Birds in the Mast

BobM · Sep 12, 2009

Hope this helps

Have you tried adapting a smaller tube to a shop vac? You could easily snake it inside the mast to get out smaller debris and pine needles will at least stick to the end allowing you to pull them out.

Ross · Sep 12, 2009

Re: Hope this helps

Fire?

is the mast on the boat? Chimney sweep brushes would work if both end were open.

Stu Jackson · Sep 12, 2009

Water hose? You can get a nozzle at ACE hardware that will up the pressure (it's got a small hole for an outlet) and you may be able to "flush" them out!

Rich Stidger · Sep 12, 2009

Damn birds! I feel your pain....

Rod,

Since you were able to get you boat hook in the mast, you must have the mast off the boat.

I have had the problem with birds nesting in my boom when it is on the boat, and both times (yes, sometimes I can be a slow learner...) it took me HOURS of effort to remove the nest.

I was most successful using a wire snake to break up the nest as much as possible, and then I inserted a hose at one end and used the hose as a ram with the water running to further break-up and flush out the debris. I had to tip the boom down as much as possible to get gravity to help. My boom has a outhaul block system inside so there was lots of "stuff" for the nest debris to get caught upon.

A vacuum hose with a shop vac was not helpful for me because I could not get the smallest possible hose into my boom. You may have different luck with the open bottom of the mast.

I now cover and seal securely both ends of my boom as soon as my winter cover comes off to prevent a THIRD episode.

jackhartjr · Sep 12, 2009

My first thought was this...what is wrong with birds living in the mast? What would the harm be?
Jack

jackhartjr · Sep 12, 2009

Rod, I was just asking.
Jack

jibes138 · Sep 13, 2009

What kind of birds were they?

Some species of birds are protected as endangered species. You may have to give up sailing in order to not disturb the birds.
Also if they were turkey vultures they might scare the heck out of you, while a parrot might make a good pet to talk to and teach tricks.
I too had birds nest in my boom and found just wrapping a few wraps of rigging tape across the hole and over the end of the boom they no longer bothered me. Most likely chickadees as the hole they were going through is pretty small. i just flushed it with a hose and all the stuff came out. at least the boom is easy to work with.
Good luck with cleaning it up.

Benny · Sep 13, 2009

how about a pressure washer?

BobM · Sep 13, 2009

I had some nesting woes yesterday too

My Wife took my niece out to a tea shop for her birthday. Five minutes before leaving an hour late she asked if I thought it would be a problem if she took her Jag, a 1989 XJS I bought for her off ebay a few years ago (to off set some of my guilt over all the toys I have). So much for my relaxing morning. :bang:
This spring I had dug a softball size mouse nest out from under the cruise control bellows (visible just behind the AC pump in the middle of the photo). It took me about an hour. I had warned her last week that the garage had a new resident, later found dead outside the garage a few days later, but not before assaulting a role of shop towels. So when she asked, I told her to wait until I checked under the hood. Sure enough there was another nest. She must have given the mouse a heart attack

when she took it to work earlier in the week. That V12 sounds like a jet engine when you first start it up. Under pressure I cleared the mouse nest out in about ten minutes flat using two long screwdrivers like chop sticks and then blowing out the remnants with compressed air. I had used the shop vac previously, but sill me, hadn't kept whatever adaptor I had kludged together to get the hose down to a small enough diameter to fit in. I have attached a photo of a nicer jag as reference. Please note that, in my experience, the phrase "British Engineering" is usually preceded by an appropriate expletive.

RichBone · Sep 13, 2009

How big of a hole do you have in your mast or boom for birds to be nesting in it?
Vacuum? Heck, take the ends off and clear it out with an air hose or leaf blower
Rich

Joe · Sep 13, 2009

My bird experience...

If I don't tie the end of my mainsail and cover tightly in the spring time, a family of finches will set up housekeeping in the folds of the sail. The birds take turns standing guard after the eggs are laid.... they are very cool to watch as they try to draw you away from the nest or chirp loudly to distract you. I didn't realize what they were doing until I hoisted the main at the dock one day before going for a single handed sail and the nest popped out onto the dock finger... broken eggs.. the whole deal. Wow, did I feel guilty... but the damage had been done so I left the nest on the dock and took off.

The following year, the birds chose my boat again for their home. I checked under the mainsail cover as soon as I saw the parent guarding the area. This time I called a finch expert and she told me the total time from egg laying to hatching was 2 weeks and it would take another 3-4 weeks for the chicks to outgrow the nest and fly away... So... still feeling the guilt of last year I waited and observed, even took some pictures of my adopted family each week. The last week things got messy as the family had become so crowded and they would poop over the side, so I put paper down... just like a bird cage. When I came back the following week and found the nest empty I was a bit sad, I was hoping to be there when the kids took to their wings... but I was happy they survived the predator birds in the area and glad that I could go sailing again.

After telling her the story my bird expert told me that if the birds will build a new nest and lay eggs again if things get destroyed or disappear. Actually, many birds are like that... that's why hens lay every day... hmm.... I didn't make that association.

Anyway, I found a half-finished nest in there one year and had no problem disposing of it even though the propsective parents were pretty pissed. I just make it a point to close off the end of the sail and cover which I've made easier by adding extra snaps in that area.

Joe · Sep 13, 2009

Big, beautiful birds....

As a follow up to my finch story... here's something you might find interesting.

The neighboring marina in our basin has a large, old fashioned trawler type powerboat with a mast used for a stabilizing sail. A family of ospreys has had their aerie on the top of this mast for as long as I can remember. It is a very large nest, and unlike the finches, they live there year round. Each spring you could observe the parents bringing back fish and whatever to feed the growing chicks in the nest. I would sit in my cockpit and observe through my binocs..... Occasionionally you'd see these magnificent birds hunting near our dock, perched on a parking lot light post or the spreaders of a sailboat's mast, looking for the small squirrels that inhabit the area. All my dock neighbors were mesmerized by these magnificent birds of prey. The are nobel, regal creatures.

I was told that one of the reasons the birds had remained in the area for so long was that it was illegal to remove or destroy their nests. The boat owner has not been able to move his vessel because of this....it's been sitting in the same spot for at least 10 years.

Well...... to my astonishment... this spring I noticed the nest was gone. I asked around and was told the owner got a permit and with special assistance the birds were relocated to another area.... At least that's what I hope really happened. If it had been my boat I guess I would have tried moving them long ago... but other wise the presence of the ospreys in our lagoon was a beautiful thing while it lasted. I will miss them.

Ross · Sep 13, 2009

Re: Big, beautiful birds....

Joe , Come to Rock Hall, Md. The Ospreys nest on every navaid and on many bimini tops. I watched one pair playing around the strings and flashing ribbons on one boat.

catsailor · Sep 13, 2009

Be sure to close all of the useable holes when you are done.

Yep, had the same problem in my boom, and the problem there is that they jam the internal reefing tackle. Boat hook and hose.

I took the time to make bird-proof covers for all of the openings they were using (there were several) and then they tried nesting in my sail covers! Several broken eggs later, they moved on.

Birds in the Mast

rod1029

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BobM

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Ross

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Stu Jackson

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Rich Stidger

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jackhartjr

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rod1029

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rod1029

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jibes138

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Benny

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BobM

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