Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Ways you can
shoo away nuisance birds
Part I: When people are the nuisance
PART II: What to do about nuisance wild birds attracted by feeders"There are a bunch of different products on the market" that claim to deal with the problem of nuisance birds, notes Dave Smith, Oahu district wildlife manager for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. But he suggests contacting a pest control operator if your problem can't be resolved by talking to a neighbor or by eliminating whatever else might be the source of the flocking birds.
Be advised that you must have a permit if you are planning to trap or kill a wild animal, including birds. Smith is in charge of issuing the permits.
Andrew Nowinski, president of Tropical Termite and Pest Control, got so many calls about pesky birds he became a specialist and started Bird Busters of Hawaii (487-2667) five years ago.
It takes only one bird lover in a 500-unit apartment building to feed the birds for them to become an apartment-wide nuisance, he said. In Waikiki and other condominium areas, birds have come to associate people sitting on lanais with food, he said.
Once the birds have regular access to food, water and shelter, they start mating, Nowinski said. "You can take the eggs away every 15 minutes, but they'll keep laying the eggs," until they finally move somewhere else. "Believe it or not, we took care of one entire building just by removing the eggs," Nowinski said.
When customers call, Nowinski said he'll first attempt to advise them on what they can do on their own. For example, people bothered by mynah birds or java finches in their trees are advised to just hose them a couple of times in the morning -- aiming for the underside. The birds "are protected from the top, not from underneath," he said, so it becomes very uncomfortable for them to be wet. Once the bird realizes a certain place is uncomfortable and it's not welcome, it'll move, Nowinski said.
You have to use "reverse psychology," he said. "They're a pest to us; we have to be a pest to them. Unfortunately, in a 500-unit building, you can't get everybody to do that."
If you can't get people to stop feeding the birds, there are various ways to try to exclude the birds without harming them, he said, such as netting or a sticky product.
Sometimes, he'll opt for trapping, taking pigeons to the Humane Society or giving them away, and releasing sparrows and doves in the country, because they're not homing birds.
Nowinski doesn't like to use chemicals because he says they're only a temporary solution. "They really don't do much. It's like letting a firecracker go. You pop it and after awhile (the birds) get used to it."
He's also against using Tanglefoot, which he likened to a hairnet. "Once a bird gets tangled in that, it's a mess to get it out," he said. "Because the more he moves the more tangled he gets."
Wildlife officials use it to trap and tag birds, he said, but they try to release a bird as soon as possible. "I don't like to use it because if you don't monitor it, you can do more damage to the bird," he said.
Smith noted: "If you leave them be, most wildlife populations will establish their own level, which is generally below a nuisance level. But as soon as people start feeding animals, they create a nuisance. The root of the problem is always people -- not the animals themselves."
Auwe
There is a bus stop at the corner of Kahala Mall on Kilauea Avenue near the McDonald's entrance. Because of trees above the stop, the seats and walk are always covered with bird feces, making it impossible to sit. This is not only disgusting but a serious health problem. Can't TheBus provide a roof so passengers can use the seats?(We passed your complaint on to the city Department of Customer Services to forward to the Department of Transportation Services, which is responsible for the bus shelters. If nothing happens in a reasonable period of time, call the department at 523-4381.)
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com