GB2250172A

GB2250172A - Bird deterrent device

Info

Publication number: GB2250172A
Application number: GB9125184A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael John James
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-11-28
Filing date: 1991-11-27
Publication date: 1992-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 2011-11-27
Also published as: GB9025863D0; GB9125184D0; GB2250172B

Abstract

The invention provides a bird deterrent device adapted to be erected to protect an area from birds, comprising a baseline 1 for location around the area to be protected, and a protection means 10 for attachment thereto, the protection means being attachable to said baseline by means of attachment members 3 which, when the device is erected, are longitudinally spaced along the baseline, such that the protection means adapts to the size and/or shape of the area defined by the baseline so that the device can be erected to deter birds from areas of different size and/or shape. Preferably the protection means comprises an anchorage member 8 which, when the device is erected, is spaced from the area to be protected, and a line 10 which, when the device is erected, passes between the attachment members on the baseline and the anchorage member. <IMAGE>

Description

BIRD DETERRENT DEVICE The present invention relates to a bird deterrent device for protecting a given area from birds, and in particular but not exclusively, for use in protecting boats or ponds.

It is frequently desirable to exclude birds from certain areas where they may cause damage or be a nuisance. Thus for example it may be desired to protect pond fish or cultivated areas from attack by birds. In particular there is a well-recognised need to protect ponds from birds such as kingfishers and herons which attack fish. Alternatively it may simply be desired to prevent birds from perching in and fouling a particular area. Moored boats are in this regard susceptible to fouling by seagulls.

It is known to protect, for example, a garden pond, or even a strawberry patch, by placing a "guard" such as a stretch of netting over it. One disadvantage of this is that the netting has to be of the same size and shape as the area to be protected, so that a given piece of netting is suitable for only one size and shape of area.

Furthermore, in the case of ponds, there will normally be plants at the edge of the pond which make installation of a net rather difficult, so that in practice once a net is put in place it is rarely removed.

A need therefore exists for an improved bird deterrent device which is suitable for areas to be protected of different size and/or shape and which is simple to install and dismantle.

Viewed from one aspect, the present invention provides a bird deterrent device adapted to be erected to protect an area from birds, comprising a baseline for location around the area to be protected, and a protection means for attachment thereto, the protection means being attachable to said baseline by means of attachment members which, when the device is erected, are longitudinally spaced along the baseline, such that the protection means adapts to the size and/or shape of the area defined by the baseline so that the device can be erected to deter birds from areas of different size and/or shape.

A second aspect of the invention provides a method of protecting an area from birds, which method comprises: positioning a baseline around the area to be protected, said baseline having longitudinally spaced attachment members provided thereon for attachment of a protection means thereto, and attaching the protection means to said baseline, such that the protection means adapts to the size and/or shape of the area defined by the baseline.

This arrangement thus permits the baseline to be laid around the perimeter of an area to be protected and this serves to define the base area of the bird deterrent device as a whole; the same baseline can be used for areas of different size and/or shape. The longitudinally spaced attachment members enable attachment of the protection means to the baseline, which then assumes the shape of the area around which the baseline has been laid. The invention thus provides the advantage of being adjustable to any size and/or shape of area to be protected, for example a square, circle, oval, figure of eight, or an irregular shape.

The protected area may for example be a pond, or cultivated area, or a boat deck.

Preferably the protection means comprises an anchorage member which, when the device is erected, is spaced from the area to be protected, and a line which, when the device is erected, passes between the attachment members on the baseline and the anchorage member. Thus the device may be provided as a kit consisting of the baseline, the attachment members, the anchorage member and the line. The line may or may not be of the same material as the baseline. With such an arrangement, once the baseline has been positioned to define the base area of the bird deterrent device, by passing the line between the anchorage member and the attachment members, the line can automatically adapt to the configuration of the baseline. Furthermore, in the case of a pond, it will generally be possible to arrange the line to avoid relatively tall plants at the edge of the pond.

It may be possible to use more than one such line and/or more than one anchorage member, and the or each line may pass between the anchorage member(s) and the attachment members in various configurations. However, in a preferred embodiment, the protection means comprises a line which passes from a respective attachment member on the baseline and passes in turn to each subsequent attachment member on the baseline, each time first passing to a common anchorage member. Thus, for example, when the device is erected, with the anchorage member secured at an elevated position either directly over the area being protected, or to one side thereof, a conical or "wigwam" shape is defined by the line.

