Effective way to keep birds away?

[cynthia-m]

About a month ago we began tying up our 36' mono-hull in a slip in Clearwater, FL. About 2X a week we get over there and I wind up spending the first half-hour or more cleaning off all the bird poop--annoying and pretty gross.

In the past when we had that problem we'd tried the string of plastic colored flags from mast to stern, but that didn't do much of anything to help. Just recently tried one of those sonar gizmos, but so far that doesn't seem to be working either.

Stringing fishing line in a crisscross pattern above outdoor patio areas works well, but can't imagine setting something like that up on a sailboat.

Has anyone come up with a technique that works?

[rwidman]

The birds usually win this battle because there are more of them and they can devote more time to the battle than you can.


I've seen birds sitting on top of the plastic owls and hopping over the plastic snakes. I've seen them hop over the spike strips as well.


There are some things that move or rotate in the wind. They only work when the wind is blowing and it's pretty hard to cover an entire boat with them.


I saw a suggestion once to tie a dead bird to a pole and install it on the boat. I don't know if that works and it's pretty hard to find a steady supply of dead birds. Apparently dressed chickens from the grocery store don't work.


I've also seen a lawn impulse sprinkler operated by a motion detector. I'm not sure if that would work with birds but you would have to make sure it didn't activate when people walk down your dock.

[zeehag]

tarps help. covers help. cat does wonders as does living on board. birdees love empty boats. no one chases em away. they donot care about the flashing stuff you cause seizures in neighbors by using. they will poop on your boat anyway.

[thomm225]

The herons like to stand on my stern rail and crap (in the form of squirts) on my solar panel which is lying on the aft lazarette locker.

I started tying an old CD off the stern railing which the wind would blow a bit keeping the herons away

[michaelratinter]

There is a device used in orchards that detonates a small amount of diesel fuel or propane at random intervals. Neighbors won't like it but it works.

We use mylar tape tied to binder clips that are clipped to sheets.

[cynthia-m]

Yep, I've seen the birds perched on the fake owls on other boats, pretty funny (unless it's your boat of course!)

Another sailor in our marina lives aboard and uses a pellet gun; couldn't bring myself to do harm the poor birds though.

Will be making a cover to attach from bimini to stern to at least keep 'em out of the cockpit.

Our Doc Master mentioned stinging up cd's too, maybe we'll try that next for the upper deck area.

Thanks for all the input!

[cynthia-m]

Rick, so the mylar tape is working for you?

[rwidman]

The pellet gun doesn't work because there's always another bird to take its place.

[boatman61]

Blank CD's strung on a line so they spin in the breeze is fairly successful.. the flashing reflecting of light disconcerts them enough to keep them unsettled.. so they move next door.
Some seagulls have a sense of humour in Spain/Portugal.. they'll wait till you've finished washing the decks then they'll play Stuka..

[goat]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Blank CD's strung on a line so they spin in the breeze is fairly successful.. the flashing reflecting of light disconcerts them enough to keep them unsettled.. so they move next door.
Some seagulls have a sense of humour in Spain/Portugal.. they'll wait till you've finished washing the decks then they'll play Stuka..

I wouldn't use blank CDs for that purpose. If you can find a few CDs by Justin Bieber or Kanye West, you can be doing a public service whilst keeping bird at bay.

goat

[wunderluster]

Not much works. Like Boatman said, they love a clean boat! One of the best ideas I have seen for a sailboat is to attach plastic cable ties to the spreaders so that the pointed end is sticking up. That will keep them from landing on one of their favorite spots. But installation is a chore.

[John_Trusty]

Like Rick, I found the mylar scare tape clipped to headsail sheets using office binder clips worked for the small birds on the lifelines. A search on Amazon for "bird scare tape" brings up a dozen similar products. The stuff is brittle so does not last more than a couple months in the wind. I do not think there is anything that can be done for masthead birds, short of a shotgun, which may have detrimental effects on your masthead equipment. Birds figure out quickly that the fake owls and snakes are just fake, just like you do.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by cynthia-m

Rick, so the mylar tape is working for you?

Mylar tape worked for me. Sort of. You have to put it everywhere, not just a couple of pieces and it's noisy enough to keep you awake at night if it's even a bit windy. It doesn't last long in the wind, maybe a few weeks.

[IdoraKeeper]

They seem to be vulnerable to certain smells. I use roof cleaner to keep the green stuff from growing... No smell at all to me but all I get now is the occasional crow dropping a muscle to break it. Yelling and waving your arms works on birds and neighbours.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by goat

I wouldn't use blank CDs for that purpose. If you can find a few CDs by Justin Bieber or Kanye West, you can be doing a public service whilst keeping bird at bay.

goat