Birds on tower=poop on cover

[Wayloncle]

I noticed the other day that I had a line of bird poop across my cover, my boat is stored in a covered spot with open sides. I was looking at the beams for the roof and was thinking it was weird because it doesn't line up with the line of crap, then j realized they are sitting on the tower and pooping:-/

Do any of you have good ideas how to keep them off?
I'm going to get a rubber snake and put up there, that seems to work at my mom's house....I get startled everytime I go there because I'm not expecting the dang snakes

 

[bronze_10]

Get one of those plastic owes to put up there..

 

[SCSTWG]

Owls and snakes seem to be pretty standard. I know a lot of people that moor their boas use a spinning device that does a great job, but since you are in protected storage you won;t have the wind needed.

 

[BigN8]

Use contractor warning flags. The plastic triangle flags flap in the wind and annoy the birds.

 

[OperationROL]

Owls seem to work well. At Lake Geneva, where I often boat, there are a lot of pooped covered boats mooring at Gordy's marina. There are a few with Owls that have no poop on them.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I see these Florida birds sitting next to the fake owls all of the time. Fishing line works wonders..... string it around in the areas where they fly above the tower.

 

[007]

The guy in the neighboring slip of mine has a plastic owl and strips of shiny 1" wide ribbon like you wrap gifts with. They are about 4' long and hang from the rafters and blow in the wind. Seems to work pretty well, scares them off my boat too.

Now...if only I could figure out something to keep all the dang spiders away!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

The guy in the neighboring slip of mine has a plastic owl and strips of shiny 1" wide ribbon like you wrap gifts with. They are about 4' long and hang from the rafters and blow in the wind. Seems to work pretty well, scares them off my boat too.

Now...if only I could figure out something to keep all the dang spiders away!

For the spiders....if you have lots of areas that don't get rained on like the open rafters of a dock house or under the dock, spray it with Demon or Cyper wettable powder. This stuff worked wonders for me around my house with the millions of spiders that eat the billions of grass bugs.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/demon-wp-insecticide-p-74.html?gclid=CMrFn6HXmMwCFQcfhgod25sLBA

 

[GiddYupJoe]

I hung bunch of old CD's on fishing line last season in my slip. Did the trick and I didn't have to buy an owl!

 

[Zeus2013]

I have seen a few people put those revolving sticks on towers and other areas. They spin with the slightest breeze.

http://www.gullsweep.com

 

[007]

Thanks @Murf'n'surf . The association sprays our dock regularly. I don't know what they use, but i am telling you the spiders population is SW Missouri is way too healthy and the winters have been to warm to help kill some of them off. The most common, a long jaw or "stretch" spider even walks on water! Every time we goto the lake, I get cover and tower cleaning duty...aka spider patrol!

Sorry to high OP! I think @GiddYupJoe just gave me a use for all my old cds!

For the spiders....if you have lots of areas that don't get rained on like the open rafters of a dock house or under the dock, spray it with Demon or Cyper wettable powder. This stuff worked wonders for me around my house with the millions of spiders that eat the billions of grass bugs.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/demon-wp-insecticide-p-74.html?gclid=CMrFn6HXmMwCFQcfhgod25sLBA

 

[Wayloncle]

Thanks for all the ideas, I forgot about the CDs, the roof is probably 20' tall this week I'm going to see if I can get up there to hang some stuff from the rafters and let the CDs hang a little above my tower so I don't have to attach stuff to the tower that I'll have to remove every time. I'll probably still zip tie a snake on it and just leave it up there
Should get a few screams next time we have people out on the lake

 

[Britboater]

I have an owl, one with a swivelling head, looks really cool but a few birds are getting used to him now so I'm thinking about getting on of those "spider" devices which should fit perfectly on the tower.

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/bird-b-gone--bird-spider-360--P014897029

 

[buckbuck]

Hmmm...rubber snakes on the boat. I kinda like that idea.

 

[sysinu]

Just saturate a rag with hot sauce and then wet your tower with it. It's like Bird-B-Gone.

 

[4x15mph]

parking garages use spikes/nails on all the areas where birds would want to sit. You could take a long strip of wood and nail gun a continous line of spikes through it. You could then attach/detach (velcro strap) when you put away the boat. You could always do this along with the shiny tape and CD's

I don't think you really hurt the birds since they know not to sit on nails/spikes.

 

[007]

Hmmm...rubber snakes on the boat. I kinda like that idea.

GREAT! Now I have a movie quote stuck in my head @buckbuck and its not "G" rated, lol. But it might include this guy:

 

[Wayloncle]

parking garages use spikes/nails on all the areas where birds would want to sit. You could take a long strip of wood and nail gun a continous line of spikes through it. You could then attach/detach (velcro strap) when you put away the boat. You could always do this along with the shiny tape and CD's

I don't think you really hurt the birds since they know not to sit on nails/spikes.

When I worked in Missouri the base spent bunches of $$$$ placing special bird spikes all around our shop and over hang, a week later the birds were standing on the spikes

 

[4x15mph]

@Wayloncle , those are some military grade birds.

It looks like West Marine carries these spikes specifically and here is a set from Amazon that cost $20 and arrives in 2 days if you have prime.

http://www.amazon.com/Bird-X-STS-10-R-Stainless-Spikes-Covers/dp/B000Z5E4IE

 

[Wayloncle]

My bird-away kit.

We will see how it works.

They will probably get tangled up in a decent wind, if so I'll just take the middle one down.

Cost me $6 total, that was for the magnets at Lowes, I really only needed three but I got two packs of 3.