Bird Scarers Alongside Right of Way.....Who do I Contact?

popsdosh said:
You show very little understanding for the reason that gas guns are used. One they are just not used on OSR but many crops and I would suggest if they have only just appeared they are on a fresh drilled crop and most likely to keep off croiws.
Gas guns are very rarely used on OSR until the winter months as pigeons very rarely are a problem at the time the crop is sown however during the winter they have no other feed and congregate into flocks of several thousands with a lot of pigeons migrating from the continent. They will devastate a OSR crop in a very short time. At this time of year the OSR is pushing up its main stem with the initial flower buds on that are particularly attractive to pigeons to feed on hence the need for protection now. We only put out our gas guns 2 weeks ago ! Bye the way the rockets you mention are about a pound each so we dont fire them around for the fun of it! we get through 1500 in an average season.
Farmers have several different tools for bird control and some seasons they are not enough believe me when they start on a crop the financial consequences are severe .gas guns are usually only used as a last resort because the pigeons soon get desensitised to them as well.
Can you please elaborate on your accusation that the farmers are only doing it to intimidate riders not to use the ROWs its language like that that makes the situation worse .

I hope this professional explanation for using them will make you think again ,as your comments contain many inaccuracies that needed pointing out !

Thinking about the fact that they are alongside the ROW it could be construed that at least you should be fore warned rather than hidden in a hedge or ditch and just going off!
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Well said.
I would go and politely ask him to move them slightly further out from the hedghe - more likely to get a positive response than bringing down wrath upon him.
 
Must ask OH about those gas guns that fire things - we only have boring ones that go bang. We are behind the times!
 
A farmer positioned a crow scarer out of sight, near a gate on a popular bridle way we use. A lady had a nasty fall as she was leaning over to open the gate as it went off. She contacted the council and spoke to their bridle way/ footpath / rights of way person. They asked the farmer to move it to the other side of the field, which he did. I don't think the farmer intended to cause a problem, I think it was the easiest place for him to access it. Once pointed out, he now puts them as far away from the bridleway as possible. I would e-mail your council, they will know who owns the land. Ours are excellent and any complaints about broken latches on gates, trees across bridle paths etc are sorted very quickly. Either the farmer sorts it or the council do.
 
Clodagh said:
Must ask OH about those gas guns that fire things - we only have boring ones that go bang. We are behind the times!
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I'm glad that most of our neighbours are too tight to go out and buy new ones every season - I'd have to start desensitising all over again!

I agree with the posters who have said that most farmers will not particularly have thought about where they position them in relation to horses. It is more about where they are easy to reach, check and service and horses are not on the radar. A polite request to reposition may pay dividends.
 
Gas guns that fire things? Not sure how they would work and I cant seem to find anything like this. You can buy rockets that you have to light and launch, like a firework.
 
D
popsdosh said:
I dont know any that would put them out to intentionally put people off as that would be illegal,and I for one would never condone it!
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you sound a lot nicer than a heck a lot of the farmers around here ! They genuinely believe they anyone who isn't a farmer can be treated like @@@@@ and wouldnt give a monkeys if they nearly killed you.
 
I promise you they do get used to them, even the nuts - we've got one right next to our stable block. It's only me that nearly has a heart attack every time it goes off!
 
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I sympathise with you OP. We have one placed almost right behind our house, along with several others in the area. It has been there since November and has caused one of my cats in particular to become pretty much a recluse, and has also resulted in numerous vets bills with him, not to mention more stress for him being carted back and forth to the vet, for an issue that I am convinced is indirectly linked, or should I say that is as a result of this bird scarer
 
Pigeon I doubt that there are many if any horses that are going to get used to these 'New Generation' Gas Gun Bird Scarers that fire the virtual missiles let alone the old type especially when they are fired directly at one from point blank range. You are asking a lot of a horse.
As I pointed out before the danger is not only to the horse and horse rider but also to other walkers, cyclists and motorists in the event of the horse taking fright and bolting.
I am sure that the majority of landowners are sensible when they install these devices but unfortunately there are a minority that are daft, irresponsible or just bloody minded and these are the ones that have the potential to cause a serious injury. No one want to see crops needlessly eaten up by swarms of itinerate pigeons or other pests but the safety of the public has also to be born in mind. My insurers continually remind me that I am responsible for anyone that is on my farm/land be they there with or without my permission and it continues to surprise me that there are still landowners out there that continue to locate these devices in places where they will constitute a danger to others. There is absolutely no excuse for putting peoples lives in danger.
 
