Now for what we really did. Look at my spreaders and you’ll see I added a line on each one to its shroud. That was to keep the big birds from perching so easily. I would also hoist a pig stick with a flag to the top of the mast to discourage the birds. I initially used a Gadsden flag (Don’t Tread On Me) but the liberal guy from Wisconsin thought I was trying to make a political statement. (Seriously. He really did. I liked him otherwise.) I also ran a line from the clew end of the boom just above the sail cover to try to trip them up. Honestly, I don’t know which of these measures worked but I never had the issue again.