Using Hawk Decoy's to Protect Fruit Trees

Using Hawk Decoys to Protect Fruit Trees

by Alex A. Kecskes

Birds can really damage fruit trees, especially when the fruit begins to ripen. For this reason, it's best to implement effective bird control measures early. Birds that typically attack fruit trees are crows, grackles, starlings, house finches, house sparrows, and robins. Cedar waxwings, gray catbirds, northern mockingbirds, blue jays, Baltimore orioles, seagulls and wild turkeys have also been known to damage fruits.

Beware of Larger, Smarter Birds

For the most part, the birds that are most damaging to fruit trees and feed heavily on ripe and developing fruit are typically larger, smarter birds. They include parrots and crows (crows often appear in huge flocks when fruit ripen). These strong birds use their claws and beaks to easily rip through the protective skin of fruits such as passion fruit, avocado and mango. Smaller birds like finches and sparrows will swoop in at dusk or dawn to feed on softer fruits and berries.

To protect your fruit trees from bird damage, there are a number of bird control strategies that have proven to be effective. One bird-proofing device that has met with success when used properly is the Hawk Decoy. Unlike firearms and poisons, decoys are non-lethal and humane. And unlike cannons and other window-shattering deterrents, decoys are silent and disturb no one. Like most bird proofing measures, Hawk Decoys should be used in conjunction with other bird control measures to maximize their effect.

A Closer Look at the Hawk Decoy

Most birds fear the Red Tail hawk. This large, powerful predator ranges throughout North America to central Alaska and northern Canada, and south as far as the mountains of Panama. As carnivorous raptors, hawks have strong, hooked beaks and long, curved and very sharp talons. They kill their prey with their talons, ripping apart large prey with their beaks and talons. What's more, the eyesight of a hawk is eight times as powerful as a human's. Birds invading your fruit trees know all this by instinct, which is why hawks strike fear in their little hearts the second they spot these territorial predators. And why hawk decoys make such good pest bird deterrents.

Get a Realistic Looking Hawk Decoy

To fully exploit the pest bird deterrent capabilities of a Red Tail Hawk decoy, you need to make sure that it is well constructed and as realistic looking as possible. The better decoys are made of heavy duty plastic with hand-painted life-like features. The bird should also be to scale--22 inches long with a wingspan of 56 inches. Mini decoys or those simply hacked out of wood with poor coloring are useless. Make sure the eyes look real and threatening. And be sure you get a quality made decoy. It should remain real looking after it's been exposed to months of sunlight and bad weather.

Position Hawk Decoys to Best Advantage

Exposure is crucial in ensuring the effectiveness of visual pest bird deterrents. And that's especially true when it comes to Hawk Decoys. Try to position the decoy or decoys where birds are sure to see them--high and plainly visible. And don't forget to move the decoys around as often as you can. If pest birds notice hawks in ever-changing locations, they'll get the idea that hawks are everywhere. And no pest bird wants to feed under that kind of threat.

Some decoys have a hole at the top, which allows you to easily use a rope or twine to hang them from trees or eaves. Still others are hollow, so you can fill them with sand for added stability if you need to set them in a place where wind or sprinklers might knock them over.

If your fruit trees are heavily infested with pest birds, you many need to add other pest bird devices to your hawk decoy efforts. These include such physical bird deterrents as bird spiders, chemical fogging, and exclusionary measures like netting.