Bird control methods

[a64pilot]

In my case I think the birds are either doing fly-by's and dropping their loads, or maybe landing on the spreader and doing the deed. These I think are land birds not seagulls and drop some kind of seed on the deck as well as poop, you hear it while sitting in the boat, sounds like BB's hitting the deck. Thank God they aren't Pellicans.
As far as cleaning up the mess, about the best I've found is Soft Scrub, not to try to derail the thread, but is there anything better?


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[Reefmagnet]

Hmm, perching birds. Had a small problem once whilst sailing along...



But this was more the usual problem...

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I tied a few garbage bags to the flag halyrads and hoisted them

They didnt like something flapping larger than themselves

Plastic bags exposed like that are an environmental hazard and in some places are unlawful. And so it should be.

[scuba0_1]

Right... but wonder I'f a wind sock sent all the way up works. Maybe a shiny one. I like the idea of a hanging a dead bird though. Hum maybe a rubber chicken.

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[CaptTom]

I've heard the dead bird trick but never tried it.

Birds are afraid of anything new. That's why you get so many rave reviews from people who just bought plastic owls, rubber snakes, whirligigs, shiny CDs, and all the rest.

Birds get used to all of them after a few days or a week. I've seen birds sitting next to or on top of every one of those things.

Monofiliment or other lines strung to interfere with their takeoff and landing will generally deter them. No bird wants to get their feet or wings tangled when they need to make a quick getaway.

As I said, I'm not sure about laying out a dead bird as a warning to the rest, but I know it would give ME some satisfaction.

[JPA Cate]

Those self-tacking T-bars work well to discourage shags, and silver gulls, at least in Qld.

Monofil, fastened about 4 or 5 inches above your spreaders will keep most large marine s*******s off. Only banging on your rigging will make an eagle go away. Works for crows and magpies, too.

A feather duster, has to be real feathers, though, hoisted to the bottom spreaders works for one of our acquaintances, but we've never done it. Maybe the birds understand feathers as dead birds? I don't know. Interesting about the dead bird method. Does the species of the dead bird have to match the species of the ones you want to deter?

Kookaburras try to steal the rubber snakes, and you have to tie the snakes to something on deck, but the snakes discourage the sulfur-crested cockatoos.

Ann

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Those self-tacking T-bars work well to discourage shags, and silver gulls, at least in Qld.

Monofil, fastened about 4 or 5 inches above your spreaders will keep most large marine s*******s off. Only banging on your rigging will make an eagle go away. Works for crows and magpies, too.

A feather duster, has to be real feathers, though, hoisted to the bottom spreaders works for one of our acquaintances, but we've never done it. Maybe the birds understand feathers as dead birds? I don't know. Interesting about the dead bird method. Does the species of the dead bird have to match the species of the ones you want to deter?

Kookaburras try to steal the rubber snakes, and you have to tie the snakes to something on deck, but the snakes discourage the sulfur-crested cockatoos.

Ann

I had problems with Sea Gulls and Starlings. It was the Starlings climbing into my boom bag making nests. Initially I just put some clothes pegs on the ends, but I think that was the same weekend I tried the thing with a dead bird.

Interesting enough, when I went for three days to Port Sorell last week, after we anchored we took the Tender to the beach and looked back and hundreds of starlings were perched all over my railings and spreaders. My wife thought it was hilarious because I was yelling at them from the beach to 'get off my girl'.

But returning to the mooring, and nothing over the weekend. I havn't been down this week so far, but I'd bet on it still working. Despite no dead bird since April last year. I'm really curious to see how long I get away with it now without sourcing another bird.

And the dead bird is not 'fresh' either, so there is no smell. I put it up on the pushpit on the back of my solar panel. I'm not sure I'd do that again as I have two new solar panels and both are working brilliantly. But I'll find somewhere to tie it on.

[Seymore]

This is my experience. Dead birds work beautifully. One dead bird will keep the whole marina clear. As it 'evaporates' it will still work. Here there has been just a dried out wing left hanging, and they still would not come near it. They know what that is, but they don't know how it got there.

It can be put anywhere. Here, I had one tucked under the dodger for two days while I found a place for it, and it worked there--but the feral cats then got that one. A good place is in the rigging, absolute best is a neighbour's rigging, (If he comes down to his boat, be prepared for a squawk, he'll think the Mafia has fingered him). (Don't ask).
.
Nothing else works. The stuffed owls and snakes don't work because they're inanimate. Birds and animals respond to body language.

I think that a supermarket chicken will work. One of these days I'll get a rock cornish game bird, thaw it, and hang it up to dry out to see if it does. It has to be hung as high as I can reach, because I did this once before and hung it on the electrical pedestal on the deck one morning to drip dry; come back in the afternoon and there was only a drumstick left. The otters got it.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

I've heard the dead bird trick but never tried it.

Birds are afraid of anything new. That's why you get so many rave reviews from people who just bought plastic owls, rubber snakes, whirligigs, shiny CDs, and all the rest.

Birds get used to all of them after a few days or a week. I've seen birds sitting next to or on top of every one of those things.

Monofiliment or other lines strung to interfere with their takeoff and landing will generally deter them. No bird wants to get their feet or wings tangled when they need to make a quick getaway.

As I said, I'm not sure about laying out a dead bird as a warning to the rest, but I know it would give ME some satisfaction.

The dead bird thing works all right. I did it with cormorants.

[Jesse]

How and where does one obtain a dead bird? And does the process differ with the type? Where do you keep it when sailing? How long would said bird last?

[Steadman Uhlich]

Bird Guano is a problem that stinks!

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Bird Guano is a problem that stinks!

Yep, it can sink unattended boats.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Jesse

How and where does one obtain a dead bird? And does the process differ with the type? Where do you keep it when sailing? How long would said bird last?

I picked mine off a derelict boat that had netting on it.

But I've noticed there are dead ones at our local municipal tip (rubbish dump). Another sailor recommended putting out a rat trap. But I've not needed to do that. I've only ever had to use one dead bird so far.

How long did it last for? My suspicion is probably years. It doesn't rot away on a boat because there are no ants or other animals to devour it. Nor does it smell after a few weeks. For me, the type doesn't seem to matter. But your American birds might be different.

[savoir]

I shot a cormorant and hung it from a halyard. It started to fall apart after 2 weeks but that was long enough to keep my boat clean for the rest of the summer. Cormorants are territorial and all the locals got the message.

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by Jesse

How and where does one obtain a dead bird? And does the process differ with the type? Where do you keep it when sailing? How long would said bird last?

If a dead chicken would work, shouldn't be too difficult to obtain.