Bird Deterrent

R

rarambarri

Recruit
Joined
Jun 16, 2009
Messages
5
Hello everyone,
I am looking for advice as to what works best as deterrant for seaguls. After having my boat on the same spot, at the same marina, for a long time, I recently found my boat full of droppings. I put some supermarket plastic bags on the railings so that the wind moves them around. I?ve seen owls, and other repellents but don?t know what the best method is. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks
 
Robbabob

Robbabob

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Messages
678
Re: Bird Deterrent

Here in the South, we like to use shot guns.

Seriously, a friend of mine down at Shoreline always swore by using netting to keep the Seagulls from perching around on his motor-sail-boat. Impossible to keep them off everything, but it did cut down the mess.

Good luck! :cool:
 
R

rbh

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
7,939
Re: Bird Deterrent

Have you got a long VHF whip antenna, tie off some string to each end of the boat and hang some flashy things that move to it.
 
Texasmark

Texasmark

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
14,559
Re: Bird Deterrent

Shotguns is my answer too. Ha! Not really, pretty much everything is federally protected nowadays so shotguns will just get you fines and jail time.....wish it weren't so. The problem with deterrents is that the birds shy away from them at first, but once they realize that there is no physical harm, they ignore them.

I'm speaking from several years of experience because I have private water on my private property, with privately purchased and raised fish, and the federally protected birds are cleaning me out..course the tree huggers and politicians don't give a rats arse.

So if you come up with a legal answer, I would appreciate hearing about it.

Regards,

Mark
 
Texasmark

Texasmark

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Dec 20, 2005
Messages
14,559
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Sikiguya

Sikiguya

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
May 1, 2009
Messages
143
Re: Bird Deterrent

I am with Robbabob...except I would suggest an airgun to keep the PETA people happy.

This remind me of something I wanted to share. When I was visiting my hometown of Springfield, IL, my sister told me that they had hired a 'bird whisperer' to get rid of the pigeons that was plaguing downtown. It was because he would do it ethically...until they caught him with a bb gun!! :D:eek::D
 
H

HappierWet

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 11, 2008
Messages
839
Re: Bird Deterrent

I've heard various rumors about rice and or alka-seltzer. but I don't know if they actually work......or if they're legal...?????:D
 
tashasdaddy

tashasdaddy

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
51,019
Re: Bird Deterrent

you are not trying to kill them, just get them to move. it is illegal to shoot sea gulls in Florida.
 
J

jeeperman

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
1,513
Re: Bird Deterrent

Friend of mine has a sailboat. He used a split and hinged SS ring big enough to go around the mast. To that ring he tied lengths of 1/4" dia. blue rope, hoisted it up the mast and tied the other ends to the perimeter railing.
He has like 50 lines going from mast to railing, kinda looks like a Christmas tree without lights or cone shape.
He still gets the fly over droppings but no landings as they go to the other guys boat instead.
 
W

wtxpatrick

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Oct 3, 2009
Messages
37
Re: Bird Deterrent

I had a similar problem involving a brand new car. Seems a family of dove had a nest over my driveway, pooping on my car. I called our local State Game Warden and told him about my problem. He told me that with the doves causing potential damage, That then qualified the doves as a nuisance pest. I got the Benjamin out and one hour later, those doves were in my freezer. This was in Texas, and different states have different laws so you may not be so lucky.
Good luck with your problem.

Patrick
 
R

rbh

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
7,939
Re: Bird Deterrent

wtxpatrick said:
I had a similar problem involving a brand new car. Seems a family of dove had a nest over my driveway, pooping on my car. I called our local State Game Warden and told him about my problem. He told me that with the doves causing potential damage, That then qualified the doves as a nuisance pest. I got the Benjamin out and one hour later, those doves were in my freezer. This was in Texas, and different states have different laws so you may not be so lucky.
Good luck with your problem.

Patrick
Click to expand...

What the heck does dove taste like????
 
R

robert graham

Admiral
Joined
Apr 16, 2009
Messages
6,908
Re: Bird Deterrent

I've seen people string monofilament fishing line around their boats/docks/swimming pools and the birds seem to really hate the stuff because they can't see it very well and they fly into it, but with no real damage to the bird. Might want to give that a try, probably have to mount a few poles or something to get the line up several feet off the ground. Good Luck!
 
W

wtxpatrick

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Oct 3, 2009
Messages
37
Re: Bird Deterrent

wtxpatrick said:
Tastes like dove. A lot better than quail.
Click to expand...


Pardon me, didnt mean to be a smart @SS.
Doves are a protected species with a closed season at that time, usually open Sept 1 of every year. Delicious I might add. Taking them out of season with a pellet gun would normally result in fines in the hundreds of dollars range. I just had to stop them any way I could.
 
jaxnjil

jaxnjil

Lieutenant
Joined
Aug 3, 2007
Messages
1,368
Re: Bird Deterrent

robert graham said:
I've seen people string monofilament fishing line around their boats/docks/swimming pools and the birds seem to really hate the stuff because they can't see it very well and they fly into it, but with no real damage to the bird. Might want to give that a try, probably have to mount a few poles or something to get the line up several feet off the ground. Good Luck!
Click to expand...

this work well at the marina i'm slipped at now. it is mostly covered slips, so easy to spider web mono-filament over boats.
 
slasmith1

slasmith1

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
Messages
1,028
Re: Bird Deterrent

I have been boating for my entire life and the only method to keep bird droppings off a boat is a deck brush and soap.
 
LadyFish

LadyFish

Admiral
Joined
Mar 18, 2003
Messages
6,894
Re: Bird Deterrent

Our neighbors who also live on the water with a slip under their house use these plastic twirly things. They are colored with a pearl finish and are constantly moving. It seems to help with everything but the Gackles.
 
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