# Dealing with Birds at your Dock



## okeechobeebreeze (Nov 8, 2010)

Does anyone have any cost effective, proven ways to keep birds off your sailboat while docked at the marina during the week? As nice as they may think it is to leave me so many presents on my boat, I really don't enjoy having to allocate so much valuable sailing time with having to spray and scrub off the boat prior to launch.

I have seen people try all sorts of things from fake owls (which seem not to do much), to hanging CD's via fishing line, spikes, spinning reflective things and motion activated water sprinklers.

I am curious if anyone could share their experience on how they combat the birds. I plan on implementing something, and am leaning towards the sprinkler (Clamped to the bow pulpit, angled up and towards the stern, with a narrow spray pattern) as the hose seems to do well with getting the birds to stay off my boat.

Any and all feedback is appreciated!


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## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

We tried a number of things while our boat was out on a mooring buoy. What worked best for us, was tenting the boat with an old scrap of gillnet. It took an extra 15 minutes to put it up and take it down but it's what we ended up doing after exhausting several other methods. 

One time, I set a dozen small mouse traps on the boat tied to strings. I thought the sound of a trap going off and a few sore toes would scare the birds to a nieighbor's boat. When I came back, each mouse trap left a nice little rust stain on the deck. That ended that experiment.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

We're fairly lucky. we have a family of swans that live in our marina most of the season. They keep the other birds away...


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## mikehradecky (Jan 24, 2011)

The cd thing works for us. Lots of people around us use them. The others only use about 20 or so. I used 60. I made 3 strings, one on the boom and one along each side. It works!


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Why can't we shoot these rodents on sight? For goodness sake, there is an actual hunting season for squirrels, but these disease spreading, garbage eating, flying crap machines are protected. WTF.


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## chrisncate (Jan 29, 2010)

My dad swears by placing a rubber snake on deck, or even up on a spreader if you have steps.

I never tried it because I welcome the birds, poop and all. Oddly, with my "come one/come all" stance on birds and other wildlife hanging out on my boat, I rarely get pooped on.

_They know.._


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## PeterSailer (Mar 20, 2010)

The is a lot of poop on our docks but I never noticed any on the boats.
I guess we're lucky


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## HUGOSALT (Jun 15, 2004)

After a minor mess a while back, I took a bunch of old tennis balls sliced them so I could wedge a 1/8 " line
in each and spaced them about 18" apart on the line.
My daughter drew some scarry faces on the balls with 
a marker, and I hung the line very loosely from headstay
to mast and mast above boom to backstay. As we are on a mooring with some wave action there was a lot of swinging in different directions at the same time. Birds 
stayed away, I think it was my daughters artwork!
However this was not set up when a young Osprey decided to try and land on my windex! That will involve a trip up the mast come spring!


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## LookingForCruiser (Feb 7, 2007)

Oh, that's easy, buy one of these:


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## estopa (Aug 17, 2010)

My solution was to tie 2 plastic grocery bags on an unused halyard and hoist one up to the top of the mast and the other to the spreaders. Worked perfectly after implemented. While all the other devices people put on their boats (lights, owls, snakes) would be defeated after a few days. I think it was the noise the plastic makes when it fills up that stares them off.

I'll have to remember the CD idea. Maybe try that this summer.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

We saw one of those gatling guns at Bath Iron Works this past summer, getting ready to be installed. Quite impressive. The weight would slow you down a lot, though, (the shells must be about a pound each), and for birds, it would be... overkill. 
We discourage cormorants by rigging monofilament a few inches above wherever they might like to land. They trip on it and fly off. Ospreys in our harbor tend to chase them away as well


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## seacock360 (Dec 9, 2011)

This Works Great!! See Photo!!


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## seacock360 (Dec 9, 2011)

yes, it is a sprinkler...


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## Quickstep192 (Jan 6, 2001)

I fly a burgee on a pig stick just above the top of the mast. I tied a rubber snake half way up the line that retrieves the pig stick. Another rubber snake sits on top of my sail cover. The burgee kept the big birds off the top of the mast and the snakes keep most of the smaller birds away. 

