Bird Whisperer

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Editors Note: Bobby Corrigan is consid-ered the industrys foremost rodentolo-

gist but when it comes to understandingthe biology and behavior of birds thathonor may go to Dr. Rob Fergus, an orni-thologist with Bird-B-Gone, Mission Viejo,Calif. PCT magazine recently interviewed

Fergus, who has a Ph.D. in urban birdconservation from the University of Texas,about the challenges of managing birdpopulations in urban settings, as well asthe science of ornithology.

Q I layas rs, h uldyu dsrib ha a rihl-

gis ds a daily basis?A.An ornithologist is anyone who

is involved with the scientic study obirds, which can cover anything romtheir DNA, anatomy and behavior to

their ecology and distribution. Someornithologists study birds or their genesin a lab, while others study ree-fyingbirds in the wild. Academic ornitholo-gists also spend a lot o time teachinguniversity courses on birds, biology orecology. Most o us do a little o all othis, so on any given day I will be out inthe eld observing bird behavior, cor-responding with other researchers, as

well as preparing or teaching universi-ty courses. My work with Bird-B-Goneinvolves eld work studying nuisance

bird behavior, as well as researchingpotential bird control solutions, andconsulting on commercial and residen-tial bird nuisance problems across theUnited States and around the world.

Q H did yu rs b ir-sd i birds?

A. I always loved animals as a kidgrowing up in Oregon. In middleschool, one o my science teacherstook a group o us on a week-long bird

watching trip to Malheur National

Wildlie Reuge on the other side o the

Bird-B-Gone OrnithologistRob Fergus has spent alietime understanding oureathered riends and hesmore than happy to share hisinsights with the industry.

The

BirdWhisperer

Bird-B-Gone Ornithologist Dr. Rob Fergus

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state. This opened up a whole new world tome and I was hooked! I started searchingout and learning about all the birds in myarea, and while most people are content tokeep something like this as a hobby, atercollege I decided to ollow my bliss andmake it my proession.

Q whr ar h rs xllr rihlgy i nrh Aria?

A.Most ornithologists teach at univer-sities scattered across the country, andthere may be just one or two at any givenuniversity. Cornell has brought dozens oornithologists together in their Lab o Or-nithology, making it unique. Many otherornithologists work in private industry, es-pecially in environmental consulting rmsreviewing new wind energy projects, otherdevelopments, and bird hazard situations

including airports.

Q why did yu did ji Bird-B-G?

A.When I started working with Bird-B-Gone, I had already spent over 15 yearsstudying urban birds and working with birdconservation non-prots. Working with aleading bird control company is an excit-ing way or me to continue addressing themany human/bird conficts that come up inour modern technological society.

Q H hav yu applid yur kl-dg/skills r h b PmPsfrig bird rl srvis?A.I spent most o my lie studying birds,

so I oten know how specic birds thinkand respond to their environment. No twobirds and no two bird control situations aregoing to be the same, but my experienceand insights usually allow me to determine

what actors are contributing to any givenhuman/bird confict and what can be doneto resolve it. Through the Ask an Experteature on the Bird-B-Gone website Im

available to consult on any given bird prob-

lem and have provided guidance and assis-tance to PMPs as well as private citizens allover the world.

Q wha ars ar drivig h grh h bird rl ark i nrh

Aria?A.

There are two questions here. Whatactors are leading people to have confictswith birds, and what actors are leadingthose people to become consumers o birdcontrol products? Human/bird confictsare increasing because o demographic,economic and cultural actors there aremore people all the time, and as our soci-eties become more urbanized, we createurban habitats where pest birds thrive, andpeople become less tolerant o birds andespecially their droppings. Whereas in thepast, a armer or someone with a bird prob-

lem might just resort to waging an armedbattle with the oending birds, urbanites inmodern societies do not usually have thatoption. The threat o bird-related diseasesis getting a lot o press lately and that willcertainly contribute to an increase in bird

work. There are more than 60 known dis-eases carried by birds and customers wantto take preventive action. This is leadingto more bird jobs, especially in places likehospitals and oces where health is a toppriority.

Q wha ar h s is-aks PmPs ak h righ bird rl ark?A.There is no such thing as a generic

bird. Each species o bird has its uniquehabits and biology, a unique way o interact-ing with its environment. That means therecan be no one-size-ts-all solutions andoten no simple once-and-or-all-time solu-tions either. PMPs arent like plumbers whocan go out and just apply a technical x toa problem. They are in the education andservice industry that requires great people

and educational skills, and not just techni-

There is no such thing as a generic bird. Each species

of bird has its unique habits and biology, a unique wayof interacting with the environment. Dr. Rob Fergus

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cal prociency. Since it oten takes timeand ongoing eorts to solve a bird confictissue, PMPs need to develop relationships

with their customers so that they can work

together on an ongoing basis to solve theirbird conficts. That said, misunderstand-ings or lack o inormation requently leadto overestimating or underestimating jobbids. I there is any question at all, PMPs

would be advised to reach out or helprom researchers or product specialists,such as Bird-B-Gone. One nal mistake sometimes new PMPs take on big jobs be-ore they have a lot o experience, so theyshould make sure not to bite o more thanthey can chew.

