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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Bird preventers

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3467 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/26/2006 : 17:06:57

After my last inquiry regarding fenders...almost afraid to ask what if anything is done for bird problems.

In my marina, some small birds and sometimes a duck or two, seem to rest on my bow area down to about the mast area. The mess left is not hideous but after a week or two, there is a collection that needs to be dealt with or else the droppings stain the deck/gel coat area. I will wash the boat off and sponge/scrub those area after a week or so depending on what's doing on the deck.

I have seen advertised plastic owls, ribbons or wires that spread out from a center base to keep the bird population away from boats. Some in my marina use the owls. I would be interested in what is easiest to set up and remove for daily sailing and of course....that works.

Anyone have experience with any of these bird preventers.

By the way...when I replaced my broken Windex with a new one which happened to have a spike up the center (bird preventer), then a bird sat down on one side of the indicator. I guess the spike is to prevent "Big" birds from landing on the Windex.

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

Edited by - on

djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2006 : 18:27:16

I Larry, I hang AOL CDs and the blow and sparkle and keeps the birds away from the boat. Cheers.

Edited by - on

Bubba
Admiral

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USA
542 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2006 : 18:54:53

Dennis is right. It's the only thing those CDs are good for - and they're everywhere!

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3467 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2006 : 19:19:28

I can handle that ! CDs - got them and easy to string. That wire thing I mentioned is called a Bird Spider.

CDs sounds okay but expect that will take away style points...but I have the CDs right here ! Commercial CDs probably would take away more style points than some blank no-name CDs. I'll consider this - Thanks !

Thanks !

Edited by - on

Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2006 : 19:37:16

Just don't forget to cash in those CDs when they mature.

I've been fortunate this year that the birds have been roosting on the rigging of the taller masts in our marina. Last year, mine was the favorite for some reason.

Steve

Edited by - on

djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2006 : 21:53:16

You might loss style points for hanging CDs, but you gain them back by finding a use for the AOL CDs everyone gets in the main five times a year. It's just good recycling. Cheers.

Edited by - on

PamC
Navigator

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171 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2006 : 22:00:01

We got off lucky this year too. So far

But we were the party boat for the swallows last year. So we went to the local Wild Birds Unlimited store and bought a kite shaped like an osprey. We attached the kite to a piece of fishing line & swivel clip to our flag halyard when we left the boat and tied it off to a stanchion so it would fly around above the cabin. Some weeks it got tangled up in the shrouds, but for the most part it kept the birds off. A neighbor in the mooring field tried a Canadian goose kite, but it didn't seem as effective. We speculated it was because it's not a bird of prey

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southern cross
Navigator

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USA
123 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2006 : 22:05:20

I do not have any problems with birds but I do know a guy that did. He bought two rubber snakes, they looked very realistic (scared most people when they first walked up) he placed one on the deck by the mast and the other in the cockpit and never had a bird land on his boat again.

Zach

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3467 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2006 : 05:53:50

Snakes - I can't go that route because my wife cringes even if she sees one on tv. Also, I read somewhere on the web, a guy that used a snake but sometimes when he would stsay on an overnighter, he would forget he had a plastic snake on the deck and when he first saw it in the morning it would scare the willies out of him.

You know...there is always someone with a worse condition. Mine is a pain somewhat, so the CDs, etc sounds like an easy way to minimize the the squatters and droppings. But I have to laugh everytime i walk the main dock because of all the motorboats with those platforms off the transon, there is one boat in particulr that apparently the ducks like his platform. That platform always looks like a bunch of pigs have been rolling in the mud. It is completely covered with ....well...let's say much worse than droppings - it is literally caked on. tha boat has been that way all the time. The guy must clean it off ocassionally but the ducks must love his platform.

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djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2006 : 06:16:13

Hi Larry, yep I see the same thing with all the power boats at my marina as well. I don't know where I saw the pics, but somewhere in CA. boats with that platforum where being sunk at their slips by sealoins. Now that is something a CD would not help. Cheers.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2006 : 06:22:24

Plastic eagle on the piling. dental floss strung below the dock for the swallows and a big hose to clean up with when that doesn't work.....

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frankr
Captain

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256 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2006 : 07:00:33

Throw a couple of dead fish every week or two into boats about 4 slips to each side of your slip and the birds will leave your boat alone :)

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djn
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1561 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2006 : 08:00:26

Good one Frankr.

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2006 : 11:15:46

Larry,

Also, a quick search of the archive turned up this thread "[url="http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12151"]Birds! Birds! Birds![/url]."

-- Leon Sisson

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3467 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2006 : 11:45:52

Leon,

Thanks for the archive posting. right now, think i will try the CDs and...maybe stop at the fish store.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3467 Posts

Response Posted - 07/30/2006 : 20:12:36

Today I tied up some lines with 6 CDs on each side from the bow to the stanchion sround the first window. I cleaned up the deck area beforehand and polished out the stains from the past week. Now...it's waiting game to see if there is improvement.

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3467 Posts

Response Posted - 07/30/2006 : 20:16:42

Today, I strung 6 CDs on a line on each side from the bow to the stanchion near the first cabin window. Beforehand, I polished out the stains from the previous week or so. Now it's a waiting game to see if there is some improvement.

Edited by - on

Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 07/30/2006 : 20:54:23

We have had a kick-butt sized osprey take up residence on the upper spreaders of a Hunter 42 in our marina for the past couple of weeks and it has chased all the smaller poop-machines away.

The osprey is an awesome looking bird. He sits up there eating the fish he catches in the river.

So our boats are all crap-free....the Hunter, however, is a mess but hey, it's only a Hunter.

Steve

Edited by - Lightnup on 07/30/2006 20:57:49

saribella
Captain

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USA
286 Posts

Response Posted - 07/30/2006 : 21:35:45

Not that I am a huge fan of cleaning up bird poo, but to my knowledge the bird population helps deplete the spider population.........................I guess it is a toss-up. Personally, I could deal with the spiders, but not if I ever were to have my wife out on the boat............THEN AGAIN!!!

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3467 Posts

Response Posted - 07/30/2006 : 21:55:26

We have at least 2 Hunter 24s at the dock across from me. We have one or two real big ..something type birds that looks sort of like a stork but they seem to find other places like the grass ledge just inside the dock gate to occassionally roost.

We have everything at our marina ...including birds and spiders. The spiders spin there webs all over the stern rail area. Even if I was just sailing the day before, new webs are back the next day. The birds and spiders must have signed a peace agreement. They are both ganging up on the boats.

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 07/30/2006 : 21:55:54

I've mentioned this before but I've had a couple of gecko stowaways onboard for a while (could be a whole family of 'em for all I know) and the spiders have disappeared entirely. Of course, they keep hitting me up to buy car insurance but what the heck.

Steve

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3467 Posts

Response Posted - 07/31/2006 : 05:33:45

Gecko Alert ! I may be tempted to get some for starters but...then how do you get rid of the geckos ?

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 07/31/2006 : 07:42:35

Well, since the geckos stay out of sight (unlike the spiders) and my wife's not afraid of them (unlike the spiders), I don't mind if they stay on board (unlike the spiders). They're quite small and, since they are afraid of humans, I almost never see them.

Steve

Edited by - on

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 07/31/2006 : 10:21:00

I'm on a mooring ball 100 yards from shore. I remove spider webs every time I sail. They love my OB.
I've heard that wherever your are, you're never more than arm's length from a spider.

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