Posted by SaveH2O (My Page) on Thu, Jun 6, 13 at 14:28 pb, Lehua actually hit a couple of good points. "frequency" and "duration" are on a much longer scale than minutes and days... the Rain Bird smart controller actually waters deeply and less frequently, the "cycle & soak" feature you mention only splits the irrigation cycle into chunks to ensure that on the day the controller is supposed to water all of the water actually reaches the roots and doesn't run off. I am still trying to figure the 'cycle & soak' options out a bit. So while I have not investigated what type of soil I have (looks like sticky reddish clay from visual inspection) - the C&S setting seems pretty straight forward. Unfortunately, it seems to split the watering for each zone over several days and so many minutes. It seems counter intuitive to the age old adage of deep/infrequent to attain root growth & minimize weeds. Many professional irrigation contractors without the use of a smart controller emulate this by using multiple start times on a controller hence using the watering day more efficiently. Once the desired amount of water is applied (five times in a day for clay and maybe once for sand) the smart controller will wait until the soil has been depleted to a certain extent before applying any more water. I understand what you are trying to say & it appears to alleviate some of my watering frequency fears, I may actually have to get a soil test to properly input the necessary control parameters. So the irrigation frequency is really the time between watering days and not the time between "starts" on any given day. The great benefit of a smart controller like the Rain Bird is that it will vary both run time (on a watering day) and frequency (based on weather) additionally, the Rain Bird controller measures rain whereas other sensors simply shut off and not calculate how much of that rain was usable to your landscape.. I've noticed that my clay inputs, root depth & coverage setting for grass, shrubs, trees, or plants using the sprays & rotors have yield different watering times but not frequency. ie. times can be go up or down because of type of foliage, root depth & slope assumptions but I cant for the life of me tell how the RB accounts for frequency except that it doesn't water after rainy days. I would heavily discourage you from switching to timed option. The controller is actually watering "Deep and Infrequent" the multiple starts in the day should not be considered as part of the frequency they are just preventing you from wasting water due to run-off. Thank you very much for your insightful feedback. I am really trying make sure that I am using water only when needed to maintain a healthy & vibrant lawn. The RB is my first sprinkler controller & one that is very powerful from what I can see to help me in that purpose. But the lack of information from the RB, the irrigation installer & the landscaper that laid the sod down has gotten me a bit frustrated & I appreciate any & all feedback!

Nighthawks are twice as large as Chimney Swifts, with long, tapered wings with white patches on them, seen especially in the evening swooping around outdoor electric lights catching insects. They don't chatter like Chimeny Swifts, but give a nasal BEEEnt, similar to a Woodcock display call.

I'm glad your bird problem turned out to be seasonal but just in case you ever face this problem again (or any bird infestation problem) I thought it might be helpful to just mention a different angle on this. The problem is not that the birds are pooping (or whatever they're doing) in your pool. That is simply a symptom of your real problem: that your environment is attractive to birds. If you really want to keep birds from being destructive to your property you have to make it so that your land is a place they don't want to hang out on in the first place. There are a lot of different approaches to this but yes, stopping the food supply is one of them. Another would be the mylar balloons someone else mentioned up above. There are also specialized bird scare balloons with 'eyes' that follow the birds wherever they fly as well as holographic tape. These incorporate movement so they are usually more affective than static decoys. There are other senses to attack as well: taste/smell, touch, and hearing. Birds hate methyl anthranilate (a chemical derived from concord grapes that has long been used for grape flavoring)--it gives them a similar sensation to what we feel when we encounter bleach. This comes in commercially available sprays. Also, there are sticky gels, netting, or spike strips that keep birds from roosting on certain surfaces. Lastly, there are sound devices that utilize recordings of predators/distress calls that scare birds away. For a partially or fully enclosed area you could use an ultrasonic device as well (one that can't be heard by humans but is annoying to birds and bats). Make sure that you switch up whatever you use from time to time. If you use balloons, move the location (but always keep it near where the birds are nesting). If you're using a sound device change the interval between effects, try to randomize the effects being used. Also, using the products together in a synergistic way will create a more effective and longer-lasting reaction. I'm glad to hear that no one has mentioned killing or injuring the birds...don't do that. As mentioned before that would be reacting to the symptoms rather than truly solving the problem. Furthermore, it would be very easy to accidentally tamper with one of the MANY birds protected by the Migratory Bird Act of 1918 (and then you'd be in big trouble). Just a side note: be careful when cleaning up the bird poop. Birds can transmit over 60 diseases to humans. Some of them are fatal. Bird dropping particles can be unknowingly inhaled and lead to serious health problems. Good luck in your future bird encounters! Here is a link that might be useful: click for examples, case studies and FAQs about bird pest control

Eld, we always added water, but so far, it’s the soaking that has done the trick...🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼! Hmm, but maybe not enough to make it float. The soak makes it look unappetizing, but if she doesn’t care....! Thanks all. 😊