Pigeons vs Prisons: Vertigo pulse system used as Corrections, AT battle bird poo deluge

Transport and prison bosses have formed an axis of resistance, deploying high-tech devices to stop aerial bombardment from prolifically pooing pigeons. NZME Graphic / Jason Oxenham, Doug Sherring, 123RF

Three prisons and two Auckland railway stations are using an electromagnetic pulse system to deter birds from landing on roofs.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections – Ara Poutama Aotearoa said the anti-bird measures were being used in the Waikato and Canterbury.

“We take the health and safety of staff and prisoners seriously. Some prisons experience issues with pigeons roosting or nesting in rooftops, ledges and other parts of prison sites. This poses a health and safety risk through contamination and disease risks, as well as causing damage to property,” she said.

Corrections trialled the Symterra system at Christchurch Women’s Prison and Christchurch Men’s Prison in 2022 and 2023.

Spring Hill Corrections Facility, where the anti-bird system is being utilised.

“The system acts as a deterrent to prevent birds from landing on buildings and structures and it does not harm the birds,” she said.

Symterra is still being used at Christchurch Men’s and Women’s Prisons and is also now used at Spring Hill Corrections Facility, she said.

An Auckland Transport spokesman said Symterra was used at the Papatoetoe and New Lynn train stations.

Australian-based Peter McCarthy of Symterra Pulse said birds damaged roofs and left droppings which caused problems for the owners.

Inmates at some New Zealand prisons were feeding birds in the yards out of boredom or loneliness, McCarthy said.

He cited the character Brooks in the film The Shawshank Redemption, who kept a pet crow.

Prisons aimed to deter birds, McCarthy said.

Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman in the prison-based movie The Shawshank Redemption.

Pigeons became companions for some prisoners in Australia, McCarthy said.

“Bird deterrent systems become important because there are droppings, which present a health issue for inmates and workers.”

Train stations aimed to keep birds from roofs for many reasons, McCarthy said.

“It doesn’t have a lot to do with the efficiency of the trains. The client is the commuter. This is for commuter comfort. You can get a slip-and-fall accident at the entrance and stairs,” he said, referring to bird excrement.

“It’s just cleanliness – the smell associated with birds and aesthetics which is detrimental to the retail experience. These are factors the network would take into consideration,” McCarthy said.

The New Lynn railway station.

McCarthy said a new version of Symterra had been installed on a Telstra building in Dandenong. Red-billed seagulls nesting on rooftops were a particular target there.

Auckland lawyer and ex-Kaipātiki Local Board member Nick Kearney has invested in Symterra Pulse, previously marketed as Flock Off.

Kearney said prisons were using the system to stop birds landing on rooftops due to damage from claws and droppings, which he said could reduce a roof’s lifespan by seven to eight years.

Christchurch Men's Prison, where the bird deterrent system is being used. Photo / George Heard

The system created an invisible barrier birds would not cross and had been used here for the last two years.

Kearney has taken a 10% share in Bird Control (NZ), which sells the electromagnetic pulse system in this country.

The company was incorporated here in 2022 and Kearney is its sole New Zealand director.

A promotional video explains how it works.

“As a bird approaches a structure equipped with the Flock Off bird repellent system, they actually start to feel a sense of vertigo. The bird starts to feel what can only be described as the worst case of vertigo that bird will have ever felt. It prevents the bird from being physically able to land on a structure.”

Kearney said the business had secured clients who are very pleased with the system and the positive impact it is having on their business.

Forest & Bird said it did not have the capacity to comment on the system .

Department of Conservation (DoC) fauna science manager Ash Murphy said: “This is a new technology DoC is not familiar with, so we don’t have a view to share right now.

“However, it’s important to remember that we share our spaces with wildlife, and many birds are threatened. We encourage people to contact their local DoC office if they are having issues with protected birds so we can work with them on the best possible solution for both people and wildlife.”

At Sylvia Park, owner Kiwi Property Group developed Geneva House at 3 Te Kehu Way with anti-bird nesting features in cladding.

Each slot in the facade forms an angle to deter birds. Photo / Michael Craig

Recesses in the five-level building’s exterior were designed by Woods Bagot and Peddlethorp with slopes to deter birds from slotting themselves into the spaces and leaving a reminder of their visit.

Kiwi is not anti-birds, but chief executive Clive Mackenzie said last year the project’s unusual cladding might otherwise have drawn avian visitors.

That cladding features recessed cross shapes, potentially offering birds shelter and possibly even room to pack in some nesting materials, Kiwi feared.

The cladding was manufactured in Pōkeno and panels have a pattern with randomised cruciform shapes to add depth and interest.

Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 24 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.