PiCAS INTERNATIONAL

A company in Cambridgeshire, UK, is having great success with an inflatable bird scarer called ‘Scarey Man’.  The device is the brainchild of Michael Barratt, a farmer, who runs a company called Clarratts Ltd that is marketing the product worldwide.  ‘Scarey Man’ has attracted extensive attention from the media and Michael has confirmed that he is receiving a considerable number of orders from countries as far away as Australia.

The following description of the product is taken from the ‘Scarey Man’ website:

‘Scarey Man is an excellent pest and predator control device for use in a wide range of situations. Using a unique combination of sound and movement he strikes fear into his target prey and keeps them away for longer periods than ‘conventional’ control devices.

Scarey Man can be used in agriculture to deter birds and predators. Protecting young crops from damage (such as pigeon damage in Oil Seed Rape) is no problem, and by keeping pests away Scarey Man can pay for himself very quickly. Field scale crops of all kinds (arable, vegetable, ornamental etc.) can be protected as can orchards and vineyards. Livestock are also protected by Scarey Man, as are fisheries where herons and other fish loving birds need to be deterred.

Whilst Scarey Man was designed originally for agriculture his use has quickly spread into a multitude of other areas. For example he is used in airports to keep runways clear, and on commercial/residential properties to prevent fouling by pigeons and other birds.’

Michael Barratt, Director of Clarratts said:  "The sudden movement with surprise is the secret success for "The Scarey Man". The inflatable scarecrow which operates electronically and automatically combines sudden movement, a loud noise, a bird phobic colour (red) and illumination at night, depending which model you require . 

Birds and predators faced with these surprise effects are first distracted from feeding and then systematically frightened away from the area as "Scarey Man" continues to deflate and then re-inflate to a commanding height and an intimidating size on a time basis. During operation Scarey Man emits a loud noise and illuminates at night - functions that are independently switched on all models.