If you are wondering how to get a bird out of a store you have come to the right place. Once a bird or birds have made their way inside your facility, they can be extremely difficult to remove. There are a wide range of solutions available for how to get a bird out of a store, but most are ineffective.
WHY IS IT HARD TO GET BIRDS OUT OF STORES?
Removing birds from a store is not an easy task. For example, we recently serviced a warehouse club that had been dealing with a bird issue for months. They, unfortunately, tried many different approaches with little to no success, spending countless hours and money on ineffective solutions before finding the right one.
Birds have been present in the parking lot for years but never presented a major issue. An exterior population of birds is the norm for big box stores and other retailers. The problem was that the birds soon adapted to the presence of people shopping and slowly started to get closer to the doors, finding dropped crumbs and other food from customers.
This was not a large issue until the flock of seven birds flew into the facility. Once inside, they flew high into the rafters for safety in the new environment. One larger bird, described as a starling, flew frantically around the store until it made its way out the door. These larger birds work very hard to find a way out, but in doing so can cause quite a commotion.
HOW TO GET A BIRD OUT OF A STORE
When you are learning how to get a bird out of a store it is important to understand the methods that won’t work. Here are some examples of failed attempts at removing birds from retail locations.
Failed Attempt #1
Soon the remaining six birds, all English House Sparrows, became comfortable inside and began to fly down between customers, picking up food, tearing into the bird seed, and even stealing food samples from customers’ carts. The store decided to take action to remove the birds. They first tried using sparrow cage repeater traps in the ceiling.
These traps have food and water located inside, and once the birds enter, they cannot exit. They are a safe way to remove birds; however, they proved ineffective, not catching a single bird. These traps typically rely on the food and water inside being the only sources available, but inside any warehouse club or grocery store, there will always be other food available that appears less threatening.
These traps cost the store a total of $300 and offered no guarantee or way to return them once used. In addition, the store was responsible for installing and monitoring them.
Failed Attempt #2
Next, they tried using glue traps. These were set properly in locations the birds were visiting and were sprinkled with bird seed. The birds, however, would not land on the glue traps due to them being a foreign surface, and inside a warehouse store, other food is readily available.
Not only were they ineffective, but the traps had to be set out each night and put away in the morning, so birds would not be caught while customers were there. Glue traps are technically non-lethal devices, but unless the birds are quickly removed using chemicals to carefully peel them off, the birds will die quickly. Furthermore, if birds are removed improperly, all of their feathers can be torn out. These traps ran a total of $300 plus many hours of management placing them out and picking them up.
Failed Attempt #3
From here, the warehouse club tried using bird nets. A company was hired to come in and hang up these nets that would be able to catch the birds for them. The nets were not installed properly, rendering them completely ineffective and at a cost of $2,400, again with zero guarantee.
The other issue with nets being set and then left is the store is now accepting responsibility to watch the nets and remove any birds that have been caught. If a bird becomes entangled and is not removed quickly, it can die or become injured.
This can be considered a cruel and unusual treatment of an animal, and there is a risk of even larger penalties if a protected species enters the facility and gets caught and harmed. This could potentially result in a federal offense including fines and jail time.
Failed Attempt #4
The location also bought some nets themselves and tried hanging them. They did catch two of the birds, making them the only solution to have any results up to that point. The nets cost $150 but, again, it took many hours for management to place the nets.
Once birds become entangled in these nets, they need to be removed quickly and safely, which is a learned skill. If handled improperly, there is a risk of injury to the bird or accidentally releasing it back into the store.
Failed Attempt #5
Next, one of the nighttime managers tried using a pellet rifle to shoot the birds in the evenings during restocking. This was also met with no success, and only in stressed the birds further.
Not only was this ineffective, but also a skylight was accidentally shot. This means there is now a leak in the ceiling that is a very expensive fix.
Failed Attempt #6
Finally, a local company was called in to shoot the birds. The company claimed the birds moved too much to be able to shoot and recommended removing all of the food and water from the store. They did not fire a single shot at the birds. This resulted in the store not paying the company, due to the fact they did not deliver on their service and, again, countless hours wasted with no results.
So far, the store had spent $3250, shot out a skylight, and spent hundreds of management hours attempting to deal with the issue.
The birds also served as a distraction for employees, concerned the customers, and made a mess to clean up after. The store was fed up with the issue and convinced it was going to be impossible to remove the remaining birds.
How to Get A Bird Out of a Store (Successfully!)
After receiving our information, they noticed the 100% guarantee. They called us only because there was zero risk on their end; if we couldn’t solve the problem, they did not have to pay, and if we did solve the problem, a huge headache was gone.
We quickly explained that our bird removal service is 100% guaranteed and that we have finished every single job we have started. Additionally, all of our jobs come at a fixed price. This means, in the rare instance a situation requires a follow-up visit, there are no additional charges or hidden fees. Furthermore, the bird removal is a live capture and relocation of the birds. It’s a win-win; the store has their problem solved, and the birds are relocated far away enough from the store that they will never return.
Once a service is booked with Meridian, we go through our proven process to solve the issue. In this case, we used our unique methodology to safely capture and relocate the four remaining birds. We also performed our comprehensive inspection, providing feedback on facility issues and procedural issues to help prevent any future bird entry. Within just a few days of receiving their initial contact, we completed the service. They couldn’t believe how effective we were. Since then they have referred other stores in their chain to us and will utilize us for any future needs.
At Meridian Bird Removal, we believe in being prepared and having a plan to deal with birds in your facility. If you need bird removal regularly, click here or contact us.