It is envisaged that the common anchorage member will be secured to a conveniently positioned support member such as a tree or stake, positioned either within or just outside the area to be protected.

Such a device has the advantage of being simple and quick to install and easy to adjust. As mentioned above the baseline can be laid around areas to be protected of different size and/or shape, and the complete device once installed can be adjusted by tensioning the line for example, between the first attachment member where it is attached at one end, and the position, either at the last attachment member or at the common anchorage point, where the other end is secured. It may assist if the line is initially removably attached at one end so that it can be pulled from this end to achieve the desired tensioning and then re-attached. Any excess line can be stowed or removed by cutting. It will normally be preferred to attach the line at one end to an attachment member on the baseline, and at the other end to the common anchorage member.

There are the further advantages that the nonhorizontal portions of the line defining the conical or "wigwam" shape are not particularly suitable for birds to perch on, and that because the line is raised over the area being protected the approach of birds anywhere near the surface of the area is prevented.

The common anchorage member preferably is provided with a means for tensioning the line. Conveniently such tensioning means may comprise a spring (e.g. a tension spring) or other resilient member, positioned between the anchorage member and its point of attachment to the support member. The inclusion of such a tensioning means has a number of advantages - by facilitating the tensioning process it enables the device to be assembled and disassembled more easily and, since the line is fully tensioned, the appearance of the erected device is enhanced.

The device may be secured relative to the area being protected by means of securing means with which the baseline is engageable. When a boat deck is to be protected, the securing means may conveniently be fixed parts of the deck itself. In the case of a pond or cultivated area or the like, it will normally be necessary to provide securing means fixable adjacent the area to be protected. Typically such securing means may conveniently comprise a series of pegs or similar which may be fixed on or around the area to be protected and onto which the baseline may be hooked. Such securing means may conveniently be left permanently installed even when the device is not in use.

Thus the device has the dual advantage that on the one hand, once erected it can be simply disengaged from the securing means and temporarily put to one side in an assembled but slack form, which can be simply replaced in position with the minimum of effort, but which can still be folded into a form which is compact relative to the erected structure in place, and it can on the other hand be completely dismantled for more long term storage in an even more compact "flat-packed" form.

The common anchorage member may take any form suitable for holding the line. Conveniently it is in the form of a ring, constructed for example out of plastics or a metal such as brass, which can be readily secured to a suitable support member. A ring is particularly preferred because in the preferred arrangements described above the line will pass several times through the ring which can provide adequate space for such repeated threading of the line. Furthermore, the portions of the line radiating from the ring can be arranged not to overlap, so that frictional resistance is kept to a minimum when the line is tensioned.

It may be possible for the attachment members to be initially longitudinally movable along the baseline and to take up their longitudinally spaced positions during erection. They may be provided separately of the baseline or already mounted thereon. The attachment members on the baseline are preferably fixedly secured to the baseline so as to be incapable of movement along it. They may take any form suitable for holding a line, but they too conveniently take the form of rings, for example, secured to the baseline by knots. Such rings can also assist in reducing friction during tensioning of the line Such arrangements have the advantage of being simple to construct and install, since it is a simple matter to thread the line through the rings as required.

The baseline and the line of the protection means can be made of any deformable material which can withstand prolonged exposure to outside conditions.

Twine is particularly preferred The device will preferably be provided in a condition with the protection means, for example the line, already attached to the attachment members on the baseline and preferably also the anchorage member, so that a user can simply secure the baseline and the anchorage member in position and then tension the line to take up the size and/or shape of the area defined by the baseline. Thus the line may be ready threaded through rings on the baseline and the anchorage ring.

However, it will be appreciated that the baseline can be used with a simple length of line to achieve many of the advantages described herein. Thus in one broad sense the invention provides a baseline for use in a bird deterrent device, the baseline having longitudinally spaced attachment members fixedly provided thereon for attachment thereto of a line for deterring birds.

Certain preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a baseline according to the invention; Figure 2 illustrates a first preferred embodiment of the invention in use; Figure 3 illustrates a second preferred embodiment of the invention; and Figure 4 illustrates how the embodiments of Figures 2 and 3 can be modified by provision of a tensioning means.

