Invasion of the birds

The feathered nuisance is forcing eateries to take preventive measures
Jamie Ee Wen Wei, Straits Times 19 Jul 09;

Which comes first, the swooping bird or the swishing cleaner's cloth?

Eateries tired of being 'bird-bombed' are looking to bird control firms to help deal with the winged nuisance and its potential health risk.

These firms get at least two requests each month from open-air eateries - from restaurants to food courts - to install 'anti-bird devices' on their premises.

Most of these devices either emit ultrasonic sounds or have netting to stop the birds from flying in.

Mr Christopher Wee, director of Mastermark, a bird-control firm, said: 'The problem is mostly the bird droppings which can cause hygiene issues and affect the image of the eating place.'

Among his company's clients are open-air food courts, hospital canteens, country clubs and hotels. At least 10 have installed netting to bird-proof their eateries.

Last month, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) had netting installed around its open-air food court when it found birds flying in to forage among uncleared food trays.

To manage the problem, the IMH took up The Straits' Times-initiated 'Goodness Gracious Me!' campaign which encourages patrons to clear their own plates.

The bird problem has since improved, but the institute has gone a step further and installed netting around the food court.

Ms Helena Tan, its director of support services, said the netting has cut the bird numbers by some 90 per cent.

'Feedback from patrons is that they now enjoy dining in a clean and bird-free environment,' she said.

One mall in Orchard Road, The Heeren Shops, is also looking into installing sonic devices to deter the large flocks of birds in the area.

With an outdoor refreshment area opening in November, the mall is concerned that the noise and bird droppings will affect its business. Locals and tourists alike have complained about the bird droppings on its pedestrian walkway, said Mr Roland Lim, marketing manager of The Heeren Shops.

But bird-control companies say open-air eateries pose a challenge.

Netting is effective but may spoil the ambience of alfresco dining areas, said Mr Wee. On the other hand, cheaper devices like scarecrows or even sonic sound devices have a limited effect.

'Such measures are mostly temporary. The birds will get used to the sounds and they will return after a few weeks.'

Budget is also a constraint. Most eateries baulk at the cost of an effective bird-control set-up involving a combination of spikes, wire barriers and netting installed on their premises. This can easily run into thousands of dollars.

Mr Iman Nasser from Bird Barrier Asia said: 'Bird-control measures are new to eateries so they are often sceptical about their effectiveness.'

Indeed, some eateries seem resigned to the bird problem.

Ms Joanne Lee, supervisor of Katong Laksa, which operates an outdoor food kiosk at United Square in Novena, said its workers will just have to clear the plates faster and chase the birds away.

'There's nothing much we can do in an alfresco setting,' she said.

Since the start of this year, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has received 2,310 complaints about crows and other bird nuisance. It has an intensive crow-culling programme that it started in 2002. The crow numbers have dropped from 120,000 to about 10,000 now.

NEA said eateries should clear away cutlery, plates, cups and leftover food as soon as patrons finished their meals. They should also ensure that all food waste is disposed of in covered bins.