Dear Max
I would be surprised if the plastic owls are the reason for the swallows
not using the site. It is common for this kind of approach to have only a
very short-term effect, if any, as the birds realise very quickly that
there is no danger associated with owl models.
A CSR factory that makes masonite near Melbourne had a substantial problem
with several thousand swallows roosting in their very large warehouses.
They tried a large range of strategies, including fake owls, real owls,
rubber snakes, big fans in the ceiling, plastic strips in doorways, closing
the doors before dark and reopening them well after dark and leaving a
diesel truck running all night inside! None of these was effective ( and
they did not want to install netting under the ceiling, which was my first
advice). Eventually, I suggested stringing nylon fishing line below the
ceiling, attached to the underside of the main roof support beams. The
lines ran the length of the warehouse, and were spaced 12 cm apart. This
solved the problem. Apparently, the swallows did not like colliding with
the lines as they tried to get to their normal perches just below the roof.
Cheers
Ian
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