Charleston attorney Rob Turkewitz holds a WhirlyBird bird repeller like those he's installed all over the Lowcountry and sold worldwide. Powered by wind, the device generates ever-changing sounds and reflected light patterns that discourage unwanted birds from loitering on docks, decks, patios and cell towers; ravaging crops; and inadvertently flying into windows.

OK. Assuming all birds now have turned the page, it can be told: The WhirlyBird is NOT a peregrine falcon.

But birds that don’t know better apparently mistake a WhirlyBird’s wobbly twirling, reflected light patterns and oscillating, clacking sound patterns for the predatory falcon, according to the device’s co-inventor, Charleston attorney Rob Turkewitz.

Turkewitz, 50, of James Island and friend Bud Doty of Edisto Island, created their first “simple, safe and effective repellers of nuisance birds” about two years ago by cutting up plastic juice bottles. They experimented with a number of prototypes mounted atop poles, settled on a design and patented it. Turkewitz has since bought out his partner and has sold 2,000 WhirlyBirds locally and worldwide.

Now manufactured in Mount Pleasant and consisting mostly of clear, UV-resistant custom-made plastic bearing multiple images of falcon eyes, the WhirlyBird sells for about $50. Turkewitz said his wife, Deborah, includes a small bag of candy in Whirlybird shipments “because customer service is really important.”

WhirlyBirds are popping up all over the Lowcountry, on Coast Guard docks and private piers, and in vineyards and other crop fields. The device requires only the wind and sunlight to persuade birds to take their droppings and their appetites elsewhere, Turkewitz said.

“It’s very simple. The slightest breeze gets it going,” he added.

He said he tested the device’s durability by driving his car 75 mph with a WhirlyBird held out a window.

Turkewitz said the WhirlyBird came about from his and Doty’s efforts to repel unwanted birds from their docks. Fake owls and scarecrows and devices that emit sounds all eventually fail to work because “birds become accustomed to them,” he said.

The WhirlyBird wobbles somewhat as it spins, discharging ever-changing patterns of sound and reflected light. “It’s almost like a kaleidoscope,” he explained.

Some 50-60 WhirlyBirds are used to protect the 11 acres of grapes cultivated at Irvin-House Vineyards on Bears Bluff Road on Wadmalaw Island, according to vineyard manager Jay MacMurphy.

WhirlyBirds, he said, keep away crows and other birds and even raccoons that would feast on the grape crop. “We put them up every 40 feet, in a grid pattern,” MacMurphy said of the WhirlyBirds.

He said WhirlyBirds are mostly held out of the vineyards until mid-August, when the grapes begin to ripen, because the vineyard benefits in spring and most of the summer from bluebirds. The business provides homes for bluebirds, which eat lots of insects that can damage the crop, he explained.

MacMurphy called the WhirlyBird “ingenious,” especially considering it “started from a Gatorade bottle.”

“They are very effective, or we wouldn’t spend the time putting them up if they weren’t,” he added.

MacMurphy said he uses WhirlyBirds at home, where he has ponds, and the devices “keep the egrets from eating the fish.”

Arthur Jenkins, senior pastor at St. James Episcopal Church on Camp Road on James Island, said a WhirlyBird has been the answer to the church’s ministry center’s prayers. For almost five years, he said, crows and other birds had been regularly flying into a large panel of glass panes near the top of the center.

“It had been very distracting, especially during prayer or singing,” Jenkins said.

Since a WhirlyBird was installed recently outside the glass, few birds find their way to it, he said.

And birds aren’t the only creatures that should be concerned.

“I’ve got something in the hopper for squirrels and deer,” Turkewitz said.

For information, visit whirly birdrepeller.com or call 762-3154.

Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy
P.O. Box 21833
Charleston , SC 29413

You can follow First Light’s fundraising and race progress on Twitter at: twitter.com/SailingForCCC

Well Rob. It’s been several months now since I ordered my WBR and it has been nothing short of fantastic! My only regret is that I do not have before and after pictures to provide you. I bought the WBR to get rid of Robins that were making a HUGE mess on our two cars. They would land on the passenger side front windows and try to attack the side view mirrors and windows. Upon doing so, they would mess all down the side of the doors. My wife and I would take our cars in at least once a week to get them washed and at $6 to $12 per wash, per car, that started to add up very quickly. I hung the WBR in the tree next to our driveway and wham, the birds disappeared! I had previously tried hanging CD’s in the tree but it still wasn’t doing the job. I had also tried the fake snakes in the tree and on the cars but again, no good. I have told all of my neighbors about it and absolutely swear by it. What a great invention!!

By Dan McCue

Those unsightly blotches. That embarrassing mess. The inopportune gifts dropped from the heavens above.

When it comes to the presents our winged neighbors leave behind on a daily basis, we all grumble on our way to the car wash or back to the closet, but few contemplate the situation long enough to divine a solution.

Frustrated dock owners Bud Doty and Rob Turkewitz have become inventors and entrepreneurs with their WhirlyBird Repeller, a device designed to shoo birds away and keep them away.