OWLIE185 said:
Pigeon I doubt that there are many if any horses that are going to get used to these 'New Generation' Gas Gun Bird Scarers that fire the virtual missiles let alone the old type especially when they are fired directly at one from point blank range. You are asking a lot of a horse.
As I pointed out before the danger is not only to the horse and horse rider but also to other walkers, cyclists and motorists in the event of the horse taking fright and bolting.
I am sure that the majority of landowners are sensible when they install these devices but unfortunately there are a minority that are daft, irresponsible or just bloody minded and these are the ones that have the potential to cause a serious injury. No one want to see crops needlessly eaten up by swarms of itinerate pigeons or other pests but the safety of the public has also to be born in mind. My insurers continually remind me that I am responsible for anyone that is on my farm/land be they there with or without my permission and it continues to surprise me that there are still landowners out there that continue to locate these devices in places where they will constitute a danger to others. There is absolutely no excuse for putting peoples lives in danger.
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Pigeon ,I hope you do not feel picked on by this thread :-)

Your still bumbling on about gas guns that fire missiles ! They dont exist your imagination must be in overdrive you must be getting mixed up with the rockets that are released individually and by a real person!! Often used as well as gas guns to mix up the methods.
 
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I know what the rockets are and this is not a rocket. I can assure you that I saw one of these latest generation Gas Gun Bird Scarers last Sunday. I will get a picture posted of it as soon as possible.
 
OWLIE185 said:
I know what the rockets are and this is not a rocket. I can assure you that I saw one of these latest generation Gas Gun Bird Scarers last Sunday. I will get a picture posted of it as soon as possible.
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I cant wait as I will need to order some to add to the armoury . Seriously I am pretty much up to date with every device out there and never seen or heard of any as described and sure they would not be legal in this country.
 
Does anyone know when gas guns are likely to be turned off? I will soon be in the position to hack out again after a long break, and a quick reccy has revealed gas guns within 5 metres of two local tracks. These tracks are needed to reach the only circular routes which are less than 90 minutes long, so with time constraints during the week this effectively wipes out my evening hacking before it has begun. The routes are both permissive, so I guess I don't have a leg to stand on. A couple of days ago I counted twelve bangs within an hour close by the yard.
 
We have them exploding about 10 months of the year (including Christmas Day and Boxing Day).
I would suggest you find out who the landowner is and ask them very nicely if they would kindly re-position them to a position away from the tracks you use and to fire away from them.
 
FellOutOfFavour said:
Does anyone know when gas guns are likely to be turned off? I will soon be in the position to hack out again after a long break, and a quick reccy has revealed gas guns within 5 metres of two local tracks. These tracks are needed to reach the only circular routes which are less than 90 minutes long, so with time constraints during the week this effectively wipes out my evening hacking before it has begun. The routes are both permissive, so I guess I don't have a leg to stand on. A couple of days ago I counted twelve bangs within an hour close by the yard.
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FoF - if there are that many, right by the yard, you'll find your horses soon get used to them. We live right by a shooting school. You'd think it'd cause problems but it doesn't. The ponies got used to it quickly and are quite literally bombproof!
 
Some horses will get used to them the issue is that some won't get used to them and will become anxious and unhappy. This also applies to other animals such as dogs and cats - some of which do not get used to them to the degree they have to be sedated. (i.e similar to fireworks)
The great danger is when a rider does not know that there is one positioned close to them (it may be hidden behind a hedge or trees) and pointing directly towards them and it suddenly explodes several times in quick succession frightening the horse.
If these devices are used sensibly then fine but where they are placed adjacent or close to a public right of way or public highway then they become very dangerous.
The last thing anyone wants is a loose horse which has just unseated its rider from bolting along a bridleway or road and coming in to collision with a child, person, cyclist or vehicle.
 
I was on a farm that used them and at certain times of the year were situated along the track the farmer had allowed us to canter round. I would say while the horses get used to them in the background there's a difference between that and them going off right next to you.

It was OK in this case as we were kept informed when they were in use and knew the cycle so you waited for them to go off 3 times then you knew you had 20 minutes which was plenty of time to go round the track.
 
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