I've heard that pinwheels with reflective surfaces work too, but I haven't tried them yet.


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## seacock360 (Dec 9, 2011)

none of that stuff works in south florida... the only thing, after years of hanging crap up the mast, that works is the sprinkler... Evidently, the little ****ers don't like to get wet when crapping on your deck...


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## Quickstep192 (Jan 6, 2001)

Can you post up info on where to get the sprinkler? Does it run continuously?


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

paulk said:


> ...We discourage cormorants by rigging monofilament a few inches above wherever they might like to land. They trip on it and fly off. Ospreys in our harbor tend to chase them away as well


That's what I do too, a few inches above each spreader, tied to the rigging at each side, with some smaller pieces tied to the "root" of each spreader to keep the line over the spreader instead of purely going around the front of the mast.

I also run mono back and forth around the antenna's at the top of the mast, only a few inches above the top of the mast.

I attach a few loose pieces of mono to the top(s) of the antenna(s) at the top of the mast. The strands of mono drape down, coiling a bit, but they aren't so long that they can interfere with the windex.

Also, the new windex is the kind with the spike at the top.

All the above stays in place and I don't have to think about it. Your post reminded me.

.

When we are away for longer than a couple days, I use 1 long (reusable) length of mono from a spool and chris-cross the boat several times with mono, from the tops of the stanchions -- looping around each stanchion to keep tension without knots -- then from bow to backstay above the boom. I tuck the spool with any unused mono into a cockpit locker. When I come back, it's easy to wind it onto the spool. The only knot is near the bow, and I cut it with a knife and leave a little 6 inch pennant of mono in place.

After the first time implementing the "chris-cross at stanchion level" technique, there was a clump of "feather fuzz" on the mono. Some bird got the message. I think they get cautious when they see any mono, hence the pennants I leave on the bow.

.

Our problems with birds only got really bad when I left a pile of chain on the foredeck, after securing from a hurricane. Somehow, that looked like a rock or something and the birds felt at home. It took hours to scrub the boat with a brush and a bucket. There are still slight stains on the stack pack.

.

With the boat chris-crossed with mono, I once came on deck and saw a cormorant perched on our bow pulpit. I fixed that with a piece of monofilament going from bow pulpit to up a few feet on the furled head sail.

Regards,
Brad


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## seacock360 (Dec 9, 2011)

Go to your friendly neighborhood hardware store and get a sprinkler on a stick. Also, get a hose that rolls up in a plastic case. They are the lightest weight hose I've seen and makes it ideal for hauling up your rig. I turn it on in the morning and off in the afternoon when the birds leave for the day. Timers are available for sprinklers. It doesn't take much water to keep the birds away so I just turn enough water on to make the sprinkler slowly spin.


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

HUGOSALT said:


> After a minor mess a while back, I took a bunch of old tennis balls sliced them so I could wedge a 1/8 " line
> in each and spaced them about 18" apart on the line.
> My daughter drew some scarry faces on the balls with
> a marker, and I hung the line very loosely from headstay
> ...


Hugo,

I have a Top Climber (and the dedicated line for it) if you need it. Otherwise I'll help crank.

(I still have one of your propane cylinders, and owe you another one.)

Regards,
Brad


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## HUGOSALT (Jun 15, 2004)

Brad, 
Will take you up on offer for Top Climber/cranking me up come spring (need to break in new cushy chair) having someone to 
keep me awake per new cushy chair would be helpful. Thank you

Suggested to Mrs. that leaving our boxer on deck with small dog 
house would solve any bird problem...she responded that leaving
that said doghouse with me in it would be much more effective!
Hugo


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

chrisncate said:


> My dad swears by placing a rubber snake on deck, or even up on a spreader if you have steps.
> 
> I never tried it because I welcome the birds, poop and all. Oddly, with my "come one/come all" stance on birds and other wildlife hanging out on my boat, I rarely get pooped on.
> 
> _They know.._


HA! My thoughts exactly. I don't use scary owls, snakes, CD's, wire ties, fishing nets or barbed wire and they seem to let me off easy.

