Keeping birds off boats. How?

Owls

Not that we're talking about airplanes here, but it's applicable:

Model owls have been used at airports for many years, usually mounted on top of the vertical stabilizer or on top of the prop (easier to remove, don't need a ladder to get it). Birds will find any small opening to nest in, and usually they can be found inside engine cowlings, amongst the banks of air cooled cylinders.

Naval Safety Center Bird Aviation Strike Hazard website = Good

http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/aviation/operations/bash/default.htm

Techniques for getting rid of birds, and the effect:

Technique
Primary Targets
Potential Efficacy as
Part of an Integrated Program


Non-lethal
Pyrotechnics
Birds, some mammals
High

Gas cannons
Birds, especially migrants
Moderate

Report Shells
Soaring birds (e.g., gulls)
High

Lasers
Birds, especially roosting
Moderate

Falconry
Birds
High

Border Collies
Birds, some mammals
High to moderate

Live trapping
Birds, some mammals
Low to moderate

Chemical – irritants
Birds
Low

Playback of distress calls – remote system
Birds
Low to moderate

Playback – mobile
Birds
Moderate to high

Flags
Birds
Low to moderate

Dead specimen birds
Birds
Moderate

Chemical - behavioural repellents
Birds, mammals (on cables)
Moderate

Radio-controlled models
Birds
Low (can be higher)


Lethal
Lethal trapping
Small mammals
Low

Chemical – lethal control
Birds in buildings, mammals
High to moderate

Chemical – Benomyl/Tersan fungicide
Fungus in turf but kills earthworms
Moderate

Earthworm sweeping
Earthworms on hard surfaces
Moderate to high

Surfactant water sprays
Roosting birds
Moderate

Live-ammunition shooting
Birds, some mammals
High

 

http://www.birdbgone.com/shocktrack.htm

I don't know if this would be legal but if you read the specs you will see that solar power is an option. Obviously it would have to be layed out and taken up each time the boat is used but that's probably easier than cleaning.

 

Here and in Spain, some marinas use a device that makes the sound of a Hawk. It is attached to a movement detector. That noise is a pain in the *** for the marina's users.

In a moored boat they seem to make a lot more sense to me.

But I guess that the system will only work till the Seagulls get used to it.

There is one of those systems in the Leixões Marina (Leixões is also the biggest fishing Port in Portugal, lots of seagulls). It seemed to work when I have passed there two years ago; I have passed this year again and it seems that its efficiency was a lot smaller.

The system that really works in the Marinas, are nylon fishing lines over all the pontoons.
Perhaps fishing lines, pulled up to the top of the mast and connecting all around the boat would work.

Seagulls cannot see the transparent nylon and crash against it. As they cannot see why they crash, they will avoid the boat (hopefully). At least it works with the pontoons.

That’s not only noise, it hurts......perhaps that can take them to the neighbor's boat.

 

The owls here are covered in gauno from the gulls sitting on the top! They also tried manikins (life size model people) with the same result.

It needs to be something that effects a primal fear deep in the birds brain something it cant get used to.

Has anyone used ultrasonic scarers ? seems they would comply with the noise issue, might drive the local dogs mad though.

 

I have my bird feeder rigged up to an electric fencer and a switch. So when the cowbirds come in a flock, chase away the real birds and eat a gallon of feed in a short time, I have something I can "say" about it. It's great fun and the birds are quite surprised, stunned is more like it. The only problem is, on the cowbirds, about the size of a robin, their feet lock up, so they rotate upside down on the perch, flapping their wings and squaking until I turn off the juice. Talk about ruffled feathers! If the power could be regulated down, there has to be a point where they wouldn't get stuck in place and they surely wouldn't stay unless they were 'crazy as a loon'. Sam

 

Seriously mike if the clean up from the birds has got the better of you and its just intollerable, I personally would be thinking about a cat.

Seriously you could try one for a day or two. Cats do the business in a tray. If it worked you could get a full time one. If the cat was working but failed to deter the birds because the birds were too far away for the cat I would think about cutting up a sheet of 1/4 ply into 4inch strips and make like gang planks here and there so the cat could at least look threataning to the birds.

Theres nothing more that could instill deep primal fear in a bird than a cat.

 

He... He... throw bird food to other location hoping the bird would change location for their activities.

 

Why not try a helikite? http://birdcontrol.net/html/Helikites.htm

Silent and easy to deploy, we use one to keep the pigeons away from the ripening grapes in the vineyard.

Pericles

 

Haha! Oh man! I just spit coffee all over my desk!! Make a video of that, I've GOT to see it! Oh thats funny, thank you!

 

This reminds me of a guy I used to know in pest control.

He was called to get rid of pigeons that sat outside the windows on ledges of a multi storey building and of course pooing on the ledges, making a nasty unsightly mess outside all of the windows.

He was asked to get rid of them and being a pest exterminator the job was to poisen them but the dead birds had to be cleared away before work started Monday morning as there would be hell to pay if anybody saw any dead birds laying around on the ground when work started.

Friday evening Dave, the exterminator, started sprinkling poisened birdseed around the ground and the birds had a good feed.

Nice and early Saturday morning Dave went in to clean up the dead birds. Not a bird to be found.
Checked again Sunday morning still no dead birds. Well thought Dave better do it again next weekend with a stronger brew.

Monday morning all hell broke loose. The staff were confronted with a view of hundreds of dead birds laying on the ledges outside their windows.

Dave hadn't considered that the birds would have a feed then retire back to the ledges to retire for the evening and of course dropping dead.

 

Pie

My great grandfather used to get pidgeons drunk on bread & brandy, then make em into a pie - like pre marinated mmmm delicioseoso- all you need is a good recipie for shag/cormerant/seagull & you'll thin out the problem- maybe even sell em to tourists for a top buck.Or get a wrist rocket, you can buy the rubbers at an archery shop, but you gotta make your own frame cos they be on the edge of legality here, I gave mine to our boatshed proprietor & he "sorted" the problem in short time, it was bent up out of 5/16 polished staino & looked the goods - no drama for a keen metal man!All the best from Jeff.

 

Apart from Jacks Idea babout the cat I can't give anything definate, the thing is you need something cheap and non mechanical that doesn't need any maintainance so you don't have to keep checking on it! Just thinking out loud but hows about checking the boats that don't have the problem? why don't the beasties go near them? might give you a clue? me I've never had this problem - maybe it's 'cos I'm a mean obnoxious bugger and they get things thrown at 'em when I'm about, but they just don't like me (save a couple of swans some years back who found that if they knocked on the side of the boat I'd come out and feed them - hey they really got me suckered!) Colour of the deck or some such maybe?

 

Was reading a similar thread on another BBS and the gator comes highly recommended and has proven itself.

Here's a link to a site they posted there.

www.birddamage.com

Maybe that'll help.

Rick

 

Yes
I agree Mike. The boat in this case is a pretty 30 foot trad timber sloop but the decks are no longer natural teak but white and that's from the birds re-decorating.

It looks like the high frequency noise and an inflatable alligator are the best contenders. Suppose we should tell the commercial bird scaring people that the problem exists, they can then produce a "Marine version"

Cheers

 

I looked over this thread to see if any folks from Southeast Alaska chimed in. You should see the load a Bald Eagle can deposit from the spreaders.

In defence of the Southeasterners absence, most in the outports have no convienent Internet access.

TGoz