Dalen SOL-R Action Large Solar Fake Owl Decoy to Scare Birds Away - 18" Tall - 360º Rotating Head

We built a pool with a cascade waterfall in Las Vegas (desert) so we were visited by a couple dozen pigeons and black birds everyday with the accompanying mess. I didn't want the unsightly spikes or sticky goop around the pool so I thought I would try a predator replica. The idea of the solar powered head on a horned owl seemed like a good concept.The owl is about 1 1/2 ft tall, very life-like in looks and size. There is nothing to do to get it started, just remove the tag and stand it in the yard.The slightest light in the morning gets it going and it is active until the last light in the evening. The head always rotates in the same direction (doesn't matter) on intervals that vary from about 15 seconds to about 2-3 minutes. The rotations can be from a partial turn to several complete revolutions. Very unpredictable which adds to the realism.It makes a slight audible click when the rotation starts. I thought this might be an issue by alerting the birds it was about to move but just the opposite occurs. In case the bird might not be looking toward the owl when it starts it's movement the click gets the bird's attention assuring the bird will see it.The first birds to arrive after I put it by the waterfall stopped their dive into the yard to land on a privacy wall around the pool area. There was a lot of head tilting as they checked it out to see if it was real or not. As soon as it moved it's head the birds took off in all directions as fast as they could go. The birds returned to sit on the perimeter wall everyday for a few weeks. Sometimes one brave bird in the flock would land to "test the waters" but as soon as the head turned they all scrammed like somebody fired a load of buckshot at them.. The test visits came less and less frequent until, after a couple months, they stopped altogether. We have not had ANY birds in the yard this entire summer even though I can see them in the neighbors' yards.I did not mount it on a stake as the instructions suggests. Instead I filled it with about 10 lbs of sand through an opening in the bottom to give it some weight. This allowed me to move it to different parts of the yard every so often. I did move it a couple times a week at first but have found that now that the birds are convinced it's real I only move it once a month or so.The problem birds that I had to deal with in my neighborhood were pigeons, crows, and blackbirds. They have NEVER returned to the water and stopped flying over the house after the first few weeks.A great item.

I used this in my backyard garden and it did a wonderful job of deterring the squirrels and birds. I had almost zero bite marks in my 10' x 20' veggie garden. I read many of the reviews before purchasing so I could customize my installation to give the most effect.This is a very realistic looking model, it even had my cat on edge while un-boxing. But once she got close enough to smell / inspect it, she was no longer fooled. While the owl looks intimidating, any animal could tell the difference up close. Solution: keep the owl at least 5-10 feet from the nearest perch that a bird or squirrel could inspect it from. I mounted the owl on a 10 ft. aluminum pole in the center of my garden where a pest couldn't possibly come close enough to tell the difference between a plastic scarecrow and real peril. It seemed to work because the squirrels that used to raid the garbage cans are now too nervous to come anywhere near the area.Only other issue I noticed was the owl sits awkwardly on a bare pole because of the hollow cavity not being balanced on the center of gravity. This was easily fixed by placing a 12" x 1" pvc pipe in the owl's cavity and filling the gaps with spray-foam. The owl stands straight and securely on the aluminum pole now and can easily be slid off/on.This setup with the pole and pvc base allows me to install the owl anywhere I want pretty quickly, although I haven't noticed it lose effect from keeping it in the same spot. In fact, I've kept it outside for 9 months straight now; through summer storms and winter snows, and it's still clicking and spinning like new.I think if the company included some installation equipment or if people took the time to craft these alternative solutions, a lot more reviews would be 5 stars. This really is a great product! Glad I took a chance with it.

When taking the owl out of its packaging, the head came off (should have been secured with a simple strip of adhesive connecting the head to the body). Its self explanatory, but it took me too long to realize I should spin the head to get it going (me being an airhead).PROS: Overall, I cant imagine my garden continuing without this owl. (1) Its well made, realistic looking and I look forward to seeing its rotating head and large vibrant eyes. (2) I also like that each spin leaves the owl looking in different directions. (3) My cucumbers, melons and other crops near the owl made it through the season (so far) without disturbance from our resident chipmunks & squirrels. (4) Also a pro - waterproof, solar-powered, no batteries, no cords! (5) I also appreciated that the packaging was not obsessive - just a tag around the neck & a small plastic covering (which I reused).CONS: (1) My husband expressed his concern that the owl would scare away our local birds (he enjoys bird-watching). I have unfortunately not seen too many lovely bluejays and cardinals this season. So I will say that the birds do stay away when the owl is in motion (which is good if thats your intention). (2) Also an issue is that the motion detector or owl head is easily triggered off by simple contact: on several occasions, a single leaf of cucumber foliage grew too close to the owl’s neck opening and the spinning motion stopped completely, so I had spin the head manually to reset the motion.MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDATION: I would love if the manufacturer made a version of this owl for night-time use (with glowing eyes and sound as an option) b/c though the owl has worked during the day, I need something for our night-time deer problem. If they manufactured such a product, I would definitely buy it as another garden companion!