Bird’s nest onboard - what to do?

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jezjez

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I have sailed at least once if not twice a week all this year and a pipit has been hanging around - mostly pooing! But now I’ve discovered he’s a she and sitting on eggs in a nest in my rolled up mainsail (I prefer to sail with a reefed main and a headsail as I sail single-handed a lot I find it keeps me out of trouble.)
This bird has been nesting and now has eggs in the bottom rolls of the mainsail.
Does anyone know if there’s any harm just letting her carry on? Will the sail be harmed? I don’t want I move her
 
They will take about 2 weeks to hatch and another 2 to 3 weeks to leave the nest. It would be an offence to disturb the nest. Apart from a bit of bird shit l don't think it will damage the sail.
Tiller girl beat me to it.
 
Much more hygienic than a ship's cat and rather fun to have her aboard :) I can't see a dacron sail being harmed
 
jezjez said:
I have sailed at least once if not twice a week all this year and a pipit has been hanging around - mostly pooing! But now I’ve discovered he’s a she and sitting on eggs in a nest in my rolled up mainsail (I prefer to sail with a reefed main and a headsail as I sail single-handed a lot I find it keeps me out of trouble.)
This bird has been nesting and now has eggs in the bottom rolls of the mainsail.
Does anyone know if there’s any harm just letting her carry on? Will the sail be harmed? I don’t want I move her
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Thank you for not wanting to move her.
 
My worry is that when I went off sailing she left the eggs and they presumably got cold. I only realised as I was heading back - only about 2 hours but that might have been too long????
 
I was going out on my 20ft scimitar for the afternoon. I started to pull out the jib from under the foredeck and a pidgeon shot out of the darkness making me jump somewhat. Had a closer look and there were 3 baby pidgeons in a nest right up in the bow (yes baby pidgeons do exist!)
Kinda ruined my day but i put the scrunched up sail back as it was and left..
Googled how long until they fly away, cursed and waited as i cant kill innocent animals ..
Didnt even get a thank you or a sorry for all the pidgeon crap they left behind.
Barbed wire and machine gun posts for next year !
 
It’s possible she stayed on the nest while you were sailing. It’s unusual for a bird to build a nest knowing that the boat is going out regularly. The eggs are probably ok after two hours anyway but she will know. If the eggs are dead she will abandon the nest. Are you sure it is a pipit ? If she’s been hanging round for weeks the eggs are likely to be near to hatching.
 
Gargleblaster said:
View attachment 193760
I find a homing pidgeon very useful to steer when you want to have a sleep.
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We were joined by a racing pigeon somewhere near the Isles of Scilly when coming from the Azores - poor thing was very lost! We fed and watered it for a few days and it set off again (in the wrong direction). The pigeon racing society were most grateful when we gave them the ring number and location when we got back to dry land.
 
I last week had a little pigeon come to the back of my boat, stayed for over 4 hours, looked very sad, gave it some water and biscuits, it then flew off before night fall, the next day appeared again, it was very tame and again stayed for over 5 hours just sat eating and looking at me working on the boat. Saw rings on its leg and after much photographing eventually got some of the numbers. Again it few off at night fall. The next morning it was back, I was given the phone number of the local racing pigeon rescue guys, they help fir three days to catch her, she was a year old and was supposed to be racing in Holland and somehow ended up in Hull, she will be health check, quarantined and then taken back to her owner in Holland. So good end
 
Some friends of ours discovered a pigeon nest, complete with nesting pigeon. in their tender after arriving at their chosen anchorage. Luckily they had food on board, so were able to forgo their visit to the pub. On their return to their home port, they were greeted by a very anxious pigeon partner! The loving birds were reunited, and a small clutch of pigeon babies successfully reared.
 
It seems to be oystercatchers in our marina. One boat had eggs laid on the stackpack and one had eggs laid on top of the forehatch! No nests involved just laid straight onto the surface. Left undisturbed and both boats lost a couple of months of sailing.
 
Daverw said:
I last week had a little pigeon come to the back of my boat, stayed for over 4 hours, looked very sad, gave it some water and biscuits, it then flew off before night fall, the next day appeared again, it was very tame and again stayed for over 5 hours just sat eating and looking at me working on the boat. Saw rings on its leg and after much photographing eventually got some of the numbers. Again it few off at night fall. The next morning it was back, I was given the phone number of the local racing pigeon rescue guys, they help fir three days to catch her, she was a year old and was supposed to be racing in Holland and somehow ended up in Hull, she will be health check, quarantined and then taken back to her owner in Holland. So good end
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My wife's uncle would collect them, say thankyou, then when clear of the saviour he would ring their necks. Quite common among pigeon fanciers I am told
 
Chiara’s slave said:
Some friends of ours discovered a pigeon nest, complete with nesting pigeon. in their tender after arriving at their chosen anchorage. Luckily they had food on board, so were able to forgo their visit to the pub. On their return to their home port, they were greeted by a very anxious pigeon partner! The loving birds were reunited, and a small clutch of pigeon babies successfully reared.
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Then one takes pot shots with the airgun. :cry:
 
We had a blackbird nest under the engine cover of our old Bedford TK horsebox. We didn't know it was there until after we had taken the lorry out for a trip. The bird came back when we returned and hatched the brood. I was devastated that we couldn't go to horse shows for a whole month😉
 
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