Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conferences
Date of this Version
September 1989
Abstract
This triggering unit for animal frightening devices was developed because of an expressed need for a more effective method of breaking up starling and grackle roosts. The USDA, Animal Damage Control (ADC) office in Louisville, KY suggested that a device which detected the presence of the birds before activating and then emitted different sounds would be much more effective than single functioning devices on timers. Existing frightening devices have limited effectiveness because the birds become accustom to the repeated and periodic actuations of the same thing over and over again. In November of 1986, Mr. Bernice Constantin, District Supervisor for the Kentucky ADC office approached John Adams and Steve Price about the possibility of developing such a device. John Adams is over electrical maintenance at a large Louisville plant and Steve Price is an electronic engineer for the Navy. The two agreed to undertake the project, and by the spring of 1987 the first prototype model had been constructed.