Customer Reviews

Dalen RH-04 Rotating Head Great Horned Owl

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

My experience with this bobble head owl has been so positive, that I am ordering two more today. The trick with these owls is that you HAVE TO PUT THEM AT EACH TREE! You can't just buy one and expect to keep the birds away from the entire orchard. The birds will watch the owl and when their desire for fruit is greater than their fear of the owl, that's when things go awry. Place an owl ON each tree or between two trees that are within a few feet of each other. Move the owls around the orchard from day to day as well. The owl saved my figs last year. This year I am ordering more to save my peaches and apples. They DO work...you just have to be smarter than the birds.

Obviously, this did not work after three weeks and I found pigeon poop upon the head and wings of the plastic, indicating that the pigeons returned. Most birds at first glance are frightened by it but after a few days, they instinctively know that it isnt really alive, even the moving head, which is operated by a spring, doesn't mimic actual live owl's heads, since most owls don't even have a neck bone structure. After a few more months, even the head fell off and there was a woodpecker nest inside the hole. After a few years, the whole thing just fell to pieces.

The owl itself is nicely made with the exception that the head is not as freely moveable as I would expect, seems that it locks up at points.

Shipping tooks several weeks.

I put the owl on my dock and it keeps most of the birds away. The head moves in the direction of the prevailing wind.

I purchased this to keep ducks off the front deck of my houseboat.
It has worked well. Would recommend.

We bought this Owl because we were having issues with Grackels (which are a nasty, good for nothing bird that lives in Central Texas). They were pooping all over our deck and eating our dog's food. When we first got it, the head didn't seem to swivel very well and i was disappointed that it wasn't a "bobbing head" type as advertised. After playing with it for a few days, we realized that you kind of have to force the head down onto the spindle to make it "click" in place. I was afraid that I was going to break it, but once it was attached properly the head bobbed and weaved as advertised. As for the Grackels? They HATE IT. They sceamed at it for a week and then went on their merry way. You should move the owl every few days though. i would have given it 5 stars, but they should really provide better instructions about the head installation.

The owl is darling. And, love the bobble head. It does work - and scare away the critters that like our veggies and flowers! And the little nephews and neices love it, too! And. it also adds a cute touch to our garden!

The owl did nothing for the pigeons on my balcony, they still flock around and sometimes I even see them perched right bedside it like it's not even there!

I bought this owl to scare away the seagulls as I was told that this is what they do but... in just a day the seagulls seem to be his friend! If you ever plan on doing the same thing it does not work. Also, one more downfall his head rotates but if it is real windy his head will blow off so be careful if you need him somewhere near the water or you will lose his head! I do like him though he is very authentic looking and he fits right in. I would not recommend him as a deterrent to scare anything away.

I was hopeful about this product despite it's mixed reviews. This year we have been swarmed by starlings, they are nesting in the chimney and BBQ grill. Daily we were removing the nest material from the grill and cleaning it to cook, only to have them back with more sticks before it was cool. After a week of this battle my husband agreed to let me purchase this owl. The day we got it I set it out on the deck rail right next to the grill. The starlings weren't fazed by it. I do move it around the deck every few days, but they keep coming back (even walking over the rubber snakes we've put out there). So it may work for other species, but those stubborn starlings aren't fooled by it...we've just created all sorts of barricades in any opening on the grill which seems to be keeping them out, they're still leaving their droppings on the deck though :(