Cormorants!! Again!!!

[Colin Brett]

I have just had an afternoons Trouting at Grafham Water. Fishing on the Dam I counted over 50 Cormorants flying in over the dam and landing on the lake.

A short while later I had 10 of the Black B~#$~%Ds feeding not 30 yards out in front of

me. One even pinched a trout off my mates hook! Whoever said they only eat fish up to 10

to 12 ozs should come and have a look at what these B~#$~%Ds were shoving down their throats.

Trout to an estimated 1.5lbs were being swallowed, plus they were grabbing much bigger fish which they couldn't. They weren't a bit bothered by anglers shouting and clapping to try to scare them off. All we could do was watch. When will something be done about these pests.

Colin

[M.K]

Cormorants are birds, they are animals, part of Nature. Just imagine, we only talk of what we see but think what theyr'e doing while we are not watching. I guess shooting at em` might somehow

scare them. :confused:

[Leon Roskilly]

Hmmmm! I wonder how effective those laser light pens they sell to the kids down the high street would be?

 

Tight Lines - leon

 

Birds take flight at the sight of the red spot 12 May 01

 

DAZZLING red lasers can drive birds away from airports and other sensitive sites, say biologists working for the US government. These high-tech scarecrows can shift thousands of roosting birds in only a few hours, and most of them will never return.

 

Bird strikes can severely damage the engines of planes taking off or landing. To reduce the risk to passengers, airports often kill the birds or frighten them away with noisy bird scarers.

 

The advantage of the red laser is that it drives away the birds without physically harming them. The laser, which is the size of a flashlight, was originally designed for US military police to dazzle and disorient people without damaging their eyes. "The birds can handle more intense light than humans and our studies show they are not harmed," says Brad Blackwell of the Department of Agriculture's National Wildlife Research Center at Sandusky, Ohio.

 

The researchers have already used the lasers to disperse cormorants roosting at catfish farms in the Mississippi delta, and to drive Canada geese away from a reservoir. "It works best during darkness. The birds see the large red spot moving towards them across the surface of the water or ground. They seem to think it is a predator and they panic," says Blackwell. However, Britain's Civil Aviation Authority says it restricts the use of lasers within 10 miles of an airfield to prevent pilots being dazzled.

 

Max Glaskin

 

 

From New Scientist magazine, vol 170 issue 2290, 12/05/2001, page 22

[Chris Plumb]

Now THAT's gotta be worth a try. I've got one of those at work - might have to 'borrow' it! ...

 

And I would guess now's the time to start scaring them - if they don't nest they can't breed....

 

Chris

 

[ 15 April 2002, 09:45 PM: Message edited by: Chris Plumb ]

[Leon Roskilly]

Chris Plumb:

if they don't nest they can't breed....

That's what it says here:

 

http://www.sea-river-news.com/letter05_gb_2.htm

 

Tight Lines - leon

[Alan Fawcett]

If any of you do gey one of the laser pens remember to make sure you haven't got the "happy birthday" lens on it

 

Seriously though i have got a couple of them (got them in Blackpool last year)& i didn't know about the red light thingumy Leon so i'll give it a try on the Marshes nature reserve.

 

(BTW I was gonna post the link to that thing on cormorants but you've beat me to it )

[phil hackett]

Originally posted by Leon Roskilly:

Leon

I’ve already run this one to ground on behalf of the SAA. I e-mail the guy in the States from the Fish and Wildlife Services about them. The lazier they have been using are quite different than the pen laziers. He also told me that the cost of them was $5000, which is a bit pricey for small clubs.

I also read another report that suggested the effectiveness of them soon diminishes and you back to other methods.

 

Bang! Bang! Could be the only realistic alternative!

[Newt]

With "bang, bang" someone has to hang around and do it regularly. Otherwise, they just come back.

 

Now a legal method would be

 

[phil hackett]

Originally posted by Newt:

Alas Newt, if only!!!!!!

[Colin Brett]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Newt:

 

Now a legal method would be

 

[/QB]

---

Where can I get one or two Newt?

 

Colin