Wildlife Services, formerly APHIS Animal Damage Control, had supplied falcon cutouts of 3/4" thick foam hung on fishing line with a swivel. Hung around the eaves of a building they will move with a slight breeze and look mean, especially with an imposing eye added.

Randy Hill
Othello
----- Original Message -----
From: Suzanne Krom
To: Tweeters
Sent: Wednesday, January 17, 2007 10:22 AM
Subject: [Tweeters] farmer looking for relief from flicker damage


The other day I met a farmer at my local farmer's market who asked for suggestions on non-lethal ways to deal with flickers. The birds are apparently drilling/drumming along the roof-line and flashing, and near the ventilation vents of his two-story house, and he spends considerable time perched precariously on his ladder patching the damaged areas. It used to be seasonal but now they drill year-round. He admitted to killing them on rare occasions, and said that other farmers regularly kill them in order to reduce the damage they cause. It was very clear that he hated taking this last resort measure and wants to find a harmless alternative.

He's used a variety of materials, the latest being hardware cloth. The stuff tears his gloves and cuts his hands -- and it's not working. The birds are able to break off enough of the metal bars to access the house. If you have suggestions for him, I'll pass them along. I know he would appreciate it.
Suzanne Krom
West Seattle
szkrom at drizzle dot com



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