Referring to Figure 1, a preferred baseline 1 according to the invention comprises a length of twine which is a minimum of 25 feet (7.62 m) long and is provided with a loop 2 at each end. Regularly spaced along the baseline at 8 inch (20.32 cm) intervals are a series of plastic or brass rings 3, each 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter and each secured in place by a knot 4 in such a way that movement of the ring along the line is prevented.

Figure 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the bird deterrent device of the invention assembled to protect a pond 5. The baseline 1 according to Figure 1 is secured around the perimeter of the pond by means of regularly spaced metal pegs 7 fixed in the ground around the pond 5, each of the loops 2 provided at the respective ends of the baseline 1 being engaged with an adjacent pair of the pegs 7, and the line being hooked onto the remaining pegs 7 in the intervals between the rings 3.

An anchorage ring 8 is secured to a wooden stake 9 which is implanted in the ground adjacent the pond 5.

A line 10, also consisting of a length of twine, is secured with a knot 11 to a first attachment ring 12 at one end of the baseline 1 and passes from the ring 11 up to and through the anchorage ring 8 and back down to and through the next attachment ring on the line, back up to the anchorage ring 8 and so forth passing through each ring 3 on the baseline 1, finishing at the anchorage ring 8 where it is secured by a knot. The device is supplied with the knot 11 initially loosely tied and with the line 10 threaded through all the rings, so that the line can be tensioned from the loosely tied end and then firmly re-tied to maintain the tension and thus the final configuration of the device. After final adjustment, a short length of twine 17 is tied around the line below the anchorage ring to help hold the shape of the device in place.This arrangement enables easy erection by one person.

Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the invention, this time assembled to protect a boat 13.

The device of Figure 3 is assembled in a similar manner to that of Figure 2, but differs in that the baseline 1 is secured directly to the edge of the deck 14 of the boat 13, in that the loops 2 at the end of the baseline are secured to one another rather than to pegs provided in the ground, and in that the anchorage ring 8 is secured to the mast 15 of the boat rather than to a wooden stake.

Figure 4 shows the anchorage ring 8 of Figures 2 and 3 attached to a tensioning spring 16, which can itself be attached to the stake 9 or mast 15.

The arrangements of Figures 2 and 3 both deter birds from the area to be protected, i.e. a pond or a boat. Whilst the invention has been described particularly with reference to use in the protection of ponds or boats, it will be appreciated that the invention can be applied to other areas which require protection from birds.

Claims

1. A bird deterrent device adapted to be erected to protect an area from birds, comprising a baseline for location around the area to be protected, and a protection means for attachment thereto, the protection means being attachable to said baseline by means of attachment members which, when the device is erected, are longitudinally spaced along the baseline, such that the protection means adapts to the size and/or shape of the area defined by the baseline so that the device can be erected to deter birds from areas of different size and/or shape.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protection means comprises an anchorage member which, when the device is erected, is spaced from the area to be protected, and a line which, when the-device is erected, passes between the attachment members on the baseline and the anchorage member.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the line passes from a respective attachment member on the baseline and which passes in turn to each subsequent attachment member on the baseline, each time first passing to a common anchorage member.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the anchorage member comprises a ring.

5. A device as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the anchorage member is provided with means for tensioning the line.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tensioning means comprises a spring.

7. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the attachment members are fixedly secured to the baseline so as to be incapable of movement along it.

8. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the attachment members are in the form of rings.

9. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising securing means fixable adjacent the area to be protected, the baseline being engageable with the securing means.

10. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, in an erected condition, with the baseline located around the area to be protected and the protection means attached to the baseline.

11. A method of protecting an area from birds, which method comprises: positioning a baseline around the area to be protected, said baseline having longitudinally spaced attachment members provided thereon for attachment of a protection means thereto, and attaching the protection means to said baseline, such that the protection means adapts to the size and/or shape of the area defined by the baseline.

12. A baseline for use in a bird deterrent device, the baseline having longitudinally spaced attachment members fixedly provided thereon for attachment thereto of a line for deterring birds.

13. A bird deterrent device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figures 1 and 3 or Figures 1, 2 and 4 or Figures 1, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

14. A method of protecting an area from birds, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or Figures 1 and 3 or Figures 1, 2 and 4 or Figures 1, 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.