Seabirds weren’t fooled by a scarecrow-like buoy with rotating
A buoy designed to scare seabirds away from fishing nets in Denmark proved ineffective. Named Bobby, the buoy featured rotating eyes to mimic a predator, but seabirds quickly acclimated to its presence. Researchers found that after a short period, the birds ignored the buoy entirely, highlighting the challenges of deterring persistent pests.
- ▪The buoy named Bobby was intended to scare seabirds from fishing nets.
- ▪After 46 days of observation, researchers concluded that the buoy was ineffective.
- ▪Seabirds quickly became accustomed to the buoy, ignoring it after just a few weeks.
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News Animals Seabirds weren’t fooled by a scarecrow-like buoy with rotating eyes Birds looking to dine from fishermen's nets in Denmark quickly got used to the buoy, named Bobby These cormorants and gulls are perched on the poles supporting a pound net. The fish trap offers a buffet for the birds—but potential danger too. Scientists tested a buoy with eyes to try to scare them off. Gildas Glemarec By Bethany Brookshire 6 minutes ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print A buoy with googly eyes was supposed to scare seabirds away from Danish fishing nets.
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