Q I yu had pi advi rPmPs abu h prvid qualiybird rl srvis, ha uld hab?A.Take the time needed to really know

the birds you are dealing with, as well asthe expectations o your customers. As you

get to know the birds and your customersbetter, you can better broker the relation-ship between your customers and the birdsthat are giving them problems. Dont orget

that training is a vital piece o having a suc-cessul bird control program. Bird-B-Goneoers Bird-B-Gone University, an in-depthtraining course that teaches bird control.Your local distributor or manuacturer willlikely oer similar classes you can take toincrease your knowledge. They dont justlet you go out and spray pesticides withouttraining. The same applies to bird work!

Q whas h s uiqu r hal-lgig bird rl jb yuv vr

b assiad ih?A.

Every single day brings unique andchallenging situations. Sometimes thespecies are unique, sometimes the peoplethemselves are unusual, unique or in adistant location that might be new to me.Sometimes the situation itsel is challeng-ing because there are no easy technologi-

cal solutions. Some o the more challeng-ing bird control problems are those whichare very common such as woodpeckerissues in which there is oten no cheap,

attractive or easy solution. On the otherhand, some interesting problems that areun to talk about like the house spar-row colony thriving in a brand new NHLhockey arena are readily solved by airlystandard practices including bird trapping.One o my more recent challenges was ad-dressing birds roosting on the radio and ra-dar equipment on some U.S. naval vessels.I think we are still working on that one!

Q whas h s isakPmPs ak h quig a bird

rl jb?A. Again, over or under estimatingbids is a requent problem. In addition,bird control issues are oten complex, andPMPs need to make sure not to quote onlyone solution to a problem when a situationmay require multiple solutions.

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Q whas h s isakPmPs h prrig a bird -

rl srvi?A. Not contacting neighboring build-

ings, owners, tenants, etc. I a PMP does thejob correctly, once birds are removed roman area they are going to relocate nearby tothe next customer!

Q whr ar h gras pprui-is i h bird rl ark (i..,

rsidial, rial, gvr,.)?A.Commercial and governmental proj-

ects will continue to require expensive andlarge-scale solutions, products and con-tracts that provide good opportunities or

PMPs. The residential sector actually pro-vides more individual opportunities, butthey usually involve less-expensive smaller-scale solutions. There is a great opportunityhere to the extent that we can nd ways tocapitalize on the long tail o this residen-tial market. We should also be looking atthe new building and construction industryto nd ways to incorporate bird control intothe design and management o new build-ings. For existing buildings, there are manyopportunities to subcontract bird control

work or other PMPs.

Q wha ds h uur hld r hbird rl ark?

A.We already have decent tools to ad-dress most bird control issues, but as we

look closer at the birds we are dealing withand how they interact with their environ-ment, we will nd solutions to some othe more challenging issues we still ace,as well as more elegant solutions to the is-sues we can already address. This will leadto expanding markets as well as an exciting

wave o innovation that could well heraldthe beginning o a new golden age o nui-sance bird control.

Q Is hr ayhig hav askdha yu uld lik addrss?

A.Bird control is just one aspect o alarger project, which is how to create cities

and suburbs that are great or both peopleand birds. In an increasingly urban world,

we will be sharing our living space withbirds, and birds will be depending on our

yards and other areas or their needs. PMPsand other bird control proessionals, as wellas urban biologists, are pioneers in creatingthis new wild urban society an Avitopiaor Ornithopolis i you will. It is an excit-ing time to be alive, and to be working inconcert with others to bring about this new

orm o urban society!

I you have a bird-related question or Dr. Rob Fergus,

visit the Ask the Bird Expert section o the Bird-B-

Gone website, www.birdbgone.com.

Bird-B-Gone OrnithologistShares Expertise at Global ConferenceBird-B-Gones Ornithologist Dr. Rob Fergus recently gave a lecture to scientists rom around

the globe on urban bird control at the International Congress or Conservation Biology held

in Auckland, New Zealand.

The lecture was titled Urban bird Conservation: For Birds and People and ocused the

practical aspects o urban bird conservation and education. Fergus also considered how urban

bird conservation eforts could be integrated in sustainable city planning and design.

Urban settings attract birds or a variety o reasons, namely shelter and a continual ood

source. These birds can become a nuisance when they decide to roost or nest in areas where

the buildup o bird droppings and nesting materials pose an operational, health or saety risk.

Fergus proposed that ornithologists work with cities and municipalities or humane, efective

solutions to bird problems.

Fergus specializes in urban ecology and human/wildlie interactions. He received his Ph.D.

in urban bird conservation rom the University o Texas at Austin. In addition to researching

and consulting on human/bird interactions in cities across the United States, Latin America

and Europe, Fergus currently teaches at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., and Rosemont

College in Philadelphia, Pa.

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