Bye Bye Birdie

[Muttondressedaslamb]

For the past few years, Several boats moored in Staten Island's Great Kills harbor, including mine, have been progressively bombarded with Seagull poop and food remains. IMHO, this has been an unfortunate side effect of cleaner local waters attracting more bait fish. I have tried everything from nets, fake owls, snakes, and cats, to motion detecting solar lights with only limited success. This year, I finally got a break. One of our yacht club members quit his membership and abandoned his boat at the mooring, about 100 yards from mine. As the season progressed, his boat became more and more covered with fish blood and guts which nobody cleaned away, unlike the boats of active members. As a result, his boat became the hangout, restaurant, and latrine for the local gulls, sparing nearby boats the mess. They are attracted to the smell and find safety in numbers. Check this out

 

[shemandr]

Comorants cleaned out a mooring field off New Suffolk faster than the town could. The town wanted to regulate moorings there but resistance from local sailors stalled their action. The birds didn't care about votes and made an absolute mess of the boats. I once passed a little yawl and I remember counting 12 birds in the rigging. You can imagine the result. They tried owls, snakes, whirly gigs, wires across the spreaders, tarps and whatever else. Now few boats moor there. The few that do are basically abandoned.

 

[dlochner]

Hmmm, I guess every mooring field should have a sacrificial boat, sort of take one for the team approach.

Years ago ducks invaded the mooring field I used. Upon arriving at the boat the first task was to remove the duck eggs and wash the deck. The ducks took a particular liking to a J24 moored nearby. It was ugly and a downhill spiral. The more productive the ducks became, fewer visits from the owner occurred. Glad it wasn't my boat.

 

[capta]

In Charleston City Marina, I would say we had a mild, but persistent bird problem. One owner had or purchased one of those audio bird dissuaders that they use around airports. You always knew when he was aboard, because there were no birds in our area of the marina. I tried to talk him into leaving it on all the time, but for some reason he wouldn't.
Anyway, to the point. Apparently these units aren't cheap (maybe that's why they work), but if the members of a club got together, they might be affordable for a group.

 

[Ron20324]

At HHN marina there was a live-aboard trimaran tied up beam-to on the end of my TEE dock. The couple had a medium size dog and three or 4 cats, each one a different color. I got to like the calico, and still prefer them. One day I was on my O222 working on a fuse panel when the calico came up to my companionway and looked around. He came in, walked down the seat on the other side, up to the vee berth then came up behind me, his head under my working arm to get petted. It was so cute. The were NEVER any birds on our dock. /// As an aside, when the marina wired AC service thru a meter to start charging for livaboards, the Cat skipper pointed out that his lease specified water and AC included in the slip price. When the lease ran out months later, they moved the boat elsewhere. The boat was named, and IS, "Electric Blue".

 

[shemandr]

The farmers on the East End of LI use a canon sound to scare away birds. I believe they are propane based. It works for a while.

 

[Ron20324]

The farmers on the East End of LI use a canon sound to scare away birds. I believe they are propane based. It works for a while.

I think they just wanted an excuse to shoot the cannon? I'm making my own "cannon". Got the wheel rims and spokes done, will be working on the hubs and carriage as Hurricane Delta blows over. Now if I just had the balls to shoot it... Chick-a-BOOM !

 

[dlochner]

The farmers on the East End of LI use a canon sound to scare away birds. I believe they are propane based. It works for a while.

Airports have the same problem with birds and runways. Remember Miracle on the Hudson?

 

[Stu Jackson]

Now if I just had the balls to shoot it... Chick-a-BOOM !

@Ron20324
Do you mean "...had the nerve to..." or the actual round shot? I'm guessin' you figure both!

 

[danm1]

Okay, off topic, but this reminds me of a story I read years ago about some suburban dads who built a cannon to accompany one of their kids playing the 1812 Overture in a school band. It was so successful that the dads got a bunch of school gigs all over the northeast. Maybe we can find them and ask for a mooring field reunion tour.

 

[Muttondressedaslamb]

Hmmm, I guess every mooring field should have a sacrificial boat, sort of take one for the team approach.

Years ago ducks invaded the mooring field I used. Upon arriving at the boat the first task was to remove the duck eggs and wash the deck. The ducks took a particular liking to a J24 moored nearby. It was ugly and a downhill spiral. The more productive the ducks became, fewer visits from the owner occurred. Glad it wasn't my boat.

If it serves the purpose, the ends justify the means. As the abandoned boat got dirtier and smellier, the others got cleaner and cleaner. A few years ago, a fellow member had an eagle roosting at the top of his mast. He tolerated its presence, because it scared everything else away, preventing far more mess than it created. In similar fashion, rural villages in India tolerate and worship the King cobra. Though highly venomous and responsible for a number of human fatalities, it may save more lives than it takes, as its principle diet consists of other snakes, including smaller cobras, kraits, and vipers

 

[31seahorse]

I'm making my own "cannon". Got the wheel rims and spokes done, will be working on the hubs and carriage as Hurricane Delta blows over. Now if I just had the balls to shoot it... Chick-a-BOOM !

Of course we all realize you are talking about cannon balls!

 

[Hayden Watson]

At our marina, we get invaded by Rock Terns every fall. The marina installed small electronic boxes that would make a hawk screech every 30 seconds or so. All of the terns left and the problem was solved. Then the department of wildlife got wind of it and made the marina remove them. They were not allow to "harass" terns. They were back within a week of the squawkers removal. Your tax dollars at use.

 

[Will Gilmore]

I'd suggest all the club members contribute a little money to the owner of the sacrificial boat in appreciation for his services, but he'd probably use the money to clean up his boat. Then where would y'all be?

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[RoyS]

Pellet gun works better.

 

[Muttondressedaslamb]

At our marina, we get invaded by Rock Terns every fall. The marina installed small electronic boxes that would make a hawk screech every 30 seconds or so. All of the terns left and the problem was solved. Then the department of wildlife got wind of it and made the marina remove them. They were not allow to "harass" terns. They were back within a week of the squawkers removal. Your tax dollars at use.

I bet they would be marching to a different drum if their offices and vehicles were "terned" into outhouses

 

[Muttondressedaslamb]

The farmers on the East End of LI use a canon sound to scare away birds. I believe they are propane based. It works for a while.

And I used a "Canon" to take a picture of the boat Defiance

 

[Muttondressedaslamb]

I'd suggest all the club members contribute a little money to the owner of the sacrificial boat in appreciation for his services, but he'd probably use the money to clean up his boat. Then where would y'all be?

-Will (Dragonfly)

I think you are being too "Optimistic"