“We both owned docks that had major problems with birds, and had both tried numerous devices to repel them, including plastic owls, snakes, and electronic devices,” Doty says. “The problem with these devices is that while they may work in the short term, in time, the birds become acclimated to these methods and eventually return in full force.”

To overcome this basic flaw, Doty and Tuekewitz knew whatever they came up with would have to employ constantly changing sounds, vibrations, and reflections to continually keep birds off guard.

What the duo came up with is a solution of almost Steve Jobsian elegance.

Molded from clear plastic in the shape of a peregrine falcon, the WhirlyBird relies on wind power — “Even the slightest breeze,” say its inventors — to make it spin, wobble and vibrate in an astounding number of ways.

What’s more, Doty says, its UV-resistant, clear plastic design allows it to throw off an ever-changing pattern of reflections.

“As a result, birds never get used to it, and they stay away,” Doty says.

Doty and Tuekewitz first tested the Whirlybird on their own docks, finding that for best results they needed one device for every 12 by 12 foot area they wanted to protect. Soon, word-of-mouth had them in their respective workshops, fashioning Whirlybirds for friends and associates.

Not too much later, the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Charleston wanted to test the WhirlyBird for its own purposes.

“The challenge birds pose for the Coast Guard is primarily related to the solar panels used to recharge the batteries on these navigational devices,” said Tuekewitz. “The bird droppings on the panels would cause outages, and that could be a real problem for boaters.”

Fourteen months later, the Coast Guard concluded the device was effective.

The portable device is also helping agricultural businesses increase their yield by reducing the amount of fruits and berries which are lost to winged predators.

The two men founded WhirlyBird Solutions to meet demand for the product, which now sells for $49.95. Doty and Tuekewitz have also secured two patents and a PCT to ensure international protections on the device.

They’ve partnered with Mulitplastics in Mt. Pleasant to manufacture and market the bird repeller worldwide. In keeping with the hometown and do-good pride of the endeavor, South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation is employed to assemble and package the device for delivery.

“Initially a lot of people told us that to make this work as a business, we’d have to manufacture the WhirlyBird overseas,” Tuekewitz said. “But we didn’t want to do that.”

Promotion of the WhirlyBird also took a local and decidedly tongue-in-cheek turn last week, when Doty and Tuekewitz hosted back-to-back, admission-free showings of the Alfred Hitchcock classic The Birds at the Terrace Theater. Savvy marketing, but it’s also a reminder to be thankful that all we’ve got to worry about is the poop.

Thank you to everyone who attended our movie night at The Terrace Theater on March 26, 2009, and a special thanks goes to everyone who made a donation to Save the Light (www.savethelight.org). We also thank the Terrace Theater for showing “The Birds” and giving away free tickets at our event. We look forward to the Terrace Theater’s Alfred Hitchcock movie festival this summer! Finally, congratulations to the lucky raffle winners who won free Whirlybird Repellers and tickets to the Terrace Theater!

All Seasons Hardware
True Value Hardware
2876 Maybank Hwy
843-559-1555

and

866 Folly Road
843-795-4101

Charleston Marine
5780 Dorchester Road
Charleston, SC 29418
843-225-2628

Charleston True Value Hardware
1028 Wappoo Road
Charleston, SC 29407
843-556-0220

and

2910 Highway 17 North
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29466
843-849-8788

Corbin’s Hitch Shop
4534 Durant Avenue
North Charleston, SC 29405
843-747-3400
800-984-8518

Hanckel Marine
2445 Savannah Hwy
Charleston, SC 29414
843-556-3032

And

142 Sportsman Island Drive
Wando, SC 29492
843-284-0550

Haddrell’s Point Tackle & Supply
885 Ben Sawyer Blvd
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
800-881-5201
www.haddrellspoint.com

Seel’s Outboard
1937 Savannah Hwy
Charleston, SC 29407
843-556-2742

Wild Birds Unlimited
624 Coleman Blvd
Moultrie Plaza
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
843-216-8800

Wonder Works
St. Andrews Shopping Center
975 Savannah Hwy
Charleston, SC 29407
843-849-9300

and

Belle Hall Shopping Center
624 Long Point Road
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
843-849-6757

Dear Rob,

Thank you for your donation and assistance installing the five (5) Whirlybird Repellers at different roof locations on the Saint James Ministry Center. As you are aware, crows were attacking our roof level windows continuously throughout the day and were especially disruptive during our Sunday Services.

When the Repellers were installed on the front two roof areas, we were initially skeptical about the effect they would have. The Whirlybirds successfully discouraged the crows in these areas, so we installed them on the rear two roofs. Again, the crows were discouraged and relocated to a side roof which they had never bothered before. Another Whirlybird was installed there, and they left that area as well.

Now the crows, having left the roofs and our upper windows, are now attacking the entry doors to the building. This, however, we can live with. The Whirlybirds really work! Thanks again.

Grace and peace,

The Rev’d Arthur M. Jenkins, Sr.
Pastor

:AMJ

To market its bird repellent device, Charleston-based WhirlyBird Solutions will sponsor an admission-free movie night on March 26, with showings of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “The Birds” at 6:15 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. and drawings for free devices. Donations will be accepted to benefit Save the Light, stewards of the Morris Island Lighthouse.

