| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | maturing grain, sunflower, bean or corn crops. Flock |
| Blackbirds, a migratory nuisance to farmers and an | | | | Buster however, a 100% ecologically friendly bird |
| environmentally friendly approach to repel them. | | | | deterrent, has proven effective at repelling blackbirds in |
| Some 70 million blackbirds come through the Northern | | | | sunflowers and corn. Over the years, many chemical |
| Plains each year, including about 6 million that stop in | | | | bird deterrents have come and gone, partly due to lack |
| North Dakota, biologists say. Each blackbird protected | | | | of effectiveness, but also because of adverse health |
| by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act can feed on about | | | | side-effects. At present, there are no effective, food |
| an ounce of sunflower seeds daily. The USDA | | | | grade chemical bird repellents. The use of avicides, a |
| estimates blackbirds feed on more than $10 million | | | | chemical used to kill birds will continue to be |
| worth of sunflowers each year in North Dakota, which | | | | controversial and lack general public acceptance. A |
| accounts for about half the nation’s sunflower | | | | major constraint to the development of chemical |
| production. | | | | deterrents is the lack of profit incentives for private |
| What attracts them? Water, cattails and sunflowers, | | | | companies that see limited markets for new bird |
| the perfect combination. | | | | control products. Every new wildlife damage |
| Now that we know what attracts them, how can we | | | | management method will undergo public scrutiny |
| best repel them? What has been tried, what has been | | | | through the National Environmental Policy Act. |
| ineffective and is there anything that works or has | | | | Currently a product which is totally chemical free and |
| promise of working and is safe to the environment? | | | | environmentally friendly, named Flock Buster, is |
| Flock Buster, a 100% ecologically friendly bird deterrent | | | | being marketed and distributed out of West Fargo, |
| effective in repelling blackbirds and Canadian Geese in | | | | North Dakota and has proven to be quite successful |
| a variety of crops and in various stages of growth. To | | | | at keeping blackbirds out of sunflowers. It is also |
| learn more, visit | | | | showing some very positive characteristics at |
| Some of the means used in trying to repel blackbirds | | | | deterring Canadian Geese and sea-gulls. For deterring |
| include Federal wildlife officials targeting entire parcels | | | | blackbirds however where wetlands or water are |
| of cattail-choked wetlands in North Dakota to kill the | | | | nearby, a blackbird control program needs to be |
| favorite habitat of sunflower-scarfing blackbirds. To | | | | implemented using a variety of deterrent means with |
| date, some 60,000 acres of cattail marshes in North | | | | the cooperation of the grower, EPA, Wildlife Services |
| Dakota have been destroyed since 1991 in an attempt | | | | agency and the USDA. A several step approach |
| keep blackbirds at bay. In 2008, about 4,500 acres of | | | | without the use of chemicals to destroy wetlands, the |
| wetlands in 16 counties were treated in North Dakota | | | | use of chemicals as a desiccant on sunflower fields, or |
| and 8,000 acres are planned for 2009. The favorite | | | | poisons to kill birds needs to be implemented. This |
| chemical for this is a herbicide that at best is only | | | | would include an educational program and funding by |
| effective for 5 years. WildEarth Guardians, based in | | | | the Federal Government since the birds and wetlands |
| Santa Fe., N.M. alleges the Federal Agricultural | | | | are governed by them. The program’s primary |
| Department’s Wildlife Services agency is | | | | goal needs to be to improve profitability to agricultural |
| violating the Federal Clean Water Act by applying | | | | producers, enhance the health and safety of urban |
| herbicides on wetlands in North and South Dakota to | | | | dwellers, protect the environment through development |
| kill cattails. In April 2009, it notified the USDA that they | | | | of newly improved management strategies and |
| were filing a lawsuit in Federal Court. A spokesman of | | | | implementing new wildlife management strategies. We |
| the group says it’s ironic that some of the | | | | can accomplish this by: |
| cattails sprayed with herbicide are on | | | | 1. The use of only non-chemical environmentally friendly |
| government-established wetlands created using | | | | products like Flock Buster applied to crops as a |
| federal funds. A spokesman from the same group | | | | deterrent method. |
| claims A special interest group is benefiting at the | | | | 2. The use of small decoy plots of sunflowers |
| expense of taxpayers, at the expense of our clean | | | | adjacent to commercial plots of sunflowers near |
| water and our wildlife. I would have to argue that | | | | wetland areas that would not be treated with any type |
| the North Dakota Farmer is not a special interest | | | | of blackbird deterrents. |
| group. The North Dakota farmer is an important part | | | | 3. Manually harvesting cattail wetlands and restricting or |
| of American agriculture. In 2008, the cost of | | | | totally eliminating the use of herbicides to repel them. |
| killing cattails was $166,000.00 to spray 3,700 acres of | | | | 4. The use of acoustical and visual deterrents for |
| wetlands in North Dakota and 99 acres in South | | | | heavy infestations in conjunction with the non-chemical |
| Dakota. Scott McLeod, a biologist for the conservation | | | | products. |
| group Ducks Unlimited based in Bismarck, North | | | | 5. Public education programs about the bird difficulty |
| Dakota said, Killing cattails has minimal impact to | | | | for farmers and the economic costs to the state in |
| waterfowl, good or bad. He called the federally | | | | which these pests migrate to and why Federal dollars |
| funded cattail-removal program a Band-Aid | | | | need to be used to assist the producer maintain an |
| approach to an impossible problem. | | | | adequate profit margin as they are such a vital link to |
| Sunflower growers have tried a variety of other | | | | the production of this product. |
| control means over the years, including propane | | | | The five items listed above are only a few of the |
| cannons, electronic noise devises, radio-controlled | | | | many possible tools that would augment and enhance |
| airplanes and shotguns to scare birds out of fields. The | | | | the effectiveness of a environmentally friendly pest |
| Wildlife Services also funded a program that involved | | | | management program; but whatever program is |
| seeding small decoy plots of sunflowers near | | | | adopted and integrated, it must focus and rely more |
| wetlands where the blackbirds roost, hoping that it | | | | heavily or exclusively on environmentally friendly |
| would keep them from feasting on farmers’ | | | | products and concepts. Coordinated efforts need to |
| larger commercial fields. The difficulties with these type | | | | start early in the off season with the producer and the |
| of deterrent means are acoustical, visual and physical | | | | Wildlife Services agency to identify the production |
| exclusion do not work well or long since birds get | | | | areas, the wetland areas that would cause a problem |
| accustomed to these types of means, and they | | | | for the grower and the strategies of an |
| become ineffective. | | | | environmentally-friendly wildlife management program |
| To date, no bird deterrents are currently registered for | | | | that will be implemented to assist the grower. |