Posts tagged sprinkler

“Can’t we all just get along?” gardeners implore, exasperated to keep pests out of their gardens. It can be agonizing to watch plants, fruits and seeds get devoured by rabbits, gophers and birds. Yet not everyone feels comfortable poisoning and killing a wild animal for the sake of sheer “convenience.” Nor do they want to spray harmful pesticides and chemicals on the food they’ll be eating. That’s where the Easy Gardener 8021 Garden Defense Electronic Owl – Sound and Motion Sensored comes in. This cute gizmo scares away garden predators with a turn of its electronic head and a startling “HOOT!” Gardeners can rest easy knowing that their plunder is kept safe by the watchful eye of an animatronic owl.

The manufacturer of the Easy Gardener 8021 Garden Defense Electronic Owl – Sound and Motion Sensored says that this owl “frightens birds, squirrels, rabbits, rodents and other destructive pests,” while also making “an attractive lawn ornament or patio accent.” To use, you simply install the owl on a pole or hang it from a tree. Some people perch the owl up high, while others put it closer to the areas it’s protecting. Sound and motion sensors pick up the movement of animals and cause the owl to elicit a realistic “HOOT!” This model of the Great Horned Owl is intimidating to many other animals and runs off three AA batteries. For the best results, the manufacturer says you should “reposition the owl decoy every few days.”

The Easy Gardener 8021 Garden Defense Electronic Owl – Sound and Motion Sensored has a 3/5 rating at Amazon, with 15 positive 4 or 5 star reviews and 19 unfavorable 1 or 2 star reviews. The satisfied buyers say that the owl worked great to deter birds from roosting in their car ports and on their porches. However, those who wanted to use the owl as an outdoor pest deterrent for the garden seemed disappointed by the quality of the owl, which didn’t seem to weather rain or dirt very well. Some people reported that they loved the owl’s hoots and motion sensor capabilities, while others found it to be annoying — especially when it went off early in the morning or late in the evening. The happiest buyers moved their owls each day as they walked outdoors to keep the pests guessing, the most dissatisfied customers were the ones who left their owls in one stationary spot, only to find other birds pooping and pecking on it.

The plastic may crack off if dropped, the batteries die quickly and fail if dirt gets inside the chamber and brave animals may not be deterred. These are some of the common complaints with the Easy Gardener 8021 Garden Defense Electronic Owl – Sound and Motion Sensored. There are nearly 40 reviews over at www.tipshopping.com. “I really think it does not make a difference for black birds that were constantly crapping on my pool cover,” writes one consumer. “Within minutes of putting the owl up, the birds were attacking it,” said another buyer. The owl only works for so long, said a reviewer who explained: “This product seemed to work at keeping critters away at first; however, they seemed to become use to it and continued to come back.” The positive reviewers often comment that they move their own every few days or so to keep the birds and critters guessing.

Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed help for panic attacks as well as tips on the various panic disorder medications available at www.anxietydisordercure.com.