A number of years ago we got a new Chancellor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Just about the first thing he did was to call me and ask for one of those "Scary Owls" to be bolted to his office suite deck railing to scare away the billion seagulls that live there. I explained they don't work, but he was adamant, so I sent on of my guys over to install one.
Two days later I get a call from him...."Get this damn Owl off my railing, the gulls are trying to have sex with it in front of my visitors!"