Swallows..... (the bird kind)

[Nik]

Over the season I have been battling the Swallow's. At the marina we have them all around and they seem to have an affinity to resting on the lifelines. Must be a perfect doameter for their feet. Is there a solution to keeping them off and thus eliminating the line of guano that resides under the lines? It takes about an hour to wash the deck, never mind the staining. I contemplated making the boat "Christmasy" by using garland (larger diameter, soft and shiny / movement) but, since I grew up on a farm and there are Crows around, I question the glittery / shiny nature and Crows affinity to this. I am picturing Crows picking the garland and Swallows egging them on. Crows hate Owls and will attack them (used Owl decoys to bring crows in (in my younger days). Any of you out there have wise words of wisdom? Next year I am contemplating adopting about 20 cats and turning them into dock cats (JUST KIDDING)...

Nik

 

[jk kudera]

Don't laugh!

we use a bungie cord and strips of aluminum foil held with cloth pins, seems to keep them away, works well enough that two boat neighbors use the same trick. now all we need to do is find a way to stop them from using the wind vane as an amusement park! (8 to 10 at a time)
At a lake near our home, the sailors have the same mast head problems with turkey buzzards, and you know what they eat!

 

[Ctskip]

CD's

They worked for me Hang a couple from the side stays and bimini.
Keep it up,
Ctskip

 

[Jon6436]

Anti-bird Device

Another vote for using defunct CD's to fend away the birds.
A 1/2 dozen hangs from the lifelines of my 22-footer while she rests dockside.
Use wooden clothespins, with a foot or so of weatherproof lightweight line, to clip and dangle each.

 

[Bill Murray]

Pennants

Inmy old marina someone used strings of pennants wrapped to his lifelines (he found ones that looked sort of nautical). it seemed to work very well.

 

[Ross]

buzzards eat dead animals just as we do .

Monofilament fish line strung just above the lifelines will make landing very difficult and may be enough.

 

[EatDrinkHealthy]

Shiny Spreader

I bought a roll of shiny mirror like vinyl foil from custom truck shop and wrap the spreader. Birds hate shiny objects but I hate to remove all those CDs before sailing.

On the mast head, I made a SS wire brush just like the so-called lightling preventor. I don't think it reduce lightling anyway but it keeps birds from landing.

On the foredeck I tied a fake snake. Got laughters from passerby but no birds.

 

[SEADANCE]

owls

my slip neighbor has a plastic owl perched on his boat..I have to say his is the hardest hit and it cracks me up when I see it. I have not heard of a remedy but the swallows have suddenly just disappeared..

 

[Paul Brinkley]

Ross, the animals that buzzards eat...

are (deader, more dead?) than the animals I eat, and not cooked as well, either! -Paul

 

[RichH]

Old CDs

Best method is to in early spring REMOVE the NESTS as they are being formed!!! Barn Swallows like to build their nest on the underside of docks and if you periodically remove them as they are being built, they will go 'somewhere else'. The farther away the nests are from your boat the less mess you will have.
I hang shiny old CDs UNDER my dock to help keep the NESTS from being built there; plus, at the end of the breeding season I remove any nests so that they cant be used for the NEXT season. I'm thinking of stringing monofilament line under the dock for next season. I certainly dont remove any nests that are 'active'. I do hang CDs on the lifelines and it does seem to 'help'; but ,not on those 'windless days'.

FWIW ... and especially for BIG BIRDS that like to sit on and wreck the masthead wind indicators, Davis Instruments (Windex) now offers a huge SPIKE that attaches to the pivot point of the indicator and is retrofitable to older Windexes .... keeps the Ospreys, Eagles, Cormorants, Gulls and GBHerons OFF the Windex!!!!! www.davisnet.com/marine/products/marine_product.asp?pnum=R3150E

 

[Ross]

Paul, I watched a squirel die under a car before 8 am

And picked up the skeleton , picked clean by buzzards before 11 am the same day. They will choose fresh meat everytime if they can find it. Otherwise they don't mind if it is sloooow cooked for a few days by the sun. ;D

 

[Rodney]

Monofilament Line

I have the same problem with swallows... I am on a side tie and the swallows love to sit on the lifelines. As Ross said, I strung monofilament line above the lifelines about 2 1/2" above the lifelines. The monofilament is too small for them to perch on, and is in their faces if they land on the lifelines. I would estimate the monofilament bird repeller is about 95% effective. However, the little bastards have developed a "gang" method of defeating the monofilament... they'll land in groups of 4 or 5 capturing the mono with their feet and pushing it down until they can grab the lifeline. Increasing the tension on the mono fixed that!! Wonder what the little buggers will think of next?

 

[BobM]

The next level...

I have read that the whole concept of putting vinyl covering on lifelines actually accelerates their deterioration. How about if you replace your life lines with cable sans vinyl...then hook it up to your 12V system and a nice big capacitor...darn...birds sit on power lines too though...oh well.

How about cutting some eyeholes in a white sheet, like a ghost costume, then cut an additional hole for the barrel of your pellet gun...then just sit in your cockpit VERY still.

My friend told me a story about a fellow boater who had trouble with Commorants crapping all over his boat. Another boater took a picture of one on the guys spreader...then photoshopped it so it looked like they were lined up on the spreaders and along his boom and sent it to him.

Drove him crazy!

 

[Nik]

Thanks

for all the responses. I think I'll try the mono trick and start to save old CD-R's. Perhaps I'll go to dollar general and get a bunch of snakes as well .

Thanks,
Nik

 

[Scup]

Washington Park Marina, eh?

You're right about swallows, and they are not easily deterred. They make a horrible mess, and it takes quite a long time to clean off the waste, particularly if the deck is oxidized a bit. In addition to the swallows, we have a real problem with pigeons, ducks, and geese.

 

[GNishida]

Bird Droppings

The best thing I've found to deter birds is a Diso Ball. I raise an 8" Disco Ball ($10 - $15) attached to my spinnaker halyard to the level of the upper spreaders. This works better than anything else I've tried in the past.

 

[Chuckbear]

Believe me we have tried it all. CDs do nothing to deter them, we have tried monofilament, plastic owls, snakes, you name it. Save your time and money. One item that has worked as well as anything is a mylar tape that flashes in the wind and makes a crackling sound.
http://www.birdbusters.com/bird_scare_flash_bird_deterrent.html
It works as well as anything and is fairly cheap. Chuck

 

[Ross]

Not to be overlooked is the fact that barn swallows live primarily on mosquitoes and feed their young on the same. Perhaps RichH could figure how many mosquitoes it would take to feed one barn swallow chick to fully fledged. Now if I could get some wrens to attack the spiders I would be all set.