I have just shared a new project: “Duck Off! A Duck Repellent Device”
We live on a rural property and have around 20 to 40 wild ducks around at any one time. We have a large dam and jetty, however it is almost unusable due to all the duck poo. So I decided to make a duck scarcer/repellent. .
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Hey Mark,
What an awesome project! The ingenuity is great to see, as a non harmful pest control method is an awesome use case for maker electronics. Hope it is super effective and would love an update if you find certain noises and light patterns to be more effective at repelling the ducks in future.
Cheers,
Blayden
Hi Blayden,
Without putting a camera down there, it’s hard to tell what exactly works. What I have found so far, is to not repeat the same sound, as they get used to it very quickly, even if it is loud. My initial designs played a random frequency, for a random period at a random volume. It worked but sounded crap.
Once you’ve got something that works, they tend to stay away, so it’s hard to test other combinations. And to be honest, I’m not even sure if the flashing LED’s are affective. I’ve always used them in combination, shock and awe is what I had in mind. And if their eyes work like chickens, they won’t even be seeing the blue parts of the spectrum in any case.
Regards,
mark
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This is a great idea. Well done!
What an awesome little device. Feel a little bad for the ducks but at least it’s harmless and they’re no longer shitting on your jetty! Good stuff!
