Scary Man

Meet our good friend Scary Man!

You might be wondering what on earth a giant inflatable scarecrow is doing in a nature reserve. Scary Man is a large windsock man (like the ones found in front of car dealerships) who is meant to dissuade predators. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service paid for Scary Man, and he was installed in early May in order to help protect the coromorant colony from birds of prey. Right now it is programmed on a 20 minute timer: every 20 minutes it will inflate 5 or so times quickly in a row, then deflate for the next 20 minutes.

Pictured with Scary Man are Jenny (Seal supervisor), Julia, and Jenni (interns), who have been doing “Scary Stints” to see if the Man has been doing his job!