Bird Deterrents

Most people think of the seagull on the beach.  If there is any food near, they are hovering above, waiting until they can snatch it up.  Leaving behind your lunch remains on the towel while rinsing off in the ocean will most likely leave you with no remains left at all; the seagull will steal what is left behind as soon as you walk away.  Seagulls are known to be scavengers.  They have been referenced as garbage men with wings.   

Boat bird control is on the forefront of every captain and boat owner out there.  Seagulls are notorious to captains of boats and boat owners.  The more a bird eats, the more the bird poops.  The seagull is a huge eater which creates a huge mess if boat bird control is not in place.   Seagulls and other pest birds are drawn to boats where they find many areas, high and low, to roost and nest.    They will often perch and roost on the boat rigging, antennas and the projecting parts of the vessel.  The bird droppings that fall down onto the boat itself will damage the paint, wood, canvas and any other material the droppings land on.  Boat bird control in place is essential in keeping a healthy boat afloat.

Having boat bird control in place will guarantee your boat will be ready for use when you return to the docks to take it out.  Time and time again boaters spend too much time cleaning up their boat before they can even take it out of the dock.  With boat bird control in action, even when you are not near the boat, it is keeping birds away, which means keeping the nests and droppings at bay.

Successful boat bird control consists of physical bird deterrents.  A physical and visual deterrent is a method that frightens the pest seagulls away when they see a visual distraction.  Flash tape is an example of a type of visual bird deterrent that can be put on the boat to keep birds away.  The flash tape is made from an iridescent red foil Mylar tape.  The glossy reflective surface of the tape when it is moving with the breeze scares the birds away from the tape.  The flash tape makes a “crinkling” sound that is an irritant to the bird and they fly away from the sound also.

A bird spider is another visual bird deterrent method that works well on boats.  The bird spider has a base which can either be a sandbag base or can be mounted on the boat’s surface and the railing.  The bird spider deterrent has stainless steel “arms” that move with the breeze.  The movement of the “arms” creates an area that frightens the birds away.  They will not want to perch, roost or build a nest anywhere near this type of boat bird control method. 

When the vessel is in a more secluded area that may not be affected by the breeze, a solar bird repeller is another visual bird deterrent option.  The solar bird repeller has moving 5 foot long flexible “arms” that move using solar-power.  Even in the dark quiet evening, boat bird control is in action.  The solar unit comes with an on and off switch and can be switched off when the boat is in use.  It only takes 8 hours in full sun to pre-charge the batteries.

For best results, using the spider or repeller along with either the Mylar flash tape or a visual scare diverter to ensure full exclusion for your vessel.  The unsanitary conditions that come with bird droppings is not something you want to deal with.  Boating should be fun and carefree.  Using boat bird control visual deterrents will make sure to keep the pest gulls away creating clean and fun boating.