Airstrike Bird Control

Airstrike Bird Control

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Brad Felger owns Airstrike Bird Control Service that uses falcons to keep starlings and other birds out of wineries and orchards. They have offices in California, Oregon, Washington and Pennsylvania. He explains that one falcon can cover 800 acres a day. Cherries, grapes and Honey crisp  apples are some of the crops that are the most vulnerable to  pest birds. The falcon is released to dive and swoop towards the invading birds  frightening them away. But how do you train them? “ We have an old traditional exercise called stooping to the lure and a falcon diving is known as a stoop. So stooping to the lure Is an exercise where I am swinging a lure and the bird is coming in at high speed. It is really fun to watch. The bird goes way up into the sky, doing a barrel roll and coming straight down as fast as it can to grab that lure and I'm swinging the lure and I pull that lure up into the sky and trying to prevent the bird from grabbing it but the burden is attempting to grab it at high speed. When that bird touches that lure it is game over and the bird sits down and eats the food on that lure. It is something that is natural and that the falcons really learn and enjoy doing. It's a game. It's not as much about the food as it is about them really being able to open up and fly like that. In the meantime, starlings, gulls, whatever were trying to push out see that and it mimics oursuit. It's that bird pursuing that lure and I will even color up that lure to make it mimic a gull.
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