Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil

Bird Barrier Coil Installation

Bird Barrier Coil
Installation

Overview
Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is an anti-perching device manufactured from stainless steel and designed to protect architectural features on buildings. Bird Barrier Coil is designed to be effective against most species of bird, but not for swallows, starlings and sparrows. The product would appear to have its main application as a pigeon repeller or to repel larger species of birds, such as gulls.

Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is an extendable stainless steel wire coil that is stretched out along ledges and other architectural features to physically prevent birds from landing. The product is virtually invisible when viewed from a distance of 7 metres or more. Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is quite flimsy in structure and is designed to make any bird that attempts to land on the product feel unsafe. This is because when the birds’ feet touch the wire the coil will move, making the bird feel unstable and as a result, abort its landing. The springy nature of the product also ensures that debris such as leaves and twigs do not become lodged in between the springs and build up, allowing birds such as pigeons to nest between the coils.

Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil has many applications and can be used to protect areas where nylon netting would normally be used. Examples of where the product could be installed are:

  • The underside of railway/road bridges where pigeons are roosting on I-beams and other infrastructure at height
  • Steel clad warehouses where pigeons are perching and roosting at height on the steel infrastructure (I-beams etc)
  • Parapets and other features on period properties
  • Shop signs
  • The tops of walls and the apex of roofs

Bird Barrier Coil comes in two sizes 10 cm and 12cm (4” and 5”) and is quick and easy to install. The stainless steel clips that secure the product to the surface to be protected can be nailed, screwed or glued (using silicone) in place. The securing clips are installed every 30.5 cm (12”). Should a non-invasive installation be required, or where it is necessary, an adhesive called Bird Barrier Bond or Bird Barrier Bond Super is available which have 2 hour and 1 hour cure times respectively. Each span of Bird Barrier Coil requires a fixing bracket at either end with intermediate fixing clips securing the coil throughout the span.

Bird Barrier Coil on Sill

Bird Barrier Coil
on Sill

Each roll of Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is 25 feet long when stretched out ready for installation with the 10cm (4”) coil protecting an area 10cm (4”) wide and the 12cm (5”) coil offering up to 12cm (5”) protection. The larger coil (5”high) may be more appropriate for larger birds such as gulls with the 10cm (4”) version (10cm / 4” high) being appropriate for pigeons and other similar sized birds. The distributor recommends that a gap of 2.5 cm (1”) maximum can be left between rows of the product and between the back of the ledge upon which it is installed and the vertical wall behind it. Although the product is only available, according to the distributor, in 7.5 metre (24.5’) rolls, the product appears to be marketed in the UK in 7.5 metre (24.5’) rolls and 30 metre (98.4’) rolls.

Bird Barrier Coil on Wall

Bird Barrier Coil
on Wall

Due to the fact that Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is made from stainless steel, the product will not rust and therefore should have a much longer life-span than some similar anti-perching devices. The product is also completely humane and simply deters the target species without harming it in any way. Not only does this make it humane for birds, but it also makes it particularly suited for use in areas where children may have access.

Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is extremely simple and easy to install and in almost every case the product can be installed by the property owner or householder, negating the need and the cost of instructing a specialist contractor. Probably the most beneficial application of this product is for window sills where pigeons or other birds have been roosting or perching. Due to the fact that Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is springy and malleable it is an ideal anti-perching device for windowsills where the window opens outward with little clearance between the base of the window and the sill. The springy nature of the coil allows it to be depressed in order to open and close the window.

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DEFRA’s view:

The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is the UK’s Government body that oversees the Wildlife and Countryside Act and produces legislation to which the pest control industry must adhere.  The following information is taken from a document provided on DEFRA website entitled: ‘Review of international research regarding the effectiveness of auditory bird scaring techniques and potential alternatives’. By J Bishop, H McKay, D Parrott and J Allan.

“Anti-perching devices prevent birds from perching, roosting and nesting on surfaces and ledges and involve wires, gels, coils or point systems. All either prevent physical access or else provide an unstable surface for perching.”

“Coils of stainless steel and tensioned wires that go slack when birds settle on them, work on the same principle (providing an unstable landing surface) and although relatively expensive, are quick to install.”

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Price range:

Bird Barrier Coil End Brackets

Bird Barrier Coil
End Brackets

Bird Barrier Coil is available in the UK and in two formats; a 7.5 metre (24.5’) pack and a 30 metre (98.4’) pack. Both packs require fixings and these are available in the form of a kit for a 7.5 metre (24.5’) installation and separately for installations over 7.5 metres (24.5’).

