THIS INVENTION relates to a bird repelling device, to a method of repelling birds and to an electricity pylon including a bird repelling device.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a bird repelling, device which includes : a base member having defined therein at least one locating formation for a spike member; and connecting means for connecting at least one similar bird repelling device thereto.

In one form of the invention, the base member is elongate and includes a plurality of locating formations for a plurality of spike members. The locating formations may be orientated for locating the spike members such that they extend laterally away from the base member in more than one direction, in use.

The locating formations may be socket formations or holes extending into the base member.

The connecting means may be in the form of either one of a spigot formation or a complementary socket formation located near one end of the base member and either one of a spigot formation or a complementary socket formation located near an opposite end of the base member. Preferably, the connecting means includes a socket formation located near one end of the base member and a complementary spigot formation located near the opposite end of the base member.

The device may include spike members located in the locating formations.

In a preferred form of the invention, the device includes a securing formation for securing it to a structure. The securing formation may be in the form of a securing strap.

The device may be manufactured of a plastics material. Preferably, the plastics material is high density polyethylene.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of repelling birds, which includes the steps of placing an device as described above at a location from where the birds are to be repelled. The device may be secured by way of a securing formation at the location from where the

birds are to be repelled.

The location from where the birds are to be repelled may be an electricity pylon. It will be appreciated that a convenient position to place the device is immediately above an arm of the pylon from which an electrical cable is suspended.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an electricity pylon including at least one but preferably a plurality of spike members extending laterally therefrom.

The pylon may include a bird repelling device as described above secured thereto.

One embodiment of this invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 are top and bottom views respectively of a bird repelling device according to the invention; Figures 3 and 4 are opposed end views of the device of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 5 is a side view of the device of Figures 1 to 4;

Figure 6 is a side view of two of the devices of Figures 1 to 5, illustrating how they are connected, in use; and Figure 7 is a side view of an electricity pylon including a plurality of the devices of Figures 1 to 6 secured thereto.

In Figures 1 to 6, a bird repelling device 10 is shown to include a base member 12 manufactured of high density polyethylene, which includes a plurality of locating formations in the form of socket formations 14. The socket formations 14 extend through the base member 12 as shown and are dimensioned snugly to locate a plurality of laterally extending spike members 16. The socket formations 14 are orientated to allow the spike members 16 to extend from the base member 12 in more than one direction. The spike members 16 are in the form of high density polyethylene tubes and each includes a high density polyethylene end cap 16.1 (see Figures 3 to 6).

The base member 12 includes pivotal connecting means in the form of a spigot formation 18 and a complementary socket formation 20, each located near opposite ends 12.1 and 12.2 respectively, of the base member 12. This configuration allows identical or similar devices 10 to be connected to cover a larger area of a location from where birds are to be repelled.

The spigot formation 18 and the socket formation 20 further allow

connected devices 10 to pivot about a pivot axis 21 as shown in Figure 6.

The base member 12 further includes securing formations in the form of strap formations 22 for allowing the base member 12 to be secured to a structure, such as an electricity pylon, from where birds are to be repelled. In the present embodiment, the strap formations 22 are integral with the base member 12.

In Figure 7 an electricity pylon 24 is shown to include a plurality of bird repelling devices 10 secured thereto. Some of the devices 10 are connected to each other at their respective connecting formations 18 and 20 as shown.

In use, the devices 10 are secured to the top of electricity pylons 24 in order to prevent birds (not shown) to nest at these locations. Nesting of certain types of birds, such as vultures or other large birds, on electricity pylons, is undesirable due to the possibility of electrocution of the birds and possible consequential damage of electrical equipment. It will be appreciated that, due to the wide wingspan of large birds, the spike members 16 prevent birds from landing proximate or between the spike members 16. Typically, the devices 10 are secured above an arm of a pylon from which an electrical cable is suspended.

Minor developments and improvements to the invention as shown in

the drawings, include walls 26, shown by dotted lines in Figures 1 and 5, closing off the ends of the cavities 28 above the socket formations 14. These walls 26 provide a strengthening or reinforcing function. Furthermore, as is apparent from Figure 2, the base member 12 is of hollow moulded construction, opening downwardly, having a peripheral wall 31 and being provided with various reinforcing ribs 30. Moulding has been improved by rounding off the intersections which these ribs 30 make with the peripheral wall 31 and with upper panels 32,34 of the base member 12. Finally, a small annular step or land (not shown), with a strengthening function, is provided at 36 where the narrower outer portion 38 of each spigot formation 18 merges into the broader inner portion 40 thereof.

An advantage of the invention is that the spike members 16 are replaceable, for example if they are damaged, or, for example, if their length is to be changed, e. g. by providing spike members 16 of different lengths, to provide an array of spike members 16 on a base member 12 or series of interconnected base members 12, in which the spike members 16 have various different lengths.

A further important advantage of the invention is the articulated nature of the connections between base members 12 which are connected in series by means of the spigot formations 18 and socket formations 20. Pivoting is possible between each spigot formation 18 and its associated socket formation 20 about the associated axis 21. This allows a series of base members 12 interconnected together in series, to be pivoted relative to one another so that the interconnected series is non-straight in nature, and can assume various roughly curved or angularly 135 bent shapes. This allows the series to be laid on top of the cross-arms 42 of a pylon 24 of the type shown in Figure 7, not only in the fashion shown in Figure 7 with the axes 21 of the spigot/socket connections 18/20 vertical, but with the axes 21 horizontal.

140 The ability of the interconnected series of base members 12 to articulate so as broadly to follow a curve, can be enhanced by shortening the lengths of the base members 12 so that, with the axes 21 horizontal, a series of base members 12 can more closely follow the upper profile of the cross-arms 42 of the pylon 24. In this case, spike members 16 can project horizontally outwardly 145 from those in socket formations 14 which have axes parallel to the axes 21, further spike members 16.1 projecting upwardly from those socket formations 14 which are normal to the axes 21 and pass through the peripheral wall 30 of the base members 12.

150 If spike formations are required to project horizontally in both directions from the base members 12, socket formations 14, parallel to the axes 21, can be provided which are open at both ends thereof, or two parallel series of interconnected base members 12 can be provided on the cross-arms 42 of a pylon 24, each of which has its axes 21 horizontal, the spike members 16 of the one s series projecting horizontally outwardly in the opposite direction from the spike members 16 of the other series, one of the series being provided with spike members 16 projecting upwardly, the two series extending side-by-side in bottom- to-bottom abutment or closely spaced from each other.

160 In other embodiments of the invention, the strap formations 22 may be replaced by a nylon cable tie 46 (shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 only, being broken for ease of illustration), the tie 46 being rivetted into a shallow transverse channel provided in the upper surface 34 of the base member 12 and extending transversely thereto. The cable tie 46 has a buckle 48 at its one end, which buckle 165 48 has a pawl (not shown) for engaging any one of a series of serrations 50 on the other end of the tie 46 pawl-and-ratchet-fashion, to fasten the base member 12 to the cross-arm 42 of the pylon 24 or the like. Instead, the cable tie 46 may have a buckle which reusably and releasably fastens one end of the cable tie 46 to the other. It will be appreciated that instead of being a separate nylon element, the 170 cable tie 46 may be integrally moulded with the base member 12, in such case being of high density polyethylene. A further possibility is magnets (not shown) adhesively secured in the hollow interior of the base member 12 between the ribs 30 and the wall 31.

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