Greenstalk’s smart bird scarer overcomes the curse of the woodpigeon

Woodpigeons are a major and increasing problem, with some growers estimating a 10-40% loss of yield in oil seed rape, peas, and brassicas*. Gas cannons are widely used to scare pests but are time-consuming to check and maintain. Now agri-tech company Greenstalk has developed a smart bird scarer that can be monitored remotely.

The smart bird scarer is fitted with a weather station and can be linked to a soil probe and other sensors, enabling it to transmit data over the internet. The farmer can then monitor all the information – and check the bird scarer is working as expected – via smartphone. It also uses ten times less gas, so is kinder to the environment.

David Aarons explains: “Getting machinery, devices and sensors to talk to each other over the internet enables farmers to manage their operations more efficiently and make data-driven decisions.”

The smart scarer was born out of a conversation with Jamie Lockhart, Managing Director at Frederick Hiam, looking at ways to add functionality to existing farm equipment and collect data from ‘things’ – such as tractors, sprayers, irrigation systems, water tanks and weighbridges.

Jamie Lockhart explains that he had a ‘wish list’ of improvements he wanted to make at Frederick Hiam’s main farm, Brandon Fields in Suffolk, including upgrading an old weighbridge to prevent it from needing to be replaced, and introducing monitoring sensors with various functions across the site.

Greenstalk first upgraded the farm’s WiFi with a 10GB (superfast) fibre connection across the entire site, and from this the project grew incrementally.

Jamie says: “Many farmers are nervous about investing in new technology, but Greenstalk’s Internet of Things approach makes existing machinery smarter and more efficient. It is something we can adapt to work with so many applications, which is what makes it so exciting.”

Greenstalk will be demonstrating how the Internet of Things can make legacy equipment smart in the Agri-TechE Innovation Hub at the Royal Norfolk Show 2024 on 26-27th June. The hub is sponsored by BBRO.

*ADHB Woodpigeon management strategies fact sheet 11