I don't believe in "short term" Karma, but, it's enough to make me wonder :laugher :laugher :laugher :laugher

All this being said, friends of mine on a mooring use the bobble head type owl and it seems to work. Plus every time I step on their boat at night it scares the crap out of me...lol.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Though we do get an occasional squirt of whitewash from a great blue heron, the biggest problem we face in the Chesapeake's upper reaches is waterfowl, mainly Canada geese and mallard ducks, both of which roost on the docks every night and leave thumb-size droppings so thick you cannot walk on the floating piers.

Not only does this pose a problem for slip holders, but the marina docks, which are relatively new, have began rotting away because of the acidic droppings. The geese are so bad in some areas that they no longer fear humans, and some have been somewhat aggressive. Consequently, marina owners have taken to hiring on companies that utilize sheep dogs to chase the geese from the docks. The dogs seem to be tireless and really effective. The dogs are also used at some area golf courses to keep the geese off the greens.

The marina I'm at has to power-wash their docks at least twice a year, then they seal the dock's deck-boards with something similar to Thompson's Water Seal that is environmentally safe. I'm not convinced this will stop the docks from rotting away, but it may slow the process.

Cheers,

Gary


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Canada Geese also took down the jet that landed in the Hudson. I read somewhere that their numbers are growing exponentially.

I say we should set their numbers back a few decades.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

The increase we're primarily seeing in this part of the world is from non-migratory Canada geese, which are resident birds that take up housekeeping in places where they cannot be hunted. Golf course ponds, farm ponds, municipal reservoirs, park ponds and lakes, locations too close to houses to afford hunting. They're bigger than migratory Canada geese, often tipping the scales at 12 to 15 pounds and tougher than a pit bull, especially during nesting season. The only time they are vulnerable is during mid summer when they're molting and cannot fly. That, however, only last a couple weeks.

Cheers,

Gary


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

They used to have a big problem with deer on runways, because you couldn't hunt them in the "airport environment". Deer are smart that way. I used to see the herd alongside the end of the runway when I flew. (We are talking about a large paved runway, with an occasionally operating control tower.) "Caution deer on runway" is a common phrase. A couple friends hit one with the landing gear on a Cessna and totalled the airplane. No one was hurt.

AFAIK, now they allow deer hunting on that particular airport.

On Long Island, every ball field that doesn't hire a dog person is covered in crap. Literally, ever 8 square inches has a turd on it. Kids that play football get it all over their uniforms.

Overall, it seems foolish to let potential food get in the way like that. I'm sure someone with a bow would be willing to bag a few, and the state could make money off the hunting permits. (Establish a limit of one a week, that would do it.) We aren't really talking about thinning there numbers actually, more letting them know it's not safe to be there.

Regards,
Brad


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

There are poisons that prevent their eggs from properly maturing.


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## carl762 (Jan 11, 2010)

> There are poisons that prevent their eggs from properly maturing.


I see problems with that, ethically, morally. I like the hunting idea though. Utilize the game.

We have geese, ducks, an angry Blue Heron, seagulls and lots of little birds. I'm considering myself very lucky that I find very little birdie poopie on my boat. However, one day I parked my car under a tree up in the parking lot and the little birds had a little birdie war and my car was totally covered in birdie poop. 

As far as the docks, some areas get hit, but very little, and we have a couple of those fake owls, which seem to do the trick on a couple of the docks. I never see birds of any kind on the fake owl docks.


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## Rozz (Jun 30, 2011)

anyone try a pest deterrent like this? http://www.gooddeals.com/ImageView.aspx?id=567


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## arknoah (Oct 31, 2010)

PeterSailer said:


> The is a lot of poop on our docks but I never noticed any on the boats.
> I guess we're lucky


That's our problem, too. I think one problem is a heron whose nest got destroyed during Hurricane Irene.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

carl762 said:


> I see problems with that, ethically, morally. I like the hunting idea though. Utilize the game......


huh? You'll shoot the birds, but you consider essentially giving them birth control to be unethical and immoral?