A 7.5 metre (24.5') pack of Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil costs approximately ££28.00 and a 7.5 metre (24.5') fixing kit (including 2 end brackets, 23 intermediate clips and 30 wall plugs) costs approximately £8.00. The kit provides the necessary fixings for an installation where the clips are fixed into masonry. Bird Barrier Coil Fixing Clips

Bird Barrier Coil
Fixing Clips

If the installation is to involve the use of an adhesive rather than drilling into masonry, the cost of the double sided adhesive pads or double sided Velcro pads would be over and above the cost of the product and the fixing pack. One UK supplier of Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil confirmed that if a fixing pack was to be used and if the masonry fixings were not required, the supplier would include adhesive or velcro pads instead of the masonry fixings at no extra cost. Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil can also be installed by using silicone gel, but the disadvantage of this method is the 1-2 hour drying time for the silicone. The total cost of materials for a 7.5 metre (24.5') installation would be £36.00.

Barrier Coil Kit

Barrier Coil Kit

A 30 metre (98.4’) roll of Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil costs approximately £104.00. The roll is designed to be installed in 4 x 7.5 metre (24.5’) runs. Assuming that the 30 metre (98.4’) installation is in 4 continuous 7.5 metre (24.5’) runs, and based on the distributors recommendation that an intermediate fixing clip should be provided every 30.5 cm (12”), the 30 metre (98.4’) installation will require 8 end brackets and 92 intermediate fixings as well as plugs/screws if drilling into masonry. If the installation is to be provided by using double sided adhesive pads or double sided velcro pads, the cost of these products would be over and above the cost of the Barrier Coil, the intermediate fixings and the end brackets. Alternatively silicone gel could be used as an adhesive and the cost of a tube of good quality gel would be approximately £5.00. Based on the size of the intermediate fixings 1 or 2 tubes should, in theory, be sufficient to install the 92 fixings required. The total cost of installing a 30 metre (98.4’) roll of Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil, including fixings and end brackets would be £136.00.

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User reviews:

To date we have been unable to find any user reviews for Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil but we will update this section as and when user reviews are made available to us. If you are able to provide a user review for Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil please contact the Pigeon Control Resource Centre.

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Comments from the Manufacturer/Distributor:

“The Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is universal in its applications. It is an extendable coil specifically designed to stretch out over long, narrow areas; ledges, I-beams, roof edges, tops of walls and parapets, to name just a few. The unique shape and instability of the coil prevents pigeons and larger birds from landing on or in between the coils.”

“Made from stainless steel the Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil will not rust or corrode. It can be fastened with screws and coil clips to wood or Bird Barrier Bond where the holes can not or should not be drilled. The same clip can be nailed if need be.”

“The Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil does not hurt the birds, will not gather leaves or other debris, is easy to install and does not require any maintenance.”

“The Coil is recommended for light and medium pressure situations only.”

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Editorial comments:

Bird Barrier Coil on Shop Sign

Bird Barrier Coil
on Shop Sign

Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is a well designed and well manufactured anti-perching device that has a variety of different applications in urban environments. Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is manufactured from stainless steel ensuring that the product will not rust or become discoloured or degrade.

Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is extremely easy to install offering a number of different installation options including sticky double sided pads and double sided velcro pads as well as conventional installations using screws, nails or silicone gel. The other major benefit of the product is that it can be installed by the home owner or property owner without the need to instruct a pest control contractor. The product is completely humane and will not harm the target species which will have considerable appeal to a majority of those experiencing bird-related problems.

Bird Barrier Coil in Guttering

Bird Barrier Coil
in Guttering

DEFRA’s view is that the main benefit of the product is that it is easy to install, but the downside is that the product is relatively expensive to buy, certainly relative to other anti-perching products such as the anti-roosting spike. In a market place that is driven by competition and ever-decreasing prices the cost of any pest control product would appear to be the key to its success or demise, whether or not the product is effective. Many of the least effective products on the market are the most popular, based almost entirely on their cost and how hard the products are marketed by the distributor. In the case of Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil, to protect a 30 metre ledge on a building with one single row of the product would cost a minimum of £136.00, assuming that the product was bought in and installed by the property owner concerned. If the ledge was wide and required 2 rows of the product the cost would double. If the product was installed by a pest control contractor the cost would be considerably greater.

Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil has a wide variety of applications in areas where conventional products may either be ineffective or degrade rapidly. Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is costly to purchase but based on its versatility and the fact that it does not degrade, the product becomes a much more attractive option in the longer term. For period properties with wide windowsills and a variety of varying architectural features, Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil may not be the ideal product but for the householder experiencing minor bird-related problems, the product will provide a high level of protection and although the initial outlay may be high, the product should stand the test of time.

Sources:

DEFRA quotes:

PDF on DEFRA website entitled: ‘Review of international research regarding the effectiveness of auditory bird scaring techniques and potential alternatives’ By J Bishop, H McKay, D Parrott and J Allan.

Also commonly known as:

Bird coil, spring coil, pigeon coil, gull coil, steel bird coil, deterrent coil

Relevance to pigeon control:

Pigeon Repellent Bird Barrier Coil is a pigeon-specific anti-perching product

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