The WhirlyBird Repeller, a turbine shaped like a bird of prey, spins and wobbles in the wind and reflects light on surrounding surfaces. The device’s appearance, sound, vibration and reflections scares birds away, its marketers said.

The Coast Guard has successfully tested the device on navigational aids and it has been used for three seasons by Irvin House Vineyards on Wadmalaw Island, according to Rob Turkewitz of WhirlyBird Solutions.

Multiplastics in Mount Pleasant makes most of the parts, and South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation assembles and packages the device.

If you really want to know if a product works, talk to the man who uses it. That’s why I went straight to Johnny Ackerman, the man who was varnishing Fred Wichmann’s 42-foot boat on the Stono River. “No bird poop on the boat,” Johnny said with a smile. “I’m the one who has to keep it clean. So I tell you, it works.” Rob Turkewitz couldn’t ask for a better endorsement for his new invention, WhirlyBird Repeller, a plastic, spinning, whizzing, wobbling contraption designed to keep birds away from your dock. Turkewitz, a Charleston attorney, first envisioned the product with a friend as they fought the endless battle of bird poop on their dock along the Intracoastal Waterway. They started by cutting up a plastic soda bottle, letting the wings spin in the breeze to scare off the birds. They gradually refined the product until they came up with the WhirlyBird. Wichmann, a 79-year-old sailor on Charleston’s waterways, has had two of the gizmos on his dock for three years and says the wind-blown whatchamacallits work. “Gulls, pelicans, seabirds, they all poop on somebody else’s dock now,” Wichmann said, pointing up and down the waterway.

The Wobble
To date, Turkewitz has sold about 500 of the instruments on the Internet (whirlybirdrepeller.com) and received some glowing reports from users, including the U.S. Coast Guard, which has tested the product on its navigational aids. While birds are part of the natural environment along the coast, they can be a nuisance. People have tried everything from noise makers to fake owls and snakes to banging pots and pans to keep them away. So it’s interesting to see this plastic problem solver at work, spinning in the afternoon breeze, hardly noticeable. During the course of development, Turkewitz said he’s learned that the secret is twofold. One, the Whirlybird is designed to reflect light, which causes sporadic flashes that frighten the birds. And, he says, it’s the way the Whirlybird is mounted so that it wobbles a bit when spinning. “It’s definitely the wobble,” he said. “We don’t always know why things work, but it works.”

Sweet Spot
Produced locally, WhirlyBird is an ingeniously simple product that’s environmentally friendly and sells for about $50. It’s also been tested by Jim Irvin, owner of Irvin-House Vineyards on Wadmalaw Island. He said he tried shotguns, kites and scarecrows but still had problems with foraging birds when his muscadine grapes were ripening. “After installation of the WhirlyBirds, foraging came to an abrupt end,” he said, adding that the result was a 20 percent greater yield. After harvesting the grapes, he removed the devices and the birds returned to clean up the bad and leftover fruit. Turkewitz said there have been occasions where the product wasn’t successful, mainly due to lack of breeze or improper mounting. “You have to experiment with it a little,” he said. “There’s a sweet spot where it will work best for the environment. Also, for some reason, it doesn’t work for ducks.” Things are going so well, in fact, Turkewitz is holding a promotional event tonight at the Terrace Theatre on James Island where patrons can get free admission to see, what else, Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller, “The Birds.”

Reach Ken Burger at kburger@postandcourier.com or (843) 937-5598. To read previous columns, go to postandcourier.com/burger/.

Bird droppings are unsightly, unsanitary and can cause major damage. Now there is a simple, safe, and effective solution: The WhirlyBird Repeller! Our patented design catches the wind, causing the WhirlyBird to spin, wobble and make a whirring and clacking sound and reflect light that is annoying to birds (but not to humans) – and the motion, sounds and reflections work to change the roosting and perching habits of birds over time, making it difficult for them to become acclimated to the area.

The WhirlyBird Repeller is perfect for:

• Boats
• Docks
• Navigational Aids
• Marinas
• Vineyards
• Farms and Gardens
• Koi and Fish Ponds
• Electrical Transmission Towers
• Cell Phone Towers
• Bridges
• Lighthouses
• Parking Lots
• Outdoor Dining Areas
• Any place where bird droppings and roosting birds are a problem!

Your friends and neighbors – and even the United States Coast Guard – have all said one simple thing: the WhirlyBird Repeller WORKS! [read about it].

Features of the Whirlybird Repeller:

• Made in the USA
• Assembly and installation is easy as 1-2-3!
• Can be mounted to virtually any surface or structure
• UV resistant
• Tough enough to withstand the marine environment and high winds
• Maintenance-free with no batteries required
• Contains NO harmful chemicals and no sharp spikes or points, so it will NOT harm birds; it just scares them away

See how this amazing product works

• Spins, Wobbles and Vibrates
• Reflects Light on surrounding surfaces (like a disco ball)
• Works with a gentle breeze
• Looks like a Peregrine Falcon (a natural predator of birds)
• Constantly Changing
• Aesthetically Pleasing

DISTRIBUTOR OPPORTUNITIES

If you are interested in becoming a distributor, please contact us