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## CorvetteGuy (Jun 4, 2011)

flip your boat over when not in use!!!!


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## b40Ibis (Apr 27, 2011)

Be careful with disturbing, killing, or doing anything to birds, especially water fowl. They are protected under federal law- the Migratory Bird Act, even the ones that don't migrate. The enviros, Resource officers, will come after you with fines, jail if you are caught in the act. Passive systems like a strand of monofilament, cds, should be ok. The dutch man system with the monofilament works well for the boom. Spraying them with water may be, at best frowned upon.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

b40Ibis said:


> Be careful with disturbing, killing, or doing anything to birds, especially water fowl. They are protected under federal law- the Migratory Bird Act, even the ones that don't migrate. The enviros, Resource officers, will come after you with fines, jail if you are caught in the act. Passive systems like a strand of monofilament, cds, should be ok. The dutch man system with the monofilament works well for the boom. Spraying them with water may be, at best frowned upon.


Which is exactly what has to change.


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## Agri (Dec 5, 2011)

Minnewaska said:


> huh? You'll shoot the birds, but you consider essentially giving them birth control to be unethical and immoral?


 The problem with poison is that you never know how far up the food chain it will go. Doesn't matter how selective it appears to be, just look at what happened with DDT.


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## svjobeth (Nov 29, 2008)

We've tried most of the methods mentioned: CD's, the owl, a rubber snake, which was evidently carried away by something as it was there one day, gone the next; twanging the shrouds seems to work too, if you're there when the birds are in the rigging. Our wind generator, spinning slowly when braked, seemed to help at times.

In Savannah/SE GA, most of our bird issues on the boat come not from herons, pelicans, gulls, (they get the docks), but from Grackles. Another point is none of the previously mentioned methods prevent the 'fly-over-drop.'

We've been trying to get our marina folks to bring in a falconer during Grackle season. I think one or two Peregrine falcons, flying about once a week or so might clear the crowds. Ospreys don't seem to bother the Grackles as they don't hunt them. Peregrines take out prey in a 90mph dive in flight.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I googled GooseGone. Looks like too much work to just and remove constantly and no marina is going to allow it.


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## goosegone1 (Apr 14, 2015)

Goose Gone took me about 1 hour to install, and I am as handy as a foot! Or at least my pop says so  

That's the initial time investment. 

After that, it takes seconds (literally) to take down any side of the perimeter. 

To me, the hour of up front time was well worth it, as I was spending 10minutes every day after work cleaning goose poop. Since installing it, I have had ZERO incidents.

For a marina it might be too cumbersome, but for any private party I think it would be a great solution. It surely worked for me!


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Looks like GooseGone was busted.


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## GRANDCAPRI26 (Feb 23, 2015)

Birds on top of mast, destroying windex and making a mess on the deck, Ospreys are protected, so any effort to remove them needs to be carefully thought out.
I chose a Pigstick, as shown in the photo. It's easy to erect and annoys the birds just enough to keep them off of our mast.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I finally found something that keeps the small birds off my spreaders, mast and boom. It's an osprey wind sock that flits and flutters its wings, looks real and those little birds no longer get anywhere near the boat when I have it flying. Amazon.com: Jackite Osprey Kite: Toys & [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@51iDu-2y3gL

At first I tried it by tethering it to the flag line that runs up to the end of the spreaders, but when the wind switched it quickly became tangled in the shrouds. I found that it worked best when I tethered it to a bamboo pole attached to one of the pier pilings. It just flies all day, even in the lightest wind, and those birds never get closer than 100 yards.

Gary


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## wfish11 (Mar 27, 2012)

I took a four foot length of dowel and attached tassels like they use on little kids bikes to the ends. Added an eye ring to the middle of the dowel. Then i hooked the eyering to the main sheet to pull it up and tied another sheet to it to pull it down. I ran it up to about a foot above the spreaders. It swings in the wind and the birds go elsewhere. For the top I got some of those sharp plastic fingers they sell at hardware stores to keep pigeons off gutters. Screw those on and they won't like that either. Good Luck


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