Birds and damage in grain breeding trials are synonymous, and each breeder will have his or her unique way to tackle it. Some will go on the offense and others on the defence. The first usually leads to the culling of birds. It’s a last resort action that only brings reprieve for a season or two, and also for many bird lovers not an acceptable option.

Over the past ten years, there has been a significant increases in the hectares being planted at Welgevallen Experimental Farm as part of breeding trials of the Plant Breeding laboratory (PBL). These efforts form part part of contract research being conducted in support of the local wheat industry.

“To covering our trials with nets became an almost impossible task and also too expensive,” The netting also made the use of newer phenotyping platforms, i.e. drones, impossible.

The PBL therefore had to rethink our defence mechanisms and started exploring different deterrents. With a school to the one side and a residential area to the other it however significantly limits your options. In 2015 following extensive research on possible deterrents we made contact with Eagle Eye Bird Control (a local South African company) and got hold of a high-powered handheld laser. The laser was extremely effective in chasing away unwanted birds, but needed a human operator. Many long days later we realised this was not a sustainable long-term solution.

Fast forward to the 2017 season. Following the extensive search in regard to “bird laser deterrents” in 2015 “Professor Google” forwarded an alert for a new product. It was for the Autonomic bird repelling laser from a Dutch based company called Bird Control Group (BCG). We made contact and in May 2017 a demonstration unit were imported and installed at WEF, a first time the technology is deployed in South Africa.

The unit consists of a high-powered, class 3B, green laser that is housed in a water tight casing, similar to that of a security camera. The laser’s path can be programmed and is completely adaptable to the user’s requirements. The unit can therefore autonomously cover the pre-determined area 24/7 without any human intervention apart from the initial programming.

But does it work? Yes. This season we have suffered almost no damage in the areas covered by the laser beam thus far. How does it work? The birds identify the laser’s beam as a physical threat and therefore flees away from it. In most cases our experience is that once it flees it will not return either. The Autonomic is also extensively used in other areas of the world at airports and industries prone to bird damage. The versatility of the technology is further illustrated with the Seabird saver laser system that were developed in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund.

The laser is generally regarded as safe and fitted with BCG’s patented Projection Safety System (PSS) that blocks the laser from shining outside the programmed area. Keeping birds

away without harming them while not impacting the environment or impacting WEF’s neighbours. Thereby, providing a high-tech, innovative solution for a low-tech problem!

Photo description: Photograph of trial field during WEF 2017 showing no bird damage.