highly acidic (especially that of vultures) causing metal and other materials to degrade which in turn causes structures to become damaged and even dangerous. Cannons are used to keep pest birds off of cell and radio towers, oil rigs, roofs of buildings, along with structures used by power and utility companies.

Large Areas Where Bird Waste Is A Problem

Bird waste can cause a real mess and be a serious health risk to humans. Bird scare cannons are used in large open spaces such as golf courses and marinas to keep them free of birds and their waste. They are also used to help protect important freshwater supplies such as reservoirs from being contaminated by bird waste.

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Bird Cannon Benefits

Some of the top advantages of using a bird cannon are that they are:

Humane and Safe

Unlike other forms of pest control such as baiting or trapping using a bird cannon is totally humane and there are no toxic chemicals or poisons to worry about. While it will scare pests a cannon won’t actually harm them in any way. Cannons use propane/LPG or butane which are both considered to be “clean-burning” fuels. Both are non-toxic and environmentally- friendly as well.

Able To Operate Independently

Bird cannons are designed to work on their own. You don’t have to be there to operate them. While you go about your day they will produce a blast of sound at a set interval, for example, every twenty minutes.

Cost-Effective

Bird cannons do cost more to purchase than many other pest control options. However, they are actually much more cost-efficient than other options. That’s because a single cannon can be used to deter pests from several acres of property.  In fact, one unit is typically able to deter pests in a five-acre area while others can range up to ten.

You will need to refill the LPG/propane or butane tank when it is empty. Gas is not only inexpensive, but each tank will usually last for many thousands of bursts. This makes using a cannon very economical in the long run, often costing as little as a few cents per day to operate a single unit.

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Helpful Features and Accessories

When shopping for a bird cannon you may notice there are several helpful features and accessories such as:

Tripods

Most standard cannon models are placed on ground level. However, purchasing a tripod allows the cannon to sit several feet off of the ground. The added height gives the cannon an even greater effective range allowing the sound of the blasts to travel much farther. In fact, for many models adding a tripod can actually double their effective range.

Some bird cannon tripods have adjustable legs allowing you to change the height when needed or to compensate for hilly or uneven ground. In addition, there are also tripod extensions, which can be added to help increase the height of tripods even further so cannons can shoot over tall vegetation and crops.

Another option are tripods that allow the cannon to rotate a full 360 degrees. As the cannon fires, it pivots with each shot, providing sound coverage in all directions. Thus one rotating cannon can provide as much coverage as several stationary cannons.

Extendable Barrels

Some models come with an extendable barrel also sometimes called a “telescopic barrel”. This feature allows you to control the level of sound by lengthening or shortening the barrel of the cannon. By lengthening the barrel you can increase the volume of the blast and extend its effective range.

Durable Materials

The best bird cannon units are constructed with tough and durable all-weather materials such as galvanized or aluminized steel and aluminum. This guarantees that they will keep working to keep pests away day in and day out no matter what the weather conditions are.

Timers

A bird cannon is designed to function independently when set. However, a timer allows it to work automatically for extended periods of time, shutting it both on and off at specific times each day so you don’t have to do so manually. While some units have a timer feature built-in others require you to purchase an external timer unit.

Other Extras

There are many other helpful features and accessories that are worth considering as well. Handheld long-range remotes allow you to control your unit with the touch of a button even from far away. Motion detectors can set cannons off immediately when they detect the movement of pests. Night-time deactivation, solar battery charging systems, propane level censors, double shot cannons, and multi-shot cannons are all options as well.

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Quick Bird Cannon Tips

The following tips can help to ensure your success:

Strategic Placement

Be sure to position your cannon along the perimeter of the area affected by the pests. Or you may want to set it up where they are entering or landing on the property. A helpful trick is to make sure that the bird cannon is facing downwind as the wind will help the sound to travel even farther.

Ear Protection

Bird cannons are designed to produce an extreme amount of sound. Therefore it’s very important that you wear the proper ear protection when you are close to a cannon that is in operation. If you don’t you may temporarily or even permanently damage your hearing.

Change Things Up

Periodically changing the location of your bird cannon along with the firing frequency will help to increase its effectiveness over time. It can prevent pests from becoming familiar with the repetitive sound of the cannon. Some units offer a random firing mode which can help to mix things up as well.

Combination Of Deterrents

Using a variety of other types of deterrents in addition to your bird cannon can be a big help. For example, adding decoys and other repellents that pests can see visually and that create a fear response will increase the chances that they will stay away.

When it comes to deterring birds and other pests in large areas, a bird cannon is an economical and effective choice. And with this guide, you now have all the info you need to get started using one to protect your property!

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