Now that it’s the end of the year, it’s time to re-evaluate your annual bird plan.
No, you didn’t read that wrong. August marks the end of a busy year for birds. They’re finished nesting and raising juvenile birds (spring), and you may have noticed bird activity is relatively quiet during the summer months. That’s because food is abundant and warm temperatures allow birds to enjoy their natural habitat rather than seek shelter in buildings.
But come September, adult bird populations will be at their peak. Cool weather will start driving birds into your buildings for shelter and possibly food to replace a declining natural supply. This is why we think of September as the beginning of the bird year.
So while bird activity is low, is it time for a rest? We think August is the best time to look at your yearly plan for dealing with nuisance birds and see if it requires an update. What worked for you this past year? How can you do better in the upcoming year? Answering those questions can save you precious time, resources, and money.
Tips to evaluate your bird plan:
1. Train Employees
Just as you train employees to reduce loss due to theft, weather, and other factors, you train employees on ways to deal with birds. Keep doors closed. Clean up spilled food or seeds. Immediately report bird intrusions. August is the time to renew that training and make sure new employees are up to speed.
2. Fix Problems
Are there holes in your structure where birds fly in? An automatic door that doesn’t work? A vent that remains unscreened? While bird incursions are at their lowest is the time to fix these problems.
3. Order Service
If you have an annual plan, schedule an inspection. If you’ve been waiting to submit a work order, do it during slow season.
4. Evaluate Budgets
We encourage everyone to calculate your bird removal ROI. What kind of bird-related loss did you experience or avoid? You may find better employee training or simply patching holes in the building is a better use of your facility budget than bird removal.
5. Update Plans
After evaluating your strengths and weaknesses, should you make changes to your bird plan?
As part of your bird plan, you should plan for varying levels of bird activity during the year. Our Bird’s Eye View of The Year Calendar is a handy tool that outlines seasonal bird activity as we’ve observed it.
CHIRP to Keep Birds Away
Another methodology we recommend goes by the easily remembered acrostic CHIRP. These are five key steps you can take to keep bird problems to a minimum.
CLOSE DOORS
We say this a lot because it works! We understand the temptation to keep doors—especially loading bay doors—open for convenience. What’s easy for people is equally easy for birds!
This is where training and maintenance are key. If an automatic door doesn’t close properly, it needs to be repaired pronto. Also, train employees to close doors when not in use. They may not realize the loss in goods and dollars that can result in a propped-open door.
HOLD ACCOUNTABLE
Just as every successful business holds people accountable for their duties, a business can make it clear closing doors, cleaning up food spills, and reporting birds are part of the smooth operation of the business. We also advise assigning a point person for bird problems—someone responsible for calling the bird removal company and to whom other employees can report problems.
INFORM ASSOCIATES
Good communication about the problems birds cause and loss they inflict are important to achieving buy-in from your employees. Slowing down and educating associates about the nature of the problem and what they can regularly do to help is a powerful objective that engages people, invites them to be part of the solution, and builds company culture.
REMOVE ENVIRONMENTAL COMFORTS
Food, shelter, and water. Those are the primary reasons birds enter your building. Take those away and birds won’t bother you (as much). Clean up food in and around your building, especially near entrances. That includes spilled customer food and outdoor lunch areas. Forbid the feeding of birds, either through bird feeders or by hand. Mitigate standing water areas where birds come to drink.
PRACTICE PREVENTION
Prevention beats remediation all the time. We always understand you have dozens of operational objectives. Bird issues are often at the bottom of your priority list unless you define them in your company processes, policies and accountabilities. By being proactive and following the CHIRP steps, you can cut losses and problems caused by pest birds. The best consistent control of bird issues happens when all of these are firmly in place.
So this August, gather the troops and decide on your bird plan going forward. And have a happy bird-free new year!”