This Is In The,

'what a neat idea', department,

 on a blueberry farm in Oregon it was estimated that a farmer was losing over 25% of his crop, to birds, enter the Bird Control Group, which produces an automated laser gun which is mounted on a pedestal, these laser guns shoot a steady green laser beam across the bushes, the birds seem to mistake the laser for an incoming predator, and will immediately flee whenever the laser comes close to them, 

 at the start of the blueberry growing season, the farm installed 6 units, the results have been immediate; Bird Control Group, claims that their technology has reduced the number of birds on the farm by 99%, the farm believes that the lasers have saved around 262,500 kilogrammes of blueberries, that is around $99,733 saved,

“We learned the characteristics of what we call the ultimate laser beam for dispersing birds,” says Steinar Henskes, CEO, not only do the lasers now operate in farms around the world, but they are also used in settings such as airports and oil rigs, the laser technology is now in place at over 6,000 facilities worldwide, unlike other methods of dispersing birds (such as scarecrows), birds do not become accustomed to the laser; it can remain effective years after its initial installation,

and the good news the bird deterrents are effective in vineyards as well, there is one downside—the laser’s amazing results don’t come cheap, each laser gun costs around $10,000 and most places will need more than 1, at the moment, the lasers are not capable of differentiating between different types of birds, nor is it possible for them to only activate when birds are present,

since there are over 12,000 bird species in the world, it is not surprising that the device doesn’t work on every single type, the lasers work best on birds who have natural predators, birds that are predators, (such as hawks), are not really intimidated by them, which is a welcome byproduct of what could be seen as a shortcoming, it is in fact a bonus, luckily, those kinds of birds aren’t really a problem for farmers, and are indeed a welcome guest, as I said, what a neat idea, hopefully the unit price can be brought down.