Did I miss something? Why do the green lasers work better than red or any other color lasers. Is it just because they are "eye safe"? I'm confused.
Green lasers are not necessarily 'eye safe'. Any color laser can blind you if it�s strong enough. The lasers used for cat toys or presentation pointers are less than 5mW and, from what I can tell, safe. Anything higher is dangerous.
Did we ever actually get a first person review of lasers for geese removal.??
Here is my review of lasers and what I learned. Sorry if it�s too long-winded�..
When I first stumbled upon the idea of using lasers to discourage geese I found the �Bird Phazer�
http://www.discountwildlifesupplies.com/store/BirdControl/Repellents/BIRDPHAZERLASER.htmland an article about the USDA using lasers:
http://www.geesedamage.com/images/tnlaserspdf.pdfI thought $200 was a little expensive for an experiment so I searched and found loads of laser suppliers online. From what I read a 50 mW laser would be as strong as I would need rather than the 120 mW Bird Phazer. And they can be bought for a lot less money.
There are loads of internet sellers - most from China or HK - some good, some bad. The cheap lasers are usually not as powerful as advertised. Nor are they as reliable. Like anything else there are tons of opinions on the Internet as well as a message board like this one. After reading too much about them I purchased a $20 50mW green laser pointer and finally received it a few days ago. Green lasers are the most effective for birds and geese. I am not sure why but they can see it the best and perceive the laser dot as an object. The nice thing about green lasers is, depending on the mW rating, you can see the beam when it is dark out. Sort of like a Star Wars weapon. I wanted to use it at night to scare geese off the pond while standing on my front porch. The near end of the pond is about 100 feet away and the far side is about 500 feet.
The 1st night I had the laser I heard a bunch of geese flying low over my house and right to the pond. It was already dark out so I grabbed the laser and walked out to the pond to try to see where they were and point the laser at them. I was ready - the laser was not. Even though it worked when I was inside it barely worked outside. I wound up throwing rocks to scare the geese away. When I got back inside I took the batteries out and reinstalled them. Then it worked fine. I could shine a green dot all the way across the pond. Keep in mind laser dots don�t �spread� and are basically the same size whether you point it at something 10 feet away or 1,000 feet away. It�s not easy to see where you are pointing when shooting it a long distance. The green beam at night helps let you know where you are pointing at night.
So, back to the internet to figure out if I bought a junk laser or it was something else. I found out that lasers have optimal operating temperatures and, because they can generate a lot of heat, need to be cooled. The operating temperature for most green lasers is 60-86 degrees. If it is colder than that the electronics can�t generate a laser beam. That�s what happened when I went out at night - too cold. It might have worked if I kept it in my pocket until the last seconds before using it.
I also noticed when I 1st used the laser inside that the beam would fade after short time and then shut down. Since lasers generate a lot of heat they need a cooling system. I bought a cheap laser for $20 which doesn�t have a cooling system. You need to spend about $250 or more for that. The so called �duty cycle� for cheaper lasers is about 60 seconds on and 30 seconds off. That means I can shine it for 1 minute but then, in order to protect the laser electronics, I need to shut it down for at least 30 seconds to let it cool off. The unit itself doesn�t get hot, just the laser diode inside. It you run it too long it can shorten the life of the unit or even burn it out completely. The cheap laser I bought seems to have a duty cycle much shorter than 60 seconds - maybe 30 seconds at best. That is not good since it can take harassing the geese for a few minutes before they leave. From what I have read some will fly away immediately and other will quickly move out of the way of an approaching laser dot but not fly away.
I did have one positive experience using the laser. The other morning I was getting ready to leave for work and it was still dark out. For the heck of it I walked out on the porch and pointed the laser at the pond not knowing if there were any geese on it. As I was slowly sweeping the beam from side to side I heard splashing like a shark feeding frenzy. Since the laser doesn�t illuminate much more than the beam and dot I couldn�t tell what was going on. I figure it had to be the laser scaring the heck out of geese. They didn�t fly away but I�m guessing they were flapping their wings in a panic trying to get away from the dot. Unfortunately I couldn�t use it for more than 30 seconds and, in the minds of the geese, the threat had passed so they stayed put.
I could buy another cheap laser or 2 to give me more time to point a dot on the water. I view it as just another tool in a constant battle to keep the �flying toilets� away from the pond. I do have an �Away with Geese� light but it�s questionable at best as to how well it is working. If I see geese flying overhead I clap my hands loudly which, surprisingly, makes them think twice about landing. If I see them land on the pond I immediately walk to the pond and they usually take off - if not I throw rocks at them. And, for the stubborn geese, I get in the canoe which works great. Many times they take off as the canoe hits the water before I even get in. I am being extra vigilant as nesting season approaches. Last year a resident pair did not have a successful breeding season�� I don�t expect to see any goslings this year either.
