A flock of birds can eat 500 kilograms of sea buckthorn berries a day – how to avoid it?

 “When a flock of starlings and crows fly over a sea buckthorn field, they can eat up to 500 kilograms of berries in one day. At first, they gobble up all the berries from the top and then they start eating the bottom ones,” describes Peeter Enning of Sella Farm in Pärnu County the harm birds can do to the farmers.

Farmers have a colossal problem with birds in autumn. Many birds are preparing to fly away for hibernation and begin to refuel. That is the time when the sea buckthorn berries are ready. Birds fly in flocks to loot the bushes and can cause substantial damage to growers.

Therefore, says Peeter Enning, gas cannons are indispensable. It is all-weather mechanical cannon with a volume that can be compared to that of a hunting rifle. The bang intervals can be adjusted from one minute to 30 minutes. In addition, the gas cannon can be used to scare wild boars and wolves.

Because birds tend to be clever, Enning recommends using some other bird-scaring tools in addition to cannons. According to him, the cannons could be placed every 200 meters and besides that, it is recommended to use shapes and ribbons. Preventive measures should be taken proactively as it is very difficult to scare away birds once they already have had the taste.

We also recommend purchasing a cannon tripod that allows the cannon to fire 360 degrees.

One of the most effective ways to scare birds is the kite. The kite should be as high that it can fly over the bushes, which means it must be attached to a fairly long rod.