PREFACE:
Yes, scarecrows are still a somewhat effective tool at keeping some bird species away from your fruit trees. There are a lot of options these days, but I don't like techs like 'ultrasonic' (we have pets) or 'lasers' (dont want to blind anyone) etc!
So the humble scarecrow remains a cheap and harmless option. Studies have shown that the best scarecrows are the ones that seem the most human-like... amazing results lol... they also suggest highly-visible works best (our scarecrow should be in a high-vis tradies jacket, not 'country plaid').
They also suggest MOVEMENT is key to keeping the birds suspicious for longer. (They're smart and quickly realise that a non-moving scarecrow is simply a statue to defecate on).
IDEA:
I would also like to add some movement to its body. (yes I'll still be physically moving the scarecrow every couple days)
We're not talking Honda's Asimo robot here, just a physical structure that can change position to keep the birds guessing.
So I just want to expand the basic scarecrow by:
It's limbs can't be flopping around wildly in high wind though, but I figure that's easy enough to solve with some strong fishing line?
We're privileged to have a LOT of very crafty people and engineers here at icmag, so I was hoping some of you could suggest what types of fittings/joints etc I should try to use, or just any other suggestions about it!
Yes, scarecrows are still a somewhat effective tool at keeping some bird species away from your fruit trees. There are a lot of options these days, but I don't like techs like 'ultrasonic' (we have pets) or 'lasers' (dont want to blind anyone) etc!
So the humble scarecrow remains a cheap and harmless option. Studies have shown that the best scarecrows are the ones that seem the most human-like... amazing results lol... they also suggest highly-visible works best (our scarecrow should be in a high-vis tradies jacket, not 'country plaid').
They also suggest MOVEMENT is key to keeping the birds suspicious for longer. (They're smart and quickly realise that a non-moving scarecrow is simply a statue to defecate on).
IDEA:
I would also like to add some movement to its body. (yes I'll still be physically moving the scarecrow every couple days)
We're not talking Honda's Asimo robot here, just a physical structure that can change position to keep the birds guessing.
So I just want to expand the basic scarecrow by:
- being able to make its head/neck move or rotate (possibly with springs, or some sort of pivot joint that allows the head to rotate up to 180°)
- and also I intend to use cable ties to create the forearm etc, so it has some moveability in the wind.
- take advantage of the wind to create all the movement
- possibly allow the scarecrow to take on different postures, by using some hooks or something so the arms can be repositioned in a variety of ways
It's limbs can't be flopping around wildly in high wind though, but I figure that's easy enough to solve with some strong fishing line?
We're privileged to have a LOT of very crafty people and engineers here at icmag, so I was hoping some of you could suggest what types of fittings/joints etc I should try to use, or just any other suggestions about it!