Bird Deterrent

[Hydraulicjump]

For whatever reason, Alfred Hitchcock is directing a film on our tug and it is covered in bird poo. What is so unusual, is that we have no had a problem up until now (on the waterfront in San Francisco). It was always someone else's boat.

But they have discovered us. Our new friends include: a black-crowned night heron and a great blue heron--both like fishing off the swim platform and perching on the command bridge or solar panel (with deposits). To date, I have seen a herring gull, a western gull, and a California gull on the boat. But the local--and non-native--mess-maker, the starling, has cut me some slack. They seem to like the rigging of sail boats.

There are a bunch of bird deterrents on the market and I am wondering what my fellow tugnuts are finding success with. Thanks.

Jeff

 

[Boris the Tug]

I feel your pain. I live just East of you on the water in Discovery Bay. Bought my boat in May this year and it stayed mostly clean (uncovered). Then July and August came and so did the birds, those damn birds! I don't know what kind, just small little buggers. They loved my railings as they spied and spewed their dinner all over my beloved tug. I kept cleaning and they kept crapping. It got so bad the smell made me gag...and I just wanted to cry.

My brother came up for Labor Day and saw the problem so he made me some deterrents. He put together railing clips attached to alligator clips and then attached Bye Bye Birdie tape to the clips. He's a real problem solver! I'm sure you can buy the same thing pre-made but I thought it was pretty cool the way he built them. I have about 20 of them hanging on my boat now but I haven't seen many birds in the neighborhood lately. Either that or the deterrent is doing an excellent job!

I've talked to a lot of my neighbors and tape seems to work well. Bird B Gone has a BUNCH of different products but no one I know swears by any of them. Just the other day one of my neighbors showed me his latest purchase. They are clips that attach to the railing and then a thin wire that sits on top of the clip (hovering above the rail) so the birds can't perch on the rail. Anxious to see how that works.

 

[andrewzp]

A plastic owl and short black lines (~2 feet), both moved periodically, also help.


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[timdelta]

don't have the boat yet, but cheap rubber toy snakes do a great job of keeping away from some of our windows.

 

[JamesTXSD]

Regarding the plastic owl: years ago, I tried one of those on a sailboat. Next morning when I looked out at it, there was a grackle sitting ON the owl. 😉

 

[Lummisailor]

We were having bird droppings on our solar panel but after getting the deterrent from west marine, the name escapes me but it is a bundle of fine stainless wires arranged on a spool the rotates in a light breeze it stopped the droppings altogether. I mounted it on the rack that holds the solar panel and although it covers the panel it does not reduce the panels output.

 

[Lummisailor]

In the same vane as the bird dropping problem we also have river otters who use our swim step to eat there catch leaving guts and fish heads on the step. Although this is not a great problem, I would like to know were they get these fish, mostly sole and sanddabs so I could catch some for my self. Throw them in a frying pan with a little butter , yummy. Life on the water isn't it great. Pura Vida Larry

 

[Hydraulicjump]

Thanks all. I have ordered a few things and will report back on the experiment. I am even trying the bird ballon (looks like a nasty eye) which, given the almost constant winds, should be annoying to my feathered friends.

As for otters on the swim step, try 300+ lbs of blubber wrapped in a California sea lion suit. I am in the marina where tourists flock to see these smelly beasts. I occasionally battle with them when they haul out on the dock next to the boat, get in a fight with their buddies at 2:00 am, and then leave a nice surprise when I chase them off. Because they are protected, all I can do is yell at them. But the night when one of them got on the swim step was epic. Epic, I say.

Will report.

Jeff