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Dr. Rob Fergus is an ornithologist who specializes in urban ecology and human/wildlife interactions. Dr. Fergus received his Ph.D. in urban bird conservation from the University of Texas at Austin. After founding the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory in Austin, Texas he created additional bird conservation programs in Austin as the first executive director of the 2,500 member Travis Audubon Society. In 2004 he moved to suburban Philadelphia where he was the Senior Scientist for Urban Bird Conservation at the National Audubon Society until 2009. In addition to researching and consulting on human/bird interactions in cities across the United States, Latin America, and Europe, Dr. Fergus currently teaches at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, and Rosemont College in Philadephia, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Rob has teamed up with Bird-B-Gone to help answer your bird questions. Get answers on specific pest bird problems, bird habits, bird behaviour and more, whatever the question is, he is here to help! Just fill out the form below or email the
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directly and he will email you a personalized response.
*Scroll down to read previously answered questions
Answered Questions:
I have around 100 grackles in my yard. They roost in a very tall pine tree. About 40 of them today dive bombed our friendly dog after he saw an injured bird and went to look at it. I would like them to leave. I tried banging pot lids together, etc. and nothing worked.
Banging pot lids together, though a lot of fun when you are a kid, probably won’t do too much to scare away a flock of Common Grackles! But you may be on the right track by thinking that sounds might scare them away. You may be able to disperse roosting grackles by playing a recording of their distress or predator calls. Bird-B-Gone has a Bird Chase Super Sonic sound system (http://birdbgone.com/products/bird-b-gone-super-sonic) that might do the trick. Other solutions you may hear about, like owl decoys, are usually less effective as eventually the birds figure out that the decoy isn’t a real threat (owls hunt at night).
I have a home by the ocean and have a problem with seagulls flying over and dropping shells on my roof… how can I deter them from doing this? It leaves a big mess, and sometimes it’s quite startling.
Many gull species carry off mollusks and shellfish and then drop them to try and break them open for food. They do this on all kinds of surfaces, even soft sand (which obviously doesn’t work as well as pavement or maybe your roof). Apparently your local gulls see your roof as a good place to do this. Perhaps with some experimentation you can make your roof less attractive as a drop spot. You might try putting up some gull decoys—as gulls flying over may be less likely to drop food where they think another gull might steal it. However, since gulls are quite intelligent and may not go for the ruse. If gull decoys attract other loafing gulls to your roof, you may be able to install some attractive flags up there to displace the real birds, as given a choice gulls usually prefer to hang out in less distracting environments.
Pigeons congregate around the air conditioning units on the top of our building… they nest under the units and it’s a big mess. What is the best way to stop them from nesting here?
Rock Pigeons, the wild ancestors of our common pigeons nest on nooks and sheltered ledges of cliffs. Your air conditioning units provide just the type of sheltered nook that these pigeons are looking for in a nesting site. As long as the birds can get up under the units, it will be hard to discourage them from trying to nest there. Your best bet is to install a netting or some other physical barrier to keep them from being able to get under the units.
It seems like every year swallows try and nest under my eaves… why my house? How do the birds find the same spot every year? What is the best way to stop them from coming back?
Barn Swallows and occasionally Cliff Swallows frequently nest under eaves of houses, where the exterior walls provide a firm surface for them to attach their mud nests and the eaves provide protection from the elements. Since it is illegal to directly interfere with birds that are actively building their nests, it is too late to legally stop them when they show up and start building their nests. The best way to discourage them is to either block their access to the area with netting, or to make the walls unattractive to the birds—either by mounting spikes or other barriers there, or smooth sheets of wax paper or other smooth materials that are difficult for the birds to attach their nests to. For more ideas on how to discourage swallows, see this fact sheet from the Alberta Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
I have a bad goose problem at my lakefront home. I have lived here for years and it seems like every year the problem gets worse. I thought Canada Geese were migratory – why aren’t they leaving?
Starting in the 1960s, federal and state wildlife agencies attempted to recover populations of giant Canada Geese (at that time restricted to only a few small populations) by raising them in captivity and releasing them around the country. These released birds never developed strong migratory traditions, and as their numbers have grown, they have adapted to life in cities and suburbs. Our lawns, parks, and ponds are perfect habitat for these birds, and they often raise their young there with reduced interference from natural predators. With no migratory tradition and plenty of food and habitat, these birds are here to stay. For more information on these birds and efforts to control them, see the Geese Peace website.
International Customers please click here to contact Bird-B-Gone. We can help you with your bird control problems or find you an installer to help you.
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Knowledge Center 
Banging pot lids together, though a lot of fun when you are a kid, probably won’t do too much to scare away a flock of Common Grackles! But you may be on the right track by thinking that sounds might scare them away. You may be able to disperse roosting grackles by playing a recording of their distress or predator calls. Bird-B-Gone has a Bird Chase Super Sonic sound system (
Starting in the 1960s, federal and state wildlife agencies attempted to recover populations of giant 
International Customers please click here to contact Bird-B-Gone. We can help you with your bird control problems or find you an installer to help you.
What are customers saying about Bird-B-Gone? Which products and services have worked for them? What do they love most about our service? Find out in their Testimonials!